Did I waste £200? And newbie advice...

Afternoon!

I haven't cycled properly for a looooong time, but figured it would be a cracking way to get around and make the most of my daily exercise time. Fast forward a week and I'm obsessed. WHY DID I NOT GET A BIKE BEFORE?

Ah well, what's done is done.

Anyway, money isn't exactly flowing at the moment so tried to find the cheapest but best reviewed single speed I could and landed on this

Got to be honest, seems pretty solid for the money but would love to know some opinions!

Also, got a list of things I need to get...bottle and cage, phone holder etc. Is there anything it took you ages to get for your cycling endeavours that you wish you'd purchased at the start?

Thaaaaanks

nah, B twin are good bikes, looks pretty (enough)

I can send you a bottle cage for the cost of postage if you like?

Looks good - you won't get a better new bike than that for the money. Obvious advice but buy a decent lock (i.e. £40+ new) and be careful where and when you leave it. Nothing kills the buzz faster than having your bike nicked! A decent set of USB-charging lights are a nice thing to have. Avoid the cheapest ones because a) they die and b) they're shit. If you'd rather tinkle than shout then you might want to get a bell as well, cycling through cities you'll most likely have to be doing one or t'other.

@amey Cheers!

@fizzy.bleach Very kind offer! What colour/type is it? Just after one of the very simple ones

@owl Hadn't even looked at USB lights yet, great shout. Reading the 'stolen bikes' posts has done enough to remind me to get a decent lock!

Thanks all

It's a big standard black one. Maybe the brand is BBB? I'm sure I could find some basic lights as well, but spending £50 on a set of decent usb ones is well worth it. They might be on sale now as the days are longer.

So yeah let me know if you'd like lights

Wasted £200?? My first fixed gear was 200 quid too. It’s cost me thousands...

On a serious note: like Owl & Fizzy say, I’d recommend to get some lights asap. Use them day and night, visibility to vehicles is so important.

Yeah perfect I'll take that off your hands! Again appreciate the offer. Let me know best way to get in touch

Haha I better prepare for it then! Cool, appreciate the input and will have a look!

sure thing - just PM me your address

Wasted £200? As others said, it's fine. But even if you paid over the odds (I don't think this - far from it), you'll get more than that back in transport, fun and Luffguss! Welcome to the friendliest forum on the internet.

(sometimes - Edit: it is, really)

Everyone needs some Btwin / Décathlon action in their cycling lives.

These bikes look like mad bargains, are they chromoly or hi-ten? They come with 32mm tyres too.

Obvious advice but buy a decent lock (i.e. £40+ new) and be careful where and when you leave it. Nothing kills the buzz faster than having your bike nicked! A decent set of USB-charging lights are a nice thing to have. Avoid the cheapest ones because a) they die and b) they're shit. If you'd rather tinkle than shout then you might want to get a bell as well, cycling through cities you'll most likely have to be doing one or t'other.

This, and you may wish to consider cycle skills training ;)
#worldsfriendliestforum (Really)

Also learn how to lock up effectively... the site of returning to bike and finding just the front wheel and d lock still gives me chills.

I've been lurking on this forum for ages to see if anyone comments on these bikes. I think that if you were intent on buying a new bike, you'd be hard pressed to get more for your money but I'm biased because I've got one too, albeit in bright orange.
Seems really well put together for the money and an absolute blast to ride. I bought mine for my commute the night before my workplace was locked down so it's done exactly zero commuting miles in the three months I've had it but still, lovely bike. I've found it won't stop you eyeing tartier bikes with envy though.

Looks alright enough. Another thing to consider upgrading is the brake blocks and brake pads. Budget brake calipers tend to come with cheap flexible blocks. Something like these will probably be a good upgrade:
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-br-6700-r55c3-cartridge-type-brake-shoe-set-pair/

Welcome ! Looks like a good bike choice there. I thing I wish I had bought years before I actually did was a track pump, soooo much easier than a hand pump.

Huge thank you to everyone for the comments and tips - have already used quite a few of them.

Got to say, after having for about a month now, commuting most days and taking it on a few 50km-ish rides I couldn't be happier with it. Alright, I'm sure if I jumped on something better for a week and then went back to this I'd be a little disappointed, but for £200 I'm going to get more than enough mileage out of it and it has definitely kick started a new cycling obsession.

Looking forward to covering plenty more miles.

"Oh those Cinelli frames look quite cool I wonder how much...fucking hell!"