Buying a bicycle

[The_Assimilator]

I've never bought a bike before, so apologies if this is a noob question, but - where's a good place to buy a bike in Cape Town, and what would you recommend?

I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something that will get me from A to B without hassle - so I don't need a bajillion gears, although shocks would be nice given the "wonderful" state of our roads. I also don't want to pay too much.

The reason I ask is that the big retail stored like Game and Pick 'n' Pay only seem to stock bikes with frames too small for me, and they don't exactly handle the bikes with care. On the other hand, specialist cycle shops seem to be incredibly expensive and i'm not looking for anything special... just a mountain bike, really. There's also Gumtree, but... well... it's Gumtree. :/

Any suggestions?

*edit*: I'm a guy if that makes any difference to anything

 

[thedutchman]

cheap bikes you can buy at makro or game! for nicer bikes, the shop next to game in the canal walk, however they do start off at 4.5k.

 

[LancelotSA]

The state of the roads will have little bearing on your choice of bike. On a bike you avoid potholes. Suspension is there for off-road cycling.

My opinion would be that you frequent a biking forum, or chat to friends who are into mountain biking, and try to get hold of a good second hand bike. Enthusiasts are always looking to upgrade their bikes to the next best thing so they always have old bikes they are looking to sell. You will end up getting a lot better bike for not too much more than those cheapo ones at Game etc.

As an aside those mass store ones will suffice if you only want to do some cruising on the beachfront or to your mates place. If you want to get into trail riding you are going to soon want to upgrade. But in saying that I know of people who were really keen to get into mountain biking, they gave it one go and now they have an expensive bike gathering dust in the garage. Maybe giving it a go on something affordable first. Actually the latter type of people are also worth finding and asking if they want to sell that dust collector.

 

[Waaib]

Sportmans Warehouse is a good option. Depends on your budget. 2cnd hand bikes on gumtree might also be a good idea.

 

[Y'all Qaeda]

I've never bought a bike before, so apologies if this is a noob question, but - where's a good place to buy a bike in Cape Town, and what would you recommend?

I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something that will get me from A to B without hassle - so I don't need a bajillion gears, although shocks would be nice given the "wonderful" state of our roads. I also don't want to pay too much.

The reason I ask is that the big retail stored like Game and Pick 'n' Pay only seem to stock bikes with frames too small for me, and they don't exactly handle the bikes with care. On the other hand, specialist cycle shops seem to be incredibly expensive and i'm not looking for anything special... just a mountain bike, really. There's also Gumtree, but... well... it's Gumtree. :/

Any suggestions?

*edit*: I'm a guy if that makes any difference to anything

Bear in mind that cheap bikes are cheap for a reason. Their gears will go out of sync quickly leaving you with continuous hassles of getting it right. You might as well pedal a oil tanker for the weight those things push. If you're commuting, the initial price will quickly be made up with price of saved petrol.

Look at Merida, Raleigh Platinum, Giant etc.

 

[gregmcc]

When it comes to bikes unfortunately you get what you pay for. Buying too cheap and you will end up running into problems later. IMO rather spend a little extra and get something decent. Saying that you don't need to spend 10K to get something good. What's you budget?

I would stay away from Game/PnP and rather go to a specialist shop.

They will have a much better range and selection and will be able to setup the bike for your size. You can't just hop on the first bike you find and hope that it fits. If the bike frame is incorrectly sized on long rides could end up with damaged knees, aching back, numb hands and numb other bits

For a starting bike you obviously don't need anything too fancy and should get able to get something for 4K-5K. The more goodies you want on the bike (disc brakes, shocks, carbon fiber) the more expensive it becomes.

There is always the option of 2nd hand - you can get some very good specials. I'd take a look at http://www.thehubsa.co.za - its probably the biggest cycling forum in SA and they have a big 2nd hand section. You might be able to pick up something for a very decent price.

For cycle shops I'd recommend Olympic cycles in Landsdown, Bridge Cycle in Bergvliet or CWC cycles. (www.cwcycles.co.za) They have a great online shop with lots of specials. Unfortunately I don't see any full bikes in their online shop - only parts and accessories.

 

[TonyA]

some of the shops can also help with 2nd hand bikes