[Jim]

As per title I'm after recomendations for a hybrid type bike, mainly to be used for going on bike rides with the kids and possibly work (5 miles road), budget as cheap as poss but up to £100. Anyone selling anything or can recomend a few different makes/types to keep eye out on ebay for please?
Been looking at 2 bikes in decathlon, original 5 and the fit 3 which look fairly good but not seen any on ebay yet.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

At that kind of budget you are in BSO territory. (bike shaped objects). Everything on them is gonna be beyond cheap ie. Shit. Secondhand it's either gonna be a BSO or a proper bike but so old it will need loads spending on it. If you can stretch to £200-£250 you'll get something basic and new or newish or secondhand in  better nick.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=291056070057
Might be ok, could be too small.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Proper bike.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=331104228793

[lagerstarfish]

I got a Decathlon Riverside 3 for  just such a purpose

they reduce them to £200 on a regular basis

cheap squishy front forks might not be great in the long run, but for 5 FAs per month on bike to work and the shop 2 mins from work I didn't think too much about it

fine on trails

different tyres would use fewer calories on the road

sizing was a bit odd - the Large is very large

[gme]

I happened across this place the other day and was pretty impressed with there set up and what they do.

http://recyclebikes.co.uk/

Charity based bike project in Heeley. If i was looking for a knock around bike i would head straight there, 100s of bikes to choose from.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Been looking at 2 bikes in decathlon, original 5 and the fit 3 which look fairly good but not seen any on ebay yet.

Have you checked out if your work does the 'Cycle to work scheme'?
If you're thinking about a new Decathlon one I'd go for one of the Rockriders rather than a hybrid. If you change the tyres from knobblys to city/trail ones you won't notice much difference to a hybrid, and if you do want to take the kids on something more than smooth gravel you'd be much more suited to it. The Rockrider 5.1 for £160 doesn't look too terrible, budget Shimano components which whilst very basic do work. If you buy an Original 5 you'd better buy a lot of onions and a beret to distract from how hideous the bike is.

[Will Hunt]

Gosh, Jim, you must be flush. I thought the standard conversion was 1 Fuck All = £2.50.

[fatboySlimfast]

[Johnny Brown]

Gosh, Jim, you must be flush. I thought the standard conversion was 1 Fuck All = £2.50.

I'm rather alarmed by the sudden rise in the fuck-all's inflation. At this rate you'll be needing a wheelbarrow, not a bike Jim.

[SA Chris]

The FUCT (Fuckall Unified Currency Trust) has devalued it as an internet based currency due to a rally in bitcoin value.

[Simon W]

I'm generally skint and have cycled all over Sheffield with work for the last 3 years.  If you put hybrid tyres on Decathlon's cheapest mountain bike you can get a reasonable set up.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-50-men-id_8202062.html

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/26x15-randonneur-bike-tyre-id_8026694.html

Would work out at under 140 quid

[Jim]

oh dear, just got back to this and am very  about my shocking maths.
So a mountain bike with hybrid tyres, sounds good.
Work do do the cycle to work scheme but I was a bit put off by the small print (can't remember exactly what it was now)

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Work do do the cycle to work scheme but I was a bit put off by the small print (can't remember exactly what it was now)

I thought the same, on paper your work 'owns' your bike and you make payments before tax on it for a year then pay a nominal sum to buy it off them and make it yours. The catch is if some arsey accountant thinks it's still worth 50% of it's original value after a years use. In practice haven't heard of this happening and think most people pay something like £1 or £5 to make it yours. In theory you can save yourself 40%. That said most people who do it max out the value to £1000. Might not be worth the paper work for a bike worth a handful of FAs.

[slackline]

The catch is if some arsey accountant thinks it's still worth 50% of it's original value after a years use.

I've considered this eventuality.  There's no obligation to buy it at the end of the period (and you can I believe spread it over more than a year), so whats to stop you from saying "Thanks for the loan of the bike, you can keep it".  Companies would then end up with a pile of bikes they need to shift. 

If you can scrape together a few more fuck-alls I've been happy with a Voodoo Marasap for my commuting.

Gets good reviews on various forums and other websites.  Disc brakes at that price is pretty good value for money.

[Jim]

nearly bought a rockrider 5.2 off fleabay for £150. unused gift no reciept - bit dodgy, think I'll give it a miss.
Is it worth spending a bit extra to get front suspension - do they add for comfort on normal riding or are they just for off-road?

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Depends how good your roads are. Front sus is pretty handy round Sheffield. Nothing wrong with having it.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Worth checking the Manc chains, Edinburgh Cycle and Evans all have good deals left in the sale if can stretch to 200-250. Might be worth bunging one one Cycle 2 Work.

Trek
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/3500-2013-mountain-bike-ec040336