costs of bicycles in France v UK

[Nicos]

I want to get a couple of basic ,cheap, bicycles to use in the Suisse

Normande. Just a bit of off road ( tracks and road work really), but

not a mountain bike with thick, chunky tyres.

As the French are a nation of cyclists , I wondered where is the best place to get a bike?

Halfords have a ladies and gents bike on offer for £85-£99.

Would I be better off buying these or will I easily find something similar in France?

PS -can you be 'done' for being drunk in charge of a bike as you can in England????[blink][:D]

[YCCMB]

Have a look at:

http://www.go-sport.com/tableau-gamme-Cycle-16-VTC_HOMME_VELOS_ADULTE-338.html

 

http://www.decathlon.fr/FR/Product_arborescence/cycle-and-rolle/bikes/city-and-countr/g-hiking-bikes/index.html

 

For some price comparisons

[ianf]

I certainly wouldn't go anywhere near a £90 bike from Halfords. You would do better in France and even better if you can buy 2nd hand. I speak as a club cyclist of 45 years standing, still riding 200 miles per week and hugely committed to bicycling! I'm not suggesting that you spend £2000!!!! I'm just saying that there may be a better way of spending £90 for your machine.

[Blanche Neige]

Like you we didn't want to invest a fortune so we bought two second hand bikes from a good bike shop in a local French town. We take them to another little shop close by when they need checking over and all in all we have been very pleased.

[Blanche Neige]

PS -can you be 'done' for being drunk in charge of a bike as you can in England????

Don't know! it hasn't happened to me yet[8-|]

 

Be warned, it is quite difficult cycling home after a Summer party [8-|]when there are no street lamps and it's hard to see the edge of the country roads[blink][8-)]

[cooperlola]

Leclerc always seems to have a big range of bikes from cheap to mega-euros!  My 100 euro "Retro-Damme" (complete with basket, comfy seat and old-fashioned handlebars) suits me well for pottering around the lanes.  However, it is a VTC - velo tous chemins; for off-road you should ask for a VTT - velo tous terrains.

[ianf]

Just been getting my race bike together for a time trial I'm riding in the UK on Good Friday. The handlebars alone cost £400! Its amazing how companies can produce whole bikes for less than a quarter of that!

[Jc]

Having broken some spokes in one of my alloy wheels I went to a cycle shop in our area who advertized "wheelbuilding";he offered to do it but offered a new pair of alloy wheels cheaper-I bought them and thought that they would be Indian or Chinese(they may be)but are clearly marked "Made in France".

[TWINKLE]

I get all my daughters bikes from Auchan and they are great value for money.  This Christmas I decided to get a VTC for my husband - I was going to go to Decathalon but popped into Auchan to check them out there and ended up buying one.  It's a Laurent Fignon and it cost me 130 euro. 

[cooperlola]

[quote user="ianf"]Just been getting my race bike together for a time trial I'm riding in the UK on Good Friday. The handlebars alone cost £400! Its amazing how companies can produce whole bikes for less than a quarter of that![/quote]I guess it's the difference between a Renault Twingo and  a Porsche!

[Blanche Neige]

Yes, you pay your money and you take your choice!

[Jacqui Too]

Two years ago we decided to buy two bikes whilst on holiday with the caravan, we went to a large out of town sports shop and got 2 'town and country' bikes for around £70- £80  plus a few extras, mud gaurds, pump, basket, repair kit and lockable chain,

When we came back I visited Halford and found that we could have purchased similar bikes for similar prices!

So we thought nothing gained really

Chipie

[cooperlola]

Probably best to buy near where the bikes are going to live in that case.  At least it's easier if you need to have any problems sorted, to take them back.

[Nicos]

Thanks for that advice folks!!

Will do as you suggest and buy in France then- the hasstle of getting

them over the Channel and in case of a faulty purchase and similarity

of price has decided it for me!!

As it is for a second home, I'd prefer to keep the Porsches at home!![:-))]

[ianf]

Cyclists will always tell you NEVER buy a bike mail order or from a department store as if it goes wrong they can't fix it. I bought a great MBK for my wife from a bike/motorbike/lawn mower shop in Ferte Merce and they set it up beautifully so she could ride it with no problems. Buy from one of these cheap bike ads in the paper and then you have to sort it yourself with no comeback if anything goes wrong.

[Debra]

.

[TreizeVents]

I agree completely with Ianf.  As a

cyclist and advisor for a number of friends who have bought a bike and were

utterly happy with it five years later, I do not under any circumstances advise

you to buy a "cheap" bike from a big discounter.  I have seen

many of these bikes back in the garage, gathering dust, in a year or two. 

Something goes wrong, a bit breaks or needs adjusting.  The bike shop

nearby is sometimes reluctant to put it right, or they point out that a new bit

costs nearly what the bike costs.  Into the garage, end of riding. 

The customer has got it into their mind that a bike is cheap, and suddenly its

not cheap.  I advise you to go around the nearby bike shops, have a chat,

find someone you trust and take their advice.  Its kind of fun too, as

bike shop owners are a funny lot, some are charming and keen, others need

lessons in customer relations.  Après vente,

they will exchange pedals or saddles or make adjustments.  Adjustments are

always needed.  You can also pop by the shop and chat while you are in

town on market day.  The bike will last

you for a long time, and because the bits are well made, you can adjust

them.  I have many times tried to (and sometimes failed) adjust the brakes

or the gears of a cheap bike.  Hard to do.  More expensive ones are

much easier.  Ask any mechanic. 

On the other hand, if you have no desire to shop locally and keep small shops

open, if you think that something which is "the cheapest" is also the

best, if you are really broke and cannot afford anything better (think about buying

a used quality bike from a local shop, for example), if you think that every

product is a throwaway product, then get something cheap.  It will be in

the garage, taking up space within two years.  If its for a kid, they will

break something or something will need adjusting, for sure.  I know many people who have bought cheap

bikes.  When they get on a more expensive, well made, lighter, better

outfitted (brakes, wheels, tyres and shifters), they suddenly see why a good

bikes costs more.  Believe me, you can tell the difference.  

Even if you are happy with your cheap bike, you can tell the difference when

you spend a bit more.  Bikes are interesting, as you can buy good quality,

or even "the best",  at a price you can afford.  You

usually can't do that with other goods.

 

Having

said all that, better to have a cheap bike than no bike at all.  The more people on bikes, for whatever

reason, and whatever the bike, the better the world will be.  Welcome to one of the finest activities on

earth.

[Debra]

.

[TreizeVents]

Hi Debra,

I am delighted that you have bought quality bikes for a cheap price.   Although I don't know why you are "amazed" at my post, since Ianf posted much the same thing before I did.  But I would stand by my advice, for all the reasons I stated.  I am also delighted you have never had difficulty repairing anything on any of the bikes, or had to replace a part. Bikes are amazing machines.  And of course if our OP wants to follow your advice and order bikes by mail order from somewhere in Britain, I am sure they will.  There are, if I might repeat one thing, more factors to consider than money.  I freely admit that I have no idea what your experience is with bikes and biking, except for this one purchase, so I have no way to know who you are and what you know.  I love to discuss bike matters and purchases.  And the truth is, I don't really know what the experience of the OP is and what they really want.  That takes a bit more investigation, which a good bike shop would do as part of the deal.  But I am glad you got a good deal on your bikes and hope you enjoy riding them as often as you can.  I love bikes.

[ianf]

Another reason to  go to the local bike shop is that they'll sell you a bike that FITS you. I see many people on bikes that are too big, too small or set up completely incorrectly. It makes a huge difference. A bike that is set up badly and is of the wrong size will make cycling seem like hard work. However, a correctly fitting bike will take some of tjhe mechanical strain away from your body. So do seek proper advice. It seems that Debra fell lucky and that her success with mail order is an exception and the advice that I and TreizeVents offer would be repeated by every club cyclist in the land. I have an interest in getting as many people on bikes as possible and that means offering sound advice. As far as cycling matters go, I'm always here to help!

[TreizeVents]

Not only are bikes often set up badly, but they are often ridden

badly.  One of the biggest flaws (not my “opinion”, but an actual fault)

that I see on the roads (I ride in the South of France) is people of all ages

riding in too high a gear.  That is, a gear that makes you work harder to

get the pedals around.  Nearly everyone should ride in a much lower gear,

that is, spinning the pedal around easily.  The difference is

immense.  I also see people very often with the saddles too low. 

This means you don't get very good power and also that you put undue strains on

your knees.  If you don't ride far or fast, then this might not make a

noticeable difference, but if the height of the saddle is wrong, ride any sort

of distance and you won't find riding easy.  Most of this does not matter

much for rides of 10k or less on level ground.  Especially if one stops

often to wait for the slower members of the group.   It all depends

on how you cycle, which is something I don't know for Debra and her four other

cyclists, nor for the OP, in any detail.  That's the first thing that a

small shop, or a caring staff member in a big shop like Decathlon or Intersport

would ask.  The problem with a mail order bike is that there is no one to

ask and they can't see your body. I say nothing much about tyres that are

not sufficiently inflated.

I also would like to get as many people on bikes as I can, but safely and

wisely.  And I am actually glad I was wrong about Debra's bikes.  I

would have expected them to be lying about in the garage after two years of

serious riding.  But of course I don't know how, where or for how long

they were ridden.   What bikes did

you get Debra?  How often and how do you

ride them?

And I am not joking about nearly anyone being able to tell the difference

between a good bike and a not very good one.  You just let someone ride

the good one and they can tell, even if they are not experienced or a serious

cyclist.  I still remember my pal Colin borrowing my bike once, and being

instantly converted.  Even though he was much stronger on his cheap bike

than me on my expensive one.  Sadly, you can't buy better legs and

hearts.  I also remember my pal Shirley when she got her first classy

bike, after being quite happy with her cheap one for years.  She was just

ecstatic.  She told me, "everything is easier, everything is faster,

everything is better."  I think its worth spending the extra money

(and sometimes not much extra) and doing it in a local shop (big or small)

where you can exchange bits and get it adjusted properly.

[sid]

I read some of these posts with amazement. Surely it's a matter of matching price to requirements.

I too am a cyclist, having raced and toured for over 40 years in UK. I hesitate to advise someone to buy an expensive bike to use purely for ambling around here on holiday. I just don't think you'd get your money's worth!

Decathlon do a great range of budget and more expensive bikes and they will set them up for you. The bikes are guaranteed and provided that you live within reasonable distance of one of their stores I think you could do a lot worse than pay them a visit.

I still have my 'best' road bike and use it for longer rides, but I also have an inexpensive VTT which is great for nipping to the shop and for the local rides along the gravel tracks which would murder my best bikes tyres!

Happy cycling

Sid

[Nicos]

One thing we also need to consider is that these bikes will be shared

by any adult visiting the house, so ranging from 5'4" to 6'3", both

male and female.Clearly the bikes will need to be adjustable!

 None of us are serious cyclists,and the idea of tootling around sounds very inviting!

[ianf]

I certainly never suggested spending a fortune on a bike if you are not seriously into it. My wife's bike (the one from ferte Merce) cost 160 Euros. It is light, fits her well, functions beautifully and is just the job for her kind of riding. Sid: When I first raced it was on a BSA frame picked up from a scrapheap, with steel wheels. I painted it with woolworths household paint and proudly stuck on the letters BSA in those gold letters that Woolworths used to sell. Awful bike with a hub gear, very heavy. But I did a 10 on it when I was 13 in 29:28 - a time  some people struggle with these days with tri-bars and the like! So I don't advocate expensive if that is not what is required. Which club were/are you in Sid? I'm currently in the A5 Rangers CC where I have been for 20 years.

[ianf]

Nico: Not always possible to adjust a bike across such a wide range of people heights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!