Bicycle buying dilemmas (3 Viewers)

[eoghan_dubhdara]

my front break just came apart the tonight. how do i fix it?

 

[Pedronimus]

have you tried prayer?

 

[wageslave]

Ok, just to update folks on what happened (I understand that everyone's been waiting with baited breath)

So, I'd sorta decided to go for the Specialized Sirrus but when I went into Cycleways on Parnell Street I decided that €600 was too much to pay for a bike I would have to add mudguards and locks etc to.

So I went for the Specialized Globe Sport. Its not as high spec but fuck it, I'm no Lance Armstrong and I don't know if the difference between the two bikes would realistically make much difference to my comfort or commuting time.

The Globe Sport cost me €459. Adding mudguards was another €37 and I spent €55 on the Kryptonite Evolution Mini lock, and €45 on the Oxford Revolver Armoured Cable Lock. I also changed the tyres to Armadillo infinity (because they're supposed to be very puncture resistant) and this cost me €10 each tyre.

Ok, so overall the whole experience was very expensive. If someone steals this bike I'll go on a killing spree, or just get pissed off. Mind you I do really like my bike, its a much better cycle than my last one and even on a short enough commute (Blackhorse Avenue to Ringsend Road) its shortened the time by a few mins. It's also both black and shiney.


The day after I bought my bike I went out to UCD and called into the bike shop while I was there. Yer man buys and builds a bunch of Trek T30 bikes every year for Irish Cycling Safaris. They are used for three months in the summer, and the dude reckons they're not really worked at all. At the end of the summer he gets all the bikes back, does whatever work is necessary and sells them second hand for €250. They come with things like mudguards and carriers already which will save you some cash. They're usually snapped up in August / September but he says that there's always a couple of people who never collect them so if anyone else is looking for a bike this could be worth trying.

 

[rettucs]

looks good to me.

and if you're seriously that worried about it being robbed you should look into insuring it.

I don't do that myself cos I always lock them in fairly secured spots but if that wasn't the case I reckon I definitely would

happy/safe cycling man

 

[classic seanc]

Fairplay.

That minilock is sposed to be very good. It's too small for someone to get leverage on it with a crowbar.

 

[eoghan_dubhdara]

ok. someone here in ireland has got a bicycle torch that doesn't rely on batteries. it works by the motion of your bike as in the shake of your bike- so no effort involved. it attaches in the normal way-clicks in. 3 led lights that are guaranteed for 6 years shine out. you never need to get batteries also it has an outlet for your mobile and you can charge your mobile either by keeping it in your pocket while cycling or theres a twisty stick you can turn around to charge it manually its around 6 inches long an inch thick and dark silver in color. would people be intrested in this and how much would you be willing to pay?

 

[rettucs]

ok. someone here in ireland has got a bicycle torch that doesn't rely on batteries. it works by the motion of your bike as in the shake of your bike- so no effort involved. it attaches in the normal way-clicks in. 3 led lights that are guaranteed for 6 years shine out. you never need to get batteries also it has an outlet for your mobile and you can charge your mobile either by keeping it in your pocket while cycling or theres a twisty stick you can turn around to charge it manually its around 6 inches long an inch thick and dark silver in color. would people be intrested in this and how much would you be willing to pay?

does that mean it goes off when you're stopped at lights?

some crowd were trying to promote some new kind of clip-on light down the canal there during the summer (completely the wrong time of year to be promoting a light). They were giving out free leaflets. I thought they'd give out free lights. 10 feckin euro they were charging. They looked crap.

 

[sarah]

ok. someone here in ireland has got a bicycle torch that doesn't rely on batteries. it works by the motion of your bike as in the shake of your bike- so no effort involved. it attaches in the normal way-clicks in. 3 led lights that are guaranteed for 6 years shine out. you never need to get batteries also it has an outlet for your mobile and you can charge your mobile either by keeping it in your pocket while cycling or theres a twisty stick you can turn around to charge it manually its around 6 inches long an inch thick and dark silver in color. would people be intrested in this and how much would you be willing to pay?

60-70 europes definitely...sounds deadly. now where do we buy one?

 

[classic seanc]

Well, typical bike lights are €15-€25
Batteries are €5, maybe €15-€20/year
rechargeables are €15

But they sound fancy.

So, I'd reckon you could get away with €40(if you sell in Dunnes), or €60(if you sell in your local bike shop). €50 with warranty's and stuff if you sell them yourself.

I think they should maybe be €30 though. IF they work like you say they do. Have you got a link or something

 

[wageslave]

and if you're seriously that worried about it being robbed you should look into insuring it.

Hmmm, yeah, I was thinking about this. Oxford do an insurance thing on their lock but there are loads of restrictions. Among other things you have to show them the damaged lock which might prove a bit awkward.

I could probably get the bike insured on the house I'm staying in but of course technically that wouldn't do if it gets robbed in town or somewhere else.

Does anyone do a standalone insurance thing - y'know where you could insure a laptop or bike or one particular item from theft?

 

[sarah]

Well, typical bike lights are €15-€25
Batteries are €5, maybe €15-€20/year
rechargeables are €15

But they sound fancy.

So, I'd reckon you could get away with €40(if you sell in Dunnes), or €60(if you sell in your local bike shop). €50 with warranty's and stuff if you sell them yourself.

I think they should maybe be €30 though. IF they work like you say they do. Have you got a link or something

people that would be looking for something other than a run of the mill light as above would be paying upwards of 40 squid anyways. I might have overestimated but led lights are going for 70 yups http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13351

and I know a couple of guys who have paid 80 squid in the bikes shops for blinding lights. so if these take away the hassle of batteries and last forever people would definitely pay more than 30.

 

[eoghan_dubhdara]

they wont be coming into the country till. the phone charger is the nokia one which comes as basic and is no extra charge. if you want it for a particular phone its a 10 euro extra. no link.

 

[eoghan_dubhdara]

actually 50 euro. is more reasonable. they are around 150-200 grams in weight. they wont be here for a few weeks but pm me if you want one and i'll take orders

 

[eoghan_dubhdara]

i'll sell them as well so if your intrested my email is on my profile

 

[classic seanc]

people that would be looking for something other than a run of the mill light as above would be paying upwards of 40 squid anyways. I might have overestimated but led lights are going for 70 yups http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13351

and I know a couple of guys who have paid 80 squid in the bikes shops for blinding lights. so if these take away the hassle of batteries and last forever people would definitely pay more than 30.

It's a function of what it's worth, what equivalent products cost and what people will actually pay innit. And what people feel they should pay mightn't necessarily reflect reality, because many people are silly.

Eoghan: €50 sounds fair. Are you sure that they definitely certainly work like you say? How bright are they and stuff?

 

[rettucs]

It's a function of what it's worth, what equivalents and what people will actually pay innit. And what people feel they should pay mightn't necessarily reflect reality, because many people are silly.

But €50 sounds fair. Are you sure that they definitely certainly work like you say? How bright are they and stuff?

exactly, I need to know lots more about this before I'd consider parting with cash like that.

I bought a couple of neat little clip-on lights that I hook onto my bag in boston last month. They were 6 dollars each. My front light is a powerful cat-eye that I spend 50 lids on. My back one is a standard 10 euro jobbie that does the trick (in total I've 3 lights on the back).

how bright are these new super-dooper lights? how do they hook onto the frame? whats the deal with a phone charger? That bit has me suspecting the whole thing is a bit gimmicky. Do they stay on when the bike is stationery?

dynamos. Now they were cool battery free lights. Pity it was almost impossible to cycle a bike with one on. And how bright they were was relative to how fast you were going.

 

[nofunchee]

just ordered a rake of these for work:

danish crowd - www.reelight.com - they work by two magnets attached to your spokes. as they revolve they pass the light unit and make it flash through some magnetic field shit. the ones we're getting stay lighting for two mins after you've stopped. they have a small battery inside that holds a small charge. we asked for a deal because we are are an environmental community group and they gave us a good one, so they seem sound. i'll let yous know how they go.

 

[sarah]

It's a function of what it's worth, what equivalent products cost and what people will actually pay innit. And what people feel they should pay mightn't necessarily reflect reality, because many people are silly.

Eoghan: €50 sounds fair. Are you sure that they definitely certainly work like you say? How bright are they and stuff?

most sensibly put!