my whole point seems to be missed here, a bad first bike will put people off, investing in a good bike (I never said an expensive one) will serve you for years to come, buy this cheap one and having to replace when it breaks is a false economy.

and I said its a good price, just not a good bike. deals are only as good as the product itself.

Oh come on even after a few comments earlier have clearly said they bought it or similar ones and impressed with it for the money paid. I was so glad thinking people here today are sensible because no "do no buy if you want to cycle regularly" or "spend only about a million pound more to get a much better bike" blablablabla until I saw your comment! It's only 70 quid! What are you expecting?! It's a good deal because you get a new bike (and seems to be a good value one according to comments) so stop BSing and vote hot!

​not saying it's not a good price, but like I said, parts are non existent, which means when something breaks it's basically scrap and a waste of money.

and as a starter bike, I'd say it's terrible, nothing will put you off more than constant repairs and ling walks home.

few people here have been impressed, but without knowing their mileage it's not really a recommendation.

not saying spend a fortune, there does reach a point where gains are negligible, but go for a known brand with good customer support and service shops. eg, decathlon, not much more cost but great bikes.

how am I not being sensible here? I explained the reasons why it's best avoided and you replied with a bitter comment. enjoy your bike, I genuinely hope it serves you well, but I realistically know it sadly will break.

​the triban 500 is on offer atm for £250. might sound like a lot more being 3 times the price, but when you factor in repairs and service it'll work out a lot cheaper, safer and ultimately more enjoyable.

But where do you get a cheap turbo trainer to?

​I see what they mean then get a used bike seems easier than all that hassle.Atl least ur pedals didn't fall off like mine from go outdoors a viking bike twice that happened. with a grand total of about 5 miles.

Nah probably stolen to sell to on Brick Lane to some other mug who had their wheels stolen. I don't mind spending a little bit more on tyres as they are the only thing that's in contact with the road that helps me to stop

To be fair, I honestly dont think that someone could really complain paying £70 for this bike for light use. I'm sure that there are better bikes out there but obviously cost more. Some cyclists don't mind paying 1000's for their bike but 70 quid for a runabout isn't that bad. My Tesco bike paid for itself in its first month as I didn't have to buy a travel card to get to work and in all honestly gets me quicker to work than my £600 Specialized Sirrus hybrid bike.

Not sure about this bike but my Tesco bike had components that would have cost more to buy individually, eg my shifter/brake handles cost about the same if not more that the price I paid for the bike

But was it any better quality last week?

Urgh, just seen your username. I needed a passport to get into Tommy Cheadles last night to watch Whitesnake's Journey.

This was posted last week

Atleast it's only £70 when it goes under the wheels of a bus. More to spend on the power ranger cosplay.

I bought a Lidl special mountain bike with suspension a few years back for £79. Spec looked great but turned out to be unridable for more than 20 mins as was so effing heavy!

​at least I would make it home on a reliable bike

Do you get one of those Lycra,Tour De France style outfits,and funny 'aerodynamic' bash hats with this bike?,if you do,Ill get one,just so every Sunday morning I can ride in the middle of the nearest country road,giving aggressive/rude gestures to any motorist that has the bare faced cheek to overtake me,then Ill be just like the rest of the 'cool' weekend Lycra brigade....

This bike would make an ideal spare bike for the Turbo Trainer - I bought the Tesco Vertigo last time, shimano claris groupset - perfect for some winter training in the garage.

Would be better as a single speed me thinks.

Oos for me

The higher model of this was on a deal a few years back, the Vertigo Carnaby, it was £65 if my memory serves me right.
At the time I bought a couple of these, one which I turned into a straight bar bike ( http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/vertigo-carnaby-700c-unisex-road-bike-65-from-150-tesco-direct-2146622?page=6#comments ) and the other I sold to my brother (at cost I add !). He only had a mountain bike at the time, and after riding it and appreciating the increased speed and range of riding it on the road (compared to his MTB), after a year he went on to get serious about road cycling/touring and bought a Cannondale Synapse Carbon. He sold the Carnaby for about £90 on Ebay.
So the morale of this story is, if by buying one of these gives someone a taste of road cycling, with not much outlay if it doesn't suit, then that's a good thing right ?

Over 3 times the price!
Go home

bought one from them for £100 a couple of years ago... first time on the road and the peddle mechanism snapped after 20 mins, could have been killed... don't trust cheap bikes from tesco!!!

Duplicate deal anyway...was posted only 2 weeks ago.
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/vertigo-richmond-700c-road-bike-70-tesco-free-c-c-2594900

It represents excellent value for money, I've been an engineer for 35 years and have built and repaired all manner of bikes. If you buy this and something did break you can easily repair it as bike parts are interchangeable, shimano gears and brakes, you can't go wrong. If you can pick fault with this deal I think you need a check up from the neck up!

Bought one of these last week. I'm quite happy with it - I have better bikes but this will be fine for casual use. Lots of people seem to think that it's 14.9kg - mine is significantly lighter than that - I'd estimate at about 12.5kg. The 14.9 kg appears to be the gross weight, including the large cardboard box, tools and other packaging materials. It also came with a Tourney rear derailleur rather than the SIS one pictured.

Reviews on Tesco are varied, with one in particular appearing to be inexperienced in putting bikes together. It went together easily but mine was missing a small Allen key. Several others have said the same, so make sure that you have a set handy.

Decent enough bike for what it is.

How can a bike with an alloy frame be this heavy? Especially given that it seems to be missing pretty much everything but the 2 wheels and brakes. (Maybe the weight includes the packaging?)

And I would like to add that you need to get a bike in the right size. 700cc wheels are great in many ways, especially for tall people, but the frame size seems rather small for the wheel size.

My bike is a supermarket bike that I bought 20 years ago, and it is still going strong. Brake pads, tyres, saddle, handles, chain, gears - those wear and are replaced easily. As long as the frame, the fork, the wheels, the derailleur etc are sound, there is on reason why this should not last. Any comments on those areas?

Owning dozens of excellent bikes over the years and doing many repairs I agree with the false economy statement, if they're selling for £70 it was probably made even cheaper however I disagree with people saying there are no replacement parts. I've never come across a bike that doesn't fit a few types eg Road bikes, MTBs etc, 700c, 26", 27.5" & 29" wheels etc, 7/8/9 speed cassettes etc. I'd be very surprised if parts on that bike would last but I'm 100% sure you could replace them.
My opinion, stay away.

... it depends on why you want a bike: if you just want a runner then put an ad on your local Freecycle or Gumtree, you will probably find one for free that either runs or can be made to if you have a little mechanical knowledge (I've built lots of bikes like that). If you are looking for something better, but on a low budget then this one probably makes more sense than a second hand bike because it will come with a bit of a warranty from Tesco. You might well find a good second hand bike for £70, but unless you know what you are looking for you might easily spend far more than that on a few spares if it needs them.
This bike is so cheap that I can't help thinking it would not be worth looking elsewhere if you really do only have a £70 budget. If you try it out and like cycling then just buy yourself a better bike (no need to pay a fortune, you could buy quite a good road bike for £300) and either sell this one (there will always be someone who needs a cheap bike to get to work) or keep it as your spare (like most of us do: if you take to cycling you will end up with lots of spare bikes in your garage, kitchen or shed).

Actually, you might be able to get a Carrera (Halfords mid-range brand) on ebay for £70. Something like a Carrera Subway, but look for a more recent model - some of them are from 2008 and some are from 2015.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carrera-Subway-1-Hybrid-bike-/222322403669

If £70 is your budget for a bike then I have bad news...

I find Voodoo and Boardman to be a good value brands to purchase on ebay. You can get a high quality bike for not much money. They are popular premium bikes sold by Halfords. You'll have to collect it since very few offer delivery but you also get a better price that way - also auctions tend to go for less money, so just watch a few and be patient. Just search for bikes close to you. Some examples that sold recently:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2015-Voodoo-Marasa-Hybrid-Bike-19-Inch-Frame-mint-Condition-/232146657366

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Voodoo-Marasa-Hybrid-Bike-/132052431878

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chris-Boardman-cboardman-comp-hybrid-/192074962319

Not only will these proper branded bikes last you for years, you will be able to sell them on without taking much of a loss. Meanwhile Tesco bikes are ready for scrap after 2-3 years.

Is this price worth it or am I best scouring eBay with my 70 quid???

No - that's bad deal - cold from me :man:

Do you want to buy my old 17" Dell monitor? I've reduced it from £200 to £50 so it's a good deal, right?

You would do better picking up an 80s / 90s racer on eBay or Gumtree for around that price and it would be lighter with better components.

This is complete trash, do not buy.

So casual that you will be walking home.

£280, £200, whatever - it's just semantics. The point made is clear enough. It's a good deal and well worth the money.

BSO!

This bike was never £280. Just like those £20 football boots at Sport Direct were never sold at £90.

Oh, but you're fine with doing 30mph on something costing £70, thrown together with cheap materials costing £30 that you bought from the grocery store that probably doesn't even have a single bike mechanic on their payroll?

Strong logic.

Good to see some reasonably priced bikes being posted here for the casual cyclers.

Looks like a bargain to me.
Though I wish they wouldn't just say "alloy" in the description - Alloy of what? Steel, aluminium? Though probably steel at a guess.
For what it's worth - 15kg is okay. My Surly tourer is more than that and I can get up hills okay. And as for the "it's too cheap at £70 so will be rubbish" argument. It's £70 now, reduced from £280. Too much bike snobbery going on here. It's not a TdF bike :stuck_out_tongue:

edit: one of the "poor" reviews is a bit daft - where the buyer doesn't realise the plastic bit covering the wheel axle is there to protect it during shipping - and they just pull off. And was too lazy to look on youtube, how to do up a quick-release.

This looks like a perfectly good bike for someone wanting to commute to work cheaply or dabble in cycling for fun, what is incredible is that it can be manufactured and sold for only £70 (I'm guessing it is made in the Far East). I doubt than anyone has actually paid £280 for this, but that is by the way, it would be madness not to vote hot for this item.

Lol. I have knowledge on the subject as I've just pointed out or is it only applicable if I go out and inspect every bike currently on sale???? What a pompous idiot. I haven't said that every single bike bought on eBay is a duff I've said not to unless you know what you are doing. Just as I would advise anyone buying a second hand car not to unless they know what they are doing as the dangers are very real, or do I have to be a Maclaren mechanic to give out such personal advice. It's not scaremongering when the dangers of being out on a bike doing 30mph wearing only lycra and a bit of plastic and polystyrene on your head is your only protection.

"Erm" because you are scare mongering. What next? Don't buy 2nd hand cars because people only sell them when the engine is about to blow up? Don't by a 2nd hand laptop because the sellers have dropped them and the hard drive is about to fail?

Don't give an opinion when you have no knowledge of the subject.

Erm Why??? I know three cyclists who have stuck carbon frames on eBay that they have crashed on. I also know someone who bought a 'bargain' of eBay for the frame to practically fold in on him on a ride.

Complete bargain, joining my local club for some training for ironman event. Someone said this and protein flapjack should do the job. :man:

Just stop talking. Stop.

If people stopped buying bike shape objects, companies would stop making them.

This is scrap metal in 2 years and throwaway culture is disgraceful.

So true, love how another four airheads (so far) liked his comment.
I upgraded my 1980 Raleigh racer to 9 speed Shimano Sora all round for the kid to get to school and upgraded my £100 Sports direct racer with Shimano 105 Wheels and brakes (all modifications pitched at around a quarter of rrp from various HUKD posts). Virtually all things on modern bikes can be upgraded when you don't mismatch components. People love to put down everything under 300 quid as BSO's. I can't go slow enough on my cheap racer for any mountain bike to keep-up. Definitely the tool of choice for commuting quickly.[/quote]


This is so true. You buy this bike and if you get into cycling then you will have a bit of an idea what you want on your next, lighter, more expensive bike. If you don't get into cycling and give it to a charity shop then no big deal.

I would avoid buying of eBay or Guntree etc second hand unless you know something about bikes. 10 minutes on a few bike forums and out come the few people who flog 'decent' bikes cheap on these sites because they've crashed them and now not 100% confident in the integrity of the frame.

I had to service a few of them when I worked as a mechanic... Horrible and heavy bikes! Avoid!

I had to laugh at this....


The bike weighs just a tad under 15kg. You wont be climbing anything with that unless you're Robert Förstemann and even if you were, the bike would disintegrate underneath you as it wont be able to handle the power you put through it.

as far as picking up speed is concerned, the fastest you will ever go with this bike is downhill.... after walking up it.

I would rather pick up a single speed 'dutch' bike at a car boot sale for £20 or £30 then spend £70 on this. Stronger frame as they are mostly made of steel and being single speed means lower maintenance, Probably wont be climbing many hills with it or breaking any speed records but its got a basket at the front and you could put your dog in it.

​lol

So true, love how another four airheads (so far) liked his comment.
I upgraded my 1980 Raleigh racer to 9 speed Shimano Sora all round for the kid to get to school and upgraded my £100 Sports direct racer with Shimano 105 Wheels and brakes (all modifications pitched at around a quarter of rrp from various HUKD posts). Virtually all things on modern bikes can be upgraded when you don't mismatch components. People love to put down everything under 300 quid as BSO's. I can't go slow enough on my cheap racer for any mountain bike to keep-up. Definitely the tool of choice for commuting quickly.

Great for students. Will last a term and cheaper than the bus. Will get stolen anyway at some point, then they can buy another one. If lucky it'd last two terms and be a real bargain then.

and what was the name of this bike called then?

This bike is ideal for very short journeys of up to 5 miles and if it gets nicked just get another one.Imagine if you bought a super model and that was stolen.I use an old wreck to go to work and my good bikes arent used in the bad weather.

If you want a cheap bike, don't bother with a 'road' bike. A hybrid style would be better value, more reliable, and more practical for commuting.

eg from Decathlon for £130 (including proper mudguards). http://www.decathlon.co.uk/original-300-hybrid-bike-white-id_8245553.html

Very interesting thread. Many people seem fine with a cheap bike. But I'm guessing the same people don't comment on cheap car deals as buying expensive is always classed as the norm?

If you go for a 2 hour ride 3 bank holidays a year then maybe £70 is a sound investment. If you plan on commuting or cycling weekly then spending more is going to be a wise choice.
If you think 'buying cheap' means you can actually leave it chained up without it going missing (or bits of it), as you see in this thread you are mistaken.

I know this is over x3 the cost but id argue its far better VFM if you're looking for a cheap / starter / commuter / 2nd bike.... respectable & replaceable components, lifetime frame warranty and 4kg lighter.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-road-bike-black-id_8331913.html

Just be careful....

I do up donated second hand bikes for a charity who then give them out to those in need. Very often I have to cannibalise parts off several bikes to make one bike in good working order.

Last year I was given a brand new bike from Tesco. It looked fine aesthetically, but as I was checking it over I was staggered at how bad it was. The vast majority of components simply weren't fit for purpose. I'd go as far to say that it was dangerous to use.

I ended up skipping the entire bike as I wasn't prepared to let anyone use it and none of the parts were worth salvaging.

I'm Not saying that this bike is the same, but I would be incredibly careful about checking it over before letting anyone use it!!

bought a vertigo from them a year ago same price used daily for work about 5 mile a day. brilliant not had anything go wrong at all.

No one has mentioned those nasty bar-mounted shifters yet - well now I have!

Bike parts are pretty standard and you can repair any bike - your line of argument is destroying the valid point you are trying to make that very cheap bikes are usually a disappointment.

For £70, heat added. If it gets you into cycling then that's great. I got the Vertigo Carnaby deal last 1 1/2 years ago (albeit with better gears) and popped over 2k miles on it last year. That's about the level of this bike, not for real cyclists but people who are new. New tyres / brakes / chain and so on but a brilliant first buy at the price.

So you spent the same on tyres as you spent on the bike. Really...

There are sellers on eBay that can match just about every mech hanger. Talking about mech hangers my mate has gone through two on a Boardman pro very light use. I know they are there to protect the frame but they are like butter!

A road bike isn't the kind of thing I would want to buy cheaply to be honest, the speeds you can get on them Id like to feel secure - The reviews don't give much confidence

If ford made bicycles (in the loosest term) that would be a Ford POS

That's gross weight on the box.

So they only wanted the tyres, but didn't have any levers on them. :laughing:

To be fair I live in London where anything not chained up gets stolen and I did have Continental GP4000s on the wheels which were about 35 quid each

all the best to you. :sunglasses: ​

omg ffs OK for £250 you could buy three of these bikes and keep two as spares. Does this beat your ridiculous theory of decathlon bike wins the price difference by the bike parts? eBay or any local bike store IS SELLING WHATEVER PART YOU NEED!!!!!' Ffs I'm done (seriously, not like you).

​you mean for a wear and tear item that has a supposed £280 rrp? yes I would!

you seem very bitter, and quick to try and insult, yet I'm still waiting for a link to these bike parts? or did you not read that I asked that?

Hahahahahahaha for a £70 you were thinking a "support website"??!!!! Omg I hope i can live in the beautiful and naive world you live in.

I recommend going straight to carbon fibre. its light and only 20 time the price. why are you guys messing around with a £250 bike when that is available and you'll reap the benefits of a lighter bike. pun intended.
Thanks to all the people who recommended a bike 3 times the price. I get it. But the people looking at this post want a cheap bike for whatever reason. ie how much they will use it or how deep their pockets are etc. if there's a bike for £100 that would be better to post in this thread.

​ :smile:

​I looked on their support website.

oh wait, there isn't one!

Let me guess did you search "Vertigo Richmond bike parts" then?hahahahahahahahahaha

the link at the top of this page will show you where you can buy a complete set of spares - frame, wheels, tyres, inner tubes, brakes, saddle - in fact an entire bike ........ for only £70 :stuck_out_tongue:

Such a good deal that I recommend you buy two for £140!!!!

Or you could easily buy a decent lightly used second hand bike for less than a hundred from eBay or gumtree

​where? show me a listing? a search brought up nothing but used bikes, no parts anywhere. would generic parts work, maybe, but my point stands.

and you insult me by saying you didn't even read what I wrote before replying. believe what you want mate, I'm done.

​again, I never insulted cheap bikes, I stated how this bike has no support or parts.

for £70 it's a bargain. yes spend £500 and you get a much better bike but I anyone voting this cold is crazy

​extra 180 isn't bad when you consider price of parts. I can't see that crankset lasting too long for the price and that alone would cost more than the difference.

my whole point seems to be missed here, a bad first bike will put people off, investing in a good bike (I never said an expensive one) will serve you for years to come, buy this cheap one and having to replace when it breaks is a false economy.

and I said its a good price, just not a good bike. deals are only as good as the product itself.

I didn't even finish reading your whole paragraph initially. Tell you what. Myself am riding a TRIBAN 500 flat bar road bike every single day I know how good decathlon bikes are. HOWEVER this is a site voting each post, not a forum asking you to recommend what better options are out there while the post itself is clearly good value for the cash. The "reason" you said about not able to get replacement parts is simply not true. It's not like a bike from another planet, I believe you can end up get any thing you want from eBay.

Glad to see after all sensible people are still around. Let's forget it, the definition of "cycling" in someone's mind is just way too complicated and difficult to accommodate. For them those people who ride cheap bikes are not "cycling" but who gives a f, loads of these people are enjoying their budget bike while laughing at those who spend a fortune for "real cycling".

What a joke. Would you consider a bike cost 3.5 times of whatever bike you paid and even listing a million factors that bike's better? I guess no? For people who just want to spend as little as possible to get a basic bike this is a good deal. For lots people a bike is literally simply two pedals driving two wheels forward...

By that logic (you can buy better for 350% more) ALL deals on here are pointlessl! :confused:

£70 to find out if cycling is going to be a good thing for you is a cracking deal. If you are looking for a bike for those who already KNOW that they are in to it, this may not be it - get your chequebook out, and look elsewhere!

Standard bottom bracket looks like square taper, hangers can be found on eBay, if you look about you'll be able to find bits for it if need be, for 70 I'd take a punt on this if it was just for winter riding,heading to work etc .

​the triban 500 is on offer atm for £250. might sound like a lot more being 3 times the price, but when you factor in repairs and service it'll work out a lot cheaper, safer and ultimately more enjoyable.

"Sorry, this product is currently unavailable."

Can you recommend a Decathlon which is a great bike and "not much more" than £70?

Good deal, but now the 3rd time it's been posted by the looks of things.

​not saying it's not a good price, but like I said, parts are non existent, which means when something breaks it's basically scrap and a waste of money.

and as a starter bike, I'd say it's terrible, nothing will put you off more than constant repairs and ling walks home.

few people here have been impressed, but without knowing their mileage it's not really a recommendation.

not saying spend a fortune, there does reach a point where gains are negligible, but go for a known brand with good customer support and service shops. eg, decathlon, not much more cost but great bikes.

how am I not being sensible here? I explained the reasons why it's best avoided and you replied with a bitter comment. enjoy your bike, I genuinely hope it serves you well, but I realistically know it sadly will break.

Which bit of houston26's comment did you think was BS? If he had said...


Would you then be in agreement with him?

I'd avoid this if your wanting to cycle regularly, a quick Google shows hardly any parts, and most importantly I can't find any replacement hangers, and you can guarantee that'll be the first piece to bend/snap

cheap, light, strong. pick 2, a phrase that sticks to biking well

Someone stole your wheels off a £70 pound bike? wow thats getting pretty desparate....

Sleek?!

Was looking at this last week but people were confused over the sizing. Is this adult size?

Also bought it last week. Good enough for starting cycling. There were people saying they know people spending £70 only for pedals or saddle on their professional bikes but I'm sure they started with a budget bike too. Go for it, is only £70 and "just" 12 kg

My shoes were more expensive than that! Hot.

it may be adblock plus that is blocking the page from opening, on mine i got the same then temporarily disabled adblock and page opened fine. I generally use firefox browser.

Bought this one http://www.tesco.com/direct/vertigo-moroto-700c-front-suspension-hybrid-bike-20-frame/634-2849.prd?skuId=634-2849 a couple of weeks ago - very impressed for the money! No-one expects state of the art at this price, but it works as it should. Couldn't buy the parts for £70!!

I got a similar bike on a deal similar to this from Tesco last year, still going strong for 70 quid although I had to change the brake pads pretty quickly and my wheels got stolen, great deal
I only use it for short commutes to work but does the job nicely

Edit- as well as changing the brake pads quickly I also changed the tyres as one of the tyres had the steel wires starting to show after a weeks riding. Also I changed the seat after a year as it started to perish and the material split

also posted here...

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/vertigo-richmond-700c-road-bike-77-95-delivered-tesco-direct-2596721

Weirdly, that does the same for me on chrome - it starts to open a new tab...which then closes.

I found it on Tesco's site - the reviews look pretty poor. I think I'll pass (and yes, I know it's only £70, but I think you'd be better off getting a used road bike and putting a little more money into it than getting this).

Link isn't working for me