Hello, I decided to start cycling for fitness purposes and as a hobby. I bought a bike on saturday. It was a mountain bike for £130. On my second time around using it a metal peice snapped off near the chain(the chain still works though) The plastic cap that goes in front of your cog that the chain goes round snapped off and the pedal fell off. Am i better off getting the shop to repair or just return it and spend a little more on a bike?
If you can, I'd say return it and get something a little better. Very inexpensive bikes tend to be very unreliable, poorly constructed, and poorly assembled. I know it seems risky to spend too much on a hobby that you're not sure about. But I will say that if you ride even a small amount, investing in a better bike will pay off in the long and short run. Even a reasonably priced, entry level bike shouldn't need anything other than a few minor adjustments for the first year or two. The really cheap stuff tends to brake immediately as your have already experienced.
If possible, buy from an actual bike shop rather than a mass market store. Bike shops will usually offer better service and will (usually) have done a better job assembling the bike.
Finally, I recommend thinking a bit about what type of riding you'll be doing. If you want to actually do some light dirt trail riding, a mountain bike is probably best. If you'll be riding around the neighborhood, running a few quick errands, etc. look at "city bikes", "comfort bikes", "cross bikes" or others that are intended to be good for all purpose, practical cycling.
Dave is probably correct. Lets see what it looks like , can you put up some pictures for a full assessment?
Good maintenance to your Bike, can make it like the wheels are, true and smooth!
totally agree with Dave...
maintenance is the essential part of anything either it is human or non-human...
If you want to buy a "proper" mountain bike new, you probably need to spend at least £300 to £400, maybe a bit more. Below that price you may find that there are quite a lot of compromises on component quality and weight.
This might give you some ideas: [/url]http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain?searchTerm=&searchType=productSearch&productBrand=&sortBy=rating&dateFromYear=2010&_brc=0&productPriceFrom=&productPriceTo=500&submit=Search[/url]
You might also consider buying used, and you can get a bargain, but obviously you need to know what you're doing to avoid buying a lemon. If you have a friend or relative that's local to you and a keen cyclist who can help you out, that may be your best bet.
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