Bike for 14 year old on paper round
 

Hi,
I am looking to bike buy a new bike for my paper round as my current bike is falling to bits.
I don't really want to spend too much so have been looking into clearance discounts. My local cycle hire is selling off this years ex-hire bikes soon and offered me one for £250. The bike is a Focus Whistler 2.0.
Focus - Bikes | 2014: WHISTLER 2.0 |
The spec seems to be quite good and coming from a reputable local cycle hire it will have been well maintained and serviced.
Is it any good? It is either get that or try and find an end of season bargain on a new bike.
Thanks
Daniel 11

Focus have a good reputation and it looks fine... just too stealable for a paper round bike. Is your son going to lock it up every single time he gets off? If not, I'd get an old Muddy Fox for £50 off ebay - it will ride just as well or better (it won't have the cheap suspension fork, but the only thing to do with a cheap suspension fork is to lock it out.)

Hi,
Thanks. I do have a muddyfox but it was a cheap one and is really falling to bits. Is there anything I could do to make it less conspicuous? I need something reliable and that will last. I was thinking of having some identification tags put on it. There are not any house I deliver to that the bike is actually more than a few metres from me. I can lock it up at the shop while I am inside. I am a bit wary about buying used as you don't know what the bike has been treated like or of any problems it might have.
Thanks Daniel

For some reason the link in the initial post didn't take me to the specific page.

Let's see if this link works any better ...Focus - Bikes | 2014: WHISTLER STREET 2.0 |

suppose the MTB can work you do family recreational off road riding too?

paper delivery would seem to need a kickstand or a lot of dropping the bike and picking it up damage is predictable./.


A Porteur Bike rack on the front is how newspaper bundles got from Publisher to Newsagent Kiosk . in the Old days [France's cities]

Rear wheel roll off theft blocking Ring lock being considered?

Then spend £50 and buy one that isn't.

Yes: spend a lot of money having the frame modified to take vee-brakes. £200-£300 should do it. Then put a rigid fork on and paint the bike with primer. The unfortunate truth is that disc brakes are thief magnets. And so are suspension forks and nice paint jobs.

A well-chosen £50 Muddyfox will do that. If you want More Last, then a £150 Lava Dome is probably good for a century. Or you could scrape a GT Zaskar for that price, which has vees and you wouldn't feel about about uglifying... but is so fast and tough that it makes the Focus seem like a eunuch who has lost his sexual confidence.

But in your shoes, I really would go for the £50 bike.

Or you could paint "Please do not steal me!" on the bike.

Yes. But that's always a gamble, isn't it?

If you buy a working £50 bike, then there shouldn't be any problem you can't fix for pocket money.

Really: I would NOT leave a bike as pretty as this unlocked anywhere, ever! But ymmv.

You need to have low fork trail for safe handling with a heavy front load. That's rare.

But using such a lock every time will still make for a slower round. I'd use a £50 bike - one sloshed with gray and orange primer with duct tape patches on the frame. In fact, I'd probably use an old MTB that I could convert to a dropbar fixie - it would confuse the hell out of the average thief and he'd probably break his skull trying to ride it. But it's possible that I'm a little paranoid!

It's undoubtedly a nice bike - although I'd prefer a rigid fork to a cheap suspension one, on the grounds I ride aggressively offroad and would rather avoid injury than have a little extra comfort. But that's the problem: nice bikes that look nice are a security risk.

But, if buying used makes you nervous and you live in an area where you think being close to an unlocked bike is enough, then it seems like a good buy.

I just close the ring hasp , the key is on a length of elastic cord , looped over a rack strut

taking it out of the lock but leaving it attached , works when I go to the mini-market ..

Thanks everyone.
I am thinking now that perhaps something a bit less conspicuous and less likely to be stolen.
I have found a GT Agressor 3.0 which looks a little more understated.
GT AGGRESSOR 3 MOUNTAIN BIKE ROCKSHOX AVID SHIMANO MTB | eBay
Is it any good?
I use the bike on the roads mainly around town but occasionally take it out on the canal path. The papers are carried in a bag on my back so no issues with front racks.

I am struggling to find anything suitable within a reasonable distance on eBay. Is there anywhere else I could look?
Thanks
Daniel 11

I have found this that could be the right sort of thing. Still got a suspension fork though.

Preloved | adults saracen mountin bike 4sale for sale in Frome, Somerset

There isn't really a lot in easy distance online. I have tried eBay, preloved, gumtree, and a few bike selling sites and still not found much.

Daniel 11

Sorry. Link didn't work. Preloved | adults saracen mountin bike 4sale for sale in Frome, Somerset

Be very wary about bidding on a bicycle on ebay unless you know what frame size you need and that the bike is that frame size. Many sellers don't have a clue about size except that they rode the bike and how tall they are. It might not have been the right size for them either. Don't be fooled by a low price listed on an auction. The selling price is almost always higher and can go much higher just as the auction closes as bargain hunters try to beat the clock on the auction. Try to find "buy it now" so you know exactly how much it might cost and you don't waste weeks waiting for the auction to close.

The Focus Whistler 2 retails for 560 Euros including VAT. You are getting it at about half price. The component quality is low but not the lowest. Shimano Althus parts are 3rd from the bottom on a list of 11 for Shimano MTB parts. Remember that you usually don't get a factory warranty on a used bike. Check it VERY carefully. Rental bikes sometimes get abused by the renters. After all, it is not their bike. I've seen kids ride rental bikes into a lake. Most of us wouldn't do that to our own bikes. The positive thing is that if the rental shop is honest they will sell you a bike that fits you.

Thanks for that. I have decided against getting the Whistler now as it is not the best bike and likely to be stolen.
As an alternative I have been looking at GT AGGRESSOR 3 MOUNTAIN BIKE ROCKSHOX AVID SHIMANO MTB | eBay
Which seems to be genuine. It has a better written listing than most and tells all the details. It specifies a frame size of 18in which is the same as my current bike. I have enquired about the spec and condition. It's buy it now which is a bonus.
Is it an OK bike?
Thanks Daniel