Sister wants to get her fella a bike. Not going to be used for anything more than a pootle through the park with the kids.

Halfords  best bet?

Have tried telling her that at that price she is just buying problems.

Second hand all the way at that price. Could probably pick up a year or two old half decent voodoo or Boardman for that.

Yeah, I’m guessing it HAS to be a brand new bike. Take your pick really, all much of a muchness at £150.  At least if she buys from a local store there’s somewhere to take it for servicing/repair etc.  If she can “borrow” someone’s British Cycling Membership card there’s still 10% off at Hellfrauds  I think.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-340-mountain-bike-black-id_8351519.html

A really nasty £75 mild steel, full sus. monstrosity got me hooked back on cycling many years ago – so arguably could be considered the best bike I’ve ever bought. I really got going though with a £250 Dawes bike (which I thought was really expensive at the time!); it’s surprising where £150 might get you.

This looks like it might be worth a thought (and keeps you out of the Apollo range).

Is there a bike station near you?  Secondhand but rebuilt and guaranteed.  Looks to be Scotland only but there must be similar initiatives near you?
https://thebikestation.org.uk/

Just noticed that Evans have the Pinnacle Lithium 0 in large for £190 but there’s £20 off if anyone has an old rust-bucket to trade in.

£50 over budget & only one gear, but great bike for the money:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/vitus-vee-29-city-bike-2018/rp-prod159731?mx101=n

Yes, I have one.

Any sort of bike recycling shop/project near you. You’d get a fully sorted bike for that money and they’d appreciate the support.

You could have my Pearson single speed jobbie for that. Excellent condition and road legal. Great for pooling about to the shops, pub, girlfriend etc!!!

Saracen tufftrax, reduced to £200 from £335

https://www.cyclerepublic.com/saracen-tufftrax-27-5-mens-mountain-bike-2018.html

brand new at that price is almost guaranteed to ensure it isn’t used but there isn’t much you can do.  Decathlon or Halfords really, just not a supermarket

Calibre rail £200 on black Friday?

https://m.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-rail-mountain-bike-p446503

You could bag an ace vintage/retro ride for that. Perfect for a pootle thru the park.  For example, last year I bought my dad a 90’s Nitanium tubed Rockhopper with Ritchey dropouts and polished Ritchey hubs. Amberwall tyres, not new but v nearly NOS. £110

I’m also riding a singlespeed (26er) P7 hardtail which only cost £10 more than that.  Perfect for both pootling and hammering.

Thanks guys….

Second hand wouldn’t be a problem other than im not in the UK to look /search.

Sister is in Essex and I’m over for Christmas.

If anyone has something they’ve got knocking about let me know… Fella is about 5’9″ish.

Sell her on the benefits of spending a bit more on an elephant bike.

I have a Specialized FSR at the shop that I’m trying to sell for a friend.  We’ve given it fresh cables and a checkover.  £100 + postage for that.

At that price I’d look for fully rigid & V brakes. Alloy frame might be a bit lighter. Proper setting up will make a big difference to the aforementioned chaps riding experience.

Yes, you can buy a bike for £150 but that doesn’t mean you should. I guess it depends on how and where you ride it.

^ I’d suggest for a ‘pootle through the park with the kids’ as per OP, then £150 is more over-budget.  ymmv, and big-hitters may disagree, add another zero etc 😉

ie £150 = quickly into ‘over-biked for the park’ territory

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/specialized-rockhopper-hydraulic-disc-brakes/1321801213

‘Eeeh, I were right about t’saddle’

My local bike recycling charity sells bikes for £50, but to be honest I wouldn’t want most of them.

Perhaps with £150 you could get something much better with proper durable components, but if it were me I’d trawl ebay for barely used hybrids and hardtails.

There’s no shortage of secondhand bikes that cost £500ish a few years ago – and the run-up to Xmas is the cheapest time to buy used.

FWIW Boardman bikes seem to hold their value well as they have such a recognised name, I’d look for smaller good-quality brands.

A really nasty £75 mild steel, full sus. monstrosity got me hooked back on cycling many years ago – so arguably could be considered the best bike I’ve ever bought.

My OH’s dad got us a couple of terrible BSOs from his local scrap yard about six or seven years ago, an Apollo full sus complete with rusty dual crown forks that had it’s own gravity and a rigid Emmelle gate with thumb shifters. They cost nowt and the first ride out on them was one of the best we’ve ever had, I still remember it now- bouncing across a field laughing our heads off and then sat on the cliffs on the coast eating a pastrami sandwich with a flask of tea 🙂 We passed them on to someone else who was going to use them and hopefully get the same out of them as we did.

I would say second hand all the way there is load of choice if you dont mind an older bike.

I would say second hand all the way there is load of choice if you dont mind an older bike.

This +1. Unless It’s a Xmas pressy maybe but for £150 your’e not gonna get much in a new bike.

I picked up a 2016 Boardman X7 hybrid a couple of weeks ago on Scumtree for £180. (£600 when new) Needed a good clean & some brake pads but It’s spot on. Even has hydraulic disc brakes!

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-340-mountain-bike-black-id_8351519.html

We’ve got four of these down in France. There are fine value for £160. Bit heavy, but I’ve done 20 mile gentle off road tracks rides on them and they’re OK and they do them in 5 different colours! Lots of locals use them in the village MTB Rando events.