What's the best "cheap" bike you've owned – experiences and pictures please!

On One SS £300 a good number of years ago. It’s still my favourite despite the other exotic SS I’ve owned / own

I regret selling that bike Daveyboywonder 🙁

this:

(it’s a Redline mx24 cruiser BMX)

cost me £200 and has tought me more riding technique in 1 year, than i managed in the previous 30.

it’s ace! every mountain biker needs a bmx…

Spesh Langster, £450 new.

Only had to replace the brake pads, and it’s done a fair few miles.

I love the simplicity of it.

Genesis io, simple and a great ride!

Bought for £25 off ebay

Threw on a few bits from the garage, now ride to work on it. Super light 🙂

WANT!! Where did you get it from Retrodirect?

here’s a pic of my tricross mentioned before:-

I do too Mick if its any consolation! Going to build another sometime…

Nice red Trek road bike for £250 (should have been £400). Had it 10 years and had lots of great rides on it. With the exception of a new set of wheels (I “accidently” ended up off road and wrecked the original wheels) I’ve done little more than fix punctures on it. In effortless smile-per-pound terms it is way better than my expensive full susser, although by modern standards my full susser seems mid-range 😯

It was from an online place on offer.
http://www.winstanleysbmx.com/product/19082/DK_Sentry_24Inch_Bike_2009
This is the current equivalent model though it has lots of small niggles sorted. This one has a euro Sealed Bottombracket (well worth the extra money).

If you want one, BMX Cruisers come up on ebay for dirtcheap. There’s currently a REALLY nice haro x24 sitting wih no bids a £150

For basic and cheap, this is my favourite

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I bought it 9 years ago new for peanuts – it was a cancelled order and it has served for centuries, tours, mountainbiking, and very rarely what it was intended for, commuting.

Otherwise I would say any On-One SS.

I bought a Specialized Hardrock new in 2003,I think it cost £375,best value for money bike I’ve had

It’s in rigid full mudguard commuter mode here,but I’ve also ran it with discs/100mm Marzochis,it’s the bike that got me into proper mountain biking.
I’ve done a couple of IOM E2E’s on it,Calderdale mtb marathons a few loops of the marin trail etc,gets used in all weathers.
Definitley the best vfm bike I’ve bought

This cost less than £500 to build, all 2nd hand parts off various classifieds. And yes you may laugh at a tripple ring Coiler 😳

It’s gonna be my Charge Plug Freestyler, paid £25o delivered off the ‘bay and it was brand new, saved me a fortune in tube fairs over the last 10 months, way more than it cost

a triple ring coiler makes perfect sense to me.

they’re ace bikes, they just appreciate a nice granny gear.

My £240 Diamondback Mojito SS 29er. Best cheap bike I’ve ever bought and a great introduction to the world of 29ers.

An STW classifieds mongrel of a Stumpjumper Comp frame, Reba forks, Hope/Mavic 717 wheels, xt gears, Juicy 7 brakes. Total less that £500. I’ve ridden it more last year than my Flux or 5 Spot.

A customer kindly gave this to me (without wheels, but we had some lying around the back of the workshop). I swapped the saddle and put a newer 105 rear mech, a chain and 39 ring and the grand total is…..free!

Specialized Epic carbon road bike.

Bugaboo on the SpinkThis Carrera Bugaboo, my first full suss – frame was £150 and then parts off ebay brought it up to about £350. I cracked the chainstay (well known design flaw) and brant sold me an on-one for warrenty price as he was pissed and felt sorry for me (i later found out I could get the upgraded replacement for £50 and it started me on the slippery slope of owning more than one bike).

(fotopic.net being crap at hotlinking still Bugaboo on the Spink

Loved that bike loads but had my head turned by a cheap SC Blur, so i swoped it for a set of deore disc brakes. 3 years later I get rid of the blur and I got a Merida Transmission Speed – the expensive grown up version… I still have a hankering for the original though as it’s hung up in my mates garage looking unused.