Getting What You Pay For, Part 2 - just because it's cheap, doesn't mean it's not nifty

OK, previously I've expressed the view that it's best to spend a bit of money when it comes to town bikes because they should last and offer creature comforts for comfortable everyday cycling. Here I'm going to cover a few useful items that I (and many others in the case of one of them) consider to be bargains and worth your attention. Now, I am writing from a UK perspective and stores selling these things are local to me - if you don't have a Tiger or Lidl in your country/city/town, you might find it hard to purchase them. But, at least for the UK, Danish and German readers...

First of these is a bell. Now, I've chosen this not just because of its price, but I also like the no nonsense style of it. Some bells look a bit toyish, suitable for kids' tricycles and maybe unappealing to adults, this isn't. It looks quite businesslike, gives a single "ding" audible from quite a distance, and costs 99p from Wilkinson's. You can even buy the same thing from some other stores for £4.99...

Second is this cupholder I recently bought from Tiger - a chain of cheap novelty stores based in Denmark and established in the UK, with round prices - this was £2. Keeps my beverages close to hand. Seems to work OK - just fitted it and works fine - stayed put and provided the ground's not too uneven, the liquid doesn't spill...

Third, the Lidl bike maintenance stand at £30 - bit of a star product this...

Visit UK cycling forums and, chances are, you will see threads on this bargain of bargains. In short it costs £30, a third of the price of anything that comes close, has its own tool tray with a magnet for screws etc, (on others this is an extra to be purchased separately), is sturdy with a 30kg weight limit (many don't exceed 19kg, whilst town bikes can weigh over 20) and comes with a 3 year guarantee.

Lidl supermarkets (from Germany) have themed "weeks" once a year on different types of products/interests; during "cycling week" (around August/September if I remember correctly) - first come first served - these workstands go on sale (along with other cycling stuff) - and they're popular: advised to get there early, I got to the local Lidl just after 8am on the first day of "cycling week", when it opens, and about 10 people had already bought theirs before me...

To be fair, and going back to the getting what you pay for thing, this workstand is not the same as some of the more sophisticated stands from Park for example (costing over £250). It holds the bike by the bike's centre of gravity and you cannot position it exactly through 360 degrees. But as a starter for the DIYer, it doesn't get any better than this.

British cyclists can be a thrifty lot, so you can find out quite a bit about bargains from their forums. Lidl's is a favourite with lots of well made useful inexpensive stuff all with a 3 year guarantee. And no, I don't work for them! Another is their direct competitor, Aldi whom I've never been to (or at least I cannot remember).

Some links to start bargain hunting from:

Wilkinson

Tiger

Aldi

Lidl

You Get What You Pay For

Typically, a good town bike ranges in price from £500 to £1200. Come to think, this is pretty much the price range of any serious bike meant to be used regularly and expected to last many years, with good components made by say, Shimano, SRAM et al. Some express surprise at this expecting them to cost less and unwilling to pay such a sum.

Town bikes and urban cycling are becoming more popular; new brands are appearing with the emphasis on style, quality and equipment, indicating a growth market. Some firms have seen an opportunity to sell bikes at a much lower price range - say, £200-£300 and some of these have appeared for sale. I don't think they're a good idea, because, all other things being equal you get what you pay for, which is important with a bike intended to be used regularly as transport.

Such bikes intended for leisure use have been available for many years of course, and they're perfectly  adequate for this as they may only be used occasionally, eg weekly, and they tend to have next to no equipment (lights, rack etc) that make them useful for town cycling, because they don't really need it.

However, regular comfortable utility biking needs two things in my opinion which adds to cost: a degree of robustness and a level of equipment.

The bike will have to be made up to a standard in order to withstand everyday use. I saw a saying somewhere - think it was another blog which sums it up -  half price? Pay twice. In addition, the level of equipment all adds to the cost - it can add several hundred pounds/equivalent currency on its own. Of course if you buy a cheaper bike without it, you can add this equipment later on, however, it's likely to be a lot be more expensive if you're not in the trade, as you won't get trade and bulk discounts that the companies making the bikes will.