Tam, Jade and Franky's European Adventure

[Onemanandhisdog]

You'll get better service and backup from Decathlon than a supermarket, they seem to be more like a bike shop where you can take it back to be re-adjusted in the first 3 months when everything has bedded in.

 

[Northernraider]

Most decent sized supermarché in France have bikes for sale so it’s probably the same in Spain!
Cash Converters is a good idea.
If you are going to change the van (eventually) and get a smaller one (Hymer 584) you won’t have a garage so why not just go for an off road bike now? As you say yourself you’re only pottering about, you would save money in the long run!

Yes if I buy one today it will be an off road one but I need to be able to fit the rack on the back with my panniers and basket.

I would have liked keep the tourer and an off road one and have the two on a rear mounted rack on next van but there's no point in keeping this one if it needs so many new parts so I'll just take all the saveable parts off it and bin the rest.
Hopefully I can pick up an off road one that does both

 

[Northernraider]

You'll get better service and backup from Decathlon than a supermarket, they seem to be more like a bike shop where you can take it back to be re-adjusted in the first 3 months when everything has bedded in.

Yes I figured that but will see what's available at each one and decide from that

Cash converters first as they may have a second hand better quality bike than a cheaper new one but will see.


It's annoying because before the chain snapped this bike was fantastic with no problems.

Nowadays they want you to change chains every 2000km etc lol its a lot of nonsense.
I can honestly say all through my teens and my 20's I never serviced bikes I just had one and it worked lol.

But I'm no road racer or cycle enthusiast it's just a means of excercise and a way to get in and out of town when I'm parked on outskirts, but I've been enjoying using it and I'll miss it if I don't have it so anything will do me as long as it's the right size for me.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Bought 3 bikes for my kids from Al Campo....

Cheap..... but didn't last long, every one had problems with gears

I"d buy a better SH one

Did the shop have any?

Ask the shop about supermarket bikes

 

[Northernraider]

Bought 3 bikes for my kids from Al Campo....

Cheap..... but didn't last long, every one had problems with gears

I"d buy a better SH one

Did the shop have any?

Ask the shop about supermarket bikes

I asked the shop about second hand ones ...he didn't have any my size and the cheapest new bike he had which is very basic even more so than the one I have was just shy of 600 euro

It is a "Trek " shop which I'm guessing is an expensive brand as some bikes in there were 6 and 7000 euros lol

The bike I have now is a "ridgeback " tourer style bike I think it was maybe £250 New and I bought it on gumtree for 30 or 50 quid I can't remember which.

It was a lovely smooth going bike right up till that chain snapped and then it all went to pot .....although it still goes well if I only use a few gears.

I wish I didn't have this bloody scooter with me and I could just buy another bike and sort this one out later.

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[fifthwheel]

If you spend the 150eu on your bike at least you know it will be right for a few years. john

 

[Barclaybasher]

I wish I didn't have this bloody scooter with me and I could just buy another bike and sort this one out later.

Just take this bike to bits and take it home in bits......

 

[Northernraider]

If you spend the 150eu on your bike at least you know it will be right for a few years. john

Not necessarily there's still lots of other bits to break.

Just take this bike to bits and take it home in bits......

Yes I might do that if I can get all the bits stored in the van.

 

[Northernraider]

So far I've been to cash converters. ..the bikes in there were a mess ...there was only one that was a possibility till I saw the price tag lol I can't believe they were asking 399 euros for this pile of junk it wasn't even clean.

Tried to go to carrefour and couldn't get parked anywhere near it so gave that up.

Went to al campo and they have one possibility which is similar to what I have just now so all my bits would fit on it but it's a touring style bike again with skinny tyres 189€

And then there's an off road one in decathlon for 249€

 

[Teuchter]

Go for the 249 Euro one Tam - it will do both on road & off road

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[Onemanandhisdog]

Treat yourself, you say you aren't a serious biker but you are clocking up more miles (kilometers) than serious riders who only get out on a day or 2 at the weekend!!

I've got about £10k's worth of bikes at home and your doing more miles than me!

 

[monzer]

The wheels aren't even at 90 degrees to the handle bars. You would have to wheelie everywhere. Don't touch with a barge pole.

 

[Onemanandhisdog]

The wheels aren't even at 90 degrees to the handle bars. You would have to wheelie everywhere. Don't touch with a barge pole.

But it'd go on a bike rack nicely, can't have everything!

 

[monzer]

But it'd go on a bike rack nicely, can't have everything!

True. Swings and roundabouts. Go for it tam.

 

[Northernraider]

Go for the 249 Euro one Tam - it will do both on road & off road

I do like that one my only thought is I planned to have an off road bike just as that one is there. And a road bike with the rack panniers and basket for jade etc on it.
Because when I want to play off road I don't need all the extra stuff on it.

Treat yourself, you say you aren't a serious biker but you are clocking up more miles (kilometers) than serious riders who only get out on a day or 2 at the weekend!!

I've got about £10k's worth of bikes at home and your doing more miles than me!

I didn't think I do that much to be honest....that said if I trusted the bike id likely do more.

If I didn't have this scooter with me I'd have bought both of them....because ideally I wanted to keep the touring bike for road and cycle path use and an off road one for just messing about.

I cycled on my own one up to cash generators but I've now got yet another bloody puncture and it really is knackered so I think it really is only good for stripping for spare parts which is a shame really....i actually looked up the model online and it was a £450 bike so more than I'd thought


Anyway I couldn't decide one way or the other so I thought I'll go have a few hours chilled out on the beach then I'm having a few drinks later with the Dutch girl ( Sophia) parked a few vans down


I'll decide on the bike tomorrow

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[Lenny HB]

The bike bike you have is half decent so I would have thought the best option is to spend the €150 Euro on it.
A €250 off road bike will be off road in looks only, won't take you long to reduce it to a pile of poo, if it isn't already.

 

[Northernraider]

The bike bike you have is half decent so I would have thought the best option is to spend the €150 Euro on it.
A €250 off road bike will be off road in looks only, won't take you long to reduce it to a pile of poo, if it isn't already.

Looking at the reviews for that one on decathlon though lenny out of over 2000 reviews it gets 4.5 out of 5 stars so can't be all bad

I might try a different bike repair shop with mine just to see ....cause those guys did give me the impression they like servicing nearly new expensive bikes where they don't have to do much hard work.

Mine is still going it's just missing a few gears and the chain is a little dodgy. I'm not sure why they can't get the rear cassette of the wheel.

Still keep getting punctures with the bloody thing though

 

[monzer]

You sure you aint got a sharpie sticking through the outer tyre? When I was younger I got caught out my that many times. Kept wondering why I was getting so many punctures and eventually found a thorn sticking through.

Meaning every time I would patch the puncture put it back together before the same thorn would do the damage again. Lol

 

[Lenny HB]

Still keep getting punctures with the bloody thing though

If you don't want to fork out for puncher proof tyres you can get liners you fit inside the exsisting tyre.

Were those reviews independent or on the Decathlon site, if on the site ignore them.

 

[Northernraider]

You sure you aint got a sharpie sticking through the outer tyre? When I was younger I got caught out my that many times. Kept wondering why I was getting so many punctures and eventually found a thorn sticking through.

Meaning every time I would patch the puncture put it back together before the same thorn would do the damage again. Lol

No i check the tyre each timr ...but it's usually the rear tyre this time it's the front and a small nail

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[jumartoo]

Shame it was going alright when you were near Totana, Martin said he'd sort it for you. We're in France now!

We had a Decathlon bike each some years ago and they did all we wanted, even more than they should. We did bike orienteering with them. It was only when we started riding seriously in Espuña that we changed them. For what you're doing, if it's as good as ours were, the Decathlon one should be fine.

 

[Northernraider]

Shame it was going alright when you were near Totana, Martin said he'd sort it for you. We're in France now!

We had a Decathlon bike each some years ago and they did all we wanted, even more than they should. We did bike orienteering with them. It was only when we started riding seriously in Espuña that we changed them. For what you're doing, if it's as good as ours were, the Decathlon one should be fine.

The decathlon one comes with a lifetime guarantee on the frame etc and seems to be popular.

I've found another bike shop near me that I'm going to go speak to tomorrow and see what he thinks about mine ....im considering buying a wheel with cassette fitted and a new chain and just fitting it myself ...but will see what this guy says tomorrow.

A new bike is appealing but Im torn because I don't want to fit a basket and rack etc on an off road bike is prefer 2 separate ones

But if I buy a new one here I don't have the space to store the old one because of the scooter.

Wish I hadn't brought that bloody thing I rarely use it.

 

[Teuchter]

The decathlon one comes with a lifetime guarantee on the frame etc and seems to be popular.



If I buy a new one here I don't have the space to store the old one because of the scooter.

Wish I hadn't brought that bloody thing I rarely use it.

Sell it (the scooter that is) - should have no problem in Spain cos it's left hand drive isn't it?

 

[Northernraider]

Sell it (the scooter that is) - should have no problem in Spain cos it's left hand drive isn't it?

Ha ha if I could sell it here I would

 

[Onemanandhisdog]

Sell it (the scooter that is) - should have no problem in Spain cos it's left hand drive isn't it?

Big demand in London, although, I don't think they pay much for them!

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[Northernraider]

Big demand in London, although, I don't think they pay much for them!

I didn't pay a great deal for it either to be honest

It's a 2015 sym 125 only owes me around £700

 

[Northernraider]

Looks like I left my last job just in time though. I'm surprised it's stayed in business as long as it has ...despite numerous ceo's it never changes

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-44653881

 

[Drum Major]

Did you work there long tam husband left 2014

 

[Northernraider]

Did you work there long tam husband left 2014

I was there from 2005 up till Christmas 2017

 

[Drum Major]

He worked as installion manager with the educational furniture with macintosh.

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