May 8, 2007
Finally… I feel more British!
Not having a bike around Southampton, UK is somewhat like being in Cancun, Mexico and not having a swimsuit…
So I decided to do something about it. Since I don’t know much about bikes and my most expensive bike was bought in Portugal by about 50€ to have a little fun during summer weekends I contacted the pros. Not only about the best bike for around 150£, but also on security and bike technical differences. All were very helpful. I went out today to get it all and so it was. By 271£ I got:
- Claud Butler Classic 2006;
- A set of 2 Creek2Peak panniers (50lts);
- a D-lock with a cable for the front wheel;
- a air-pump;
- a helmet with ventilation on the sides of the head, front and back.
It seems to me it was well-spent. I have 1 year guarantee and a free revision of the bike in 6 weeks. I bought it on Action Bikes on Southampton. The guy was very helpful and I’m quite happy with it… time will tell if it was worth the 271£. One thing I already done was to time the amount of time I now get for riding the bike. To go shopping I save weekly more 1 hour. For work I save daily 30 minutes. Which means that overall in the end of a week I save 3.5 hours… which is very good…
Claud Butler Classic 2006 (click for big picture)
The Minority Blog 
Bruno Figueiredo said,
May 8, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Don’t be fooled. Under directive 1999/44/EC all consumer goods bought in the European Union have to come with a 2 year guarantee. I’m also in the UK and they try to push 1 year guarantee, but don’t be fooled.
Mário Lopes said,
May 9, 2007 at 1:24 am
271£ for that… unbelievable.
Bruno Figueiredo said,
May 9, 2007 at 9:47 am
I think it’s a nice bike. Mine cost around £125 in Cambridge, but it’s more sporty like. This one looks nicer.
Things are expensive here in the UK. A good bike light can cost £60.
pmatos said,
May 9, 2007 at 10:19 am
Hi Bruno,
Thanks for the tip. Indeed things are quite expensive, but still the guy made me a discount of 10% because everything in the end summed up to 300£. Just the bike was 200£. I went for this bike because it is hybrid. I wanted one so I could go to new forest for a nice weekend ride and also be able to go shopping and ride through the city. It’s not very heavy and it is an excellent bike for my needs. I’m quite happy with it!
Bruno Figueiredo said,
May 9, 2007 at 11:07 pm
This is mine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brunofigueiredo/425795816/
I went with a basket instead. As you can see, with some stretchers I can carry a whole lot of groceries, eh eh. I just wished my bike had suspension somewhere. You’ll see what I mean in a week, since your’s doesn’t have it either.