Black Emmelle Boulevard £60 - to buy or not to buy??

[colettessa]

i'm not a serious cyclist but i want to be able to cycle out just about 10 or 20 miles regularly and comfortably in the summer, that would be mainly on gravel paths but going through a few less industrialised areas so that i can find nice spots to paint and gather inspiration from.
it's really pretty but that's probably not relative to how good it is.. :/
i've found this second hand 'vintage' bike but it only gives a few details:
Ladies Town Bike
Black Emmelle Boulevard
12 speed SIS Shimano
700c wheels, durable tyres
Nice bike for the summer

i'd be able to test it ovcourse but does anybody know anything about it, or bikes because i really don't and it's £60 which is my limit if i get one... :S

any advice or details would be welcome xx

 

[rocky ridge]

in a polite way NO emelles are very cheapo and i would bet everthing fitted would be very very bad quality parts bin and no use at all really

you may think that 60 quid is not alot of money for a bike and in reality 60 could buy you a reasonable bike thats not made up of cheapo crap that doesnt work
cheapo bikes are really heavy the parts wear out really quick and just are not a pleaseure to use at all theese type of bikes generally end up at the dump because they rubbish

i have some really good bikes that didnt cost the earth
nicer quality ladies bikes generally make more money as theyre rarer than mens bikes
unless you specifically need a ladies bike eg you cant lift your leg over a mens bike it would make it alot easier to get a small mans bike if your petite sizes if your taller then it will make no difference really

my advise would be to put up an advert on here saying you are after a reasonably priced bike and give some advise on your size eg inside leg measurements bum to shoulder and arm length to get the right kind of size bike offerred also where you are located
i bet you will be suprised what people will offer up for 60 quid
some of the early mountain bikes will be a good choice as theres loads about to choose from there was a lovely peugeot mtb with reynolds frame on ebay near me for 15 quid and nobody bidded on it it was a small sized but for a petite lady it would of been perfect and it was in very good condition especially for 15 quid
dave

 

[colettessa]

thank you, i will try that. i wouldn't've had a clue so that's really helpful. i'm not that small but i think even for the price i'd be more comfortable with a womens bike..

i found this apollo something or other
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/ladie ... /102747481

and this townsend bellflower..
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/retro ... /104101866

i don't know if these are of any better quality but i know these are in my area..

i'll try putting up an advert and see what comes up, thank you.

 

[rocky ridge]

the less money you have to spend the more you have to be carefull eg if you spend all your budget on a crap bike you have no more to get another one and your stuck with something bad

that townsend is the kinda thing you should look at 26 inch wheels will be better than 700 unless you want to go fast
ally wheels are a good thing and v brakes will be better than calpipers
the townsend has calipers
v brakes have the rods sticking out of the forks for the brake arms to go onto like most mountain bikes have eg they work much better and are easy to get to work ok

if you can find something like the townsend if its older with a reynolds frame reynolds will mean its not the cheapest bike available so should have better gears than a really cheap one with 26 inch ally wheels and v brakes if its hilly where you are a double front crank will be good eg the more gears the easier it is to go up bigger hills