Ladies upright bike. Restored vs. new?

[Hoola]

Hi there,
I'm looking to buy a 'pretty' upright ladies bike. Have looked at the Reid ones but willing to pay about 500-600 and these are much cheaper. Anyone got any advice on whether there some some better quality new ones around or if I should go for a restored one. Or are these Reid ones alright?

I don't know very much about bikes so any advice about what to look for, brands or where to look would be very helpful.
Use: riding to work and to and from picnics.

Cheers Hoola.

[Mulger bill]

G'Day Hoola, welcome outside.

HERE is a review of the Reid ladies bike by my friend Rowena for your reading pleasure. I've seen the bikes close up without actually riding one and they look OK to me.

I'm afraid I can't help you with anything more specific as I'll never be in the market for a ladies roadster ever since my GLW said no to any bike in very plain and definite terms

Good luck with your search, feel free to ask any questions you like and maybe pop into the womens area and say hi to a great bunch of lasses.

Shaun

[Ross]

A friend of mine got one off the internet from a shop in Melbourne I think. I will find out more details so you DON'T buy one of these because it is crap!

[rkelsen]

No matter how good they might seem, don't buy a restored second hand "Vintage" bike off Ebay. Don't be fooled into thinking that an "authentic retro vintage" bike is better. It isn't.

If you're in the market for a step-through, the Reids mentioned above are a better proposition. Why? First and foremost: Brakes. Modern dual-pivot brakes are superior in every way to the useless single-pivots of the 70s/80s.

Secondly: Indexed gears. Vintage bikes don't have them. If you don't know how to trim a derailleur, you're going to have a clicky-clunky bad time on the Vintage bike.

No amount of paint or polish can change these two things. While these parts are easily upgradeable, the people who restore older bikes and flog them on Ebay never seem to do it. They simply polish the old parts and put them back on.

I hope this helps.

[bychosis]

I would only get 2nd hand if I was able to restore myself. There is no real way of knowing if the resto is a good job, however if the price is right (very low) then an old frame will probably last as long as a new one and most parts are easily upgradable if you have the skills. Paying someone to do it can be expensive and not worth the trouble.

[ILMB]

Hi Hoola

Where are you based?
I got a 2nd hand Koga Miyata (I think it's classified as a Tourer hybrid style) from Omafiets in Marrickville.
The gear ratios are great for the hills around where I live, and especially when loaded up with a week's groceries.
The bike has issues, but none that interfere with my riding which matches the style you describe.
I have added panniers, and a basket.
Only issue is sourcing original spare parts if that is of concern. As I'm not style conscious, doesn't worry me as long as any replacement parts work.

Cheers
ILMB

[jacks1071]

Hi there,
I'm looking to buy a 'pretty' upright ladies bike. Have looked at the Reid ones but willing to pay about 500-600 and these are much cheaper. Anyone got any advice on whether there some some better quality new ones around or if I should go for a restored one. Or are these Reid ones alright?

I don't know very much about bikes so any advice about what to look for, brands or where to look would be very helpful.
Use: riding to work and to and from picnics.

Cheers Hoola.

I bought my mother a Malvern Star upright style ladies bike. Came with mudguards and a rear rack, about $550 from the local dealer and its quite a nice little bike. Really stable at low speed which was important.

[WestcoastPete]

As a try-hard anticonsumer, I dispair a bit at the flippant disposal of perfectly good bicycles. There are so many good frames around that just get dumped, only to be replaced by more mediocrity from factories all over the world (yes, older bikes come from the same places, but they already exist here). I would argue that friction shifting is pretty simple to master, especially on a 5-6 speed bike. I agree that older single pivot brakes are not up to modern standards, but they're not that hard to replace, with either new/used dual pivots or old school centre-pulls. I'd also say there's value in paying to get a bike's brakes changed over when looked at in embodied energy terms. You're paying someone's wage, and you're not disposing of useful resource.

But hey, I'm not very good at this stuff. I suffer from GAS all the time, but I'm trying to get over it. I don't want to judge either; knock yourself out on a new bike, it'll probably be really good! But I reckon you'd be able to find a sweet used bike for a good price that might need a few upgrades if you look around a bit.