Road bike advice

[Brazil]

Hi

I'm in the process scouring the internet as I would like to get a road bike for next months birthday

Im sure there are plenty of experts out there who can give me some advice on what I should be looking for as i am a complete newcomer to cycling

I'm looking to up to £500

 

[NWJocko]

I've been looking aswell, frightening how expensive road bikes are

If you want a new one some of the best for the money seem to be:

Boardman Comp
Btwin triban (forget the name)
Ribble have just brought out a new model that's under 500 to start off.


Or on some cycling forums they advise getting a better bike second hand but I wouldn't know what is better.

I'll probably just keep hacking round on my MTB for the winter now and look again early next year....

 

[jp5]

Honestly I'd get yourself down to a local shop and have a chat with someone in there. Staff at the bike shop local to me are great and I'd always pay a little bit more to know I'm buying the right bike with their recommendation.

 

[Coatsy79]

Work with a guy who does iron mans and triathlons etc and he has a £5/600 boardman from halfords

He seems to like it

 

[Paperboy]

A tip a friend told me was to look for last years model, you can get a £600 bike for £400 instead. Just because it's a style is slightly different.

 

[Fyldewhite]

A tip a friend told me was to look for last years model, you can get a £600 bike for £400 instead. Just because it's a style is slightly different.

Bit like golf clubs then

Seriously though, I always say to golf beginners, get a good quality second hand set rather than a crap new set for the same money. I think for under £500 you will struggle for anything decent. I was in the same boat a few years ago and ended up spending nearly £800 and it's hardly top of the range. Don't forget to factor in pump/helmet/spares/lights etc as you will get a better deal in the one hit rather than buying all these later if you do buy new.

 

[hamshanker]

Have a look in here http://www.merlincycles.com/ just been looking myself for another road bike and some very good deals,bought MTB from them yrs ago and they where great to deal with and helpful.

I turned to road bike 4/5 yrs ago and ended up getting a Genesis for £600 and its been a great buy and still going strong so yeah you dont have to pay dear for your first bike.
Id say if you can try n get a minimum of Shimano 105 group set fitted if looked after will last for yrs with exception of new chain now n then.

 

[patricks148]

I used to be a road racer (cat1) and i always checked the for sale section at the back of Cycling Weekly.

if memory serves me right, cyclists are worse than golfers when i comes to new gear

 

[Rooter]

No idea if any good but went to halfords today and they had a nice looking carrera road bike 1/2 price from 600 down to 300...

 

[philly169]

what kind of cycling are you going to do?

commuting/sportives/races ?

I bought a Boardman Comp Hybrid from Halfords (they built it wrong and had to redo it) but its a great bike and handles my 36 mile work round trip no problem. Sometimes wish I bought a road bike and some people just cruise past, but i do have a pannier rack filled with a laptop, clothes, shoes, towels, etc...

Heard mixed reviews about Carerra's but could be a good starting point.

 

[Lump]

Have a look in here http://www.merlincycles.com/ just been looking myself for another road bike and some very good deals,bought MTB from them yrs ago and they where great to deal with and helpful.

I turned to road bike 4/5 yrs ago and ended up getting a Genesis for £600 and its been a great buy and still going strong so yeah you dont have to pay dear for your first bike.
Id say if you can try n get a minimum of Shimano 105 group set fitted if looked after will last for yrs with exception of new chain now n then.

Thats a £300+ group set. You will not find that on a £500-800 bike. The Tiagra is what comes fitted to most mid level bikes and is a very good group set.

My advise would be to test ride a couple. A decent cycle shop will ride them for a couple of miles. You should be able to tell the difference between a £500 and £800 bike.

 

[Rooter]

Snapped a pic of said carrera. (web not letting me load it) Like i said, i have no idea if its any good, but to me it looked smart and is even cheaper than i thought at £269 down from £600. Its a TDF 2014 model if that helps. (in fact, on googling it, its £249 online with halfords!!)

 

[bluewolf]

If I was looking at spending £600 on a road bike, I'd be seriously looking at the Norco range from Evans. Great components, comfortable ride, solidly (if unspectacularly) built and will last for many years... I rode the A1 before buying the BMC and it was a very close second and was £300 cheaper!!!

 

[RGDave]

I rode up a rather nasty section of road in the Alps last weekend.

I did it on a bike made by Btwin, some sort of "division" of Decathalon bikes. It was borrowed.

Anybody saying you get nowt for £500 is a bike snob. This was a great bike. I think it was £430.

 

[SocketRocket]

I used a Dawes for many years and it was a great bike. The one in the attached link looks like fair value:

http://dawescycles.com/product/giro-500/

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

With a £500 budget I would definitely consider a 2nd bike. That sort of money will get you a very decent alloy framed bike with carbon forks and decent Shimano or Campag gearing. I don't know the order of Campag gears but Shimano go up in order 2300, Sora, Tiagra, 105, Ultegra then Dura Ace (DI2).

If you shop around I think you should be able to pick up a 105 spec bike that is no more than a couple of years old and in good condition. Get measured for correct frame size, you can then adjust the seat (up/down/forwards/backwards) and the handlebars (up/down/reach/stem length) so getting comfortable shouldn't be a problem. If you need to get it serviced a mobile technician will charge you around £50.

Welcome to the 2nd best sport in the world :thup:

 

[Coatsy79]

If I was looking at spending £600 on a road bike, I'd be seriously looking at the Norco range from Evans. Great components, comfortable ride, solidly (if unspectacularly) built and will last for many years... I rode the A1 before buying the BMC and it was a very close second and was £300 cheaper!!!

Norco make fabulous mountain bikes so their road bikes should be good too