Find me a bike-First Road Bike-Need a Bargin
Discussion
As the title suggests. I need to scratch the road bike itch.
I have a classic mini as a daily car so I'm hoping to reduce my "knocking around town" miles during the winter. I will use the bike to commute to work as well as hoping to properly take up cycling as a slight change in lifestyle as I am realising I don't do enough weekly exercise.
I'm not new to cycling at all, and enjoy mountain biking so im not a total novice, however when it comes to road bikes I am. There are not enough local trails around by me so the MTB doesn't get used as much as it should however I feel I could really make use of a road bike. (This is how im justifying the spend anyway
)
Budget: Anywhere between 400-just under 600 really.
Im leaning to something second hand as I feel i could get a lot more for my money, however im slightly daunted at what to look for/will i get the right size.
Iv looked at some of the Carrera bikes at Halfords such as the Vanquish which is priced at just under £500 which is quite tempting. I still feel which a bit more knowledge/external input I could be riding around on something a year or two older with a few miles on the clock which is of far superior quality.
Looking on ebay i have been looking bikes such as
Specialized, Giant, Trek and similar.
IN SHORT
I want to be riding something hopefully with a carbon fork and decent mechanicals which won't break after 100 miles.
HELP
I have a classic mini as a daily car so I'm hoping to reduce my "knocking around town" miles during the winter. I will use the bike to commute to work as well as hoping to properly take up cycling as a slight change in lifestyle as I am realising I don't do enough weekly exercise.
I'm not new to cycling at all, and enjoy mountain biking so im not a total novice, however when it comes to road bikes I am. There are not enough local trails around by me so the MTB doesn't get used as much as it should however I feel I could really make use of a road bike. (This is how im justifying the spend anyway
)Budget: Anywhere between 400-just under 600 really.
Im leaning to something second hand as I feel i could get a lot more for my money, however im slightly daunted at what to look for/will i get the right size.
Iv looked at some of the Carrera bikes at Halfords such as the Vanquish which is priced at just under £500 which is quite tempting. I still feel which a bit more knowledge/external input I could be riding around on something a year or two older with a few miles on the clock which is of far superior quality.
Looking on ebay i have been looking bikes such as
Specialized, Giant, Trek and similar.
IN SHORT
I want to be riding something hopefully with a carbon fork and decent mechanicals which won't break after 100 miles.
HELP
If you're looking at second hand then one of the best places to look is the classifieds section of cycling forums like bikeradar etc.
To give you an idea of what size you might need im 6ft 4" and have a 60cm bike
if your around 5 10-6ft you will probably want a 58
56 if a bit shorter
BUT this varies with leg length and there is no better way of knowing than riding one and trying it out.
IF you are buying second hand ask about drive line mileage and check the rims for brake wear etc.
To give you an idea of what size you might need im 6ft 4" and have a 60cm bike
if your around 5 10-6ft you will probably want a 58
56 if a bit shorter
BUT this varies with leg length and there is no better way of knowing than riding one and trying it out.
IF you are buying second hand ask about drive line mileage and check the rims for brake wear etc.
GTIAlex said:
Im about 5 ft 10 with inside leg of about 32 (measuring yourself is hard)
Was looking at frame sizes around 56-58cm?
sounds about right.Was looking at frame sizes around 56-58cm?
due to you being a "normal" size there is plenty of bikes on the second hand market
what about this one??
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40...
Edited by slomax on Monday 8th October 12:34
just a word of warning but a secondhand bike is only as good as the previous owners ability to maintain it, bikes like specialised, boardman and trek are all good bikes but if they have never been washed or lubed, they will be no better than a brand new bike like a Carrera or something else in budget, in fact, they could be much worse.
also, good seconhand bikes tend to go quickly, monitor the ads pages, get an idea of whats a good spec for the money and how much people are asking, take 10% off the asking price and thats about what you should pay... dont obssess about having to have 105/tiagra etc either, a well maintained sora groupset is better than a trashed 105 groupset.
at 5 10, i'd be surprised if you were a 58cm frame too, more a 54 to 56.
also, good seconhand bikes tend to go quickly, monitor the ads pages, get an idea of whats a good spec for the money and how much people are asking, take 10% off the asking price and thats about what you should pay... dont obssess about having to have 105/tiagra etc either, a well maintained sora groupset is better than a trashed 105 groupset.
at 5 10, i'd be surprised if you were a 58cm frame too, more a 54 to 56.
I have a Carrera Virtuoso, has been good so far with just new tyres and spd-sl pedals. Keep an eye on Halfords pricing though, they move up and down quite a lot, I bought mine during the high price period. The Virtuoso can be had for £380 (less 10% if you have British Cycling membership).
I decided to buy an entry level bike to see how I took to the sport and if I'd stick with it. I'm loving it so far and if I remain so I'll be looking for an upgrade in the Spring - budget upto £1,500 (but I could be tempted to buy a bargain Carrera Virago if the opportunity came). I'll either keep the Virtuoso as a commuter or sell on, value retention is quite strong.
I decided to buy an entry level bike to see how I took to the sport and if I'd stick with it. I'm loving it so far and if I remain so I'll be looking for an upgrade in the Spring - budget upto £1,500 (but I could be tempted to buy a bargain Carrera Virago if the opportunity came). I'll either keep the Virtuoso as a commuter or sell on, value retention is quite strong.
mike13 said:
Have a look at Merlin cycles,i recently bought a malt-r after advice on here,glad i took it,excellent light bike which is well specced for money,think it was £540.
i didnt realise you could get a bike with that spec new for that money. this could get dangerous for the wallet....It's a shame I didn't read this thread earlier. halfords were doing web only deals on their newest carrera bikes. the subway (hybrid) and Zelos (road bike). pretty much half price. the zelos was £330 but its now gone up to its RRP of £600. the virtuoso and TDF are still going cheap now though.
bertieg said:
mike13 said:
Have a look at Merlin cycles,i recently bought a malt-r after advice on here,glad i took it,excellent light bike which is well specced for money,think it was £540.
i didnt realise you could get a bike with that spec new for that money. this could get dangerous for the wallet....Such a hard decision whether to pluck for one of the cheaper, halfords/decathlon bikes or spend a bit more and get something better. Need to check my bank account again I think.
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