Experienced older cyclist thinking about first road bike

[volvos60s60]

Hi, just looking for some advice.

I'm in my early sixties, reasonably good fitness & have over 30 years regular riding experience. In all that time I've been used to, in chronological order:
1. A heavy old mountain bike (long since gone)
2.A 12kg hybrid which I still use occasionally
3. A gravel bike bought 4 years ago (Boardman) which I liked but got frustrated by frequent component wear needing gear tuning/replacement so often that it spoiled the experience so I sold it
4.More recently a heavy commuter Canyon Ebike with Bosch mid mounted motor, gates belt drive & enviolo hub gearing (amazingly good, reliable & maintenance free) that I use with heavily loaded panniers a couple of times a week for a 25 mile round trip commute on mainly low or no assistance other than steep hills.

So far, all good, but I still return to my old hybrid at weekends because it is lighter & more nimble when not carrying work stuff like laptops etc.

It has got me to wondering if I might enjoy a better quality used road bike at the weekends, & so I find myself looking at eBay for well looked after lightly used options. I might be too old for taking up road biking but happy to give it a try without spending a fortune on the latest & greatest that might be too good for what I probably am looking for.

I think I am tending towards, for cost reasons, a 105 gearset, aluminium frame & perhaps slightly more relaxed geometry given my age, possibly Giant, Cannonadale, Specialized, etc.

Would welcome any thoughts or suggestions please

[mie1972]

Go for it !

Definitely 2nd hand is best - then if you dont get on with road riding then easy to sell on.
The key is buying a lightly used bike that doesn't need a lot of work/components changing. So ideally buy from reputable place or a refurb/bike shop - lots of charity places do good 2nd hand options these days where they service beforehand.

ie this one is local to me:
https://www.facebook.com/WATBikecycling/

Disk brakes on road bikes are all the rage but dont rule out a well set up rim brake road bike - if you are only planning to use it on dry warm 'days then its an ideal choice and easier to maintain. Try to get something that can fit minimum of 25mm tyres and can fit mudguards for poor weather.

If going for disk brakes then hydraulic are miles better than mechanical - but its a hard upgrade after purchase (need new levers) so buy from the outset - will cost more but worth the expense.

[stepaway]

What's your budget please?

[volvos60s60]

Hi, Budget not fixed, but am thinking around £250-£300 for a Facebook/Ebay purchase

[McMoose]

Unless you are going out in all weathers the performance of a decent spec rim brake will be more than plenty. I suggest buying on groupset and condition and do not worry too much about the brand at that price point.

I think you might struggle getting 105 on the brands quoted sub £300. If you do it will probably be something older and might be a bit worn. Try and get a good look at the cassette and you don't really want to be spending to replace that.

Edited by McMoose on Monday 22 April 19:15

[Barchettaman]

volvos60s60 said:

Hi, Budget not fixed, but am thinking around £250-£300 for a Facebook/Ebay purchase

At that budget I would be looking at a s/h rim brake cyclocross bike. 2x8 gearing will be fine (and less finicky to keep nicely dialed in)

Why cyclocross? Well, you can keep the nobbly tyres on if you want to do easy off road stuff and trails, and also swap in a pair of the newer wider road bike tyres (700c/32mm) without worrying about tyre clearance issues. They’re two bikes in one, basically.

Gumtree is also worth a look for used stuff. Good luck!

Edited by Barchettaman on Saturday 27th April 14:47