Road bike around £700?

[Big Time Charlie]

Looking to buy a road bike at around £700 for a couple of events next year and training. I realise carbon is out at this sort of price, and I've been given the steer to a couple of alu bikes that look pretty good; the Boardman at £650 from Halfords, or the Specialized Secteur Sport at the same price.

Does anyone have any experience of either of these, or could suggest some alternatives for a relative newby to on road cycling? Thanks

[Leithen]

Very happy on a Trek 1.5 - haven't tried the competition though.....

[Rolls]

Was going to suggest the trek - but the Boardman roadbikes in that sort of price range have been getting rave reviews..

[Floor Tom]

One thing that would make a Trek (or Specialized) stand out for me is that they have very good lifetime warrantys. I worked in a bike shop selling Treks for a year and a half and saw a number of 8-10 year old trek frames replaced on warranty (not because Treks are rubbish, Alloy fatigues and these bikes had seen a lot of use). One was a road bike and because the older parts wouldn't fit on the new frame the customer was also given a fork, headset and stem.

Having said that I do not know what the warranty on a Boardman is like

[stu67]

Must admit was looking at various bikes myself yesterday but hybrid commuters etc to get to work. was impressed with the Trek range at around that price. settled on a 7.5fx at £570. Hopefully it will last longer than the last one! (not the bikes fault)

[anonymous-user]

i have an 08 Boardman team which is a great bike, fun to ride and fast. about to start racing on it too.

trek 1.5 is a good suggestion and popular with novice triathletes.