£500 Road Bike for TT/Club rus

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Vikeonabike

CC Neighbourhood Police Constable
CycleScheme is on it's way round. They have put a £500 limit on it due to the suspected increase in interest.

So what can I get that would be ridable and durable at that price?
Looking at a minimum of SORA and a carbon fork and can't go to Evans or Halfords!
 

palinurus

Velo, boulot, dodo
Location
Watford
£500 limit! ,that's mean. Why?

I've done TTs and club runs on a basic Spesh Allez. Not suggesting that would be the best choice, but it works well enough. Wheels weren't very good. Not sure what the specification is like now (got mine in 2005).
 

battered

Guru
£500 limit is because the whole point of this scheme is to get new cyclists mobile, not to allow established cyclists to buy other toys at a cut price. £500 gets you a very good commuter bike, with a bit over for a lock and a set of lights.
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
battered said:
£500 limit is because the whole point of this scheme is to get new cyclists mobile, not to allow established cyclists to buy other toys at a cut price. £500 gets you a very good commuter bike, with a bit over for a lock and a set of lights.

It gets you a "good" commuter bike if you like flat bars & don't need it to fold (imo, ymmv).

DfT's summary says the point of the scheme is;

To promote healthier journeys to work and to reduce environmental pollution, the 1999 Finance Act introduced an annual tax exemption, which allows employers to loan cycles and cyclists’ safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. The exemption was one of a series of measures introduced under the Government’s Green Transport Plan. The following guidelines clarify how organisations can take advantage of the exemption to implement a Cycle to Work scheme that encourages employees to cycle to work and allows employers to reap the benefits of a healthier workforce.

There's nothing about whether it's to encourage new cyclists, or those who've been riding a while.
 
OP
OP
Vikeonabike

Vikeonabike

CC Neighbourhood Police Constable
battered said:
£500 limit is because the whole point of this scheme is to get new cyclists mobile, not to allow established cyclists to buy other toys at a cut price. £500 gets you a very good commuter bike, with a bit over for a lock and a set of lights.


Actually it's because employers pay up front for the bike...we have a limit of £70,000 set which mean that up to 140 people in my workplace could theoretically take part in the scheme.....
 

blockend

New Member
For reasons too tedious to go into I replaced an old bike recently and decided on one of these.
I can confirm it goes like stink, even with me on board, and takes mudguards. Very similar and in your budget is this. I haven't had a proper road bike since the 70s so my comparisons are limited but it's a very light bike and handles nicely.

edit: I see Evans is out, ah well.
 

palinurus

Velo, boulot, dodo
Location
Watford
I like the idea of a £500 road bike that'll take 'guards.

I like this too: "The relaxed geometry and M.G.C (Mudguard Compatibility) feature allows for road riding come rain or shine"
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
Giant Defy 4? You'll not get your carbon fork or Sora, but you could upgrade...

Merida Road 750-16?


Merida Road 880-16? £10 out of budget though

Forme Bikes Rapide?

Raleigh Airlite 100?
 

GrasB

Veteran
Location
Nr Cambridge
You may want to look at getting more frame for your money & scarifying the group set. When the bike is yours you could then upgrade the group set bit by bit or just buy last years at a knock down price.
 

blockend

New Member
Unless you have a very trick frame, the upgrade idea isn't usually cost effective. At RRP the replacement parts often cost more than the whole bike and even at box shifter prices must come close to frame for free.
Integrated levers are especially pricey to upgrade. I'd suggest living with what you've got and only replacing stuff when it breaks, or going the extra mile to the bike you really fancy.

£500 means compromises on a road bike but it'll still work miles better than the same priced bike from 25 years ago.
 
OP
OP
Vikeonabike

Vikeonabike

CC Neighbourhood Police Constable
Been doing extensive research (at home convalescing gives me time) and there are a few £1k 2008 bikes knocking about at reasonable prices now. So there are possibilities. With the scheme not starting 'till September there could be a few good deals out there so all is not as bad as it first seemed!
 
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