galaxy1 said:
I've just started doing some rides with York Clifton Cycle Club .The first time I was riding my galaxy with panniers while everyone else had their Carbon fibre racing machines. On saturday i did another (66 miler) this time without panniers,the galaxy still weighs a tonne in comparison to the other bikes that were out.Anyway so now I'm thinking about getting a road bike ,preferably steel or aluminium as I've heard the cheaper carbon bikes are prone to cracking.
I'm 16 stoneish if that makes any difference? budget of somewhere between 500-1000.I'm not really sure where to start (except obviously the bile shop ) Any suggestions??
Whoever told you that was talking bollocks.
With decent wheels pretty well any frame on the market will be fine for your weight be it carbon, aluminium, steel, titanium, unobtainium or whatever.
The 500-1000 range covers quite basic road bikes with budget kit (Sora etc.) up to lower-end carbon (like my
Ribble) with mid spec stuff like 105, Veloce/Centaur etc. For maximum value for money look at Planet-X, Ribble, Boardman, or 2009 Focus models. If you want one of the big names like Specialized you'll get a little less for your money but they're also excellent bikes. One serious race-worthy machine you might consider is the Cannondale CAAD9 but be aware it'll be quite low-specced in your price range.
Matthew