Beginner cyclist what cycle to buy?

[Deleted member 20519]

I'd probably go for the Triban 3, it's going to be properly built by Decathlon and sometimes they throw in some free accessories. Spend the extra £50 on some tyres and tubes, I hear the stock ones are heavy (about 3kg!)

 

[vickster]

Speedking...Yes, there are lots of makes of bike - Decathlon are relatively new to the UK and have I think 3 roadbikes in their range and about 10 stores dotted around the UK. Specialized have dozens of dealers for example and Halfords have a branch in every town almost. They also sell a lot of bikes through Cycle to work schemes - I expect that's partly why you see a lot in London

The Triban 3 is very well reviewed and offers very good vfm for £300. You can of course get a better bike for double or triple the money but a not insubstantial part of that cost will be paying for branding and marketing which Decathlon don't do too much of, relying on their good vfm and quality for the price

Pretty much all of the frames are made in the same factories in the far east, it is the quality and weight of the components (and the marketing) that determines the overall cost

You pays your money and takes your choice - but the £300 Decathlon is probably not far off a £500 Specialized, Giant, Trek etc...

I certainly wouldn't discount a bike on the basis of the name

I have a Pearson - heard of them or seen many on the road?
.................



They have had a shop since 1860...

 

[Deleted member 20519]

Enjoy

I get confused when I read your posts because your avatar makes me think they were mine

 

[Deleted member 20519]

Seriously, I can't force you to buy anything but I would go with the Triban. I've only heard good things about it, it's a great bike for a great price. The only thing that really needs changing is the tyres and you could do that using the £50 you saved from not buying a Carrera. Like vickster said, Carrera is a Halfords brand and Halfords aren't exactly known for their quality or great customer service. At least Decathlon will send you the bike part-made professionally with some minor things to add like the pedals, brakes etc. If you go to a Decathlon store, you'll be able to sit on the bike and they might chuck in some free accessories if you buy it from the store instead of online.

Just my opinion but you can get better than a Carrera for the price.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

They were voted the worst shop in Britain. http://uk.autoblog.com/2012/05/21/halfords-voted-worst-store-in-britain/

 

[Sandra6]

maybe this one http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p40052/Bianchi-C2C-Via-Nirone-7-Alu-2300-Mix-2012-Road-Bike.aspx

My husband had the via nirone 7, loved it loved it loved, then some ass nicked it.

The carreras are as good as any other in that price band, imo.

 

[vickster]

The carrera flat bar hybrids punch above their price point, however, sub £300, the Triban 3 is it - it got a very high score and review from Cycling Active this month

Personally, I wouldn't know a well set up bike, so would choose Decathlon over Halfords, or end up paying the local bike shop to check it over

 

[Maylian]

Yeah I do suggest people to steer clear of Halfords for any sort of mechanic work on a bike. Ever since they "replaced" a break pad on my bike, let me pay for it and leave only to find in the car park when testing that they hadn't replaced it at all. When questioned they said they didn't have the pads, when I argued about the service they quickly found the pads and did the work but they are a pretty shocking store for customer service to be honest.

Either check the bike yourself if you get it from there and know what you're looking for or pay the extra for a service. Just don't trust Halfords without them earning it.

 

[vickster]

Review...do you want to spend £700, was £400 yesterday?

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/tech/bikes/129311/4/1000-bike-test-2012.html

 

[Fab Foodie]

Triban 3. Son has one, it's huge value for money, much better than his mates Carrera. Well made, well thought out.

 

[Andrius.B]

Just pick the bike that you love the look of
You will tend to ride it more often that way.

 

[vickster]

Cycling free...you should tot up how much you have spent on the bike and kit by the end of the year...£70+ for a lock for starters (and probably 2 if leaving it anywhere on the street in London)...plus lights, (helmet if you plan to wear one), mudguards, mitts, clothing, glasses...

 

[tilly]

I am struggling to get hold of a triban It would mean travelling to buy and bringing it back some how, so I think I will go to halfords an try a carrer and see how it feels?!

 

[vickster]

The Triban and Virtuoso will be better - I am not sure if the Viking even has handlebar level gear shifts

I thought you had upped the budget - am confused. Do you need a car in Wembley - sell it and then you can have a very good bike (just make sure you insure it properly in London)!

 

[vickster]

If you use the search function, you'll find more info (type in Viking), although I don't remember seeing a member on here who spent £550 on a Viking - you can get a much bigger brand for that

I finally got round to reading the Btwin Triban 3 review in this month's Cycling Active - 92% - fantastic review...quite tempted as a commuter to replace a hybrid that cost twice that much... seriously, get on the tube, go to Decathlon at Surrey Quays and see one. It weighs 10kg, I reckon you'd be astonished and very quickly get over your prejudices....