Bike recomendations?

[ChilliPepper]

Hi everyone.

Ok so i actually read through the "buying guide" on here but I wanted to ask your guys opinion because you seem to have a lot of knowledge

So anyway, my story is that I used to love cycling when I was 15 and used to do it frequently. That was about 6/7 years ago and now i've got the urge to cycle again. I want to do it to get into shape and just possibly explore around, maybe doing a tour once i get back up to speed.

I looked at my old bike and i've grown out of it. I thought hal***s would be a good place and it was the only place i knew to get a bike. Apparently not after reading on this forum.

I thought of getting a road bike and saw this one its a Carrera Virtuoso £325 with discount promotion
http://www.halfords....tegoryId_165710

but i also had a look at a: Specialized Allez 16 2010 Road Bike £430
http://www.evanscycl...le#BVRRWidgetID

Both have good reviews but all reading the specs is like jargon to me :S

Is it worth the extra £105? I've never had a road bike. Or should i be considering a hybrid? As i haven't cycled for a while.

 

[Paulus]

You get carbon forks on the Spec. The frame on the Spec. in my opinion is better and would be a better bet for upgrading the chainset in the future should you really get the bug.

 

[accountantpete]

Don't worry CP - the jargon is a mystery to everyone not familiar with modern cycles, you'll soon pick up the basics.

The main starting point is where you are going to ride. If it's the road then you want a road bike or a hybrid as these are a bit lighter and make life easier getting up the hills etc.

The next stop is - do you want flat bars or drops (the ones on the two bikes you link to). This is a matter of personal preference so try and have a ride on both. NB - it is costly to convert from flats to drops at a later date.

After that you need to decide whether to firstly go for an entry level bike such as the two linked to and then replace/upgrade if you get really into cycling or skip this stage and go straight to a decent bike by spending a bit more (£700- £1,000).

As a general rule I would advise getting a good brand name bike such as Specialized, Scott, Cannondale , Giant etc and a decent groupset. The groupset is basically the gear shifters/derailleurs/cranks etc and the makers (SRAM,Shimano and Camagnolo) offer various groupsets whose quality rises with price.

I'm a Campag man meself but for Shimano you would ideally want to start off with a Sora or Tiagra 9/10spd set up or possibly a 105 which is a bit more expensive.

Hope this points you in the right direction

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I think the big question to answer first is what type of bike you want, and what you want to do with it.

If it's fitness only to start with, all on roads, and there's a possibility you might want to get into club rides and the like, then you're probably right to be looking at a road bike.
If it's a bit of everything, weekend rides including a bit of light off road stuff on towpaths, maybe light touring, commuting, then a hybrid may well be the better choice. You can get a decent Specialized or Trek hybrid for £400 and they'll take panniers later on. They ride pretty well on road and will also take some minor punishment on rougher paths.

 

[ChilliPepper]

You get carbon forks on the Spec. The frame on the Spec. in my opinion is better and would be a better bet for upgrading the chainset

What difference will the carbon forks and this particular frame make on the ride compared to the Carrera Virtuoso?

The next stop is - do you want flat bars or drops

I think i want drops, but im planning to test my theory in a bike shop

After that you need to decide whether to firstly go for an entry level bike such as the two linked to and then replace/upgrade if you get really into cycling or skip this stage and go straight to a decent bike by spending a bit more (£700- £1,000).

I for sure want a entry level bike.

I think the big question to answer first is what type of bike you want, and what you want to do with it.

If it's fitness only to start with, all on roads, and there's a possibility you might want to get into club rides and the like, then you're probably right to be looking at a road bike.
If it's a bit of everything, weekend rides including a bit of light off road stuff on towpaths, maybe light touring, commuting, then a hybrid may well be the better choice. You can get a decent Specialized or Trek hybrid for £400 and they'll take panniers later on. They ride pretty well on road and will also take some minor punishment on rougher paths.

I think I want a road bike as that will be my primary use for it, being on the road. I don't really know of any places to cycle. Im just dreading London traffic though .


I definitely want an entry level bike and have no intention of being the next Lance Armstrong.

At the moment my goal is to become more active/fitter with the chance of some "exploring". Money is tight as I'm a student and investing any money I have at the moment into photography.

I want a bike as cheep as possible and any of that its "features" will be decent. (Basically as long as its not bad i dont mind).

Should i really get "bitten by the bug" then once i get some money (in few years) i don't have a problem investing. But I dont see that right now and want to cycle well for leisure/fitness for a cheep price.

I'd rather get the cheeper alternative if possible. If anyone has any other bike recommendations to have a look at id love to see?

Thanks once again

 

[Spinney]

I think i want drops, but im planning to test my theory in a bike shop

If you've never ridden with drops before, I don't think you will get a good feel for them in a bike shop. I rode a hybrid for many years, and rather reluctantly got a new touring bike with drops as when I had tried a friend's bike with drops it felt very wobbly and unstable.

However I now find the drops 2nd nature and more comfortable on long rides than flat bars (and it didn't take long to reach that stage).

The trick is to get the bike fitted for you. If your budget is tight you probably won't want to pay for this to be done, but a local bike shop (LBS) might help you for free if you are buying a bike from them, or there is lots of advice on the internet about how to set the bike up properly (folks on here will no doubt point you in the right direction!)

 

[ian turner]

I'd double check on the forks on the allez as the spec for the similar secteur had some mistakes in the spec claiming the same forks as the more expensive models.
Hmm consider the secteur too
http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?productID=21409

 

[ChilliPepper]

The trick is to get the bike fitted for you. If your budget is tight you probably won't want to pay for this to be done, but a local bike shop (LBS) might help you for free if you are buying a bike from them, or there is lots of advice on the internet about how to set the bike up properly (folks on here will no doubt point you in the right direction!)

I think thats a good idea. I've watched a couple of videos on YouTube about it. How much is it likely to cost and any good places? Thanks.

I'd double check on the forks on the allez as the spec for the similar secteur had some mistakes in the spec claiming the same forks as the more expensive models.
Hmm consider the secteur too
http://www.cyclestor...productID=21409

I'll have a look at that model also. Thanks.

 

[PaulSecteur]

Hi,

I was in the same position, I wanted to try cycling for fitness and leisure and wanted to spend as little as possible, but at the same time I knew that a £100 asda cheapy wouldnt be a proper cycling experience.


In the end I opted for a careera kraken, it had decent mid range SRAM shifters and derailiers, and decent hydraulic brakes (It even had rack mounts, even though I never did get round to getting a rack for it).

I did get bitten by the bug, and have just go a Specilized secteur road bike (and its loverly!)

BUT, and heres the BIG BUT, I dont think I would have got on so well with the secteur if it was my first bike. With the kraken I built up my fitness and confidence on tow paths and trails, and gradually got used to road riding. If you go for a road bike you would have to have a bit of a baptism of fire in that regard.

Of course, everyone is different and you might be young and fit enough to jump straight in with a road bike, but I know I wouldnt have been. Just something for you to think about.

Paul.

PS- There is a loverly Kraken in the "for sale" classifieds section on this site, just have new tyres adn tube fitted... *Cough -cough!!!*

 

[Sittingduck]

I think i want drops, but im planning to test my theory in a bike shop


I for sure want a entry level bike.



I think I want a road bike as that will be my primary use for it, being on the road. I don't really know of any places to cycle. Im just dreading London traffic though .


I definitely want an entry level bike and have no intention of being the next Lance Armstrong.

Hi Chilli

As others have mentioned, it might be difficult to really get a feel for drops vs flat bars in a shop but if the shop is worth it's salt they will let you test ride a few bikes that tickle your fancy. I had never really used drops and when I got my first road bike it did feel a bit odd to begin with but I soon got used to them and now it feels really odd if I ride with flat bars!

Don't be too put off by cycling in London traffic either - there are a lot of other cyclists here and the traffic generally moves quite slowly, compared to other places. A little bit of common sense goes a long way on the road, I think. Just give yourself time and space to think and don't do erratic manouvers and you will be fine

Where abouts in London are you based? Maybe try to get to Richmond Park on a weekend and you will see that cyclists outnumber motorists there - especially in the mornings. A great environment to get used to cycling and some lovely scenary.

Regarding entry level bikes - what is your top budget? Unfortunately the cost of bikes and components has really kicked up in the past couple of years but there are still some bargains to be had. You should certainly be able to get something to get you rolling for a few hundred quid.


Cheers,
SD

 

[TheBoyBilly]

Let's be honest, within the budget parameters involved you are looking at a a Sora-equipped bike (or less). There isn't anything wrong in that as technology has moved on in leaps and bounds. I really think that the OP, Chilipepper, should be looking at value brands as opposed to the more mainstream marques. Have a look at Claud Butler, Raleigh etc. They still sell bikes because they are GOOD. They maybe a little short of 'cutting edge' but you will be fine with any of their bikes.

Bill

 

[nightoff]

If you are cycling exclusively on the road then I think drops are better for a few reasons.

1. Drops offer a number of different hand positions to keep fatigue at bay.

2. With drops you can adopt a more aerodynamic position to get out of the wind.

3. Drops are less attractive to bike theives

4. Drops look better (except to bike theives)

5. Drops make you look more attractive to the opposite sex.

6. If you buy a hybrid bike you will be kicking yourself the first time you are passed by a fat man on a road bike as you will then realise that road bikes are faster.

I think it's wise to go fairly inexpensive for your first road bike in case it ends up as a garage ornament. The Virtuoso was near the top of my shortlist and as you say has good reviews. If you get the bug you can sell the bike and get a good chunk of your money back to put to something flashier.

You said you wanted something to possibly to tour on. The Virtuoso can take a rack and mudguards but is not really a touring machine. You may want to look at something like this.

 

[mcshroom]

Just to muddy the water, If you are in London and able to get to Surrey Quays, the B'Twin Sport 1 at Decathlon has a very similar spec to the Virtuoso for £269 and I trust their mechanics over Halfords.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

I think I want a road bike as that will be my primary use for it, being on the road. I don't really know of any places to cycle. Im just dreading London traffic though .

I definitely want an entry level bike and have no intention of being the next Lance Armstrong.

At the moment my goal is to become more active/fitter with the chance of some "exploring". Money is tight as I'm a student and investing any money I have at the moment into photography.

I want a bike as cheep as possible and any of that its "features" will be decent. (Basically as long as its not bad i dont mind).

Since you are in London, you can do worse than checking Decathlon out. They are in Canada Water SE16, with huge stock of their own brand bikes there free to try. Their bikes are good value, have long warranty, and their cheap ones have been tested to last much much better than those from supermarkets or Argos, and their bikes have generally received good reviews by users in various forums including this (which can not be said of bikes from e.g. Halfords).

You can get a hybrid or mtb there from £100, and drop bar road bikes from around £250. Compared to more expensive bikes I see the main disadvantage of their cheapest bikes is that they are heavier, which may or may not be a big deal to you. Their bike accessories and clothings are also usually good value. I think they do winter sales but am not sure when.

 

[ian turner]

The Carrera range from Halfords get plenty of positive cooments, it's their shops assembly skills that are called into question.
Mind you given a quote was pulled from this forum for an aldi cycling gear advert shortly after being posted one wonders if there are corporate forum posters putting positive comments in to boost sales.