Budget road bike for commuting

[edmonddantes]

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on buying a budget road bike for commuting in London. One major caveat being that I am looking to buy from Amazon (got a lot of amazon gift vouchers recently and looking to use these for my purchase).

I have a budget of about £300, willing to go a little over but would rather stay within budget as I will need to buy necessary extras too (helmet, lights etc.).

Looking around, I've found these but being a beginner I don't really know what to look for so some advice would be much appreciated:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...oliid=I34Y6E8LX7FAQ1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...liid=I16VSFKDHU8J4V&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...liid=I18RHW0OWVYNC1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...liid=I20M77ON2QL79B&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl


Any other suggestions would be very welcome. I notice there are a lot of Viking bikes on Amazon (linked to two above) withing my budget but reading around the web these don't seem to have a very good reputation so I'm not sure if these are good value for money.

If I should post any additional info please let me know.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[DCLane]

Out of those, avoid the Mizano as it'll be heavy with odd gears. I'd go for the Raleigh, but then I'm biased

 

[midlife]

Decathlon Triban 3 seems to have a vocal following for just over £300 quid.

Shaun

 

[jowwy]

Decathlon Triban 3 seems to have a vocal following for just over £300 quid.

Shaun

But can you buy one on amazon with amazon vouchers as per the OP

 

[Cyclist33]

But can you buy one on amazon with amazon vouchers as per the OP

No but you could sell the Amazon vouchers to someone who wants to buy something off amazon for that value, then go to an actual bike shop.

This is within the scope of the original post questions, following your own precedent in the other thread 

 

[vickster]

Given you are in London and presumably locking the bike up on the street, make sure you keep £50+ for locks

Dawes bikes have a good rep for being strong workhorses, e.g. If it's the right size

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dawes-Disco...r_1_5?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1431816095&sr=1-5

Of the ones you've linked, I'd concur on the Raleigh but 47cm is very small, assuming they are giving the top tube measurement...perhaps @DCLane can help

Amazon won't build the bike, so you may want to budget £30 or something for your local bike shop to help and to check its road worthiness

 

[citybabe]

Of the ones you've linked, I'd concur on the Raleigh but 47cm is very small, assuming they are giving the top tube measurement...

I ride a Raleigh 49cm and I only just reach 5' 2" in height

 

[edmonddantes]

Given you are in London and presumably locking the bike up on the street, make sure you keep £50+ for locks

Dawes bikes have a good rep for being strong workhorses, e.g. If it's the right size

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dawes-Disco...r_1_5?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1431816095&sr=1-5

Of the ones you've linked, I'd concur on the Raleigh but 47cm is very small, assuming they are giving the top tube measurement...perhaps @DCLane can help

Amazon won't build the bike, so you may want to budget £30 or something for your local bike shop to help and to check its road worthiness

Thanks for suggesting the Dawes, I'll have a look at that.

On the Raleigh, I was looking at their size guide earlier and though 47 cm would fit my height (5ft5", 30" inside leg).

http://www.shopraleigh.co.uk/Product.aspx?pc=1&pt=14&pg=7878

Few people suggesting the Raleigh which is what I was leaning towards because of the handlebar. Only ever had mountain bikes before and was a bit worried about curved handlebars not being comfortable.

Hah yes, will need to invest in a good lock. Know colleague who have had wheels, seats etc. stole. Not sure what one would do with a stolen bike seat though

 

[citybabe]

At 5"5 I'm sure a 47cm will be too small.

 

[edmonddantes]

At 5"5 I'm sure a 47cm will be too small.

Thanks for the input, having a look around some size guides looks like I should be looking at around 50cm frame size.

Did a bit more browsing and found this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AWFMB...olid=6NBLU988GTX5&coliid=I1KARJWWX3JY8L&psc=1

A bit bigger but also a bit over my budget. Wouldnt mind paying a bit more but being a beginner and looking at a commuter bike a bit worried that the extra investment would be wated on me. Curious to hear what peole think.

Thanks for the advice so far everyone, much appreciated.

 

[vickster]

Do you want drops or flat bars? Are you going to be commuting in central London? You may want secondary brakes depending on how you get on with the brake-shifters

It's still quite a basic bike

 

[mcshroom]

The Mizano is the closest to a full road bike. It appears to have Shimano Tourney gearing so STI shifters and clunky but effective gear changes. Don't know what the brakes are like from that picture. It won't be light, but won't be an anvil either.

The Viking flat bar looks reasonable too, with similar kit and the 8sp rear will mean a cassette rear wheel rather than a freewheel. Neither of them will take a rear rack, though they do seem to be mudguard compatible.

 

[citybabe]

Thanks for the input, having a look around some size guides looks like I should be looking at around 50cm frame size.

You could start looking around at 50cm that would give you an idea of what you need.
My first bike was a 51cm and although it felt ok sitting on it in shop after 30 miles or so it was far too big for me to ride comfortably.
It was a costly learning curve!

 

[DCLane]

I've taken a few minutes to look and if you're after a road bike under £300 AND it must be from Amazon, how about these:

£280 Claud Butler Torino SR1 50cm, 16-speed Claris gears

£340 Adventure Ostro in Small / Extra Small, 16-speed Shimano