Entry level road bike

[nuttyboy]

Hello all. After going out on the road on my hybrid yesterday, putting in maximum effort for little gain and causing mayhem to following commuters I'm looking to get a cheap 2nd hand road bike. I've seen a couple that appeal and suit my budget. A Giant defy 2 and a Boardman Team Road Bike 3XAISL. Thoughts and recommendations please.
Thanks

 

[vickster]

Details of each? (links)
That said, if buying used and with a low budget, much better to buy on conddition than specification

 

[fossyant]

Be aware, a road bike won't suddenly make you much faster. You need to put in the riding first, and a hybrid isn't much slower.

 

[vickster]

Be aware, a road bike won't suddenly make you much faster. You need to put in the riding first, and a hybrid isn't much slower.

Indeed, could put some better tyres on the hybrid as a little helper (what hybrid is it?)

 

[nuttyboy]

I dont expect to be flying along, an ave of 14mph must be soul destroying for cars behind me.
It's a carrera crossfire 2

 

[nuttyboy]

Details of each? (links)
That said, if buying used and with a low budget, much better to buy on conddition than specification

Need to wait on my daughter to get home from school 1st. I'm lucky I can even put up a post on here

 

[Enlightenedwaistcoat]

I dont expect to be flying along, an ave of 14mph must be soul destroying for cars behind me.
It's a carrera crossfire 2

Ha my average isn't much higher than this getting from mine into town factoring in traffic lights etc. You're never going to be as fast as a car, so why worry? I get how you feel because I feel the same at times, but ultimately you're probably holding people up much less than you think you are. It's their responsibility to pass you anyway - not yours to speed up!

 

[vickster]

I dont expect to be flying along, an ave of 14mph must be soul destroying for cars behind me.
It's a carrera crossfire 2

That’s quicker than me much of the time on a roadbike
Don’t worry about cars. You have as much right to be there, they can wait their turn

 

[Spiderweb]

14 mph average is fine, you may gain 1-2mph on a road bike, that isn’t going to make any difference to the cars behind you.
Stop worrying, just enjoy

 

[I like Skol]

A few points in reply to your comments...

It's not the bike. I used a hybrid for commuting 2x10 miles and long distance rides (100 miles +) for several years and it never held me back. There are things you can do to optimise the hybrid.
You have a suspension fork which is not ideal, but also not a disaster. If there is any adjustment to stiffen it up at all then do it.
Tyres can be changed, I ran a relatively smooth tread in 35mm width which suited me. You could even go a little smaller to 32mm but any gains are minimal while it does result in a small sacrifice in comfort for each reduction in size.
Rear cassette on your bike is 11-34? This is a ridiculously wide spread for a road going bike. You could easily run a more suitable 11-26 which would be far more practical for road commuting and you still have the small 28T chainring for emergencies if you hit anything shockingly steep.
Your 'ave' speed of 14 mph is quite fast so I guess you actually mean 'typical' speed, as in the speed you would normally cruise along at. Anyway, regardless of what you meant it is not your concern. As has already been said, the onus is on the drivers to wait and pass you when safe, not for you to speed up to match their velocity!

 

[Cycleops]

I think the best plan is to look on your local Gumtree and eBay and post any contenders on here.
You need to make sure they're not hooky of course and conduct a once over to find out it's not got any glaring problems.

 

[Alex321]

Rear cassette on your bike is 11-34? This is a ridiculously wide spread for a road going bike. You could easily run a more suitable 11-26 which would be far more practical for road commuting and you still have the small 28T chainring for emergencies if you hit anything shockingly steep.

I agree with most of what you said, but I would disagree with this. 11-34 is normal for a hybrid, and not that wide a range even for a road bike with a compact chainset. Many road bikes now are sold with 50-34 chainrings and 11-32 cassettes. That is what my Cube came with.

Admittedly, you are very rarely going to need the smallest chainring on a triple if you are sticking to the road, but I still wouldn't say it is ridiculously wide.

 

[Alex321]

I dont expect to be flying along, an ave of 14mph must be soul destroying for cars behind me.
It's a carrera crossfire 2

An average of 14mph isn't all that slow, and you will probably only gain 1-2mph on your average with a road bike.

I switched last year, from a Boardman MX Sport Hybrid to a Cube CTC Race, and my whole ride average went from generally being in the 14-16mph range to being in the 16-18mph range. All on roads, on moderately hilly terrain, but nothing massive round here.

Cars behind you aren't going to notice the difference between you doing 14 and you doing 16.

 

[fossyant]

11-34 is massive 👅 I have a 11x36 on my full on full suspension MTB If the crossfire is a triple, the OP could easily go to an 11-26 - far better gear spread. That's what I'm using on my MTB to ride to work, allthough 13 x 26.

Tyres could make a sgnificant difference - Schwalbe Landcuisers roll OK on tarmac, but can still cope with mud well, but far quicker than knobblies.

 

[Enlightenedwaistcoat]

An average of 14mph isn't all that slow, and you will probably only gain 1-2mph on your average with a road bike.

I switched last year, from a Boardman MX Sport Hybrid to a Cube CTC Race, and my whole ride average went from generally being in the 14-16mph range to being in the 16-18mph range. All on roads, on moderately hilly terrain, but nothing massive round here.

Cars behind you aren't going to notice the difference between you doing 14 and you doing 16.

Car drivers see everyone on a bike as slow, and a certain type of driver sees anyone in a 'lesser' car as slow as well. Basically, a lot of drivers hate everyone including other drivers. Better to just block them out and crack on 🫠