First Road Bike... opinions needed please...

[RichieRich198232]

Hello

New to the forum and new to road bikes so hoping to get some help please.

I'm looking to buy my first road bike but don't want to fork out a great deal of cash... I'd rather save that for my second road bike if I manage to get into it so my budget is around the £400 mark. I know that's not a huge budget but a wife and two kids dictate how much surplus cash I have available for a road bike.

I know they don't have the best reputation but the bike that has caught my eye is this one from Halfords;
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/carrera-vanquish-road-bike-2015

It seems to be a fairly decent bike for the budget. I did also look at this one; http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/carrera-tdf-mens-ltd-road-bike which seems to be a similar option.

Once again I know I don't have the biggest budget but also looking to buy new as I'm taking advantage of a cycle to work scheme so any advice or suggestions is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance...

Rich

 

[mjr]

Can you use other shops? Where in the country are you, roughly? How often can you buy on the scheme or will the second bike be bought outside it?

 

[stoatsngroats]

I had a Carrera Virtuoso when I started road cycling, and weighed 15st. I progressed from a local 10 mile circuit to hill climbing, did the BHF L2B in 2006 in under 4 hours, and loved every minute of it. Sora gears were more than useable, and the bike felt quick to me, I progressed to doing 60+ mile rides around Sussex, ealry morning cycling, and it was fantastic! I'm just 12st now!

Don't be swayed by the desire to go for top-notch lightweight stuff, at this early stage, buy what you can afford, get out and ride.

Others will no doubt disagree, but the Carrera range is more than ok, imo, I've just bought a Subway 1, not the most up-to-date bike, but quick, reasonable quality (more than good enough for my needs), and fantastic value under £250 new....

 

[MiK1138]

What Stoats said, I started of on Carrera Zelos at around £300, rode it for a year and a bit before i went carbon, Halfords like any other chain have good points and bad, my local used to have a great mechanic, when he left it got a bit dodgy If there is a Decathlon near you they do some nice entry level bikes at around the £400 mark

 

[MartinQ]

Halfords have the boardman road sport for £450 with an extra 15% discount, so that should bring it in under £400
Decathlon (B'Twin) are generally good around this price point
Pauls (http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p0/Road-Bikes/Racing-Road-Racing) generally have a few cycles ~400
See http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/157426-best-road-bike-bargains-under-500 to get an idea of spec / price

 

[mustang1]

I'll let the others answer about which bike you should get but your story reminded me of when I got into biking. My first bike had to be on the cheaper end of the spectrum but I already knew which bike I'd get after a year: an s works tarmac SL. But after a year I figured I'd wait another year and anyway by this time the s works tarmac sl2 came out.

I started saving my pennies (actually I didn't coz I'm a rich b4stard but that's another story of fiction). Anyway, the point is, I never got that second expensive bike because the first cheap bike ended up being good enough for many years. Besides I could never afford that 2nd bike.

You'll be surprised how good those cheaper bikes are. I bought an Allez. Currently I see deals for close out brand new models for £480. Check it out.

Edit: fixed typos. Ps I never used to make so many spelling mistakes on a proper keyboard.

 

[RichieRich198232]

Thanks for all the input guys... it's good to get some positive feedback and help. I read a few other forums about the cheaper end of the bike spectrum and it just seemed like a minefield but I feel a little more reassured about the Carrera range now.

I live in the North East (Teesside) area. We do have a few other bike shops around; http://www.bikescene.co.uk/ , http://www.skinnergate.co.uk/ , GoOutdoors. It just seemed Halfords have a more range for this kind of budget.

Thanks for the links... taking a look through those now. Like anything the budget can creep upwards and I have a friend who is pushing me to spend at least £500, but I just can't imagine at my entry level of cycling I will see that much difference or benefit between something like the Carrera Vanquish and a bike £150 more expensive but just wanted to test my theory with a few of you guys that have some more knowledge on the subject than I do.

Once again... all the advice is much appreciated.

 

[RichieRich198232]

Just to add another quick question...

Will I notice much difference between 14 and 16 gears? I presume the lowest gear and highest gears of a 14 are the same as a 16 but just less range in between?

Thanks! :-)

 

[huwsparky]

Don't be swayed by the desire to go for top-notch lightweight stuff, at this early stage, buy what you can afford, get out and ride.

Agree 100%. It's training that will make you fast on a bike and not saving a Kg or 2.

I bought a nice carbon bike to start riding on last year. Now I have the bug I'm probably going to buy a nicer bike. Problem then is, I have my original bike which is a nice bike and only going to get ridden in the depths of winter. I'd much prefer if that bike was a £400 Halfords special to be honest.

Your 100% going about it the right way IMO + after a year or two you'll have a much better idea of what 'nice' bike you'll want/suit you best.

 

[vickster]

With a new bike, you need to go for something different, a nice steel tourer, or something in titanium

What will make the new bike nicer than the old one, which you say is a nice bike?

 

[cyberknight]

At £349 current price the Vanquish is a good deal , certainly on a par with the btwin, the boardman sport actually has a alloy fork but a better wheelset /frame .
I have an 2008 vanquish i use for commuting/winter rides and its a cracking bike and i only notice the extra weight compared to my other bike on hills , mind you the vanquish does have rack,panniers, gaurds, lights etc !
Once up to speed you dont really notice a few extra pounds in weight .

EDIT
the boardman has mouting points for rack/gaurds so might be worth the extra if your considering using the bike for cycling to work etc.

 

[RichieRich198232]

Just had a look on Decathalon... I've also seen this which has really caught my eye... http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-se-road-bike-black-id_8306187.html

How do you guys think it compares?

 

[stoatsngroats]

Just had a look on Decathalon...

regards 14 or 16 speed, only you will be able to tell, once you have ridden a few exhilarating miles, and decided whether you need 16 or more. Hills will probably be the decider for you, on our tandem we have an 8 speed cassette, called a mega range, which gives a really low 1st gear, and hills are very slow, but manageable for the 2 of us, for flat roads, we are never in the lowest 8 speeds (ours is a triple giving 24 speed overall), but we don't have many steep hills so 24 speed is really only necessary when we tour.

So, you can see, it depends on where you will ride most, which should dictate the number and range of gears.

I personally wouldn't go to £500, as I can't justify the (perceived) improvement which the extra couple of hundred quid is stated to be worthwhile, but you, and many others might - it's your experience which will tell you, but you are still gaining that experience - i would still go for the Carrera, but thats because I have ridden them, and really am impressed by them.
A friend of mine recently did a 200 mile charity ride on a BTwin, and managed really well, but he's been cycling for a few years on it - I'd still plump for carrera!

It's your choice, of course, I'm just trying to save you money, rather than imply you should spend it all! Of Course, a decent lock should be factored in, if you're likley to leave it any place for a while.

 

[jonny jeez]

Others will no doubt disagree, but the Carrera range is more than ok, imo, I've just bought a Subway 1, not the most up-to-date bike, but quick, reasonable quality (more than good enough for my needs), and fantastic value under £250 new....

Nope, couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[MiK1138]

Just had a look on Decathalon... I've also seen this which has really caught my eye... http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-se-road-bike-black-id_8306187.html

How do you guys think it compares?

Couple of Guys/Gals in my club ride Tribans, Nice Bikes