New Bike Newbie

[Telloth]

I'm currently looking into buying myself a road bike which I'll use mostly for commuting into work (London), but also on the side I might start doing some long cycles out of the city for fun and to keep fit.

The issue with purchasing a bike is that I have no clue how to go about doing it. And this is why I've made this thread. I'm hoping you all can give me some advice in regards to what to look out for, and maybe even make recommendations for me based on my situation.

Just a couple of points:
-I'm 24, and you could probably describe me as a beginner cyclist, having never really owned a road bike. That said, I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to cycling, having done some safety courses when I was younger, in addition to the odd trail ride on mountain bikes.
-The bike will primarily be used for commuting, but I have some cycling buffs in the family that like doing long, hilly rides (some of them did the Pyrenees last summer) and so something to also fit this purpose if I got more serious would be useful.
-I'm looking for something that I can comfortably use for a number of years into the future and could potentially upgrade down the line if I wanted.
-My budget is £500, however I could perhaps go up to £600 if it wasn't possible to buy something good to meet my above requirements with just the £500.

So there we have it. Hopefully that's enough information for you all to give me some advice, I'd greatly appreciate it

 

[biggs682]

@Telloth welcome are you looking at road bikes or ?????

you need to decide which style of bike you want first then ask some questions

have a look on the classified section on here always a few good bikes for sale

i would opt for a cheaper ie £300 and under 2nd hand bike seeing as its your first bike as you might not enjoy cycling once you start

 

[Cyclist33]

@Telloth welcome are you looking at road bikes or ?????

you need to decide which style of bike you want first then ask some questions

have a look on the classified section on here always a few good bikes for sale

i would opt for a cheaper ie £300 and under 2nd hand bike seeing as its your first bike as you might not enjoy cycling once you start

Lol, the first sentence contains a vital clue!

 

[vickster]

Buying a bike in London is easy. Oodles of shops. I'd start at Evans, free test rides, big choice, large stores in the big smoke

 

[bikingdad90]

I would recommend speaking to @Steve T as he is selling his Boardman team cx bike within your budget in classifieds.

i would echo vicksters comments about Evans, great place to test ride.

Have you had a look at ribble and planet x offerings as you can customise the bike to suit you.

 

[vickster]

As a complete newbie with no clue as to how to buying a bike, doing it over the Internet from PX or Ribble may not be the best idea IMO. Regardless of vfm

If commuting into London, don't forget to budget for a couple of good locks, insurance, lights and mudguards

 

[jefmcg]

I was in the same position: I just went into lots of local bike shops and asked about "drop bar commuters" Basically looking for a road bike that can take mudguards and has attachment points for a rack. In my case I narrowed it down to a Giant Avail/Defy and a Cannondale Synapse.

That also helped me find the right shop to be my LBS.

 

[biggs682]

Lol, the first sentence contains a vital clue!

Must have missed that clue

 

[bikingdad90]

As a complete newbie with no clue as to how to buying a bike, doing it over the Internet from PX or Ribble may not be the best idea IMO. Regardless of vfm

Oops skim read over the London part and it didn't register that Ribble is based in Preston and Planet X in Barnsley/Sheffield which is a fair distance away to go and sit on the bikes before hand unless they are in London at one of the trade shows?

@vickster makes a good point about locks, insurance, lights and mudguards. I use this Kryptonite lock (silver rated) as it is sufficient for my insurance. I have a Cree T6 front light which I bought from Ebay with a backup Topeak HP2W front light, both run of battery packs which take a few hours to charge. Some Knog lights as they are easy to take on and off and two moon crescent lights for the rear as they charge via USB. For mudguards it depends on your bike but Crudroad Racers and SKS Raceblades seem to get good reviews.