Road bike buying advice for newbie

[vickster]

I’m now wondering whether it is worth spending a bit more for longevity, ie. I’d rather spend £1,300 for 5+ years and be a little up-specced to start than go lower (say £700) then change it after 2-3 years and then fork out £1,500 plus.

The most I can get on the cycle scheme is £1k (so £750 liability for me) so perhaps my actual budgeted outlay should be £1k (so £1,250 with the voucher plus £250 cash) to open up more options.

Some retailers allow top up, some don’t, so you’ll need to check

You might get a bargain used (availability is better than this time last year) but there are still some high prices being sought especially for some <5 years old

 

[vickster]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/giant-road-bike-large-/265322021143

Something like this would do. And you could keep it as your winter bike once you've got your fancy carbon jobby.

Evans used to do extended test rides. Might be worth a visit if you have a local branch. They have had some troubles.

Not sure they do since Ashley bought them? It’ll say on website.

 

[AdamD1]

Re the cycle scheme, the max I can get via my employer is £1k. Can I use this and add to it in or can the purchase only be up to the value of the cycle scheme voucher?

 

[vickster]

Re the cycle scheme, the max I can get via my employer is £1k. Can I use this and add to it in or can the purchase only be up to the value of the cycle scheme voucher?

Depends on the retailer. Some allow top up, some not, some also change a 10% or greater surcharge to accept the voucher. Ask whoever you buy from

 

[DRM]

Re the cycle scheme, the max I can get via my employer is £1k. Can I use this and add to it in or can the purchase only be up to the value of the cycle scheme voucher?

I’ll say it again, as others have, the London Road from Planet X, you won’t get better VFM
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRDSA1/planet-x-london-road-sram-apex-1-disc-road-bike
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRDSR1/planet-x-london-road-gravel-edition-sram-hrd-rival-1-bike

 

[AdamD1]

I’ll say it again, as others have, the London Road from Planet X, you won’t get better VFM
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRDSA1/planet-x-london-road-sram-apex-1-disc-road-bike
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRDSR1/planet-x-london-road-gravel-edition-sram-hrd-rival-1-bike

Looks good but two issues - 1. Completely sold out and 2. No sizing, measuring, in shop advice

 

[vickster]

Looks good but two issues - 1. Completely sold out and 2. No sizing, measuring, in shop advice

They have a height/size guide

 

[AdamD1]

They have a height/size guide

Not ideal though as 6ft 2 sits in both L and XL categories. So which to buy. Sold out in both anyway.

 

[vickster]

Not ideal though as 6ft 2 sits in both L and XL categories. So which to buy. Sold out in both anyway.

Fair enough. As a general rule for road bikes, if you’re between sizes, go smaller. A frame can be made longer with the stem but if the top tube reach is too much, making smaller is much more limited

 

[biggs682]

I almost wonder if it’s worth buying a second hand for like £100 just to trial it for a few weeks, get the feel etc and then re-sell it. Take a 15% loss to be able to trial it, although I appreciate it won’t be a great bike!

At last , it's got to be the best option to see if you are happy on a road bike rather than spend a stupid amount and 2 weeks later find you don't enjoy it

 

[cyberknight]

If your new to road biking i would find a retailer that has stock you can try for size even if its just sitting on one in the showroom to get a feel for it and ask advice from the staff.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Fair enough. As a general rule for road bikes, if you’re between sizes, go smaller. A frame can be made longer with the stem but if the top tube reach is too much, making smaller is much more limited

Totally agree I'm 6ft 3ins and 58cm (L) perfect for me.

 

[Grant Fondo]

What is that?! And how much out of the piggy bank?

Another 300 quid .... but the Scultura 400 is £150 more, 105 groupset, BUT, non-disc brake if thats a deal breaker. (105 rim brakes are very good though) 59cm so may be spot on sizing?
https://www.devercycles.co.uk/bikes...1rwxtOriVxCCZUcsDyHsPw8VVVyDSXcRoCTLgQAvD_BwE

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I plan to keep it for at least 3-5 years!! Even at 3 years it’s only £250 a year if a £1k bike as it costs £750 on the cycle scheme. This is why I’m veering away from second hand as at least new with a shop there is comeback if something goes wrong.

£250 a year to own a bike is not an "only" amount in my book. The most I've ever spent on a brand new bike is the present day equivalent of about £250 and I've owned that bike for 35 years. Almost all my bikes were bought secondhand, if they were actually bought and not salvaged, and nothing I have acquired used owes me more than £100 even after sorting them out and replacing tyres.
It really isn't necessary to spend anything like even £1k to get a good bike, and it certainly isn't necessary to keep replacing or "upgrading" bikes every three or four years. That's just marketing-driven brainwashing and nonsensical if you think about it. The performance of a bike doesn't deteriorate with age - the rider's performance might, but the bike's won't. The only tangible bebefit from the higher end groupsets is a slightly more refined mechanical operation and nicer manufacturing cosmetics. You won't go noticeably faster or further on the most expensive spec you can find compared with something that is merely good enough to work reliably. The physics of mechanical transmission losses don't vary by any significant amount from the cheapest bikes to the most expensive.

 

[Alex321]

. You won't go noticeably faster or further on the most expensive spec you can find compared with something that is merely good enough to work reliably. The physics of mechanical transmission losses don't vary by any significant amount from the cheapest bikes to the most expensive.

Sorry, but that is just not true.

First, there is the fact that the higher level frame & components are almost always lighter than the cheap ones, which is going to make some difference to how fast you can ride.

Then, the higher level components are built with tighter tolerances, meaning they should run more freely - there will be less friction loss in the drivetrain. There are other factors such as stiffness that can also affect the speed, because that again makes a difference to how much of the power you put through the pedals is actually transferred to the tyres on the road. And the tyres themselves also make a difference.

The difference between the speeds you can regularly maintain on a cheapo bike ands what you can do on a high mediums level bike can easily be 10% or a bitr more.