Swapping to road bike for commuting

[mordy11]

hi all i new to this forum, i was looking to try out a road bike but didnt want to spend much really and a friend pointed out this bike: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cross-28-...523199?hash=item4d4c982cff:g:d0YAAOSwKOJYGnEX

would this be ok for general use i cant really find information about it from the company which is located in Bulgaria no signs that the bike ever existed . any information advice on this would be great thank you all

 

[Reynard]

As with anything, you get exactly what you pay for. Bikes from places like Argos, Sports Direct (Muddyfox) and supermarkets are best avoided - they are far more trouble than they're worth.

Bottom line is, a bike that cheap won't stand up to the rigours of commuting. And it may not be your size anyway.

If your budget is tight, you may be better off looking at secondhand bikes. If you can swing to a bit more and want to buy new, Decathlon's Triban 500 range is a good place to start for a budget road bike.

 

[biggs682]

@mordy11 i think it would be an ideal basic commuting or general purpose hack bike , but if it was my money i would be looking at the 2 nd hand market for either a good old retro road bike or a low useage newer bike .

Where are you based ?

If you are near to Wellingborough in Northampton feel free to get in touch and come and try a couple of my bikes

 

[NorthernDave]

It's not a brand I've heard of and bear in mind that if you buy from Argos the bike will arrive in a box and you'll have to set it up. If you're confident doing this (and there are lots of vids online guiding you through what to do) then it needn't be a problem.
But you'd definitely get a better bike buying second hand if you're comfortable with that

 

[Tin Pot]

If it's fits you, this looks like a bargain and a singlespeed is good for commuting:
https://www.merlincycles.com/retrospec-mantra-fixed-gear-single-speed-bike-94148.html

 

[mordy11]

hi eveyone thank you for your imput and advice . i belive from i can gather its old stock sold a few years ago for £300 from the Q&A section they mention its frame is aluminium with carbon forks. i guess the gears and brakes are low end but tbh i know very little to do with the specifics is it really that bad?). heres a link to there site i found http://www.crosscycle.com/

Also are the Btwin bikes generally good or vikings they reccomended at all?

 

[ozboz]

This is good value , my GF has one
http://m.gooutdoors.co.uk/bhbikes-zaphire-6-5-p267838

 

[Bonefish Blues]

tbh the original bike you linked is almost silly-cheap and looks good value for the price. From your later linky it doesn't seem that road bikes feature in their range, but there are some interesting designs on there.

If that bike fits you (it's quite a small frame) I'd be tempted to order it, especially as you can return it if what you take out of the packaging turns out to be a p.o.s!

 

[mordy11]

hi thanks for the other bikes suggestions will take a look into it. hi bonefish yes i noticed that in all of there past catalogs that they had just 1 road bike i think in there 2008 one so thats what threw me off a bit where this bike came from. Are the gears or somthing really bad that come with the cross bike or the fact the brand isnt well known that maybe threw people off on it.
As for size from what i can gather 54cm is the frame size i would go for iam 5ft 8inch no shoes and inside leg of 31 inch...from the methods online i think i fit in the 54cm bracket or there abouts

 

[stalagmike]

+1 for the Tribans from Decathlon. I picked up a second hand one for 150 and can't fault it so far. If you want new then you should consider these two also.

https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-performance-pr7-road-bike-2016-85148.html

http://m.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-rivelin-road-bike-p343886

 

[cyberknight]

Looking at the spec it actually doesnt look to bad , 10.2 kg is a decent weight for that money .

 

[mordy11]

hi can anyone tell me if this bike is alright at all : http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/viking-vortex-56cm-mens-700c-road-racing-bike

 

[GlenBen]

I would avoid it. The carerra tdf and vanquish are both not awful bikes from halfords, apprently. £200 & £300 respectively.

 

[mordy11]

hi glen i looked at those bikes but i found the 54cm size a bit to small for me which was a suprise and thats the highest those bikes go up to in size.
can you tell me what specifics are wrong with the viking bike in relation to the carrera bikes, does it use bad gears or breaks in comparrison or is there any other reasons, iam a nooby when it comes to parts so i'd like to understand the bad points if possible thank you

 

[vickster]

@mordy11

How about this one if @biggs682 doesn't get there first

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132106861614?clk_rvr_id=1174495822117&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true&ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F710-53481-19255-0%2F1%3Ftype%3D4%26campid%3D5336742846%26toolid%3D10001%26afsrc%3D1%26customid%3D61076X1383750X8a1473d24ca257dcd7187d45f899e6f4%26mpre%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%252Fitm%252F132106861614%26srcrot%3D710-53481-19255-0%26rvr_id%3D1174495822117

Although on reflection a 58 will be way too big if you are 5'8. Surprised you found the 54s at Halfords too small. Did you ride them? On a turbo at least

Otherwise go to decathlon and try a Triban