TOTAL novice ....
- Thread starter Kovu
- Start date
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chris42
New Member
- Location
- Deal, Kent
What info are you wanting?
Well the web is a big place. On here there are maybe 800 + (nearly said odd) people so you might get too varied a response.
What about we start a thread with the best links for road bike info and see if we can amass a reading list for you. I've started the thread and posted a couple of links.
What about we start a thread with the best links for road bike info and see if we can amass a reading list for you. I've started the thread and posted a couple of links.
OP
OP
Kovu
Über Member
Yeah thank you very much! Okay I'll let put a few questions up that I am intersted in:
- What in people's opinion is the best starter road bike [bearing in mind a budget of about 250 pounds]?
- Iv'e read around on a few other cycle sites, and it seems that Halfords have got a bad reputation for selling road bikes, I was wondering why that was?
- Is it safe to buy from e-bay?
hubgearfreak
Über Member
roshi chris
New Member
- Location
- London
I agree. For £250 you want an old steel warhorse. If you want a new bike you'll have to up your budget i'm afraid to at least £400ish.
hubgearfreak
Über Member
roshi chris said:
warhorse may be the wrong word?these few on ebay now may be a good buy, although i don't know what size someone your height would want
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http://preview.tinyurl.com/2n5ca2
In the August edition of Cycling + a beginner asked this question in the letters section.
He too was advised to up his budget, but told that if that wasn't possible to consider The Dawes Giro 300, The Carrera Virtuoso from Halfords and the Decathlon Sport 2. The merits of each were outlined in the mag.
He too was advised to up his budget, but told that if that wasn't possible to consider The Dawes Giro 300, The Carrera Virtuoso from Halfords and the Decathlon Sport 2. The merits of each were outlined in the mag.
- Location
- the post-brexit wasteland
the halfords carrera range is not too bad at all for the money. the pitfalls lie in that they can come poorly set up which, assuming you're a newb to the whole thing, can go undetected and result in problems sooner ot later.
i went down the halfords route, got a carrera virtuoso for £250 and have since spent at least as much again upgrading it, but it's now as good as a bike you'd pay £600 for anyway. (so if i'd bought it, found that a road bike was not for me, i'd only have wasted £250 less what i could have sold it on for). you can upgrade as you go, which if your budget is limited is very useful. don't listen to people who tell you you need to spend a grand on a decent bike, they're just trying to show off.
if you have a good local bike shop, see what they have. they may be able to do a second hand steel frame with "modern" things like combined gear/brake levers which are a lot more user friendly imho than downtube shifters.
i would avoid ebay unless you feel you know enough about bikes in general, especially as you've no way of knowing if a bike is stolen. if the seller is local, ask to see it and take someone that knows about bikes with you.
if your local cycling club has a website, you may find thay have a classified section and be able to pick up a bargain.
good luck
i went down the halfords route, got a carrera virtuoso for £250 and have since spent at least as much again upgrading it, but it's now as good as a bike you'd pay £600 for anyway. (so if i'd bought it, found that a road bike was not for me, i'd only have wasted £250 less what i could have sold it on for). you can upgrade as you go, which if your budget is limited is very useful. don't listen to people who tell you you need to spend a grand on a decent bike, they're just trying to show off.
if you have a good local bike shop, see what they have. they may be able to do a second hand steel frame with "modern" things like combined gear/brake levers which are a lot more user friendly imho than downtube shifters.
i would avoid ebay unless you feel you know enough about bikes in general, especially as you've no way of knowing if a bike is stolen. if the seller is local, ask to see it and take someone that knows about bikes with you.
if your local cycling club has a website, you may find thay have a classified section and be able to pick up a bargain.
good luck
Elmer Fudd
Miserable Old Bar Steward
- Location
- Durham, and I am the eejit
PING !! Kovu,
Please Please PLEASE adjust your font size, my eyesight aint what it was !
Please Please PLEASE adjust your font size, my eyesight aint what it was !
jay clock
Massive member
- Location
- Hampshire UK
I agree about Ebay - unless you are very experienced it is easy get confused. I am bidding on a bike for my daughter to take to uni, and her assessment of what looks nice is, in almost every case, wrong.
I would go to Decathlon if you can and spend a couple of hundred on a hybrid (flat bars, but skinny tyres on road wheels) and get out and ride it for a few months. If you love it and use it a lot, then save up and spend about £500 on a nice road bike. Keep the hybrid as a back up, for errands etc.
Alternatively, not a road bike but I can strongly recommend a Carrera Subway - the Subway 1 is fine. About £170, great run around, could take slimmer tyres to speed up, but I have one, 3 years old now, it is done over 5000k and is superb. Admittedly I have upgraded lots of stuff, but it is a great bike for commuting, pottering etc, but has also handled a 100k road ride.
I would go to Decathlon if you can and spend a couple of hundred on a hybrid (flat bars, but skinny tyres on road wheels) and get out and ride it for a few months. If you love it and use it a lot, then save up and spend about £500 on a nice road bike. Keep the hybrid as a back up, for errands etc.
Alternatively, not a road bike but I can strongly recommend a Carrera Subway - the Subway 1 is fine. About £170, great run around, could take slimmer tyres to speed up, but I have one, 3 years old now, it is done over 5000k and is superb. Admittedly I have upgraded lots of stuff, but it is a great bike for commuting, pottering etc, but has also handled a 100k road ride.
You get what you pay for - £250 for a brand new roadie doesn't get you much.
Double that, and you will get a bike you want to ride a lot.
That said, the end of the summer is approaching so now is a good time to start shopping.
Go to your local bike shops (not Halfords) and try and get some test rides, it will give you a good idea of how much you need to spend, and more importantly, get one that fits your frame.
Double that, and you will get a bike you want to ride a lot.
That said, the end of the summer is approaching so now is a good time to start shopping.
Go to your local bike shops (not Halfords) and try and get some test rides, it will give you a good idea of how much you need to spend, and more importantly, get one that fits your frame.
Useage?
Probably easier to ask 'I want a bike so I can 'xxxxxxx', then you might get some more objective advice. However if you just want to ride from A to B, then something with mudguards would be a good start, unless you like getting covered in road dirt.....
Just my 2p.
So do you want a 'road' bike, or something to ride on the road? (Confusing, isn't it?) There are many different types; some very specialised for a particular task, and some more generalist, and you will find that opinions vary on which is 'best' for whatKovu said:Totally new to biking and all, decided to get my first road bike soon, but wanted to do some research. So anything will help me with anything related to bikes!
Probably easier to ask 'I want a bike so I can 'xxxxxxx', then you might get some more objective advice. However if you just want to ride from A to B, then something with mudguards would be a good start, unless you like getting covered in road dirt.....
Just my 2p.