What bike should I buy?

[Adeola]

Hi all,

I would like a new road bike. I am quite a beginning cyclist, so I don't know the first thing when purchasing a bike.

I'm looking for a fast bike that is comfortable...and quite fancy.

I don't want to spend more than £2000.

What would you recommend? Please post links to websites.

 

[Pale Rider]

I see you did London to Brighton on your Brompton which makes you a bit more advanced than a beginner.

First decision - if you haven't already made it - is do you want flat or dropped bars?

Your Brompton is flat bars and drops don't suit everyone even though most 'road bikes' are drop handlebars.

 

[raleighnut]

What sort of frame material, Steel, Aluminium, Titanium or Plastic.

 

[vickster]

£2000 is a bit more than a beginner budget.

Go to some local bike shops and see what catches your eye given your location I’d start at GB Cycles in S Croydon who have some tasty Italian stuff. Also Pearsons in Sutton. Think there’s a good shop in Bromley too @ianrauk?
As well as a Giant concept store between Bromley and Bickley

what do you define as fancy?
Will you ride in all weathers?
Do you plan to tour?
Do you need to carry stuff?

 

[sight-pin]

You could pop into Decathlon, you can jump on several different bikes to gain an idea of the type of road bike you require' It also may offer some help with the frame size you require.

 

[vickster]

Personally if I had £2k and wanted fancy / special, Decathlon would not be on my list. There is a big one on Purley Way however

GB and Pearsons etc will offer lots of help with spec and sizing

These are v pretty in the “plastic” and even around SW London you’ll rarely see on the road. They’ll spec it to your needs, unlike buying off the peg when you may need to change bars, stems, even cranks esp if buying men’s / ‘unisex’

https://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/pearson-i-m-not-a-number.html

 

[sight-pin]

Personally if I had £2k and wanted fancy / special, Decathlon would not be on my list. There is a big one on Purley Way however

GB and Pearsons etc will offer lots of help with spec and sizing

True! I was waiting for someone to point that out. But i just meant to get an idea of types of road bikes with dropped bars etc as you can ride em around store at Lakeside where i looked my first road bike. It's a little more awkward to have a quick test at other stores.

 

[MichaelW2]

Assign some of your budget to accessories (shoes, pedals, lock, lights, helmet, gloves, shorts, jersey as required). You may need a different saddle. You can "fit" a bike of roughly the right size by switching the length and rise of the stem and the layback of the seatpost. Will your shop do this or will you need to pay.
Do you need race gearing or ride gearing. If you are just riding a long, lower gears are better. Compact doubles are the standard method which means the two big rings for the chain are not quite as big as full-on race bikes (34 and 50 teeth seem to be compact double sizes these days)
Many bikes come without pedals so you can fit your system of choice. Clipless pedals are the usual choice, requiring matching shoe system. Don't feel obliged to fit clipless and as a newer rider, you should avoid first ride on a new bike/new style with clipless. Just put some cheap platforms on for starters.
What colour bike do you want. Seriously, most bikes in this price bracket consist of nice Taiwanese-made aluminium frames fitted with a midrange Shimano groupset.

 

[vickster]

Assign some of your budget to accessories (shoes, pedals, lock, lights, helmet, gloves, shorts, jersey as required). You may need a different saddle. You can "fit" a bike of roughly the right size by switching the length and rise of the stem and the layback of the seatpost. Will your shop do this or will you need to pay.
Do you need race gearing or ride gearing. If you are just riding a long, lower gears are better. Compact doubles are the standard method which means the two big rings for the chain are not quite as big as full-on race bikes (34 and 50 teeth seem to be compact double sizes these days)
Many bikes come without pedals so you can fit your system of choice. Clipless pedals are the usual choice, requiring matching shoe system. Don't feel obliged to fit clipless and as a newer rider, you should avoid first ride on a new bike/new style with clipless. Just put some cheap platforms on for starters.
What colour bike do you want. Seriously, most bikes in this price bracket consist of nice Taiwanese-made aluminium frames fitted with a midrange Shimano groupset.

Or more likely carbon with 105 or Ultegra but you could equally have steel or even Titanium from someone like Planet X

The OP isn’t completely new to Cycling, owning a Brompton at least previously

Indeed colour is v important imo

 

[Adeola]

I'm not completely new to cycling but I have no idea about cycling jargon and I'm not very confident on the roads.
I'd like something light to carry (up and down stairs) and would definitely like to be able to carry stuff. I want something that's fast and light enough to go up hills without too much of a struggle.
Flat bars for definite, I don't like drop bars - although I know that most road bikes do have drop bars.
£2000 is my ultimate max. I would prefer something cheaper but I'd like something for my money.

 

[jefmcg]

I was in a very similar position to you a few years ago. I did London to Brighton on my folder (and a few fnrttc and a Dunwich Dynamo).

What worked for me was going into - - - maybe 10 different LBS and saying "I am looking for a drop bar commuter", and started test rides. I quickly learned which shops I liked and what I wanted (in my case, alu with carbon forks and tiagra min) . There were a lot of bikes that fitted the bill, so then I narrowed it down to 2 shops local that I liked which had bikes I liked. The final decision was which one was red.

Sadly that bike is just been written off. I'll salvage the frame for a future project.

 

[Pale Rider]

I'm not completely new to cycling but I have no idea about cycling jargon and I'm not very confident on the roads.
I'd like something light to carry (up and down stairs) and would definitely like to be able to carry stuff. I want something that's fast and light enough to go up hills without too much of a struggle.
Flat bars for definite, I don't like drop bars - although I know that most road bikes do have drop bars.
£2000 is my ultimate max. I would prefer something cheaper but I'd like something for my money.

Carrying stuff means you want something that you can fit a carrier to.

That all but rules out carbon.

Of the metals, aluminium is the lightest.

A Cannondale Quick is well within budget at £1,000.

About as light as a bike of this spec will ever be, and sensible width tyres - not too narrow or too wide.

https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale-quick-disc-1-2018-hybrid-bike-EV280378

 

[vickster]

Ah wanting to add a rack and flat bars certainly moves the goalposts a bit from ‘road bike’ in common parlance.

Bianchi do quite a swish flatbar option and GB do have a sister shops that sells fast hybrids.

Look at the Whyte R7 range. The Cambridge for example is under a grand and 10kg. Will take a rack and guards, or the next model up the sterling. Cyclesurgery in London sell (there’s a decent sized one near Victoria station)

https://www.cyclesurgery.com/p/whyte-cambridge-2018-Q3214208.html?colour=3307

https://www.cyclesurgery.com/p/whyte-stirling-2018-Q3510028.html?colour=3523

 

[MichaelW2]

For a lightweight, sporty general purpose bike, consider a frame with rack and mudguatd eyelets and one designed for disc brakes. This will give better braking in the wet.
Flat bars are OK but I switched my flat ones to a more swoopy design, the On One Mary. Butterfly style Euro trekking bars are also good for longer distance.

 

[Cycleops]

Another one to consider are the BMC Alpenchalenge range at Evans and elsewhere. There is a choice of hub of derailleur or hub gears, the latter might suit you if you want low maintenance.
https://www.evanscycles.com/bmc-alpenchallenge-01-four-2018-hybrid-bike-EV302758
Or how about this carbon framed Trek;
https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-fx...ing&utm_campaign=noU-10d&utm_content=VISITORS
There are plenty if choices so get down to Evans or your LBS and try a few out and see what appeals.

I should stear clear of anything with a press fit bottom bracket, you might be lucky but there have been too many problems with them.