Which bike should choose for 1200 bike ride?

[Spike MK]

Hi all, I new to road bikes but due to stupidity I have agreed to take part in a 1200 bike ride from Barcelona to Hatfield.

For this I have been looking to buy a second hand road bike in the region of £500.

I have two in mind and was wondering what people thought was the best?

I have had an offer of £400 for a Trek 1.5 2010 accepted. The other bike is a Boardman Comp road bike which I think I can get for £500.

Please let me know what you think or if I have missed out any vital info?

Thanks and appreciate any help.

Spike

 

[Spike MK]

This a 1200 'mile' bike road by the way :-)

 

[Kies]

Both of them can complete 1200 or 12000 miles if kept mechanically pristine. Check for worn out gears chain rims etc
If your not sure ,take along someone who knows about bikes.
If you can't do that,have a look at the Decathlon Btwin 5 ..... I think that comes in under £500 and is a great bike

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

For 1200 miles I would ensure the bike fits, are both these bikes your size, if so I would ride them both and see which one you get on better with

 

[Spike MK]

Just had a look at the Decathlon it has Sora gears which I'm told are not great. I had a look at some different group sets and I look Tiagra and similar ones. With regards to the size I think I need about 55cm-56cm. I'm about 5'10 does that sound about right? Both bikes are 56cm.

 

[ushills]

Sora are fine as most shimano stuff is, the negative comments usually come from them having button to downshift which you can only access when on the hoods rather than the drops.

On a 1200mile ride this may not be an issue, I have them and find no issue although I am old.

 

[vickster]

2013 Sora are pretty much the same as previous generation Tiagra - no thumb button now

For a 1200 mile ride, you'll want to be sure that you can fit a proper rack and mudguards. Perhaps a touring / audax bike might be more appropriate than a more racy roadbike?

I am around 5'10 (female) and ride 54-55cm bikes. 56cm may be a wee bit big depending on the geometry but a slightly shorter or a flipped stem may resolve that

 

[ColinJ]

2013 Sora are pretty much the same as previous generation Tiagra - no thumb button now

But it is a secondhand bike, so it is likely to be the old type Sora. I had it on one bike and didn't like the 'brifters'. That wasn't because of the thumb buttons - I am used to them on the Campagnolo groupsets on my other bikes - I just found them heavy and clunky.

 

[vickster]

I thought the sora was the Triban, so new? http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-5-road-bike-white-id_8167039.html

The used bikes have tiagra or SRAM maybe for the boardman?

 

[biggs682]

one that is comfy to ride