Which entry level road bike to go for..?

[Jus68]

Hi all, I'm a total newb when it comes to road cycling, however having started to get into triathlons (in a very un-serious way) using a hybrid, I am looking to buy an entry level road bike.
Budget is very limited, under £400, and I've been looking at the ribble prime shimano, merlin performance pr7 (2016 model) and BtwinTriban 500 SE
Can anyone give any advice on which is better please? Or are they all pretty similar?
Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Yazzoo]

are you looking to go up the world of triathlons or is this more for general road riding/club rides etc?

Please don't take this the wrong way but with your budget I would consider looking second hand - more bike for your money! Assuming you know what you're looking for, if not make sure you take someone with you who knows what they're talking about so you don't get stung.

 

[Jus68]

Nooo, not really.. just wanting a slightly better bike to do the job in triathlons, having been using basically a mountain bike with road tyres.

I have had a look at some second hand sites, but had decided I would go for the safer option of buying new if poss,

 

[Garry A]

Have a sit on some bikes in your price range and see how they feel. Check out some of the sales on websites, mibbe get a bargain.

 

[Wolf616]

I was in a similar position (i.e. wanting my first road bike but not having a huge budget) back at the end of May. I opted for the Triban 500SE in the end, which cost me £330 but the price has now gone down to £299.

It might not be the greatest bike in the world, but at that price it feels like a steal. Well reviewed by sites like road.cc and cycling weekly it has perfectly suited my purposes - e.g. commuting to and from work every day and a few times a week going on longer cycles between 20 and 60 miles. Not had any real problems with it, in fact the only one I had was very quickly and painlessly fixed by taking the bike to my local Decathlon (the gears need a slight adjustment, but apparently you should do that shortly after buying any new bike as they 'settle' in and shift slightly).

A word of warning though: buying the bike is only the first step in a new journey of ridiculous expenditure, consumption and, for me at least, addiction. I've probably spent at least one hundred, if not more, pounds on accessories, tools, and other bits and bobs. Totally worth it though, any day now that I don't manage to get out on my bike I'm left feeling restless and desperate to go have a spin around.


When I eventually come to replace it (not any time soon) I'd probably try and go for a second-hand slightly better model, but as a novice bike user/owner having the ability to go to Decathlon and get it fixed for free for the first 3 months at the very least is also a useful safety net.

Also, they don't give me a commission on saying how great their bike is but they bloody well should as I've convinced at least 3 separate people to go out and buy one...

 

[Cuchilo]

There's a Defy 5 in the Twickenham giant store for £400 . I think its a Medium . You could fit tri bars to that .

 

[User16625]

I was in a similar position (i.e. wanting my first road bike but not having a huge budget) back at the end of May. I opted for the Triban 500SE in the end, which cost me £330 but the price has now gone down to £299.

It might not be the greatest bike in the world, but at that price it feels like a steal. Well reviewed by sites like road.cc and cycling weekly it has perfectly suited my purposes - e.g. commuting to and from work every day and a few times a week going on longer cycles between 20 and 60 miles. Not had any real problems with it, in fact the only one I had was very quickly and painlessly fixed by taking the bike to my local Decathlon (the gears need a slight adjustment, but apparently you should do that shortly after buying any new bike as they 'settle' in and shift slightly).

A word of warning though: buying the bike is only the first step in a new journey of ridiculous expenditure, consumption and, for me at least, addiction. I've probably spent at least one hundred, if not more, pounds on accessories, tools, and other bits and bobs. Totally worth it though, any day now that I don't manage to get out on my bike I'm left feeling restless and desperate to go have a spin around.


When I eventually come to replace it (not any time soon) I'd probably try and go for a second-hand slightly better model, but as a novice bike user/owner having the ability to go to Decathlon and get it fixed for free for the first 3 months at the very least is also a useful safety net.

Also, they don't give me a commission on saying how great their bike is but they bloody well should as I've convinced at least 3 separate people to go out and buy one...

That can be said for many hobbies. But unlike astrophotography or golf, cycling has great fitness benefits and can be used as a form of transport to a limited degree. As you said its well worth it if you dont get a bike that creaks.

 

[bikingdad90]

Could you stretch to £425 and buy @Steve T Boardman team bike, a right steal as they are currently £800 in Halfords?

I would have had it but just out of my budget! Gutted.

 

[biggs682]

another vote for 2nd hand from me @Jus68

 

[MattDB]

I bought a felt f95 and love it.

 

[Crandoggler]

B'twin anyday!

Quality and componentry outweighs anything even close to your budget. Save the £100 and buy some campagnolo khamsin or shimano R501 wheels.

Many people use their range for huge distances, including iron man events. Very good bikes for the money.

 

[Crandoggler]

They also have an owners club. Very friendly bunch of guys who don't try to mess you about. Search triban owners forum.

Also decathlon have a very good warranty system. I exchanged a wheel no problem.

 

[swee'pea99]

You can get some seriously nice bikes for that kind of money on ebay. Five minutes looking finds, eg:

This Dolan
This Trek
and this Cannondale

As long as you have some idea what you're after, swap emails to get the cut of your seller's jib, and have a bit of patience, you should be able to rely on getting twice the bike you pay for without having to try too hard.

 

[Crandoggler]

You can get some seriously nice bikes for that kind of money on ebay. Five minutes looking finds, eg:

This Dolan
This Trek
and this Cannondale

As long as you have some idea what you're after, swap emails to get the cut of your seller's jib, and have a bit of patience, you should be able to rely on getting twice the bike you pay for without having to try too hard.

Guess he'd be shoot out of luck if he's tall!

 

[swee'pea99]

Guess he'd be shoot out of luck if he's tall!

Well yes...obviously it's up to the buyer to choose carefully (and size is top of the list of crucial criteria IMHO) but the point is I hope made: choose carefully, bide your time, and you can let a corporate lawyer take the 300 mile hit on your lovely 'new' bike.