Cycling

ask money he'll help you, he helped me, and munch knows a shit load about bikes aswell

(14-09-2012 19:42 )The Narcissist Wrote:  Hey guys I'm thinking of purchasing a good road bike so that I can cycle to the gym from my house. It only takes about 30 mins on my current mountain bike, but I think I should invest some money and go get a good road bike.

Can someone who knows a thing or two about road bikes point me in the right direction please? Or a good manufacturer to start with?

I had a look on google but I seem to be overwhelmed by choice and don't really know the price ranges either from the top range to the lower range. Was looking for something mid range.

Thanks guys

Hi Narcissist,

There is loads of options with regards to road bikes. It really does depend on what you want from a road bike and how much you are looking to spend. In terms of manufacturers again, you can start with sometime relatively low budget and look at perhaps Viking or a Carrera. Or you can go mid range with a Specialised Allez or a Boardman . Or if you are feeling flush go for an expensive road bike like a Biancci or a Felt.

Where and for what are you looking to ride the bike to from? I.E work/commuting, or for leisure ?

(14-09-2012 20:03 )Money_Shot Wrote:  

(14-09-2012 19:42 )The Narcissist Wrote:  Hey guys I'm thinking of purchasing a good road bike so that I can cycle to the gym from my house. It only takes about 30 mins on my current mountain bike, but I think I should invest some money and go get a good road bike.

Can someone who knows a thing or two about road bikes point me in the right direction please? Or a good manufacturer to start with?

I had a look on google but I seem to be overwhelmed by choice and don't really know the price ranges either from the top range to the lower range. Was looking for something mid range.

Thanks guys

Hi Narcissist,

There is loads of options with regards to road bikes. It really does depend on what you want from a road bike and how much you are looking to spend. In terms of manufacturers again, you can start with sometime relatively low budget and look at perhaps Viking or a Carrera. Or you can go mid range with a Specialised Allez or a Boardman . Or if you are feeling flush go for an expensive road bike like a Biancci or a Felt.

Where and for what are you looking to ride the bike to from? I.E work/commuting, or for leisure ?

Hi Money,

No it will be mostly for leisure, for me to get to and from the gym that is about 30min bike ride from my gym. I won't be out during busy times, as I will be riding early morning at around about 6am. So yes it will in fact be purely for leisure really.

What are the price ranges generally for a road bike? Also what sort of ranges do they come in and how do they differ? Is it in terms of the speeds that you can achieve on them or the weight? Or balance?

I will look into the names of some of the manufacturers that you gave me there mate. Thanks

Road bikes like most others can vary greatly in price, from a couple hundred up to a couple grand.

Trek is a pretty good maker, and they have swallowed up several others over the years and still make bikes in their name, so you got Specialized, Giant, Cannondale and my one time favourite Dawes, which are actually all Trek bikes.

The higher range generally includes fancier parts, sealed cartridges instead of standard bearing, disc brakes instead of side pull, much lighter frames and wheels, cleat pedals etc. That's great until something breaks and it costs a fortune to replace, and needs to go into the shop as well because it requires their special equipment

Personally I'd be inclined to look at the lower end of the market first, you can still get a decent enough bike with standard, easily replaceable parts, and it should last a good while, and it can always be replaced with a higher grade model later on if/when you feel its time to move onwards and upwards.

Halfords do some decent enough bikes in the lower range, Carrera being one of their own brands. I think they start around the couple hundred mark for something half decent. The Boardmans are probably next up the price range and aren't too bad from what I've seen. You can at least see these bikes to see what they offer, and give them a lift to feel the weight, so you have something to compare the online offerings with even if you don't actually buy one.

The various Trek bikes start around the 500 bucks mark if you are wanting to go that high. As I say, I used to really like the Dawes bikes, but they are all just Trek now, look at them online, and compare, each has a slightly different styling, see which takes your fancy. A guy at work has just bought a Trek, and while it is very nice, and really light, there's just something about it which doesn't appeal to me.

Not wishing to throw a spanner in the works here, but if it's mostly for going back & forth to the gym, would a spare set of wheels your MTB fitted with slicks be a better (and cheaper) option?

If you do go down the road bike route, i would be very careful about buying from Halfords or any online Dealer unless you're capable of setting the bike up yourself. Halfords' prep work varies from excellent to bloody lethal....

(15-09-2012 12:07 )Tumble_Drier Wrote:  Not wishing to throw a spanner in the works here, but if it's mostly for going back & forth to the gym, would a spare set of wheels your MTB fitted with slicks be a better (and cheaper) option?

If you do go down the road bike route, i would be very careful about buying from Halfords or any online Dealer unless you're capable of setting the bike up yourself. Halfords' prep work varies from excellent to bloody lethal....

I'm inclined to agree with you on both points.

If you are really only looking to ride to and from the gym then buying a road bike might not be for you. Having the change of wheels like Tumble_Drier mentioned will serve you well and be remarkably cheaper also!

If you really do want a new bike then, perhaps you should look at Hybrid bikes?
It blends both road and MTB together and offers a different experience. Hybrids are perfect bikes for commuting and getting around town, so sounds like a good compromise for you?

Halfords can be excellent, the one near me used to be superb. They had lads in there who knew and had worked on bikes since they were kids and they transformed it. They have since left and now the standard has slipped. It's isn't bad, but not brilliant.

Also, some bike shops will let you try the bike before you buy. Evans allow you to do this, as well as an independent store near me. That might be worth checking before hand as if you get the chance to try you will know what you are comfortable with

Yeah Halfords can be good or bad. Thing is, they are everywhere, and offer a good chance to see the bikes in the flesh and maybe sit on them to test for size, or lift them to check weight, so they are a good starting point to check things out and formulate some opinions, even if you go elsewhere to buy. They are a good reference point for discussion on a forum like this as most people will have fairly easy access to one.

I have a local independant store, bought several bikes from there, great place, very friendly and knowledgeable and trustworthy, but a bit more expensive.
Then there is a large chainstore type place selling budget bikes. I wouldn't touch anything from there. I dare say some of the staff know their stuff, but the general vibe of the place is cheap cheap cheap, I just wouldn't trust the bikes, their parts, nor the quality of their service.
For me, Halfords sit somewhere inbetween, some of the guys know their stuff, some of the bikes are actually quite decent for the price, some of the parts are OK, some not quite so. If you know a little bit of what you are about, they are good, but tread carefully.

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (Endura) became the first home Tour of Britain winner for 19 years when Chris Lillywhite won the Milk Race.Tiernan-Locke has been linked with a move to Sky.Cavendish won the final stage,his 3rd out of 8 stages.

I would just like to take a moment, to thank all the guys who replied back to my initial question about helping me decide on my first road bike.

Really appreciate all your thoughts guys. It's gone a long way to helping me make a decision about the type of cycle that I should go after. All the replies have been very insightful and interesting to read indeed.

Bradley Wiggins : A Year In Yellow - Sky Atlantic - 22.00