Ultimate Budget Racer

Yellow Peril

I am curious as to what fellow forumites would consider to be the ultimate budget racer? By that I mean a budget of £500 or less(I know some may consider that either to be too much or too little) and it cannot be secondhand.


So everyone who supplies the best spec out there for under a donkey? (or is it a monkey?, or a goat?) anyway under £500

Dennis N, at the current exchange rate £500 probably equals about five dollars or 3 euros if you are somewhere in Europe?

barrybridges

I race on a Trek 5300, which is about £500 second-hand (in fact, probably nearer £200 - £300!

Perfectly light enough, decent, nippy and doesn't look too naff to be out of place on the starting line.

STEFANOS4784

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165710

Brand new you'd be pressed to find a bike with this spec for better, but i stand to be corrected

JC.152

a year ago i got Focus Variado for £500 with 105 groupset and R550 wheels

but you'd struggle to get anything similer now i think

STEFANOS4784

Forget 'a year ago' Seems like e-ons now :shock:

touchy

Can you stretch to 560?

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2008

STEFANOS4784

Only got 42 and 46 left though, i want one of these next 8)

Ste_S

Yellow Peril wrote:

I am curious as to what fellow forumites would consider to be the ultimate budget racer? By that I mean a budget of £500 or less(I know some may consider that either to be too much or too little) and it cannot be secondhand.


So everyone who supplies the best spec out there for under a donkey? (or is it a monkey?, or a goat?) anyway under £500

Dennis N, at the current exchange rate £500 probably equals about five dollars or 3 euros if you are somewhere in Europe?

The bike that fits you best and that you like the colour of

rjsmith

Why not second hand? At the £500 price point it would make the most sense for a racer?

Yellow Peril

You make a good point rjsmith. The reason I set the criteria I did was to find out what is generally available off the shelf for that sort of money and make the thread more inclusive. Some foumites out there may know of someone who picked up a absolute bargain off someone who didn't really know what they are selling but that is of little use to someone who may come across the thread and be looking for a steer of what to look for in their LBS.

I agree for £500 you may get a well specced secondhand (preferably one that has not seen too many ups and downs in racing itself) bike but then you are faced with the prospect of having to go and check it out as there will be no sale or return and no free delivery.

To date the Boardman looks about the best VFM available new in all sizes. anyone got any other thoughts?

Tom Butcher

If that Boardman is still available for that price take it now - prices have gone up and there can't be much old stock at old prices left.

acorn_user

Cannondale CAAD9 with Tiagra. Light, fast, strong. Cheap. I see loads of them over here; they start at about $1000. If you move up in the world, they don't look out of place with carbon trinkets either.