Bike buying advice

dm1979
dm1979 Posts: 2
edited April 2009 in Road buying advice
I am looking to get a road bike when I come back from holiday and would like some suggestions on a suitable bike.

I have a budge of 600-1000 pounds (dam Indonesian computers don't have a pound symbol) and am planning to use the bike to do the massive 540km single stage Trondheim to Oslo in 2010. apart from this I plan start doing cycle sportive and maybe even a tri or 2.

I have never even ridden a road bike before but I find myself enjoying road riding (using my MB) more and more these day. So any pointers towards a model or even what I should be looking for in a bike would be appreciated. Oh, I can not take advantage of the C2W scheme so my budge would have to be for a full price of the bike.


Also if any one has any suggestion on training for such a cycle race i'm all ears.

Cheers.

Comments

  • The first bike to come to mind is the Specialized Allez. They start at about £550 and would be good, as the handlebars are a good hight, making the bike more comfortable over longer distance.
    Maybe even the tri-cross which is like a mountain bike crossed with a road bike. They are very good for distance, but might be too heavy.
    Also the Planet X team frames are good, well the team uses them so that shows they must be good. You could probabily get a full build for about £700.

    These are just my recommendations. Try before you buy.

    Training wise....ride. You can learn how much you need to eat, when you need to eat, how to prepare your body, etc, by just riding your bike. People can give you ideas but because everyone is different, things that work for someone else may not work for you.
    jedster wrote:
    Just off to contemplate my own mortality and inevitable descent into decrepedness.
    FCN 3 or 4 on road depending on clothing
    FCN 8 off road because I'm too old to go racing around.
  • Mister W
    Mister W Posts: 791
    My advice would be to take your stack of used bank notes to Chris at Epic Cycles and see what he can offer. He will find something that meets your requirements, is within your budget and fits perfectly.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    My advice would be to search through the hundreds of threads on this site that are exactly the same and see what the person chose and why.

    Ask and you will get loads of different answers, most saying the bike they bought themselves.

    The very best thing to do is go to your local shops and get a bike from a local shop that you trust, that fits you well and is suitable for purpose.

    Most major brands do exactly the same component level and type of frame at each price region. There are no bad bikes, they can't afford to make bad ones...

    BUT, the most important thing is to get it from a good shop, the service you will receive will be worth far more than saving 100 quid on-line or whatever.

    Then, enjoy riding it.