New To Road Bikes

zoglug
Posts: 212
Hey everyone, dont worry im not going to ask what bike to purchase.....not exactly anyway 
Some kind sole on Tuesday of this week relieved me of my bike i was using to train on! I had decided to take the plunge and cycle to work (Manchester City Centre) and had chained it up! Within 4 hours someone had taken it away from me! Ive been training, as after topping the scales at 19 stone 8 months ago i signed up to do the Manchester to Blackpool ride. Training for it has seen me shed a few pounds and now weigh in at 16.5 stone.
I had been training on my Ridgeback MX5, which as you will all appreciate isnt the best for road cycling, but with the money ive got im plucking up the courage to get a road bike in, which will only make the long ride to Blackpool easier.
My budget is around £400 - £500 (i already have a lot of clothing, helmet, lights etc) so the budget is purely for the bike, and i have read alot about the common bikes mentioned, Specialized Allez, Giant OCR/Defy, Trek etc. My main question is would you buy new or 2nd hand from Ebay for example? Im wondering if im likely to get more bike for my buck with purchasing a 2nd hand bike, or am i forever likely to be replacing bits that wear out?
Any advice would be great.
Cheers
Zog

Some kind sole on Tuesday of this week relieved me of my bike i was using to train on! I had decided to take the plunge and cycle to work (Manchester City Centre) and had chained it up! Within 4 hours someone had taken it away from me! Ive been training, as after topping the scales at 19 stone 8 months ago i signed up to do the Manchester to Blackpool ride. Training for it has seen me shed a few pounds and now weigh in at 16.5 stone.
I had been training on my Ridgeback MX5, which as you will all appreciate isnt the best for road cycling, but with the money ive got im plucking up the courage to get a road bike in, which will only make the long ride to Blackpool easier.
My budget is around £400 - £500 (i already have a lot of clothing, helmet, lights etc) so the budget is purely for the bike, and i have read alot about the common bikes mentioned, Specialized Allez, Giant OCR/Defy, Trek etc. My main question is would you buy new or 2nd hand from Ebay for example? Im wondering if im likely to get more bike for my buck with purchasing a 2nd hand bike, or am i forever likely to be replacing bits that wear out?
Any advice would be great.
Cheers
Zog

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Im wondering if im likely to get more bike for my buck with purchasing a 2nd hand bike, or am i forever likely to be replacing bits that wear out?
I think this depends on your bike knowledge. if you are a decent part-time mechanic, you would be able to evaluate the condition of the components. If you are "mechanically challenged" like me, you could get sold a right dog!
Also, you would need to know that the bike is a good fit for you, as you couldn't get a refund / exchange. However, you are in a position to ask the owner to let you take it for a test ride.0 -
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bobtbuilder wrote:Im wondering if im likely to get more bike for my buck with purchasing a 2nd hand bike, or am i forever likely to be replacing bits that wear out?
I think this depends on your bike knowledge. if you are a decent part-time mechanic, you would be able to evaluate the condition of the components. If you are "mechanically challenged" like me, you could get sold a right dog!
Also, you would need to know that the bike is a good fit for you, as you couldn't get a refund / exchange. However, you are in a position to ask the owner to let you take it for a test ride.
Sounds like urmm... sound advice to me. IMO regardless of whether it's new or 2nd hand concentrate on getting the right size, and a decent frame. Wheels, tyres and other components can be upgraded to the standard you want as you go!"I spend my petrol money on Bikes, Beer, Pizza, and Donuts "
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38256268@N04/3517156549/0 -
Welcome to the forums, Zoglug. Thats an impressive weightloss!!! 8)
New or secondhand? If you're going to be using it for commuting I'd go secondhand. It doesn't sound as though your workplace is very secure. I'd get something that looks beat-up and has older componentry - maybe a 5 or 7 speed cassette - nothing too modern. A shiny new bike'll just be what the erstwhile bike thief's looking for. Old doesn't mean rubbish or slow; it just means bu88er-all resale value and unattractive to thieves. You can get some very good bargains and you could put the rest towards a new shiny bling bike for proper after hours / weekend training.
I've got a hideous, mutant-freak bike for parking in areas with 'potential'.A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject - Churchill0 -
Cheers for the advice. My worry, is as pointed out, i could end up buying something off ebay that i have a ton of problems with. I have no experience of bike maintenance, other than cleaning my moutain bike after a ride and fixing a chain once!
SO i think i may go new.
Theres a few local bike shops around. Harry Halls (where i got my Ridgeback) Evans Cycles and Bicycle Doctor so i may well nip round them. But my worry is paying £500 + for a bike and i dont enjoy road cycling.
Ive seen a singlespeed Langster listed on here, but im not sure it would be suitable for my mcr/blackpool ride, for training and commuting it might be, and i love the look of it. Theres also a Giant OCR2 but i think the frame is to big for me. Im only 5' 11".
Ill mull it over, i need something sooner rather than later as i need to get back out on the road! Its already bee 3 days without a ride and i am missing it massively!0 -
ive ordered a specialized Allez from Evans cycles - should be here today i hope as i ordered it last friday. im new to road bikes too so ill give you a good review of what i make of it!
i did look around on ebay first though cos i usually buy decent second hand on the basis im getting more for my money, but i just fancied a nice shiny new bike0 -
zoglug wrote:Cheers for the advice. My worry, is as pointed out, i could end up buying something off ebay that i have a ton of problems with. I have no experience of bike maintenance, other than cleaning my moutain bike after a ride and fixing a chain once!
SO i think i may go new.
Theres a few local bike shops around. Harry Halls (where i got my Ridgeback) Evans Cycles and Bicycle Doctor so i may well nip round them. But my worry is paying £500 + for a bike and i dont enjoy road cycling.
Ive seen a singlespeed Langster listed on here, but im not sure it would be suitable for my mcr/blackpool ride, for training and commuting it might be, and i love the look of it. Theres also a Giant OCR2 but i think the frame is to big for me. Im only 5' 11".
Ill mull it over, i need something sooner rather than later as i need to get back out on the road! Its already bee 3 days without a ride and i am missing it massively!
The tone of your posts shows you already know the answer but just want someone to confirm it for you.. Yes, £500 is enough for a decent entry level bike and for the ride you intend to do and you can go to a local bike shop who will set it up and help with any subsequent problems (if they're half decent).
What don't you think you will enjoy about road cycling? You have been cycling on the roads already and pretty intensively too judging by the weight loss (well done). Is it the road bike itself you're worried about? Why? Drop bars? Skinny tyres? Explain a bit more about what you're worried about and then we can advise further otherwise it's a no brainer for you to get a new bike I think.0 -
PS - don't get a single speed. It's not suitable for what you want to do.0
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have a look at the group test of budget road bikes in Cycling Plus. Very enlightening.0
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Second-hand is a good option - but you're better off buying from on here than ebay in my opinion. Normally more realistic prices and you know that whoever had it is enthusiastic enough to keep it in good shape.
Do you have a C2W scheme with your employer? If so, well worth it - so long as you've got somewhere better to keep it than chaining it up.0 -
Ive cycled a fair chunk of my life but predominantly on Mountain bikes, even when riding the roads. Since i began training ive been cycling 5 times a week at least. Rides have ranged from intensive 1 hour workouts to leisurely rides from my house down the canal to Marple. I also, pretty much parked up the car and cycled everywhere, even to the pub! (Though i never cycle back, id leave my bike there and pick it up next day). I just made a conscious decision to make a positive change in my life and have never looked back.
My issue with whether i will like it or not im guessing comes down to the different styles of bike. My mountain bike im sat kind of upright, big chunky tires mean lots of grip on the road and front suspension to compensate for the terrible road surfaces round where i live!
Im going to nip into Evans tomorrow and see what they have got, as HH only have the choice of the Trek 1.2T and the Spec Allez. Evans seem to have more choice on their website including the Pinnacle, this Saracen, GTR as well as the Specialized Allez. Not sure about some of the cheaper bikes too as im not sure what the componentry is like on them, but one of the sub £450 bikes would allow me to buy a computer for it too. Ill see what evans say.topher9 wrote:Second-hand is a good option - but you're better off buying from on here than ebay in my opinion. Normally more realistic prices and you know that whoever had it is enthusiastic enough to keep it in good shape.
Do you have a C2W scheme with your employer? If so, well worth it - so long as you've got somewhere better to keep it than chaining it up.
Our work do run the cycle to work scheme, but you have to sign up in January to it! I have been told i can lock my bike up in work so i will have somewhere to put it other than the Streets of manchester!0 -
Sorry to hear about your bike getting nicked. It sickens me that us hard working types scrimp and save to buy a decent bike and then some scumbag achieves the same result in return for 5 minutes with a hacksaw.
Anyhow, like you I only rode mountain bikes until recently. I wanted to start commuting to work and decided to get myself a road bike. I got the 2009 Allez and it's amazing! It's not just a little bit faster than a MTB, it's in a different world. After riding an MTB on the roads, the Allez feels like it's got some sort of secret hidden engine helping to propel the bike forwards. I honestly can't praise this bike enough, it's been everything that I expected and a lot more. OK, so the ride isn't as smooth as a MTB but it's nowhere near as harsh as you'd expect. Apparently this is down to the carbon forks and their shock absorbing properties.
My only niggles have been the standard tyres but you will find this to be the case on any road bike at this price. Also, the factory wheels went out of true quite quickly but this will be fixed on your first free service. Once the spokes have been tensioned by hand, they are great.0 -
Well, im going to bite the bullet and head to Harry Halls tomorrow. I tried a few out, well sat on them at Evans and i like the Spec Allez the best. It looks nice (sort of screamed get out and ride me!) and whilst sat on it it felt comfortable! Im going HH as its available under an interest free finance scheme which means my pocket wont be burnt to much in one go!
I am now after a little advice on a computer. Id like to keep nots of my rides, distance covered, time, avg speed etc. From the list at Harry Halls Which one would you recommend? Ive decided against clipless pedals/shoes for the time being whilst i adapt to the bike! Maybe if i really get into it i shall pick some up.
Oh and once im considering the Manchester 100 miler too in Spetember depending on how my Manchester - Blackpool ride goes! Ill maybe even look at joining a club once my base fitness improves somemore and i can work out my average speed!0 -
The Cateye Strada is a good 'un...
If you want to keep track of how your getting on, using a free website such as http://www.trainingpeaks.com is bloomin' ace!0 -
Cheers for that NapD! Never even knew about that site! Im going to sign up now and have a look through it!0
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Also if you have an Aldi near you, the computers are only £5. Worth a punt.0
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Don't worry about the type of bike not being comfy - it's possible to be just as comfortable on a road bike as you were on your previous bike as long as it's the right size and it is set up to suit you. A good bike shop such as Bicycle Doctor on Dickensen Road will do this for you - at Bike Dr they are all experienced cyclists, not just bike shop sales-people. I'd suggest you go into the shop of your choice and tell them the kind of thing you're after as well as any concerns you have regarding comfort or not being used to road handlbars etc and see what they suggest. For instance, you can get brake levers that will work with drop bars, but which fit on the top of the bar, so they replicate the braking position on an MTB or hybrid - if you think you need these. You could always start with these and take them off at a later date.0
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Im going to take the plunge and purchase a road bike, ive decided. I have spent the last 8 months riding the roads on a mountain bike (wasting its potential) so i may as well invest in a bike designed to do just that job.
I went down to Harry Halls and they have no stock fo the Allez and wont be getting any until the end of July! So im off to Evans after i finish work. The site says they have 54 in stock so im hoping they will be able to order me one.
Ive looked at the Bicycle Doctor and whilst they seem an excellent bunch, there is really not much choice on their website. There is only the Trek 1.2 within my price range and i really not keen on the white so it kind of rules them out. The Bianchi, although lovely looking bikes are all well above my price range.
Harry Halls mentioned that the 2010 models should be hitting the shops soon, which posed me with a dilema of waiting for one of them, or chasing a 2009 model. Will the 2010 models be that much different to the 2009 models?0 -
Gah! Well ive ordered my bike! Pick it up tomorrow! Got all giddy when my step bro had a voucher for 10% discount during May
only to find it excludes Specialized products! D'oh! The computers now going to have to wait till the month, unless i pick one of those up from Aldi for the time being!
Thanks for the advice so far everyone its been great!
Currently looking into clothing now for when i get paid at the end of the month! Only so long the same pair of leggings from Decathlon will last!0 -
[quote= Once the spokes have been tensioned by hand, they are great.[/quote]
I too had a problem with the spokes coming loose on my 2009 Allez. Because they are machine built mine too had to be hand tensioned on the first service, but the problem came back (think its the terrible road surfaces that played a big part in making them loose).
However, I took it in for a second time to Evans Cycles and requested that they re-tension and align the wheel but add some lok tight type glue to the threads to try and keep them from moving free in future. I have had the bike back a few weeks now and touch wood they are fine now.
One other small flaw with the Allez though I find is the gear shifters. When you are cycling along in the racing position you can change down gear with the brake levers, however if you want a higher gear to get more speed up this needs to be done with the thumb which means changing your position slightly.
Other than this the Allez is a great bike, and would highly recommend as a starter bike.
Tino.Speciallized Allez 09...great bike shame about the wheels!!0 -
Enjoyed reading this thread. So much of what everyone has had to say has affected me in one way or another. I started on the road 18months ago after a break of 20 years, managed to lose a couple of stone, have done a few sportives including the Dragon and the North Cornwall Tor, and am now the fittest I've been in about 20 years! Bought the Allez triple - lots of very steep hills where I live in Cornwall and it's been great - BUT wheels have been a nightmare (Alexrims S500) with spokes breaking and wheel going out of shape (most recently back wheel on Cornwall Tor so had to disconnect back brake - some quite hairy descents using front brake only!) Have just bought a nice pair of Mavics second hand which has given bike new lease of life. Still going to update next month on C2W scheme though - Can't wait! Specialized Roubaix or Scott CR1?
This has been my first post on bike radar! Hello!0