New Boy Needing Help

nickempop
nickempop Posts: 73
edited July 2009 in Road beginners
Hello all,

I'm new to Road cycling (crossing over from MTB),and am looking to buy my first bike. I have approx £1000 to spend and have looked at numerous makes and am still non the wiser :)
The makes i've been looking at are Giant, Specialized and Cube any adive would be greatly appreciated. There are so many different types and im abit lost! :D
All i want to do is get my money's worth on a bike I can keep for a good few years and not be ripped off

Apologies for this thread as i'm sure many have written the same before.
Nick

Comments

  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    edited July 2009
    You could take a look at the Bike of the Year Awards here: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/revealed-our-top-road-bike-of-the-year-21018
    ...slightly over your budget possibly, but it will give you a good idea of the various makes & what to look for.

    At around £1K, you'll struggle to find a "dud" bike, but some may be slightly more suited to your preferences than others. 8)
    Cycling weakly
  • nickempop
    nickempop Posts: 73
    Thanks for the reply skyd0g i'll take a look.

    Should of really looked through all of the threads before posting :/ lots of info i missed

    Thanks again
  • ShaunL
    ShaunL Posts: 91
    If you are a tall guy then this is a nice price on a good bike

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus ... 360039745/

    Lots of nice bikes here too

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/c/cycle/7/Road_Bikes/
  • bobtbuilder
    bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
    Pop along to your local LBS and sit on a few different ones. Don't believe that all people of a certain height will fit a certain frame size.
  • Dunkeldog
    Dunkeldog Posts: 138
    I'd take a minute to think about what you want from your new bike. Are you looking to build up to racing or something you can sit on all day for sportives? If you're looking for the latter or comfort is a bigger deal to you than speed I'd suggest looking at bikes with a more relaxed geometry. This is the route I took. Initially.... Trouble is you start to wonder just how fast you might go if you had a more aggresive steed! Resulting in a second bike taking up residence in the hall.
  • nickempop
    nickempop Posts: 73
    Thanks again for all your help fella's

    After much thought I have dropped my price abit (mainly after reading the forum and using abit of common sense), to around the £600 mark which i think is a more realistic price for a first bike.

    As for my height i'm only 5'8" but have short legs and after my LBS visit my yesterday I am apparently a 54cm. I eventually chose 3 bikes which i think have good components for the price and fit well.

    Giant Defy 2.5 2009 £670
    Specialized Allez Sport Triple 2009 £630
    Trek 1.2 Triple 2010 £630 (Or the 2009 £575, might not be able to get one as there like rocking horse ****)

    PLEASE help a noob..............

    Are these a good choice and which one is best value for money????

    Hope you can help and thanks again for all your help so far :D
  • bobtbuilder
    bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
    I have not ridden any of your three choices above, but I have heard a lot of good things about the Giant Defy.
  • zoglug
    zoglug Posts: 212
    Hi there, i can only comment on the Allez as 6 weeks ago i picked up the 2009 double version and absolutely love it.

    Before i settled on the Allez, i tried out the Trek, Bianchi and Giant entry level models but just found the Allez to be the most comfortable for me. I loved the 'look' of the bike, with its curved top tube and understated black paint job. As i sat on the bike, i found that it just felt right for me. It made me want to get out and ride the bike. The ride quality is excellent, its very responsive, very comfortable and extremely fast! The first time i hit 40 mph i dont think i have been so scared but excited ever!

    There are downsides though. I find the standard tyres and brakes to be not very good. The tyres in the wet dont breed confidence, and the brakes dont really stop you very quickly. Other than that though i am extremely happy with my Allez and would be happy to recommend one to anybody. But its a very personal thing and you really need to try each one out which you like. And be prepared, once youve got your bike, to be constantly looking for bits to buy for it! It becomes a shiney stuff addiction!
    iamwhatiam.gif
  • Surf-Matt
    Surf-Matt Posts: 5,952
    I have the 2010 Allez Elite but tested the 2009 Allez Sport Double (Elite wasn't built up at the time) - very good bike and it was only the Sora kit that slightly put me off - not keen on the shifters. But not an issue for most.Elite is all Tiagra which seems a bit better and has "normal" shifters.

    Only had it just over two weeks and takes a lot of getting used to (been MTBing for 20+ years) but really enjoying it.
  • surista
    surista Posts: 141
    edited July 2009
    I'm a relative noob as well, but love my Scott bike. If nothing else, I like having a bike that not many other people have. For 600 GBP you could probably get a Speedster 40 or so.

    One thing I wish I had done - buy a *cheaper* bike now, to have around as a second bike for an indoor trainer for when you inevitably upgrade <g> Justifying an upgrade to a better bike to the MBH (much better half) is easier than justifying a second, inferior bike because I'm too lazy to take the bike on and off the trainer/up and down the stairs when I ride outside...
    "It doesn't get any easier, you just get faster"
    http://blue-eyed-samurai.com/cycling/
  • Steve_b77
    Steve_b77 Posts: 1,680
    I had an Allez last year, cracking bike.

    May I also suggest the Boardman Comp, i's slightly over your budget at £650, but comes with better kit than the allez (Shimano 105 rear mech etc)

    Liek going from Deore to SLX on a mountian bike.

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