Road bike for the middle aged

carrock

according to cycling plus, the raleigh avanti race is superb- and because it's not a fashionable brand like trek or specialized, is probably better VFM and will be discounted over the winter.

Boardman is staggeringly good value also, it would seem

Toonraid

There is a very good reason they are cheap.

tomsdad

i am 6'6" tried the specialized secteur monday but even at my height the reach was to big got a focus cayo today much shorter reach really nice.just goes to prove you HAVE to try it first .The focus was from wiggle 105 triple with a 7day return if i dont like it!

mconnaughton

Thanks toonraid and tomsdad - hearing loud and clear that buying sight unseen from a website may well be a good route to a poor fit...echoed by a colleague (annoyingly fit, done the Etape 5 or 6 times on really not much training, I love him dearly) who did this for his first proper bike and always regretted it.

Need to find a sympathetic LBS and try some kit I think, or save up and splash on a custom frame...hey, you're only middle aged once, and probably cheaper than having to buy a second bike if you get it wrong first time.

IS there a reason why Boardmans and Raleighs are "cheap" - I mean a reason more than image and for Boardmans at least the baggage that keeps being reported about their sole retailer? They do look great value on paper and frankly there must be a price beyond which the money will be wasted on my limited talent and ambition.

Thanks to everyone
MC

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Boardmans are new to the market, so they have a tempting price. Raleigh are generally out of favour with average cyclists, so again are perhaps tempting people back by attractive prices?

Toonraid

Think of bike in terms of a car - A guy in a BMW in no more talented than another in a fiesta - if anything you do need more talent to ride a fiesta with its poor brakes, cornering, etc.

Bikes are the same - you pay for the joy of riding one (well at our age anyway) - there is of course a point that spending more may not necessarily bring added joy - i.e. you will probably find that a high performance racer in the 8k range is a harsh ride as it is a racing thoroughbred meant to be ridden hard (think F1) and may find that a merc while cheaper is more enjoyable to ride.

Coming off an old hybrid - whatever you ride you will like till you ride something nicer and then getting back on your bike you will notice all the shortcomings. I remeber my 1st ride after along absence was on a raleigh hybrid I had lying around for years - I thought it was a good bike till I rode my friends (a new 300 quid trek) and instantly noticed the difference to mine - it just felt nice and solid - then I could not ride mine anymore and saw all the shortcomings such as wobbly wheels and rattly frame etc.

I bought a used Steel tubed Ribble (Reynolds 631) with Mirage 9 speed gruppo and 28 spoke handmade wheels for 180 on ebay last year as a commuter/runaround/shopping bike and while its a tad too small I love it. Its solid, stable & has great tracking. Maybe it would also be a good idea to buy something like that for starters so that you find your cycling fit, feel and Geometry before pulling the plug on an expensive bike. You can then play around with bar height/stem length/saddle height etc in order to fine tune it and figure out the correct geometry for you!

owenlars

I'm 56 started in earnest two to three years ago on my then 12 years old Dawes Galaxy which had seen duty mostly wizzing around Wimbledon Common with the kids. It then started on 10-15 mile loops and commuting and my aspirations began to focus on distance.

The logical next step was an Audax bike so I bought a Thorn Audax MK3 about 2 years ago which was used at weekends as my mileage went up and also for summer commuting (it's done about 6000 miles now).

Inevitably the gadget in me took over and I then bought an Enigma Eclipse (Titanium) for sportives and long summer weekend rides (now done about 2000 miles) and even more inevitably a Pearson Touche fixie which is now my all weather commuter.

The MK3 is great and is used for dryish winter weekends and occasional commutes and suits a middle aged old f*rt like me. However the Enigma is fabulous for anything over say 50 miles and sportives up to 100 +. The Galaxy gets an occasional pub outing as well and it is also used when I know I need to lock a bike up for more than a few minutes in public.

Start with something durable, comfortable and with long legs like the Audax and graduate as you understand your riding more.

keef66

I'm a sprightly 52. Returned to road cycling a year ago after a 25 year absence, though not completely unfit cos i'd been pootling about on an mtb.

Could only justify one bike, and early on decided it would have to take proper mudguards, so that really narrowed down the field.

Ended up with a Kinesis racelight TK which is described as a winter trainer. Light alloy frame, carbon fork, shimano RS10 wheels, 25mm conti 4 seasons tyres, 105 triple.

I have long legs / short torso, and the Racelights have a shortish head tube so I have a short stem flipped upwards and several spacers so the saddle to bar drop isn't too big for my no longer very bendy back. This and the 25mm tyres make it pretty comfortable, but it is still quite a lively ride. I'm pretty pleased with my choice.

Maybe if I was choosing now I'd go for the Planet X Ti Sportive which would avoid all the flipped stem / spacer muppetry.

Or if I lived somewhere warm and dry I'd have a Roubaix.

skyd0g

One point to consider, is that your 'ideal geometry' may change over the first 6-12 months. You may find that as your fitness and flexibility improves, you may start considering 'racier' geometry that would have initially felt uncomfortable in the first few weeks.

I'm 45, and I've found that my bike position has changed over time as my overall fitness has improved. (I was last on a bike around 25 years ago). So, depending on your potential flexibility/fitness, you may wish to allow for this.

tenor

Forget what material the frame is from, or what groupset in included - they all work well enough. What rfeally matters is fit and set up.
For that you will need to find a bike shop with real knowledge - not just one that is going to sell you a bike and not therefore a mail order outlet.

For 1250 you could get a very nice Condor Acciao or Fratello (if you prefer guards) with a choice of Centaur, Untegra or Rival.You also get to choose the other bits such as saddle, gear ratios, etc. They will set you up on a jig and adjust the contact points in the right place for your anatomy - not the other way round.
The frames are good quality steel - about half a kilo more than a carbon frame. If you are not racing at a high level this will make no difference.

Alternatively, call Brian Rourke and see if he can provide you with a custom framed bike (probably Reynolds 631 or 853) within your budget. Basic groupset and bite for that money, but the man is a legend and will get the fit just right. His son makes the frames and they get fantastic reviews in CW. Way to go..!

mconnaughton

Thank you gentlemen...I'm valuing all of this.
I do like the idea of having a custom fit...do get the feeling that saving that £100 or £200 on buying from a website, however tempting at the time, may need at least that amount spending subsequently to put right. Plus the snob in me likes the idea of bespoke, and hey, it's to fit ME, right! Having said that, also like the softly, softly notion - buying something second hand and eminently affordable that I can fiddle with and see if I like, and almost certainly still have a long term use for...yep, like that too.
Beginning to wonder if you can have too much good advice...but thank you for it all...I remain humbled by all your thousands of miles.
MC

OxfordTrefor

If you can find one a second hand Cervelo RS woud be well worth looking at as previously mentioned in the post.. I'm 45 and was looking for something light and stiff with a slightly more relaxed setup... test rode the Cervelo a week ago.. the comfort levels were great (got a Cube attempt now) .. ride between 20 and 60's normally and 60 on the Cervelo meant I got off and went and did some jobs aroud the place straight away rather than lay down on the sofa to recover.. worth a look - have a look at the cervelo RS owners forum..

mconnaughton

The Cervelo looks lovely and would have the major advantage of being the lust object of a colleague who's done L'Etape five times...I love him dearly! How to jump from zero to Mr Allthegear No Idea in one fell swoop! Seriously though, it does look a cut above although I'd be a bit worried about buying second hand in the "serious" market for first proper bike.

Have noticed that sale stock is running low/non-existent now on a lot of the sites...anyone know if this is likely to improve again after Christmas, or is it a case of when it's gone it's gone and look out for bargains now?

Thank you all once more
MC

on-yer-bike

I have a Cervelo RS size 56 for sale. This bike has relaxed geometry, so not too low at the front. As a rough guide this would fit a person 5' 9'' - 6' 0''.

mconnaughton

Thank you OYB - probably a bit big for me, even if I could give you a decision right now, which in truth I probably couldn't. I'm just shy of 5'9" and I think would suit a 53 or 54 cm frame more.
Where does one look out for these exotica?
Thanks
MC