Reccommend me a bike for a big ride!

drummer ian

Hey ppl,

Around 3 years ago i was looking for a mtb bike on this website (whatmtb back then!) and ended up with a carrera fury, a bike that has, and continues to serve me brilliantly all day long! I got this great bike because of advice given to me by members of this site, and really appreciate it!

Anyway, now i am looking for somthing a little different...

In the last week of easter some friends and I are planning on attempting to ride around 450 miles as we attempt to do the 3 peaks challenge riding bikes between them (obv not in the 24hours some people do driving it!).
Basically I am looking for a bike that will be a bit more efficient that my mtb to get training asap ready for the challenge ahead. We will have to ride 80 miles a day so i will need a reliable machine for the job!

My budget is around £400 , and i am wondering if it is better to go for something second hand or not. My plan is to look at bikes online then go and ride them and probably buy there and then, just want to get some idea before i get down the lbs.

I am 5ft9 what size frame would be recommended?

I am not fully sure what kind of bike i will need for the job, what would be recommended for lots of miles. (we won't be riding up/down the mountains).

Thanks guys

Ian

Anonymous

If you know what you are looking for then for that budget you are definitely best going used...

Frame size wise you are probably a 54.

drummer ian

thanks, unfortunatly it is a student budget, however, i managed to get a suitable mtb for £400, was hoping i could find a decent enough road bike.
I don't mind buying second hand or from ebay or anything..

Anonymous

drummer ian wrote:

thanks, unfortunatly it is a student budget, however, i managed to get a suitable mtb for £400, was hoping i could find a decent enough road bike.
I don't mind buying second hand or from ebay or anything..

It may be worth having a look at this, he's the same height!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ribble-Winter-Road-Racing-Bike-56cm-Deda-Campagnolo_W0QQitemZ120510511533QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Bikes_GL?hash=item1c0efc79ad#ht_854wt_1165

This may be worth a look too, it has a triple chainring...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GIANT-DEFY-27-SPEED-RACING-BIKE-GOOD-USED-CONDITION_W0QQitemZ110474812154QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Bikes_GL?hash=item19b8cfdafa#ht_500wt_1182

Furthermore, scour the classified ads here!

GavH

Personally, I'd get myself on ebay and buy something used but in fairly good nick. About 54cm as NapD said, altough you could easily find a 53 or 55 being equally correct depending on how the bikes geometry suits you. I bought my Bianchi based on reviews in C+ and the like which all referred to it's 'relaxed' geometry and how it was designed with all day comfort in mind. I don't race or test, so that's what I was after.

If you do go used, the money you save could go towards a good service/setup by an LBS if needed (£20-30 maybe?). Good Shorts to keep your @ss happy all day (Assos Unos about £115). A good comfy saddle to also help keep your @ass happy all day. Maybe new wheels if it needs them? New bar tape, gloves etc.

In short, the frame and components need only be reliable, not high end in order to achieve the 6 days or so riding you are doing. You should be looking at the provision of comfort rather than performance. You can then flog the whole thing on ebay again at the end if you want, thus not losing big from having bought new.

Maybe not everyones cup of tea but a thought nevertheless.

drummer ian

thanks for the advice, i am quite happy building my own bike if this would work out cheaper (don't think it usually does)

pianoman

Good Shorts to keep your @ss happy all day (Assos Unos about £115).

Can you not do easy maths..........that's over a quarter of the guy's budget :shock:

As for used bikes, that Giant looks a good pick, given they make lots of starter bikes and also my first one four years ago!

drummer ian

cheers piano man,

have you got any other ideas of makes i should be looking into?

thanks

pianoman

Just try an internet search of the big stores that seem to have appeared in their thousands over the last five years :P

Where are you based?

drummer ian

based in camberley, surrey at the moment, but most of the year i am down at uni in southampton, thanks!

pianoman

Well here's a list on the Southampton University website:

http://www.personal.soton.ac.uk/bikeuse ... shops.html

Portswood look a good bet, if they do 10% off for students. Then you could get this for about £300:http://www.falconcycles.co.uk/Corporate/ROAD/Criterium.shtml

and that's if they aren't discounting the San Remo model. Though there are better bikes out there, not many at this price point look that good (and I'm not just saying that because it reminds me of my Giant OCR 2 from 2006). Also, remember that all starter bikes come with crap tyres that are heavy and puncture easily - an essential first upgrade. With the £100 left you could get a decent set of tyres and have enough to get some good shorts from a reasonably priced brand like Altura

drummer ian

thanks pianoman!

how did you find out what bikes portswood cycles stocks...my findings just come up with 'There are no products to list in this category.'

thanks

pianoman

Just look in "road bikes" and Claud butler is there. If it's not listed, still consider asking them to get it in for you.

One problem - Claud butlers don't come in many sizes. Feel free to pm me with your height and/or inside leg measurement and it should be easy to tell if the Claud butler is a good fit or not.

drummer ian

well i am 5ft9, not sure about the leg tho, would have to measure

pianoman

One thing's for sure - I'm one inch taller, I ride a 56cm Van nicholas bike (don't look them up or you'll be drooling in no time) and NO ONE at 5ft 10 has smaller legs than me! (32 inches in case you were wondering).

Yet I was advised to pick a 56cm when I was sure that a 54cm was what I wanted - and it was spot on. So I would guess that a 56cm would be the best for you - certainly NOT a 53cm.

If you find your arms are a bit cramped then hopefully the van/truck/juggernaut that brings the bikes from Portswood will have a few spare stems to get the reach just right - don't be afraid to mention this if necessary as there are many different stem lengths all a centimetre apart.

Oh yes, and a few other things to budget for:

Saddle bag
Spare inner tubes
Tyre levers
A few allen keys (for adjusting saddle height first and foremost and attaching the next thing on the list):
Bottle cage and bottle
Pump

Hopefully that should come to no more than £30-32, so once you've spent about £25 on some Altura shorts and bought the tyres, you might just have enough for a drink in the student boozer

carl_p

drummer ian wrote:

thanks for the advice, i am quite happy building my own bike if this would work out cheaper (don't think it usually does)

With a limited budget I wouldn't try and build a bike yourself. For example that Giant Defy will probably eventually go for around £400 to £500. No way would you get the same quality of components within budget by building yourself. The shifters alone will be £150 new. Buying cheap and potentially compromising reliability wouldn't be advised for the type of ride you had in mind.

drummer ian

thanks for all the advice so far! when i get back to uni i will have a look at what they have and what they can get in stock.

just to check does anyone else have any other suggestions? thanks!

pianoman

Agreed with Carl P on that one, also you'd need a few more tools which you'd have to budget for, further reducing the money available to spend on parts.

drummer ian

i have all the tools i would need, i am by no means a biking novice, i just have very little experience with road bikes

pianoman

You'll no doubt get other suggestions coming through all the time, but there's nothing like having the money to buy something "of your own" that hasn't already been used. Then again, the second hand market is quite wide.

Just remember to keep any bike you buy in as faraway a place as is possible, even from fellow students, that Claud Butler Criterium may look as gorgeous as Alesha Dixon but it's also desirable to thieves. Oh, and a lock wouldn't hurt either, though maybe you already have one.........

GavH

PianoMan wrote:

Good Shorts to keep your @ss happy all day (Assos Unos about £115).

Can you not do easy maths..........that's over a quarter of the guy's budget :shock:

As for used bikes, that Giant looks a good pick, given they make lots of starter bikes and also my first one four years ago!

Yes it is, well done you for spotting that. I bought my first bike used off ebay for £156, what percentage of the OPs budget is that? I sold it a fortnight ago for £230. I think my maths' skills are fine thanks.

pianoman

OMG looks like we have the first bikeradar forum user to qualify for The Apprentice........how on earth did you flog a £156 bike for £230, or was it on auction?

No the point was that there are far cheaper shorts out therefrom decent brands, I thought the fact that we were talking about a student budget had been overlooked (and this is coming from five years of experience in that regard, though the cheap booze at the Students Union always bailed me out) :P

drummer ian

thanks guys, all the advice so far has been great! if anyone else has any suggestions, or even experiences with the bikes already mentioned please post!

drummer ian

any more ideas people? i don't want to miss out on somthing good!