Buying first road bike

hellraiser_rob

Hi folks,

firstly i apologise as i'm sure you have heard all these naff questions before....

I'm a short distance commuter looking to buy a road bike for weekend longer rides, and am after some advice.

In doing my own research it's become evident that buying 2nd hand is a good option, I have also read that this is partly because part prices have risen in recent years, meaning you get less bang for your buck.

I have seen the specialized allez elite 2008 recommended because of the good components, in particular the frame and forks, so does anyone have a 2nd hand one of these going?

I've had a look on sites like ebay and gumtree but nothing turned up yet. Has anyone got any other recommendations for a good 2nd hand model? Make isn't really important to me.

Alternatively if going down the brand new route, would anyone suggest anything else?

My budget is around 400 - 600, not much i know :oops:

i'm in london/essex if it matters

Cheers in advance

Rob

Super Domestique

I have taken up road riding after years of mtbing and looked at a fair few bikes aorund the £500 and went for the 2010 Allez. It seemed to win the group tests, look the part in red and just ride very nicely. I have no had an ounce of disappointment with my choice.

Alternatively, I would also say the Secteur range is worth a look as they are a little more comfort and distance focused.

Heard nothing but good things about Spesh aftersales service too. I went for new for 2 reasons. 1 I looked around for a couple of months and spotted nothing second hand and was missing out on riding time! Second, I got a proper bike fit done at my lbs and so know the bike is set up right for me.

All I need now is new legs!!!!

keef66

Wiggle have the Variado Expert at a significant reduction at the moment. Mainly 105 kit with an FSA chainset. (Wheels not as good as they were on the 2008 model when I was last looking)

Still a good buy for under £600

PeeDee

Check out the Boardman range of road bikes at Halfords. They are good bikes and will have a reasonable resale value should you get the road biking bug seriously and want to upgrade later.

These seem to be a few second hand available on ebay at the moment.

For example... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Chris-Boardman-Co ... 1e5d29f5f0

Go and try it out at Halfords first to get the right size !

PeeDee

...and remeber to have a few quid over to get some cycle shoes and clipless pedals. Riding a road bike in trainers is not great.

BigMS26

Hi guys, need some help after 3 years out of the saddle due to a knee accident. I want to get fit and back into amateur road cycling now. I used to do trials on MTB but had an accident and dislocated my knee quite bad and had surgery on it. Now I want to get fit after jumping from 16 stone to nearly 19.5 stone want to get back into condition and then join an amateur club. I need a road bike that will take my weight. I like the look of the pinarello FP1 bike, I would like to know if this would be suitable I have a budget of around £1,500 to spend. All advice and suggestions welcome.

skyd0g

BigMS26 wrote:

Hi guys, need some help after 3 years out of the saddle due to a knee accident. I want to get fit and back into amateur road cycling now. I used to do trials on MTB but had an accident and dislocated my knee quite bad and had surgery on it. Now I want to get fit after jumping from 16 stone to nearly 19.5 stone want to get back into condition and then join an amateur club. I need a road bike that will take my weight. I like the look of the pinarello FP1 bike, I would like to know if this would be suitable I have a budget of around £1,500 to spend. All advice and suggestions welcome.

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