Bigginer bike on a budget?

knj23

Hi i am new to road biking and have been cycling mainly on a hard tail MTB for around a year but all i really do on it is ride on roads, usually around 20 mile rides. For this reason i have decided to buy a road bike, i have decided to start at the lower end of the market as this is my first bike so im looking at a price range of around £200. After a bit of searching i've found:-

Raleigh Pursuit Lightweight Road Racing Bike 55cm
http://www.fudgescyclestore.com/index.php?p=120951
Like the look of this as its lightweight and looks good

Viking Sprint Bike (2010)
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/30252/Viking_Sprint_Bike_2010

Vittesse Sprint 21-speed Alloy Racing Bike
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vittesse-Sprint-21-speed-Alloy-Racing/dp/B003DZ15CQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&s=sports&qid=1281946879&sr=1-1
The cheapest bike i could find, all the reviews are good

Please could you give some advice on the bikes or any other bikes i should consider. TBH i dont know a lot about spec of bikes and would appreciate any advice for bikes in this price range, thanks

LeighB

I’d go for the Raleigh.
About four years ago I bought a similar model Raleigh as I had been using a mountain bike (I had road bikes 20 years ago ) on the road and decided a road bike would be more suitable. Even though it was an entry level bike it was so much better than the mountain bike on the road. I have since then bought other bikes but the Raleigh is used every day to ride to work and as a winter bike. The only parts I have had to replace are the normal consumables (tyres, chain, freewheel etc), I replaced the bottom bracket with a sealed one as a precaution. The bike has been excellent value for money and it is not a bad bike to ride.

thefonz78

I would buy secondhand

TwistedSpirit

thefonz78 wrote:

I would buy secondhand

Although this is a good suggestion i would be wary buying a 2nd hand bike if you don't know what you are looking for.

I have seen bikes on ebay with a retail value of "£699" when you wouldn't pay more than £200 new

knj23

might try buying second hand. ill try and learn some of the spec first though, from what i've seen around this and other sites a bike at this price isn't very good and I'm pretty sure i'd get more bike for my money second hand. know any good places to learn about spec or do you just have to pick it up by looking at different bikes? thanks

unixnerd

Look at used bikes on ebay and gumtree, but keep your wits about you.

I got a 1200 quid bike for 400, it was 2-3 years old and had done about 100 miles before the original owner decided that cycling wasn't for him! After the first week or two he just left it in the garage.

Post a link to anything you see on here and I'm sure people will be only to happy to offer their opinions on it :-)

Super Domestique

How strict is the £200 budget? I got my dad a Carrera TdF, which seems a decent and popular choice as a starter road bike, by bartering instore down from £300 to £255. A bargain imho.

sam_m

If you're buying new, I'd try to wangle a free bike fitting into the deal.

I picked up a beater off eBay a couple of weeks back, and although it was dirt cheap it does take a while to get things set up comfortably. Of course, that might be the case with a new bike, hence why I suggest getting fitted to try to minimise the spending on extra parts.

knj23

Super Domestique, i dont really want to spend alot on the bike with it being my first one so id say that round about £200 is my budget.
I think ill have a look on ebay at some bikes, unixnerd sounds like you got a bargin! Any ideas on where i can learn a bit of spec? thanks

knj23

Anyone?

Super Domestique

knj23 wrote:

Anyone?

I'd personally go for the Raleigh out of the three you mention. Like I said before if your budget could be raised by £50 then the Carrera TdF all day long but at £200 then the Raleigh. In fact, I am waiting for my son to grow a tad more and then I'll get him one in either Equipe or Pursuit flavour as they seem to be the same spec. but in 47cm frame size.

The slightly wider tyres (28mm) and the shifters near the stem (where I think a beginner will have their hands a fair amount) back that up.

matt89

I have purchased Vittesse Sprint 21-speed Alloy Racing Bike, and enjoying riding it but the handle bar seems to be loose and turns when i go to move. everything seems to be tightened ..

jim453

matt89 wrote:

I have purchased Vittesse Sprint 21-speed Alloy Racing Bike, and enjoying riding it but the handle bar seems to be loose and turns when i go to move. everything seems to be tightened ..

Don't worry mate, it's suposed to move. That's how you steer.

Gizmodo

matt89 wrote:

I have purchased Vittesse Sprint 21-speed Alloy Racing Bike, and enjoying riding it but the handle bar seems to be loose and turns when i go to move. everything seems to be tightened ..

I might be falling into a trap here - but assuming this is not a joke...

You might be better creating a new post on the Workshop forum and describing the problem a bit better.

Or you can take a look at this site to see if it helps you find the problem:
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help