New cyclist buying advice.

PAULM888

Hi All,

Just signed up! Some good info on here.

I'm thinking of buying a bike that will allow me to compete in some intermediate level competitions. I am planning on spending about £1000-£1500, not sure if this is the right budget level.

I haven't got a clue about the different parts available and I will need a lesson on what materials to go for hah

I am 6ft 2 and I know it's important to get the right sized frame.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

itchieritchie

Welcome mate!

You can get a lot for that kind of money and that particular price point offers arguably the biggest range, so you'll be spoilt for choice.

Boardman Team Carbon seems to be the ubiquitous first bike for many on this site.

I was in your position a few years back and went for a Focus. They're made in Germany, offer good VFM (value for money) and great componentry.

They're only available online at Wiggle, but don't let that put you off. They're a very reliable website and offer a great return policy. If you haven't heard of them yet, you will in the next few months hand over lots of your cash to them...!!

There's a couple on this page you could go for already; http://www.wiggle.co.uk/c/cycle/7/Road_Bikes_-_Race/

And ribble is another good site for VFM road bikes;
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/?type=RIBMO

They have a service that allows you to build your ideal bike, matching the frame to your components of choice. Never used them personally but lots on here have, and I've heard good things.

Also, don't discount second hand. If you exercise a bit of patience, you can bag yourself a bargain, especially if you have cash waiting. Check out the classifieds on this site for starters. Better than ebay. And def avoid gumtree at all costs unless you can absolutely verify provenance.

Loads of people will weigh in with options for you I'm sure. I can only speak for my bike, which I still love to bits.

Whatever the case, you're certainly well into the ballpark for a decent spec carbon bike. My gameplan would be to target a well reviewed bike that comes up on sale somewhere.

Hope that helps. Best of luck and let us know what you go with. And lastly, there's a lot of jargon on this site, but you'll get used to it eventually...!! (Might start a thread about that actually!)

Headhuunter

Best thing to do is get out there and try a few bikes out. The bigger names like Cannondale, Specialized, Trek etc seem to charge more than lesser know (but equally good?) makers like Cube and Canyon. A lot of people here seem to swear by the Cannondale CAAD9, it has a relatively aggressive race geometry I think. I've got a Focus Cayo which you can get from Wiggle for something like your price bracket but Focus prices have gone up a fair amount...

johnnyL

Firstly, just go and try out as many different brands of bikes as you can to judge which ones you feel more confortable with. As mentioned in a previous thread, the geometry between bikes make a big difference.

blert123

Have a good look in the magazines but as itchieritchie has recomended the ribble bikes are always good value http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/publish.a ... n&page=1rc they now do a really good range for your price,check out the gran fondo.

Al2y

Have a look at Verenti bikes- also available exclusively from Wiggle. Another option is Planet X.

PAULM888

Thanks all for your help. I think my employer is offering the ride2work scheme with Evans. Do they offer all bikes?

Anonymous

No but they have a good range.

Go out, ride as many bikes as possible to see which you like the best then buy the CAAD9.