Pre-novice after advice

dk81

Ive ridden mtb on and off for years and have recently looked into road riding. Im looking at a basic bike to start off with as i dont want to spend hundreds on a bike to find out i dont like it. Anyhow....ive been looking at brand new entry level bikes which seem to be around 11.9kg for my budget. Its been suggested i look at a second hand trek 1000 or similar. Is this sound advice? And ive also been told spds are a must. Would shimano r063 shoes and pd r540 pedals be a good combo to start with? thanks in advance. dave.

Nealmason1986

Look at classified section. I got a mint road bike. Practically brand new for half the price in the shops!

Good for getting bits and bobs to like helmets.

Bobbinogs

I would suggest you pop down an LBS and get some idea of sizing and fit on road bikes to see what feels right. As suggested, the best bet is probably to go second hand (so that you minimise any losses if you want to relist the bike due to subsequent upgrade or abandonment). Nothing wrong in using your lbs for help in the process IMO from an ethical point of view. If your road riding takes off then you can go back to the shop and buy your bits and bobs, and then keep the relationship going such that if you want something nice in a year or so, they are the obvious place for that purchase.

sungod

secondhand is definitely a good way to go, just make sure you know what size you need before buying, the cycling weekly classifies are also a good place to look

if you've got spd/similar on your mtb, no harm in using the same on the road bike if that is what you are comfortable with

but if you don't curremt use clipless, then it would be better to get some road pedals and shoes, the contact area is larger and they should be more stable

unixnerd

I'd agree that second hand is worth a look. But for 449 you can't go wrong with this:
http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/canno ... _2010.html

dk81

Massively appreciate replies. Dont currently use spds but looking into road pedals/shoes as general opinion seems to say that road spds are pretty much necessity. Im 6 ' 3" so im looking at 59/60cm frames. that right?

Peddle Up!

My Trek 1.9 (58cm) is in the classified if that's of interest.

twoodley

dk81 wrote:

Massively appreciate replies. Dont currently use spds but looking into road pedals/shoes as general opinion seems to say that road spds are pretty much necessity. Im 6 ' 3" so im looking at 59/60cm frames. that right?

Depends if you are legs or body.
I am 6'-4" but only 34" leg so my bike is a 63. If you have long legs then a smaller frame would be right. Best to try some out before buying.

deffler

In the last week ive just bought my first road bike after always riding a mtb, i chose the r540 shimano pedals and got on with them ok on my first ride, although they kept catching me out when i was unclipped as they are back weighted so the front of the pedal faces skywards when unclipped. :oops:

Also I found Halfords best price for this pedal @ £25