Womens beginner road bike help needed

bikeparr
bikeparr Posts: 9
edited March 2011 in Road beginners
Hi

I will be doing a triathlon this summer and wish to buy a road bike for it and for light commuting.

I have a really limited budget as I am a student and was hoping to get a second hand bike for around £200-250.

I have read lots of recommendations for second hand Allez & Trek 1000 etc but was wondering if these were suitable for a woman. I am 5ft6 and as have never ridden a road bike was worried that it would be best to stick to a WSD. Unfortunately these all seem more expensive and don't come up as often second-hand.

Any advice on whether Allez etc. would be suitable would be really appreciated.

Many many thanks

Comments

  • wriggle
    wriggle Posts: 21
    I was in the same boat as you, and was lucky enough to find an almost unused 47cm Cannondale CAAD4 WSD for two hundred pounds. I had to strip it down & clean it all up, then replace some of the components to meet my needs, but overall I've been really pleased with it. Check out eBay, Bumblebee, classified ads on the forums (worth checking TriTalk and Runners World as well), Gumtree and Preloved.

    However, I don't think WSD is really that essential, particularly for your height. The majority of the female cyclists I know ride non-WSD bikes, and are very happy with them. Not to mention much quicker than me :lol:

    Even if you don't like your 200-quid bike at the end of the day, you should be able to sell it on without a massive loss. Good luck!
  • Wheelie Bin
    Wheelie Bin Posts: 162
    WSD often just means a touch of pink paint here and there... really patronising.

    (There's a Cannondale WSD that my wife tried last year and even the retailer couldn't find a difference in the geometry between it and the one I was testing.)

    You'll be fine on the bikes you mentioned.
    I'm at that difficult age... somewhere between birth and death.
  • bikeparr
    bikeparr Posts: 9
    Thanks for the replies that's great. For some stupid reason I had it in my head that I really needed a woman specific bike despite the fact that I'm purely just looking to complete the triathlon and all past bikes I have had have just been the standard 'mens' version.

    Thanks for help
  • bikeparr
    bikeparr Posts: 9
    Any thoughts on this bike

    Have read some of the reviews which mention the fact it doesn't have a carbon fork and few gears - but I did like the paintwork! Guess that isn't really a good reason for choosing a bike

    Would a second-hand allez be much better?



    http://www.all-about-the-home.co.uk/claud-butler-criterium-2010-road-bike-4424-p.asp
  • Eyon
    Eyon Posts: 623
    at your budget, go second hand, you will get a much better deal. Try to look for a 2300 groupset, its only 8 speed but its more than good enough, and the quality is real nice. Its not the lightest or the stiffest but its good for the cash.

    Allez is a good racing geometry frame, try to scout one out, the standard allez with a set of tri-bars will do you really well to start with!
  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    bikeparr wrote:
    ...but I did like the paintwork! Guess that isn't really a good reason for choosing a bike

    You'd be surprised! :D
    Purveyor of "up" :)

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