Road bike for under £650?

zion

Hi guys,

I know you get this questions all the time but help me out here. I am hoping to get a new road bike which would be my first. i have little to no idea about what i want and what i should look for but as long as it is new, very decent and falls under my budget of £650 and below.

can you guys please help me and give me ideas on what bikes are out there within the price range i mentioned. Am open to all ideas as i want to have as much knowledge before i visit the bike shop.

ps: am 5'10 if that helps

Thanks

petemadoc

There are generally two answers to this sort of question.

a) pop down to your local bike shop and ask for some advice, if it's a good shop they should look after you and make sure you get a bike that fits and they may throw in some kit if you haggle a bit.

b) look online for a better spec on sale

for example

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=71981

For £629 this is a steal. Full 105 groupset. Or there's this from Wiggle

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/raleigh-airlite-400-2011/

So either go to a decent bike shop (Halfords is not a bike shop) or buy online

essjaydee

i agree that Halfords do receive very mixed reviews on how they put bikes together, but don't ignore the Boardman Road Race :!:

At £650 (discount code NUSNOV11 gets 10% off ) it's worth a look with a good spec and good reviews

zion

thanks guys

will be checking them out. will give more feedback on my LBS experience as am going there tomorrow. By the way, what kits are essential when getting a new bike

petemadoc

Depends on what kind of riding you plan on doing but as a beginner and given the time of year I'd get the following

Saddle bag to hold; spare tube, tyre levers, small multi-tool,
mini pump to attach to frame
padded tights
long sleeved jersey and base layers
clipless pedals
shoes
bottle cage and bottle
helmet
LIGHTS!

There's probably more but that will get you started

Anonymous

Zion - I wouldn't be too worried about not going without much knowledge. In general, the LBS isn't there to rip you off, they want to make sure they get you the best bike you can for your money and make you as happy as possible cos if they sort you out well, then you are likely to go back, either for regular services of the current bike, clothing or even the brand spanking new top of the range one when you are addicted...in a couple of years time!

zion

thanks coriordan,

what are the sort of questions i should be asking. In terms of frames and gears ?

Anonymous

I guess you can get a very good guide from websites what you can expect for your money. (evans, Chainreactioncycles etc)

Perhaps research some groupset heirarchy's (Shimano bottom -> 2300-> Sora -> Tiagra-> 105) so you know where you stand wrt getting a good deal when you stand 2 bikes next to each other.

As for which frame - at your price point, they are all going to be more or less the same (quality), but have subtle shape differences. Without question, buy the one suited for your needs and is most comfortable. At 6ft, a 56cm frame is more or less the standard sizing, dropping 2cm for each 2inches in height (as a VERY rough guide) (im not sure what the 56cm actually refers to - top tube? but I am 6ft and have a 56cm frame) - you can see 'bit fit size guides' on all manufacturers and most bike shop websites.

Also, given its 'end of season' for 2011, look for good deals. Push the price down, push some free clothes, push 0% finance, push a push pop.
If you are going to be riding your bike miles and miles and miles through all weather, then i maaaaay be inclined to say get the model up from entry level and a worse groupset. The reason being is that the groupset will need replacing eventually regardless, but a nicer frame might be more rewarding for comfort, weight etc, but the bike shop man will hoepfully be able to advise you on this.

Just some thoughts. Talk to your bike shop man. He knows more than me, but I was in your situation a few months ago when going down the 2nd hand route with less than half your budget and back then I thought I was better off with flat handlebars on my road bike. Oh how wrong I was!

Just a tip - as its winter, make sure you get some GOOD winter clothing. That doesn't necessarily mean expensive (lidl/aldi (cant remember) do fantastic winter clothing at throwaway prices), otherwise you'd be gutted if the bike spent the winter sat in the shed.

zion

thanks alot...just popped out to lbs near work and saw a nice Specialized allez 16 2011. looked like the best out of the lot based on the info i got. am thinking of going for it. what do you think?

jonbristol

A good alloy frame will be a whole lot better than a cheap carbon frame....forme for example. You could do worse than a felt z95. £695, full 10 speed, very well build backed up with a good warranty and available from your local friendly bike shop not some monster, faceless online thing owned by shareholders and/or private equity groups.

Anonymous

I cant really give you that much advise, but you cant really go wrong. I wish the search function worked, as someone made an amazing point:

Not long ago all the big names were getting far worse bikes that up and down the TdF mountains. Its all about comfort. Ask to test ride a few and get a feel for the differences would be my recommendation, and buy what you like to sit on!

To 2nd what ^he said - you pay a lot for the specialized brand.


There is another thread below of a guy with the same budget as you - read that too!

Anonymous

viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12810726

zion

thanks guys,
there's way too much too learn i guess. i really appreciate all the comments...will come back to give my feedback when i settle for one of the numerous bikes out there. for a first bike am sure i can cut myself some slack if it doesnt really work out...with experience i would atleast be better prepared next time.

once again thanks

Anonymous

Long story short:

You literally CANNOT go wrong. Just make sure it fits.

Hector10

I had a similar budget and I plumped for the Allez, 200 comfortable, responsive miles in 3 weeks on her so far and no regrets. Got it for 575 as a 2011 model but then found they had no stock so got the 2012 for the same price.

Anyone got any MuddyFox gear out of Sportsdirect.com?

puppiesdanglybits

I was in your situation only a few weeks ago hadn't had a road bike for 27 years & didn't know where to start, what I would say is there's loads of good bikes within your budget. Try several & find what feels a good fit for you then search on line for specs & pricing then be prearedvto haggle both online & with lbs there are some great deals at present on 2011 bikes
God luck

zion

@puppiesdanglybits what bike did you get

ZoomZoom

Was in a similar position and couldn't decide between the Allez and the Bianchi via nirone 7. Eventually went for the Bianchi as found a good deal on nearly new model on eBay for less than £600, and I preferred the design.

indysmith

My brother got an Allez with this sort of budget (which I've ended up putting about 1000 miles on ) and it's pretty good. Comfortable, reliable, and very ripe for upgrades in the future (there's some unnecessarily heavy parts on it!).