Road bike under £500

Liamhowells

I am a beginner to road biking and am wanting I buy a good road bike under £500, I will be using it on a daily basis to commute but would also eventually like to enter competitions, I was just wondering if anyone knew of any good road bikes which would meet my requirements.
Thank you Liam.

andyeb

Hi Liam,

I researched this area about 6 months ago when buying a road bike. I rapidly came to the conclusion that serious entry-level road bikes started at £600 and eventually ended up buying a Jamis Ventura Comp, costing £629. I also considered the entry level Specialized road bikes, however their range was due for refresh when I was buying and stock of the old models had run out.

You may well be able to get something cheaper, but you will get what you pay for. I'm already wishing I had perhaps paid a little more...

best regards,

Andrew

mikey2341

If your near a Decathlon, have a look in there. They have a good bike for £500,

jmorrisuk

Hi Liam

I have recently just got into cycling and was first looking at a bike around £300 then decided to up the budget a little to the £500 mark. The Btwin Triban 3 from what i read and have seen (a friend has one) is a decent bike for the money, the only issue i have seen is actually trying to get one as decathlon seem to sell out quickly when they are in due as a lot of people want them for a starter bike, but i decided to go for a Specialized Secteur 2011 model, i got mine from 'noahsark' online and cost me just under £500 and i have to say i think its worth the extra money, they still have a few in stock from what i understand but go to one of the specialized stores first to make sure you know what frame size to get if you go this route. I ordered it one Wednesday and was riding it by Saturday morning. I now just need to get a half decent pair of shoes and im set apart from a few other bits (bottle cage, bottle, padded shorts, waterproof jacket, pump, repair kit, new lights and a cycle computer!)

James

unixnerd

Superb bike and 1p change :-)
http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/canno ... riple.html

Liamhowells

Thank you for your replies everybody, I have found this bike on eBay and was wondering if it was good for the money,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-A ... _500wt_922

Thanks Liam.

FSR_XC

Liamhowells wrote:

Thank you for your replies everybody, I have found this bike on eBay and was wondering if it was good for the money,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-A ... _500wt_922

Thanks Liam.

That depends really:
http://www.thebikefactory.co.uk/productdetails.asp?productid=59285

As these are selling the small size for £499, you might be able to get them to reduce the 58 further (if that is the size you need).

andyeb

Liamhowells wrote:

Thank you for your replies everybody, I have found this bike on eBay and was wondering if it was good for the money,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-A ... _500wt_922

You might want to check the seller has the receipt, rather than risk handling stolen goods. Personally I didn't feel that there was enough of a price difference from new, given the risk involved, so I went with new.

You might also want to consider whether a race bike or a sportive bike is more what you are looking for. Race bikes are built for out-and-out speed, with a more aerodynamic riding position. Sportive bikes have a slightly more upright riding position, but are designed to be ridden for longer periods of time and may better suit people with back problems.

I believe the Specialized Allez range are race bikes, whereas the Secteur is a sportive.

FSR_XC

Possibly a much better buy:
http://www.certini.co.uk/Home-2011-BIKES-NOW-REDUCED-Road/2011-Specialized-Allez-24-Now-Reduced-p554.html

CRAIGO5000

Plenty of people buy bikes with similar budgets and then rarely use them and sell it off on ebay.

That's how I got my Allez. It was a steal at just over £300 and had been rode for only 200 miles before being hung up in the garage for years.

That money will go a long, long way in the second hand market compared to brand new.

unixnerd

Agreed, my Cannondale was a used bargain from ebay. Got a super cheap Trek for my nephew on Gumtree. Just keep your wits about you.

andrewjoseph

Liamhowells wrote:

Thank you for your replies everybody, I have found this bike on eBay and was wondering if it was good for the money,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-A ... _500wt_922

Thanks Liam.

"Cash only on delivery", "V brakes",

So possibly no recompense if you are not happy with anything. The V brakes makes it sound as if he doesn't know much about the bike.

Liamhowells

Thank you for for advice everybody in the end I went with the 2011 specialized allez 24, which i bought for £449 should be arriving tomorrow
Cheers Liam.

FSR_XC

Liamhowells wrote:

Thank you for for advice everybody in the end I went with the 2011 specialized allez 24, which i bought for £449 should be arriving tomorrow
Cheers Liam.

The new one from Certini?

Liamhowells

Yes the one you recommended.

p9uma

unixnerd wrote:

Superb bike and 1p change :-)
http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/canno ... riple.html

Blumen' good bike that, for the money.

ineedalager

Good choice I have the 2011 Allez double got it in the sale in October 2011.

Very good bike you will love it.