Bike on a budget

Hidden Hippo
Hidden Hippo Posts: 79
edited July 2012 in Road buying advice
Hi everyone,

I'm predominantly a mountain biker, but after seeing the road race today, I'd like to get myself a cheap road bike. However, from what I can see, they're generally more expensive to get something for beginners with a reasonable spec - is this true?

I was looking at about £200 or so, but the cheapest reasonable I can see is the Triban 3 from Decathlon - is that the case?

Given that there is no need for a shock service or anything like that, is buying second hand more feasible?

Thanks in advance.