beginner bike

joshbike
joshbike Posts: 3
edited January 2013 in Road buying advice
simple question (but never as simple as it seems)

looking for a road bike to get into the sport

what should i get? deals in local shops have me looking at:

Giant Defy 3 2012 @ £499

Trek 1.2 2013 @ £630

Merida road or ride race @ £599

Dont really know what to look at tempted by the merida as i heard you pay for both trek and giant badges however they all get good reviews

please help

cheers

joshbike

Comments

  • cool cheers mate im going to try and pop in for a closer look at them all tomorrow......i got the impression the defy 3 was a bit of a bargain at 200 off the rrp so its a front runner.
  • ricky1980
    ricky1980 Posts: 891
    the defy looks like awesome value for 500 squids!
    Road - Cannondale CAAD 8 - 7.8kg
    Road - Chinese Carbon Diablo - 6.4kg
  • passout
    passout Posts: 4,425
    If you are new to the Sport I'd buy from a bike shop rather than on line - the advice, servicing & test run make it worthwhile. The Defy looks good value but they are all nice bikes.

    One thing to consider - mudguards, you will need these if riding a lot in winter and not all bikes have the frame fittings or room for full guards. Crud Road Racer 2 guards do fit many bikes which fit into this category however. Might be worth looking into to & asking in the shop which bikes will take what sort of guards - will they fit them? Remember lights, helmet, cage & bottle, spare tube, multi tool & padded shorts too. If getting finance, cycle to work or asking for a discount you may want to include at least some of these items in your purchase.
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.