First time road bike user buying advice?

Chief1984
Chief1984 Posts: 5
edited February 2013 in Road buying advice
Hi my names Carl I'm looking to buy a roadbike and I'm looking for some advice. Sorry if you've heard this all before but any input would be greatly appreciated, I've narrowed it down to these three,
/cannondale/synapse-7-sora-triple-2013-road-bike
/specialized/allez-sport-compact-2013-road-bike
/specialized/secteur-sport-triple-2013-road-bike
I would be mainly be using it to cycle down my local lanes, and it also needs to make cycling up hills a lot easier. My other query is the amount of gears I should need, is 18 enough or would I be better with 20 plus. Also is there any real difference between the shimani 2300 shifters to the shimano soras. Any information would be great or recommendations. Many thanks!

Comments

  • lc1981
    lc1981 Posts: 820
    The number of sprockets (usually 9 or 10 these days) isn't going to make much difference. What really matters is the gear ratios you've got available. Having more sprockets at the back will make the jumps between gears smaller, which is nice but perhaps not all that noticeable for a beginner. The chainset at the front arguably makes more of a difference. It's not a simple case of more gears equals better, but choosing something that suits your needs. If you want to get up hills with ease, go for a compact (50 and 34 tooth chainrings), as opposed to a standard chainset (53 and 39t). A triple will offer more flexibility - in a sense giving you as big a gear as you get on a standard and as small as your get on a compact. But a lot of road cyclists prefer to avoid triples and go for 2x10 setups instead. This is quite a good guide. Don't be fooled into thinking that more gears is better. What is best is to have the gear ratios that best suit your fitness and the type of riding you want to do.
  • Chief1984
    Chief1984 Posts: 5
    Thank you for your input on that basis I think I'm going to go for the 2013 specialized allez sport compact

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