first bike

youngbikerkid
youngbikerkid Posts: 11
edited April 2013 in Road beginners
right here it goes, diving head first into the world of road bikes and looking to purchase my first set of wheels. want to find the right bike but on a budget of around £200 ish, was wondering what advice you guys have on where to look and what to look for, thanks in advance!

Comments

  • gethinceri
    gethinceri Posts: 1,683
    2nd hand.
  • youngbikerkid
    youngbikerkid Posts: 11
    was assuming as much, best place to buy second hand here?
  • Mikey41
    Mikey41 Posts: 690
    Well, for £200 there is THIS but nobody knows what it's like yet. Could be OK, could be utter crap.

    If you can save up more, THIS will be massively better.

    Your best bet is secondhand for that money. Local bike shop, ebay, for sale section on here, supermarket For Sale boards...
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  • lc1981
    lc1981 Posts: 820
    Mikey41 wrote:
    Well, for £200 there is THIS but nobody knows what it's like yet. Could be OK, could be utter crap.

    Oh dear. It has butterfly shifters. I think that's all that needs to be said!
  • youngbikerkid
    youngbikerkid Posts: 11
    forgot to mention im gonna be looking to do some touring this summer maybe hit up holland with some friends, will i be needing to look for something completely different in that case? from what ive read so far the triban 3 seems to be my best bet, however im concerned that the more i spend the more likely it is to be nicked (i know it might not seem much but im a skint student haha) thanks for the advice so far guys
  • youngbikerkid
    youngbikerkid Posts: 11
    http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/carre ... 1013854563 seen this on gumtree any thoughts?
  • lc1981
    lc1981 Posts: 820
    youngbikerkid wrote:
    http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/carrera-tdf-road-bike--large-58cm--new/1013854563 seen this on gumtree any thoughts?

    I'm sure that would be fine as a first road bike, but beware of the £499 price claim. Halfords sell it at that occasionally, but mainly so that they can claim the rest of the time that it's on offer. I seem to remember regularly seeing it for sale at £299 and, again from memory, the spec isn't as good as that of the Triban.
  • mrbubbaman
    mrbubbaman Posts: 171
    youngbikerkid wrote:
    http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/carrera-tdf-road-bike--large-58cm--new/1013854563 seen this on gumtree any thoughts?


    you could buy that new from Halfords for £249 (or thereabouts) a few months ago, I almost bought one!

    I would wait and save for a triban, nothing better in my opinion at that price new.
  • declan1
    declan1 Posts: 2,470
    youngbikerkid wrote:
    http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/carrera-tdf-road-bike--large-58cm--new/1013854563 seen this on gumtree any thoughts?

    Lots of people have them and say they're a perfectly good first bike. Make sure you choose a bike that's the right size for you though - how tall are you?

    Road - Dolan Preffisio
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    I have no idea what's going on here.
  • youngbikerkid
    youngbikerkid Posts: 11
    im 6 ft 1, would i be able to fit paneers easily to a triban?
  • declan1
    declan1 Posts: 2,470
    You should be just fine for that Carrera on Gumtree then!

    Road - Dolan Preffisio
    MTB - On-One Inbred

    I have no idea what's going on here.
  • lc1981
    lc1981 Posts: 820
    declan1 wrote:
    You should be just fine for that Carrera on Gumtree then!

    Size-wise, perhaps, but I've just seen that it comes with a standard chainset rather than a compact. That's fine for someone who's fit and strong, but maybe not for a beginner, especially if there are lots of hills about. As I said above, the Triban is a better spec so I would go for that if you can afford the extra. It also comes with a triple chainset, which will see you up any hill you care to throw at it.
    youngbikerkid wrote:
    ...would i be able to fit paneers easily to a triban?

    Yes, it takes a variety of Indian foods. :D

    It should also take panniers. I know someone who has one and regularly has a rack fitted, so I presume it has rack mounts.
  • youngbikerkid
    youngbikerkid Posts: 11
    haha i thought to myself after i posted that, im assuming id be able to fit panniers to the triban too?
  • wellbeloved747
    wellbeloved747 Posts: 406
    lc1981 wrote:
    youngbikerkid wrote:
    ...would i be able to fit paneers easily to a triban?

    Yes, it takes a variety of Indian foods. :D

    It should also take panniers. I know someone who has one and regularly has a rack fitted, so I presume it has rack mounts.

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  • lc1981
    lc1981 Posts: 820
    youngbikerkid wrote:
    haha i thought to myself after i posted that, im assuming id be able to fit panniers to the triban too?

    Yes, as I said, as far as I know it has rack mounts, so you can fit a rack and panniers.
  • whitestar1
    whitestar1 Posts: 530
    It's a pity you can't save up to £300 then you could a brand new bike with 2 to 5 years warranty good upgrade potential and with carbon fork to boot. Check out Decathlon and the Triban 3 or even the 3A (it doesn't have a carbon fork but it is cheaper £279 I think or less). Check the website or the Triban Owners Club before spending your hard earn cash.
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  • youngbikerkid
    youngbikerkid Posts: 11
    is it really worth it then guys? i just didnt want to fork out too much being my first bike and all
  • montyburns56
    montyburns56 Posts: 70
    youngbikerkid wrote:
    is it really worth it then guys? i just didnt want to fork out too much being my first bike and all

    It's unlikely that you will regret buying a £300+ bike, but you might regret buying a £200 one, especially if you become a keen cyclist and realise that you could have bought a much better bike for not much more money.
  • lc1981
    lc1981 Posts: 820
    I'd agree with that. There's a lot of rubbish about at the sub-£300 price point (Google "bike-shaped object") so it's worth paying a little bit more than you'd planned on to get something decent. You do need to keep in mind that you'll have to spend money on some kit and accessories, though.

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