Newbie wanted bike advice

Hi Guys,
Sorry if this is the wrong place to post my questions,
I am looking to buy my first road bike I have a budget of around £250 ideally I would like to buy a new bike rather than a 2nd hand. I have seen afew people mention you could get bikes with better parts from sites like ebay but I am kinda hoping to have my very own baby that's all mine and never used by anyone else.
I was browsing through some sites and instantly liked this bike (Bright green Viking Milano 2013) However i'm am fully aware that its the look of the bike that I was drawn too and not the great specs...
http://www.parkersofbolton.co.uk/p-4781-2013-viking-milano-gents-road-race-bike-14-speed.aspx
I done some digging around and have found a fair few people that would advise against buying a Viking, however these seem to be the bikes that i am drawn to visually plus the fact that my budget is so small kind of limits my range.
My second bike that i liked was the following (Yellow 2013 VIKING GIRO D'ITALIA)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MENS-2013-VIKING-GIRO-DITALIA-ALUMINIUM-ROAD-RACING-BIKE-14-SPEED-SHIMANO-/360636992167?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&var=&hash=item53f7a3caa7
I havent been able to find any reviews about the Viking Milano but I have found a couple for the Viking Giro D'Italia and generally people seem to be happy with it.
Could someone look at the specs and give me some opinions as to which bike would be better for the complete beginner please.
Thanks,
Sorry if this is the wrong place to post my questions,
I am looking to buy my first road bike I have a budget of around £250 ideally I would like to buy a new bike rather than a 2nd hand. I have seen afew people mention you could get bikes with better parts from sites like ebay but I am kinda hoping to have my very own baby that's all mine and never used by anyone else.
I was browsing through some sites and instantly liked this bike (Bright green Viking Milano 2013) However i'm am fully aware that its the look of the bike that I was drawn too and not the great specs...
http://www.parkersofbolton.co.uk/p-4781-2013-viking-milano-gents-road-race-bike-14-speed.aspx
I done some digging around and have found a fair few people that would advise against buying a Viking, however these seem to be the bikes that i am drawn to visually plus the fact that my budget is so small kind of limits my range.
My second bike that i liked was the following (Yellow 2013 VIKING GIRO D'ITALIA)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MENS-2013-VIKING-GIRO-DITALIA-ALUMINIUM-ROAD-RACING-BIKE-14-SPEED-SHIMANO-/360636992167?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&var=&hash=item53f7a3caa7
I havent been able to find any reviews about the Viking Milano but I have found a couple for the Viking Giro D'Italia and generally people seem to be happy with it.
Could someone look at the specs and give me some opinions as to which bike would be better for the complete beginner please.
Thanks,
0
Posts
good luck finding one! they have been discontinued now so there are only very few left in stock. I dont think the new one is as good as the old red one either.
have a look at this:
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/b ... -bike.html
I think it looks good for the money.
I do appreciate your suggestions but I think the replies have gone slightly off topic, I was asking for some opinions regarding the bikes I mentioned. I wanted people with some knowledge to compare each bike and inform me of which was probably best from that selection...
The Btwin really does not appeal to me, its such a plain looking bike and although it may have better components its not what I would look to buy and also the bike in my price range doesn't have drop bars which I was hoping to have.
I do like the look of that Merlin Bike, but tbh it would stretch my budget too far. I know that after I've brought the bike i'm then going to have to spend more out on a decent lock and accessories so I really need to stick to my price budget. I have never owned a road bike previously and I have not been on any type of bike since I was a postman about 5 years ago so I really am starting from the very beginning...
Anybody got some ideas regarding the Viking Bikes?
Thanks,
The next 100 posts will also point to the triban, although I do have a carrera tdf which I got for 265 in halfords sale, which again is way better than the vikings. I did look at those at our local go outdoors and just thought they were cheap and nasty for the price.
I have looked at the carrera tdf and quite a few of the components are similar to what the viking bikes have, Front Mech: Shimano FD-A050, Tyres: Kenda road tyre, Chainset: Shimano FCA050 52/39
This bike business is confusing...
I think I need to try to find somewhere that stocks the viking bikes to go visit them rather than just web shopping.
I wasn't aware of the triban 3 when I first started a few years ago, and to be honest I would have gone that way, as they were matching groupsets and even had carbon forks.
The problem with the viking is that the spec is very old and also odd. Its 14 speed and also has handlebar mounted flappy paddle type shifters not STI as per most bikes. The forks are heavy steel unlike most modern bikes being carbon, The tyres and wheels are not the best quality. The brakes are side pull and not centre pull or dual pivot so not the best and the brake pads will be next to useless as well. So to recap if you purchased this bike you would after several trips out be disillusioned you would want to replace the tyres because of flats, brake blocks because it won't stop and wheels because they don't run true for long. The best bet is forget what if the bike looks plain, ie red but look at the bigger picture. Most important things to remember are does it fit are the gears in a good enough range for you to ride around comfortably around your area. Look at second hand you should be able to pick a carrera virtuoso or TDF or specialized allez well within budget. Loads about at the minute because people jumped on them after the Olympics and soon fell out of love with them. I picked a Virtuoso pro with gatorskin tyres and Tiagra gears with STI shifters for £150 like new for my eldest son. Unfortunately the truth is that the Triban is the best bike for the money at the moment. If you want new look for something with Sora gears preferably 8 speed minimum with compact chain set, STI shifters doesn't matter if the old style thumb shifter type, Tektro brakes, Tyres and brake blocks can be upgraded pretty easily and cheaply. Have a look in your local bike shop and ask what they recommend, i can guarantee it wont be Viking or Baracuda. If you do Halfords check it over properly and don't pay full whack for it. 2014 bike due out so older stock will be heavily discounted to get rid of. Hope you find a bike to suit you and also your budget. PS i still use a 7 x 2 speed bike for wet weather.
Yes, but as you have already said you are not interested so I will not bother to tell you to avoid it.
Thank you for explaining a great deal about why the viking bikes are seen below par. I think I will have to re-assess my budget and my targets. I didn't think that the components would greatly effect someone starting at the bottom of the tier but this is exactly the type of info I came on this forum searching for.
I think I will have to keep looking on ebay for anything that pops up on the cheap.
Do many beginners bikes go on sale in the classified section on this forum? I had a browse yesterday but most seemed to be the higher end bikes?
Smidsy - I was not looking to get into a confrontation, I just wanted some information regarding the 2 bikes I had my eye on and why people generally hold the Viking bikes in such low regards. Your previous post gave me no information other than "buy this bike"
I want to get some understanding and knowledge about bikes so I can make informative decisions. I want to become part of this cycling community.
You are confusing definitive information with no information there I think.