Fresh legs to the scene

LJK94

Just wanted to say hello to everyone on the forum!

19 y.o here looking to get into road cycling. Always been sporty but fancy something new to do, always been into bikes, bmx as a kid then a bit of mtb xc, but the landscape of Norfolk isnt best for mtb


Looking for my first bike, have an absolute maximum budget of £1K but the cheaper the better, but i'd rather buy something that will last as i progress as a rider rather than having to keep making constant upgrades etc. After doing a lot of research for bikes that fall into this catergory the ones that keep popping up are the:

Giant Defy 1
Boardman Road Team Carbon Bike Limited Edition (Shimano 105 gearing)
Focus Culebro
Canyon roadlite

However, i've also found a discounted:

2012 GIANT TCR COMPOSITE 3 - £949


What would you guys suggest, and is it a risky business buying 2nd hand bikes if i can get better bang for my buck?


Cheers

thefd

Don't forget about clothing, shoes, helmet, padlock, pump, spare inners etc...etc!

LJK94

thefd wrote:

Don't forget about clothing, shoes, helmet, padlock, pump, spare inners etc...etc!

What would be a sensible amount to keep back for accessories? Obviously i dont want to go crazy just starting out!
I don't think i chose the cheapest new interest, even the magazine i bought today was a fiver!!! :shock: Oh well im sure it'll be fun!

thefd

I would say you will need £200 approx - you could get cheaper and you can certainly get dearer!

£50 - helmet
£25 - pump
£10 - inners & tyre levers
£40 - padlock
£35 - pedals
£50 - shoes
£35 - shorts
£40 - top

Above are approximately prices - and bear in mind you can get cheaper. Not everything above is necessary, but the more you do the more you will want and need the above!

Schoie81

I would say if your budget is rigidly fixed, get a helmet, pump, puncture repair kit/tools and a multitool and forget the rest for now, spend as much as you can on the bike itself (that's assuming your bike comes with pedals - if not then you might want to buy some of those too! ). The other stuff you can pick up as you go along - maybe add them to a birthday wish-list if you're birthday isn't too far away, or maybe Christmas if you can be patient enough... If you're planning to get some decent distances in, you'll probably be wanting a water bottle and cage too, otherwise you'll be thirsty (if the hot weather returns even more need for water on your ride)!

I bought a bike lock for my bike, but have never used it in 2 years - just depends what/how you intend to use your bike and where you intend on leaving it. You can get by without the shoes (if you have flat pedals) and clothing. You'll no doubt want it before long, but I personally wouldn't reduce the bike budget to buy clothing at first, get it when you can afford it. I've had my road bike 2 months and only bought clipless pedals and shoes a couple of weeks ago and only just got some padded shorts - didn't have a problem for the first 2 months....

thefd

Schoie81 wrote:

I would say if your budget is rigidly fixed, get a helmet, pump, puncture repair kit/tools and a multitool and forget the rest for now, spend as much as you can on the bike itself (that's assuming your bike comes with pedals - if not then you might want to buy some of those too! ). The other stuff you can pick up as you go along - maybe add them to a birthday wish-list if you're birthday isn't too far away, or maybe Christmas if you can be patient enough... If you're planning to get some decent distances in, you'll probably be wanting a water bottle and cage too, otherwise you'll be thirsty (if the hot weather returns even more need for water on your ride)!

I bought a bike lock for my bike, but have never used it in 2 years - just depends what/how you intend to use your bike and where you intend on leaving it. You can get by without the shoes (if you have flat pedals) and clothing. You'll no doubt want it before long, but I personally wouldn't reduce the bike budget to buy clothing at first, get it when you can afford it. I've had my road bike 2 months and only bought clipless pedals and shoes a couple of weeks ago and only just got some padded shorts - didn't have a problem for the first 2 months....

For the record I completely agree with this ^^^

simonhead

thefd wrote:

Schoie81 wrote:

I would say if your budget is rigidly fixed, get a helmet, pump, puncture repair kit/tools and a multitool and forget the rest for now, spend as much as you can on the bike itself (that's assuming your bike comes with pedals - if not then you might want to buy some of those too! ). The other stuff you can pick up as you go along - maybe add them to a birthday wish-list if you're birthday isn't too far away, or maybe Christmas if you can be patient enough... If you're planning to get some decent distances in, you'll probably be wanting a water bottle and cage too, otherwise you'll be thirsty (if the hot weather returns even more need for water on your ride)!

I bought a bike lock for my bike, but have never used it in 2 years - just depends what/how you intend to use your bike and where you intend on leaving it. You can get by without the shoes (if you have flat pedals) and clothing. You'll no doubt want it before long, but I personally wouldn't reduce the bike budget to buy clothing at first, get it when you can afford it. I've had my road bike 2 months and only bought clipless pedals and shoes a couple of weeks ago and only just got some padded shorts - didn't have a problem for the first 2 months....

For the record I completely agree with this ^^^

Ditto, only thing I would add is gloves. If you have been an MTBer do you have spd's pedals and shoes for that bike? You can probably get away with just swapping them over.

noiseboyfeetman

Hello and welcome to the forum!

For a first road bike i'd recommend that you want to make sure the bike fits properly, I personally think you'd better to actually sit on a few bikes and take them for a spin - this rules out the Canyon. Do a bit of research, which it looks like you already have and then decide on the Giant Defy 1.

If you're in Norfolk have you looked at Fatbirds Don't Fly? They've got a Cinelli Experience with Veloce that comes in under budget and got a good review on here http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-cinelli-experience-12-46195

LJK94

What are the general opinions on 2nd hand bikes, obviously purchased from somewhere like here that could be seen as a safer bet than elsewhere such as ebay gumtree etc.