(Road) bike for basic use?

SkyJP

Hi,

I'm 15 years old and I'm keen on getting back into cycling.

The last bike I got was when I was ~11 yrs, and it was a mountain bike which, uh, doesn't quite fit me now.

Ideally I'd want to get a bike under £300 which would suffice for short journeys to and from school/college (~2mi a day plus some biking on beach cycle lanes on weekends for ~3hrs just to lose weight). So obviously it won't be for fast-paced racing or long bike trips with an insane range of gears.

I would prefer that it would be from a retail seller in the UK where they can fit the bike and build it for me.

I'm thinking of getting a road bike however I'm not sure if this is the ideal option considering how I won't be going on long road trips or quick racing on it. (I do like the idea of dropped handlebars though and being able to change between different positions when you get tired of them).

I'll be taking my school backpack as well and I understand people pain accumulate sweat on their backs, however the ride should only be ~5 mins.

Thanks,

Dandelionclock30

Look at Decathalon, Halfords and also at the secondhand ads.
Halfords have the Tour De France and Decathalon the Triban 3. Good luck.

iron-clover

Hi there,
Unfortunately a budget of £300 won't really be able to get you a road bike new that will feel that nice to ride, and the components will probably wear out fairly quickly.

To be honest, if you're main use will be to ride to school on a 5 minute ride you would probably be better off looking for a second hand hybrid that is more robust and will attract less attention from thieves. I personally use a Carrerra Subway 1 for my trips around town and have also used it for commuting to work, and it was a very reliable machine that required little maintenance- just a clean of the chain every other week and making sure the chain always had enough oil to protect it from rain in the winter.
I think you can also pick them up new for less than £300 in Halfords, and they aren't bad bikes. They are fairly heavy compared to road bikes though and they do take effort to get up to speed, but once there can cruise very well.

If you really do want to buy a road bike (you can build your cycling ability fairly quickly if you keep at it, and then riding with a local club and getting into racing is great fun) then I would definitely look at the second hand market if you can. The entry level models for each of the big manufacturers (Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Giant etc) are all good machines in their own right, and can be snapped up reasonably cheaply.

As you say, bike fitting will be your biggest problem, but there are a few online guides from both manufacturers and others that can give you an idea of the size of frame to look out for, and then you can have a quick test of any prospective bikes that appear to have the right frame size to make sure you can fit on it OK. Fine adjustments such as different stem length and saddle height can all be changed later on- although the length of the stem is unlikely to be able to be reduced very much so if the bike feels too long, it would probably be best to avoid it.

Best of luck!

passout

Hi

For £360 this looks great - http://www.probikekit.co.uk/bikes/gt-gt ... 68388.html
I 've just ordered one as a winter trainer. Review here: http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/reviews/ ... s/gt-gtr-5

This also looks fine: http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _2013_Bike

Also have a look at Vitus bikes at CRC, Revolution Bikes by the Edinburgh coop or Merlin Cycles own brand of bikes. This one is on budget: http://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-perf ... 73113.html

I'd rather get these ones I linked to (especailly the 1st two) than take a chance on e- bay or a cheap hybrid. Your local bike shop would be unlikely to match these prices but its always worth looking.

Main issue with buying on line is getting the sizing right. You can always put bike details, your height & inside leg measurement on here and ask for advice. I'd also look at manufacturer guidance and phone up the retailer in question for advice, if unsure & buying on line.

Cheers

passout

Also this which I think is a bit more relaxed than the other GT I linked to:

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _2014_Bike