First Road Bike

BRIMCV
BRIMCV Posts: 4
edited December 2014 in Road buying advice
Hi,

I have been looking for my first road bike, so far had a look at the following what would be the general consensus as to the best purchase looking to spend up to £500, size wise would be a medium, alternative options would be appreciated.

BTWIN TRIBAN 500 http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-r ... 06944.html

Pinnacle Dolomite One - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec054867

Specialized Allez- http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec052336

Thanks

Bri

Comments

  • ForumNewbie
    ForumNewbie Posts: 1,664
    I'd go for the B'Twin as people tend to say it's good value, and I think a triple chainset is good, especially for a beginner.
  • passout
    passout Posts: 4,425
    Planet X are good value & nice bikes, this one is on budget:
    http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FBPXRT58AL ... -road-bike

    Merlin Cycles own brand of bikes are also great value.

    The others you mention are all good though. Main thing with buying (on-line or otherwise) is getting the right size - get advice on that once you've slected which bike you want. This is where visiting the shop in question is a good idea. If you do buy from Planet X or Merlin phone up & speak to someone about sizing.
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.
  • BRIMCV
    BRIMCV Posts: 4
    Test riding the Allez on Friday, I like the Planet X bike specification looks good but there are no stockists near to me.
  • type:epyt
    type:epyt Posts: 766
    The Allez will have better re-sale potential (for no other reason than people know the brand) which is important for a first bike ... If you enjoy it you'll want to upgrade sooner rather later, if you hate it you'll want rid of it ... Either way it involves selling it on ...
    Life is unfair, kill yourself or get over it.
  • BRIMCV
    BRIMCV Posts: 4
    The thought behind the Allez was that it could be upgraded...
  • type:epyt
    type:epyt Posts: 766
    BRIMCV wrote:
    The thought behind the Allez was that it could be upgraded...

    If it's an upgradeable frame you're looking for then something like a caad8 http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p546 ... LARIS-2014 would be a better option. That Allez is made to a price point and not all Allez frames are equal, whereas the caad8 is the same throughout the various build options and was designed to be a race bike (and used in the pro peleton) rather than trickle down design.

    Don't get me wrong, my first two road bikes were Allez's and I rode many enjoyable miles on them but they weren't bikes you'd keep throwing money at.
    Life is unfair, kill yourself or get over it.
  • passout
    passout Posts: 4,425
    http://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-mave ... 55803.html
    Merlin
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.

Categories