First modern road bike...

ABaly123

Hi all

Hi I'm andy

Over the last few months i have taken a interest in road cycling, this is because my dad decided to donate me his old road bike (16-18 years old) it is a Morrison Freeway and since he gave it to me I have clocked up about 300 miles (not a lot I know but have been limited because of other commitments unfortunetely) so far its been great and I've enjoyed every second of road cycling however I now have a bit of a dilemma...

Because the bike has sat in a shed for over a decade it is fairly rusty with quite a few creaks and mechanical issues (I.E. shoddy shifting - tube shifters and jumping gear) I know that I could put money into the bike to get it up to scratch however I am concerned that this would be a waste of money since the bike is made of heavy steel and has little/no value due to condition and having looked on the internet i couldn't find anything out about the bike which suggests to me that it has little value and not very popular.

So I have decided that I am going to look at buying a new road bike, My needs are fairly simple I would like a strong, light road with good specs that will last me.

I have had a look at Specelized, Giant, Boardman, B'twin, Felt and Cube.

I am finding it very difficult to decide on which bike is best for me, I am looking for a bike that is suitable for long distances (sportifs) my budget is £600 this budget doesn't need to include a helmet,clothes etc. because I already have this having been a causal cyclist for the past 5 years.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and sorry for waffling.

P.S. I am also unsure on wether or not to go clip less any help would be greatly appreciated.

JayKosta

My guess is that the shifting trouble would be fixed by a new chain, and perhaps a new freewheel / cassette for the rear. And proper adjustment of the shifter limit screws, etc.

Of course with an older bike there are always things that break, etc. So getting a new one could avoid a lot of problems.

As everyone will say, be sure to get a bike that fits you! Be especially wary if the bars are too low - that might be acceptable for a short ride but will be a problem on longer rides.
Also think about the saddle, if you need to change it, that's another expense. And keep the saddle from the old bike - just in case.

Regarding clipless pedals, they (and proper shoes) would be another expense - use the pedals from the old bike until you have a true need for clipless.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

ABaly123

Hi thanks for the response

I have changed the chain and cassette (Sorry I forgot to mention this) so Ill check that the shifter and see if thats the problem.

Yeah thats what I'm thinking and I'm wondering if its worth putting money into the bike or wether or not I should just buy a new bike and get one that properly fits me.

Okay thank you

I have another question (Sorry for bothering you) With regards to group sets would you recommend spending more to get sora over claris?

andyeb

My recommendation would be to try and keep the old bike and do it up enough to make it ride-able. Then keep it as your winter training bike. Then in the spring, look at a new bike to ride through the summer.

Reason for my recommendation is simple - I gave away my starter road bike to a friend when I upgraded. Many riding buddies suggested keeping it as a winter bike, but due to space constraints at the time, it wasn't an option. Despite religiously cleaning my current bike after each ride, it has suffered badly as a result of being ridden through two winters and will need expensive upgrades (assuming I replace like for like) sooner than if I'd been riding a more expendable winter bike.

In terms of what to change on the old bike, I'd definitely look at getting all the cables changed. It may also be worth having all the bearings stripped down and re-lubed, as the old grease may have dried out. That includes wheel bearings, bottom bracket (where pedal shaft goes through the frame), pedal bearings and headset (where the steerer tube going through the frame).

chadders81

Rubbish - get yourself a new bike. You'll be more keen to ride. Unless you're riding a £3k carbon race machine with deep rims, you don't need a separate winter bike.

Have a look at the Ribble 7005 Audax if you want something versatile. Takes a rack and guards, but I've seen people racing on them.

You will notice a world of difference using proper STI changers, modern brakes etc.

If you haven't got clipless pedals, that's the other thing that will make a massive difference to your riding.

Enjoy.

ai_1

As Chadders said - You don't need a "winter bike". If you're spending £600 approx on a new bike there is absolutely no reason to also spend anything on keeping the older one running. Sell it, give it away or leave it sit in the shed.
Unless you have a specific wish to stick with down tube shifters and a steel frame, which it sounds like you don't, I'd buy a new, modern, bike. You should be able to get, and I would look for, Sora groupset at a minimum, and Tiagra or 105 may be a possibility if you look for deals on outgoing 2014 bikes.

I don't have personal experience with any of the bikes you're considering but the B'Twin Triban bikes always get good feedback for the price. You won't go far wrong with Boardman either. I've often thought Specialised and Felt were a bit overpriced/underspecified on more expensive bikes, not sure if that's also the case in this price range. However some of the Felt bikes have been available with big discounts from http://www.wiggle.co.uk over the past few months - might be worth a look. Cube and Giant do a lot of good, reliable bikes and if you have a local dealer it's probably the safest option for getting the sizing correct.

Something like this might be a decent choice:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-f85-tiagra-2014/
leaving enough change to get some clipless shoes and pedals (which I would recommend)
or
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-z85-105-2014/
In Felt bikes the F-series are more aggressive geometry (i.e. lower at the front) and the Z-series are a little more upright but both are suitable for general riding and racing. You can make adjustments at the front via spacers and the stem anyway. If in doubt and if aiming towards sportive type rides the Z-series might be best.

As others mentioned. Sizing is the most important thing to get right when choosing a road bike. Unfortunately that's tricky if you're inexperienced and buying online. You can use online bike fit calculators etc to make a good stab at it but a decent bike shop is the safest approach. Otherwise if you give your height and inseam measurement (measured from floor to the top of a book pulled up into your crotch as though it were a saddle) then we can probably give an approx suggestion of where to start.

You might find this useful:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store ... orBike.jsp

ABaly123

Hi just wanted to say thank you to everything that has replied and offered their advice

Sorry for a slow reply I've been busy with school and work commitments

I will probably keep the older bike and use it as a general run around bike (i.e.going to the shops) and may use it as a winter bike depending on the surfaces.

Today I went to three locale bike shops these shops were; Evans cycles, Cycles UK and a lbs. I had a look at the Specallized and Hoy bikes that were offered at Evans Cycles and to me it seemed that the Hoy Calobra .002 was very well specced from the price.

The Hoy bike http://www.evanscycles.com/products/hoy ... e-ec051522

I also had a look at the Specalized sector Sport X3 which looked like a good bike

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec053049

The final bike that I looked at that was at my LBS was the Giant Defy 2 which looked to be on par with the Hoy bike in terms of specs.
https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/giant_defy ... tAod_TAAwg

This isn't where I would be buying the bike from its just the bike that I would be buying, I would be buying from my local bike store, the price that my local bike store is offering the Giant for is £650.

I have yet to try any of these bikes out for feel and size but so far the Hoy Bike and Giant seem to be the best value of money to me.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated as I am still new to this market and am unsure what to look for.

If you were me which bike would you go for (which bike of these three would you recommend?)

I am open to any suggestions and alternatives if anyone could recommend one?

Thanks in advance

Andy

chadders81

Forget the Specialized. It's fitted with a 9 speed groupset which will become obsolete very quickly.

I would buy from your LBS if you can, they'll look after you better than Evans if anything goes wrong or a wheel needs truing for example.

The Giant is a great looking bike as well.