Advice buying road bike - regarding budget
Tony Chopper-Kun
Posts: 58
I am looking for budget for cheap road bike or 2nd handed one
I currently using Carrera Crossfire hybrid bike and it appear to be modified with 8 speed gears brand new, Shimano Acera,
The following features are:
Disc brake, full size mudguard, rack, kickstand, 42mm tyres and fork suspension (non-lock), 85PSI, clipless pedal
I got this 2nd handed bike for £100 and it worked good enough.
Does 1kg weight makes much difference to cycling this kind of bike
I find disc brake sufficiently okay, do I need a better one?
I find this hybrid withstand without accident on rough road. Do people still use road bike on any road, even on bad condition road?
The problem is that flat bar isn't comfortable for long time, and I prefer drop bar for stability, power efficiency and comfort.
Most budget bike like zelos, etc from Carrera have size 54CM and 7 speed gears, without 11 tooth gears as highest gear. Is this suitable for 6ft person?
I currently using Carrera Crossfire hybrid bike and it appear to be modified with 8 speed gears brand new, Shimano Acera,
The following features are:
Disc brake, full size mudguard, rack, kickstand, 42mm tyres and fork suspension (non-lock), 85PSI, clipless pedal
I got this 2nd handed bike for £100 and it worked good enough.
Does 1kg weight makes much difference to cycling this kind of bike
I find disc brake sufficiently okay, do I need a better one?
I find this hybrid withstand without accident on rough road. Do people still use road bike on any road, even on bad condition road?
The problem is that flat bar isn't comfortable for long time, and I prefer drop bar for stability, power efficiency and comfort.
Most budget bike like zelos, etc from Carrera have size 54CM and 7 speed gears, without 11 tooth gears as highest gear. Is this suitable for 6ft person?
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Comments
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I think you need to sit on a few road bikes to get the idea. You also need to prioritise whats important
Top priority should be a bike that fits - Number of gears and certainly disc brakes really aren't going make that much difference.
If you near to a decathlon store they do a great road bike for around £300 - if not just get to a local bike shop and see what bike fits - the top tube length is a good place to start.
Or you can google bike fitting which will give you some good pointers...0 -
Yes people use road bikes even on bad roads but the term 'road bike' actually covers a wide range of machines - some take wider tyres & mudguards but others don't for example. I agree with the above advice - get some face to face advice regarding sizing & sit on a few bikes. 54cm does sound a little small for you but hard to tell on-line! I wouldn't worry about disc brakes either - they are fine but not a priority & may not be a good choice if on a budget. Other ideas would be Giant Defy from your local bike shop.'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.0
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Tony Chopper-Kun wrote:...
size 54CM and 7 speed gears, without 11 tooth gears as highest gear. Is this suitable for 6ft person?
A 54cm is likely too small - top tube and stem not long enough for your torso and arms.
56-58 cm more likely to give good fit.
Unless you want to pedal really fast on steep downhills, an 11 tooth is not needed.
A top gear of 52 X 14 is adequate for the high gear.
If you will be riding steep or long hills, a low gear such as 39 X 28, or 34 X 28 is usually adequate.
The a large 'number of gears' gives ability to select what 'feels best', but having fewer is not really a big disadvantage.
Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA0 -
JayKosta wrote:Tony Chopper-Kun wrote:...
size 54CM and 7 speed gears, without 11 tooth gears as highest gear. Is this suitable for 6ft person?
A 54cm is likely too small - top tube and stem not long enough for your torso and arms.
56-58 cm more likely to give good fit.
Unless you want to pedal really fast on steep downhills, an 11 tooth is not needed.
A top gear of 52 X 14 is adequate for the high gear.
If you will be riding steep or long hills, a low gear such as 39 X 28, or 34 X 28 is usually adequate.
The a large 'number of gears' gives ability to select what 'feels best', but having fewer is not really a big disadvantage.
Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA
Most road bike doesn't have large chainring like 52 tooth, it is usually in compact size 50/34,
and 7 speed range from 14-28. Most budget bike like Zelos, Carrera, etc is size 54cm and it is very cheap if 2nd handed. Do you need 11 tooth gear for flat? I probably use it for training purpose and the skinny tyre I wasn't sure it is safe enough to prevent accident. I sometimes commute with light gear, just to get there faster.
Is it possible to use 11 tooth gear and 50 tooth chainring on flat road? And what is the resulting MPH speed?
What is the lowest gear I could get for steep hill climbing? I had used 25 tooth for steep hill climb and it is not easy.
Do I risk having accident having not enough braking power by using rim brake? What happen someone with disc brake, stopping on full power on purpose just to knock a cyclist behind. For the other cantilever brakes, is it safe enough? Since there is Carrera Cyclocross for £220, 8 speed, 54cm, drop bar. What other thing is bad about this Carrera Cyclocross bike?
Boardman bike are expensive even 2nd handed, but I only be picking cyclocross it is on £600 budget.0
