Hello & Buying advice - First Road Bike

garymilitia

Hello,

Just a quick message to say hi, and ask for advice.

In the attempt to get fit and loose excess bagage I have signed up to a couple of sportives a 40 and 60 miler. Ive been training for the last month or so on an 5/6 year old GT mountain bike, which is great but needs some serious work to be a reliable machine. So im taking advantage of the ride to work scheme through evans cycles. Im not using the full £1000 on offer (just because i want to keep costs down) so I set myself a limit of £700 (I can add cash if need be) I now have 2 different bikes to choose from a Fuji Sportif 1.3 D 2015 or a GT GTS Expert 2015.

I have found some reviews on last years Fuji but cant find much on the GT. Has anyone got any experience with either bikes? What do you think? Feel free to recommend any other bikes (they have to be sold by Evans)

Thanks
Gary

Bobbinogs

Hello there chap, welcome on board.

To be honest, there are 100's of great options for decent bikes in the £500-£1,000 price point and the vast majority of them are good for the money. In fact, you will find that there is not that much to be gained from spending twice the amount but don't say that too loudly or the industry could collapse overnight

I would advise you not to fret too much and don't read too much into reviews...they are all subjective and will all say things like "this bike will fly up hills" or "this bike enables great power transfer", etc., which doesn't mean much in the real world where the main difference is the miles that you will put in.

Just get along to the bike shop, have a look at the options and enjoy the purchase but leave cash for the little extras that add up (like gloves, decent shorts, etc.). Some employers/shops will take a relaxed view as to what can be had on the scheme so it might be worth exploring that.

Test rides may be a consideration but they have limited benefits as I have yet to be convinced that I can judge how a bike will fare over a season or several based on a 10 mile ride around the block. Still, better than nothing though and a test ride may eliminate a non-contender.

When in doubt, pick the best colour scheme

passout

Hi

I have a GT GTR & really like it - not sure that they make the GTR any more. Not exactly sure of the difference but I think the GTS maybe geared more towards sportives / comfort. I think GT make decent road bike frames.

I'd also look at Pinnacle - Evans own brand - good value.

garymilitia

Thanks for the advice - brilliant replies.

I went for the GT - looked nicer in my opinion pretty similar spec. Just got the wait now....