New Road Bike Advice

adz0rz

Hi Guys

Hoping to get a little bit of advice for my first Road Bike that i'm planning on buying.

A little about me;
There's essential two reasons why i'm looking to buy a bike and these are the two uses i will have for it. The first is that my work are moving offices to somewhere with no parking so i will be using the bike to commute on a daily basis in Brighton (5 Miles).

The other is i've been looking to get into cycling for a while now, i used to love it when younger so would like to use cycling as a hobby/fitness. I plan to start going on some longer rides out in the country side etc.

I've asked some friends of mine for advice and also been into Evans to be measured (Need a 54 Frame i'm told), from this research i've created the following items;

Bike - Fuji Roubix1.3 2016 - http://tinyurl.com/zcm9r56 - £799
Helmet - Specialized Align Helmet - http://tinyurl.com/h82rdvy - £30
Pedals - Shimano Ultegra 6800 - http://tinyurl.com/hxht69l - £71
Shoes - Shimano R171 Road Shoes - http://tinyurl.com/zq784me - £95
Lock - Kryptolock D lock with Cable - http://tinyurl.com/hhmm7zs - £22

Tota £1,018

What's everyone's initial thoughts? This has pretty much blown the budget already so not looking to increase any more than £40 or £50 max.

Anything i've missed that will be necersarry from the start?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

effillo

I'm sure plenty of people will wade in here but I wouldn't be set on that Fuji, there is plenty out there at a similar spec for the same price. Depending on current fitness/flexibility and if you are lookin at evans specifically I'd maybe look at a cannondale synapse - notoriously good bike at comfort geometry.

https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale- ... e-EV239411

Alternatively if you are prepared to go elsewhere id have a peek at Giant Defy range. Also no need to go up to ultegra pedals I have some cheaper shimano ones (£25 ish) that I have had for years and have never got around to changing out and these are more than adequate on a £2k car on bike that do exactly the same job.

adz0rz

Hi Effillo

Thanks for the advice.

What was it in particular you didn't like about the Fuji? I actually looked at the Cannondale but the guy at Evans said disc brakes at that price are not very good and can be heavy and also that the shimano groupset on the Fuji is superior.

Good point on the pedals, i will look at a slightly cheaper pair

leemeh

Got take a look in Bker Street bikes down on London road - have a lot of good options in there within your budget, raymont cycles at preston circus too. Both have better follow up service and cheaper labour costs if you need the work done by a shop. Eveyone will offer advice on the bike so Ill go on about the other stuff

Consider double sided SPD pedals (shimao M520) and MTB shoes - a lot will argue with me on that -£20 for those pedals . I live in Brighton and the stop start nature in town warrants the double sided pedals for less faff at constant lights. Mtb shoes will give you the ability to walk about a bit from the bike to the office - these two suggestions are from a commuting/town centre perspective. You could then get SPD compatible road shoes for weekend rides and still stick with SPDs when more budget allows later down the line.

Or rock your MTB shoes proudly and ignore any judgement - thats what I do. Who cares what others think, you need a bit of a mixed bag of use on a budget from one bike.

Track pump for home then inner tubes, mini pump and alan key set to take out on the bike. Get some bib shorts and jerseys in you can afford it. Bib shorts first, can make do with a generic sports top if budget doesnt allow (altough will be no rear pockets). I assume when commuting youll have a back pack to carry work stuff and change of clothes. Jersey not important then. On weekend rides youll want to carry everything you need in your Jersey pockets and whatever storage you attach to the bike (which will be minimal)

letap73

There is nothing wrong with that fuji - it looks a good bike with a good spec for £800 and it is also fairly light at that price at 8.5kg.
Echo the thoughts with regards to spds - expecially shimano 520 as a starting point. As said above - track pump, mini pump and inner tubes are essentials.

Anonymous

Nothing wrong with the Fuji. Much better than a lower spec Cannondale with rubbish cable discs.

I would spend that £40-50 pounds you mentioned on 105 (5800) brake calipers.

I would also (as above) throttle back on pedal/shoe cost, and I would use the money to get a better helmet (and lock if you are leaving it somewhere it needs it) and that track pump (Topeak Blow Joe Sport).

There are going to be other things you need so don't plan too many nights out for a while.

Get decent bib shorts from the start.Dont buy a cheap pair first.
Endura FS260 Pro would be good from Evans.

adz0rz

Thanks for the responses guys.

On the pedals, i was looking at the Ultegra pedals as a few people i know use them and they agree with a lot of the reviews on Evans Cycles that They hang in the correct position making re-clipping incredibly easy. - They're also very nice looking!

IF you do think i may have issues at traffic lights, etc i'll happily look at others though. Evans said they were going to give me a standard pair of flats so i can get use to the bike first and then swap out later anyway.

Track Pump = found this one with some incredibe reviews on Evans - https://www.evanscycles.com/bontrager-r ... p-EV199462

Anything i should be looking for in particular to inner tubes? - I guess this is to take a spare with me when going out on longer rides?

Anonymous

The Joe Blow Sport II is worth the extra £13.

Get them to price match wiggle. £26, so £3 more

Anonymous

Don't be bullied into getting MTB shoes/pedals, but if you are going to need/want to walk a bit then they make sense.
(Stopping at lights does not mean you need SPD/MTB shoes lol)

If not get 105 pedals and some sale shoes with ratchet top strap.
Get Ultegra if you want, the bearings are nicer.
You don't have to get Shimano shoes because they are Shimano pedals either. Personally I would rather have a different brand anyway.

Make them price match on pedals etc.

adz0rz

So sorry if this sounds a little silly but if i got Road shoes and pedals are they not walkable in at all? Or do you mean they're not suitable for walking like a 5 or ten minute walk in?

Thanks for all the help so far! Really helpful!

Anonymous

MTB shoes are 100% walkable because the cleat is recessed.

Road shoes have a massive plastic cleat on the bottom which makes walking v difficult and wears out the cleat.

Anonymous

If your mates have road and you do not need to walk much, I would be a devil and try road.

It will be ages before you get them if you do not do it now (too many other things will be ahead of the que for you cycle cash).
If you do not like them then at least you gave them a go.

adz0rz

So if you went on a long ride and stopped for lunch somewhere for example, would you need to bring a pair of trainers with you to change into i guess?

Not a huge issue for work as i will be taking smart shoes to change into anyway so can just do that as soon as i pop off the bike?

Think i'll just bite the bullet and buy them!

Grahamsjz

Carbonator wrote:

Get decent bib shorts from the start.Dont buy a cheap pair first.
Endura FS260 Pro would be good from Evans.

Sadly need to factor this in.

(I am another who likes that Fuji, btw)

adz0rz

Updated List;

Bike - Fuji Roubix1.3 2016 - http://tinyurl.com/zcm9r56 - £799
Helmet - Specialized Align Helmet - http://tinyurl.com/h82rdvy - £30 - Need better?
Pedals - Shimano Ultegra 6800 - http://tinyurl.com/hxht69l - £71
Shoes - Shimano R171 Road Shoes - http://tinyurl.com/zq784me - £95
Lock - Kryptolock D lock with Cable - http://tinyurl.com/hhmm7zs - £22
Pump - Topeak Joe Blow Sport 2 - http://tinyurl.com/j8e2ms6 - Pricematched to £23

Tota £1,041

Will find some shorts but will have to stop there as can't afford anymore

leemeh

indeed stopping at lights does not require mtb shoes. My point here was double sided pedals are handy for constant clipping in and out - and inline with that if you get double sided SPDs it means mtb shoes could also be an option to give you that extra bit of flexibilty to walk about - if indeed thats something that even matters to you in anyway.

It was more of an overall suggestion covering two points.

If you have little need to do more than a short walk between bike and wherever you take your shoes off then it really makes no difference

Anonymous

Ultegra pedals and Align helmet do not compute!
Its ok for commuting, but get a better one if you are going to do more miles. Does not have to cost much more.
LG? Giro?

Trust me on the bib shorts

Anonymous

adz0rz wrote:

but will have to stop there

It never stops :twisted:

Cars are cheaper!

adz0rz

https://www.evanscycles.com/giro-foray-helmet-EV225140 This is quite nice ? -

nuclearred955

£71 is a mental amount of money to spend on pedals - especially if your budget's tight.

jdee84

95 on shoes as well seems a bit much for starting at least half the shoe budget and get some shorts.


Will the roubaix take mudguards for winter? you'll need them!

rs6mra1

There is no real issue walking with SPD SL shoes. You can also get cleat covers for them so as to protect the cleats and make walking more comfortable.

adz0rz

How about these for shoes? Not quite half the price but 25 cheaper ?

https://www.evanscycles.com/bontrager-r ... e-EV207418

Everything else are not very aesthetically pleasing to say the least....

keef66

Are you committing to commuting on it year round? If so, a bike that has clearance / mounting points for proper mudguards makes sense.

The spare tubes are not just for longer rides. You'll generally get a puncture when it's least convenient, and a 5 mile commute can turn into a long walk in cleated shoes!

Go for the road shoes / SPD-L pedals if your riding buddies already have them and you plan to do minimal walking in them.
OTOH if you think you'd like to be able to walk about normally when you get off the bike, SPD pedals and touring shoes make more sense.

(my eldest son and his girlfriend took their bikes off for a long weekend, her with flats and trainers, him with road shoes. He had to unscrew the cleats when they parked up in town and wanted a wander)