My first road bike - what to get?

cc99v

Hi guys,

I'm 23 and have been wanting to get into road cycling for a long time, recently my work introduced a cycle-to-work scheme which allows me to get a bike and accessories at a discounted price whilst paying back over 12 months.

I can only purchase stuff from EvansCycles (not sure if I can post link here) with a budget of £1000

I don't know an awful lot about road bikes, although I read some good reviews on the Specialized Allez Elite 2016 bike and recently the newer model (Allez E5 Elite 2017) has become available at evanscycles and I'm thinking of getting that but wanted to see if there are any other opinions here?

Thanks in advance!

arlowood

One to consider is the Trek Emonda ALR 5

https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-emonda ... e-EV243130

Same concept as the Allez ie Ultra light weight alloy frame with carbon steerer

The ALR6 (essentially the same bike but with Ultegra rather than 105 gearing) got a glowing review here:-

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... lr6-50241/

supermurph09

That Trek will be a great bike, just remember you will need to factor in things like:

Helmet
Shoes + pedals
Bib shorts (more likely winter style if you are planning on riding this year)
Jersey
Rain Jacket
Pump
Tubes
Overshoes
Gloves
Glasses

None of that is designed to put you off and of course you can pick up bargains or buy less fashionable names to get you going. Main thing is to get a bike you want to ride and get out there. Pay attention to the gearing on your bike, a compact setup of (50/34) up front, and something like 12-28 on the rear will be ideal to start with.

The major thing though is getting a bike that fits! Evans are a reputable retailer so they should sort you out just fine. Once you have a shortlist of bikes go with the one you like the look of most then ride the hell out of it.

PS. Once the bike is purchased and you have what you need to get going, don't worry about upgrades for at least the time it takes you to get home

kingrollo

+1 for the fit.

Basically you're going a decent bike for that amount of money. at 23 you are probably flexible enough to be able any type of race geometry - but be aware that some bikes will have you sitting quite upright (Sportive) and some will have you crouching lower - pros and cons of both positions - just something to be aware of...

Main thing is to get it, ride it, and then start longing over bikes costing 5 times as much !

cc99v

Thanks for all the replies.

Forgot to mention I'm 6"2 with long limbs, not sure if that would make a difference.

That Trek looks great, I'm guessing that's better than the specialized mainly because of shimano 105?

Just focused on getting the basics at the moment but I am hoping to include some other gear with that £1000 budget, although it's not a huge issue if not as I can pay cash for anything else I need.