Advice on first road bike got 1300 to spend but not sure what are decent bike any advice would be ap
Allytg
Posts: 3
I recently signed up for a 110mile bike ride I'm looking for advice on what bikes are decent I have 1300 to spend
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Or this....
https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b4s6p6982/GIANT-TCR-ADVANCED-1-2016.....
If I had £12-1300 to spend right now this would be a serious contender, provided the correct size is available of course.
Although we are posting in the beginner's section, and that is a lot of bike and serious investment for starting out???0 -
Let's be honest, there are hundreds of bikes priced from £500 upwards which are "decent" and therefore meet your criteria. Anyone posting given the broad remit of "Up to £1,300 and decent" can just pick anything, preferably a red bike though as we know they are faster.
Don't be fooled by all the rubbish that you read in marketing or reviews. Guff like "incredible bottom bracket stiffness to aid power transfer" and "This nimble bike will fly up hills" is just that, Guff! The vast majority of us (whether seasoned racers, pottering gents or willowy youngsters) will not be limited in our performance by the bike we buy. There are some very good Btwin models that start about £500 and work really well, Boardman offer good VFM, Specialized do a good job but come at a premium, etc.. A cheaper bike, whilst not holding you back, would also limit your cash drop as you will need a lot of other things like helmet, good shorts, jerseys, gloves, nice tyres..... The sub £1000 price bracket is chocker with great bikes that look fantastic due to the CTW scheme so have a good look around but don't get dragged into the "spend another £200 and get a breakthrough in terms of flying up a hill". The hardest bit will not be choosing the bike...but in getting out regularly and putting the miles in to ensure that you finish the ride.
Try not to obsess too much and make it "The bike of a lifetime" purchase. if you like cycling then you will want another bike in a couple of years anyway...and you can make that one the bike of a lifetime, until the next one, obviously.0 -
decathlon tribans also come highly rated, and the boardman bikes.
Dont forget you will also need shoes, helmet shades shorts longs tops jackets food pedals lights tools etc etc.... Factor in that cost too. oh and cake money. Any bike over ooh say 500 will be decent for what you need it for.
Oh just spotted that Bobbinogs went for 500 too. Great minds0 -
Like other people have said B'Twin bikes are a good starting point, I'm currently riding a Triban 3 still which is about 5 years old now. The Triban 540 has won multiple accolades and at £650 would allow you to buy all the other kit. Or maybe I'm just a biased fan boy
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-540- ... 50480.html0 -
Thanks for all your advice helped me a lot looking forward to getting on the road.
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Definitely take them for a test ride before committing. You'll be surprised how the geometry of the bikes differs, even if initially to the naked eye they look similar.
Personally, I'd recommend hydraulic disc brakes. Generations of cyclists haven't had them and swear by calipers, by hydro discs are awesome. But it will limit your budget.
At that price range I'd be looking for a bike with Shimano 105 group set - although you may find not every item is 105, that's fine.
As others have said, don't forget about cycling shoes/pedals, helmet and padded bib shorts. Also buy some Assos chamois cream. Quite literally saved my @rse.0 -
If you had the cash which one would you buy?
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/contend-sl-1-disc
or
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikes/bikes-of-the-week/
The only thing that worries me about the ribble is the grade of carbon the bike is made out of, but for value the ribble wins?0 -
If it were my money I would buy this:
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/roa ... librium-10 (It's red so it's faster than any bike of any other colour)
And spend the rest on good kit. A decent pair of bibs, merino base layer, jersey, gilet and jacket, shoes, pedals, helmet, gloves etc. is going to eat up money fast. If you don't need all that then the next bike up would be my next choice:
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/roa ... librium-200 -
bayhota wrote:If you had the cash which one would you buy?
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/contend-sl-1-disc
or
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikes/bikes-of-the-week/
The only thing that worries me about the ribble is the grade of carbon the bike is made out of, but for value the ribble wins?
I don't like that semi hydraulic brake system on the giants, it put me off the model i was looking atGET WHEEZY - WALNUT LUNG RACING TEAM™0 -
DavesNotHere wrote:bayhota wrote:If you had the cash which one would you buy?
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/contend-sl-1-disc
or
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikes/bikes-of-the-week/
The only thing that worries me about the ribble is the grade of carbon the bike is made out of, but for value the ribble wins?
I don't like that semi hydraulic brake system on the giants, it put me off the model i was looking at
Are they like the HyRd from TRP with cable actuated hydraulic reservoir?
Those things are pretty ugly but they are great brakes.0 -
That's what putting me off it. I was out on one yesterday nice bike. But for the extra £100, I could have full Ultegra.0
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Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:DavesNotHere wrote:bayhota wrote:If you had the cash which one would you buy?
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/contend-sl-1-disc
or
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikes/bikes-of-the-week/
The only thing that worries me about the ribble is the grade of carbon the bike is made out of, but for value the ribble wins?
I don't like that semi hydraulic brake system on the giants, it put me off the model i was looking at
Are they like the HyRd from TRP with cable actuated hydraulic reservoir?
Those things are pretty ugly but they are great brakes.
No, the one i saw had cable from levers to where the bars meet stem and then some fugly hydraulic reservoir system so from there onwards it was hydraulic, weird system
GET WHEEZY - WALNUT LUNG RACING TEAM™0 -
DavesNotHere wrote:Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:DavesNotHere wrote:bayhota wrote:If you had the cash which one would you buy?
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/contend-sl-1-disc
or
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikes/bikes-of-the-week/
The only thing that worries me about the ribble is the grade of carbon the bike is made out of, but for value the ribble wins?
I don't like that semi hydraulic brake system on the giants, it put me off the model i was looking at
Are they like the HyRd from TRP with cable actuated hydraulic reservoir?
Those things are pretty ugly but they are great brakes.
No, the one i saw had cable from levers to where the bars meet stem and then some fugly hydraulic reservoir system so from there onwards it was hydraulic, weird system
Now that is hideous:
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The only other bike that I had looked at would work out around £1150 including delivery:-
Cube attain GTC pro disc 2016
Very good reviews even with the weight.
Bloody decisions.0 -
Bobbinogs wrote:Try not to obsess too much and make it "The bike of a lifetime" purchase. if you like cycling then you will want another bike in a couple of years anyway...and you can make that one the bike of a lifetime, until the next one, obviously.
When I was in this position I tried to avoid this by going for one of the bikes recommended below. That way when I inevitably wanted a new super-carbon-race machine I had a decent steel tourer/winterbike/gravel bike to go alongside. Plus it was excellent as my only bike in the meantime. Just a thought, depends what you want in the long runHinaultscrapcousin wrote:If it were my money I would buy this:
<span class="skimlinks-unlinked">http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/road/road-sportive/equlibrium/equilibrium-10</span> (It's red so it's faster than any bike of any other colour)
And spend the rest on good kit. A decent pair of bibs, merino base layer, jersey, gilet and jacket, shoes, pedals, helmet, gloves etc. is going to eat up money fast. If you don't need all that then the next bike up would be my next choice:
<span class="skimlinks-unlinked">http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/road/road-sportive/equlibrium/equilibrium-20</span>0 -
What about the dale at sigma http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Cannon ... -2016/9EIM
swap the brake calipers for about £40 - 50 job done.0 -
bayhota wrote:The only other bike that I had looked at would work out around £1150 including delivery:-
Cube attain GTC pro disc 2016
Very good reviews even with the weight.
Bloody decisions.
That's what i just bought, v pleased with it.GET WHEEZY - WALNUT LUNG RACING TEAM™0 -
I'd echo some of the comments above especially Bobbinogs.
I had the cash lying around for a big investment in a bike to start with (big being relative of course, but about the same as you). In the end I dropped £500 on a Ribble special offer:
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-ev ... a-3000-se/
It's pretty basic all around, but that's kind of the point. I signed up for a charity ride in June, and agreed with my wife that if I went through the winter training and did the event and didn't want to avoid bikes for the rest of my life, I could spend some money on a "real bike" - so this Ribble one will become permanently attached to my turbo, and available for sharing with people.
Obviously I don't know much about your fitness / experience, but getting out on a bike is more important than which one at this stage.
Believe me, I've seen people taking 50% haircuts on the bikes they've bought on Gumtree and eBay when they find it's not for them, a couple of weeks or months after taking in a new bike.
I'm now eyeing up the Canyon bikes for my real purchase!0 -
I have two Forme bikes, one aluminium (2013) and one carbon (2013) which is the Thorpe Comp 2.0
I've done 15000 miles on the one and 16500 miles on the other.
Good solid bikes, although clearly not "high end" in the brands pecking order.
What you need to know about Forme is that they ditched their carbon bike range and sold all their stock to a variety of vendors who are flogging them off cheap. Essentially, you're getting a decent amount of bang for your buck.
On the basis that I really like my Forme carbon, I bought an identical copy for a fraction of the origianl book price to replace it when it totally wears out. Local Bike Shop charges £35 to build it out of the box.
Check out Parkers of Bolton - good online store, uses Yodel
If you're near the North East, Start Cycles.
http://www.startfitness.co.uk/cycle/bik ... for45.html0 -
I went the opposite route because I was returning to road cycling and knew I'd stick at it. I also thought it would be my one and only year round bike so I knew it needed clearance / mountings for 25mm tyres and full mudguards. That was 10 years ago and the choice then wasn't huge. Went to a proper bike shop (Epic) and they directed me towards a Racelight Tk. I got to choose every component, and spent I think £1200. Which was a bit more than an off the shelf bike, but the only thing I've ever changed is the saddle. It's proved a brilliant choice; winter proof but still a race bike feel. It did six years of riding it all year round until I bought a cheap but good carbon frameset and built up a summer bike too. The Tk is now my dedicated winter / wet weather bike, which in this country means I probably ride it more than the CR1, so I'm still glad I chose carefully.0
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It's a good job you hadn't set your heart on a Canyon for your June event
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Paul's cycles , Ribble has offers , merlin do decent offers , winstanleys has plenty , as most people admit myself included 1300 is plenty , above that it's pretty much bike jewellery .
A lot of fun is in the deciding then ride it into the floor and feel like you have earnred the right to buy another 5 years later.0
