Please help....

Powelly2309

Hi,

I am switching from running to cycling and could really do with any advice for my first road bike. I don't want to go mad and spend a fortune on something I'm unsure of so I'm looking at £500-600 tops for this one.

I am very competitive with myself and would therefore like something pacey which won't leave me too far behind. I'm looking maybe doing 2nr 50 mile rides a week, I'm 5ft 11 and 12.8 stone.

I've spoken to several shops and the 2 bikes which stood out so far:

Trek 1.1 C H2 2017 Road Bike.
Giant contend 2 2018

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much in advance.

trivial_poursuivant

Step 1. Go to Decathlon

Step.2 sit on a B’Twin

Step.3 enjoy your new bike

trivial_poursuivant

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-540- ... 77756.html

Sure it’s a smidge over budget but it’s better than the 2 you shortlist

Powelly2309

Ok, great. Thanks for the advice. I'll do a bIt of research on this bike.

trivial_poursuivant

Powelly2309 wrote:

Ok, great. Thanks for the advice. I'll do a bIt of research on this bike.

Still your choice but the Triban offers 11 speed 105 groupset and Mavic Aksum wheels which will allow for a much nicer experience than the other 2. The better the experience the more likely you are at enjoying riding it.

cougie

There's lots of articles out there on best beginners bike. Read up and look at what you think is important.
Any bike around 500 if it fits would do you for starters.

Powelly2309

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

Powelly2309 wrote:

Ok, great. Thanks for the advice. I'll do a bIt of research on this bike.

Still your choice but the Triban offers 11 speed 105 groupset and Mavic Aksum wheels which will allow for a much nicer experience than the other 2. The better the experience the more likely you are at enjoying riding it.

Is this not sold within the local dealers, would I need to purchase direct from manufacturer?

I'm very green and so any further opinions are most welcome.

daniel_b

BTwin are Decathlon's own brand.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/en/stores

Ideally as it's your first roadbike you'd want to sit on and ride one to suss out what size.
The option is there to order online though.

trivial_poursuivant

Powelly2309 wrote:

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

Powelly2309 wrote:

Ok, great. Thanks for the advice. I'll do a bIt of research on this bike.

Still your choice but the Triban offers 11 speed 105 groupset and Mavic Aksum wheels which will allow for a much nicer experience than the other 2. The better the experience the more likely you are at enjoying riding it.

Is this not sold within the local dealers, would I need to purchase direct from manufacturer?

I'm very green and so any further opinions are most welcome.

Sorry, I should have been clearer

Step 1. Go to Decathlon

Step.2 sit on a B’Twin

Step.3 enjoy your new bike

lakesluddite

Depending on where you live, Decathlon is a very good option - however store-wise it'll be a bit of a trek if you live in North or West Yorkshire, Wales, the South West, Cumbria, eastern England or most of Scotland!

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/decathlon-stores.html

However, if you're based in Manchester, West Mids or London, you're spoiled for choice

Powelly2309

Thanks very much, it seems almost unanimous that this is atleast worth consideration.

I'm in Cheltenham, our nearest store looks to be Oxford. Only about 1 hour away so not too terrible.

The only slight downfall that i can read about seems to be the tyres, some users have opted to change their tyres up by a couple of mm to presumably allow for extra grip on the road.

Is there a particular reason why this is highly ranked for the money, is it just a general good all-rounder?

trivial_poursuivant

Powelly2309 wrote:

Thanks very much, it seems almost unanimous that this is atleast worth consideration.

I'm in Cheltenham, our nearest store looks to be Oxford. Only about 1 hour away so not too terrible.

The only slight downfall that i can read about seems to be the tyres, some users have opted to change their tyres up by a couple of mm to presumably allow for extra grip on the road.

Is there a particular reason why this is highly ranked for the money, is it just a general good all-rounder?

Tyres are consumables. Many have their own preference anyway so don’t let that be a stumbling block. The most important improvement the Triban offers over the Trek and Giant is the quality of the wheels and the gears. 11 Speed 105 are a much better experience over Claris/Sora found on the other 2 models. It’s these things that make the riding experience more enjoyable and reason why it will help keep you riding and not give it up.

milemuncher1

At that price point, I’d say the Triban 540 from Decathlon is a shoe in, if you can stretch your budget a bit, and want a Carbon number, the Triban 560 is well worth a look. The budget end of the market is a busy place, and for my money, I wouldn’t be spending it on a ‘big brand’ bike, as you’ll be paying for a pretty paint job, and some stickers, for the most part. Look closely at the specs of any potential purchase, as a lot of newbies can be taken in by the brand name alone, and don’t notice that the important components are often lower spec, than an equivalent bike, from a Decathlon / Cycle Republic / Halfords type of operation.

daniel_b

Powelly2309 wrote:

Thanks very much, it seems almost unanimous that this is atleast worth consideration.

I'm in Cheltenham, our nearest store looks to be Oxford. Only about 1 hour away so not too terrible.

The only slight downfall that i can read about seems to be the tyres, some users have opted to change their tyres up by a couple of mm to presumably allow for extra grip on the road.

Is there a particular reason why this is highly ranked for the money, is it just a general good all-rounder?

That's no real distance at all - there is also Reading, but that's probably a bit further.

As already said, tyres are consumables, but with all new bikes they tend to fit pretty cheap tyres in my experience, with the idea that the new owner will put their own ones on.
Personally, for my winter bike I run Schwalbe Durano Plus 25mm tyres, which have treated me well.

I know you said what your budget is, but IF you acn extend it, or if you get lucky and they reduce this bike, it's a little step up from the 540, and to my eye rather pretty, and also a tad more racey than the 540:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-900-af-road-bike-105-id_8377261.html


It also appears to have a full 105 groupset, where as the 540 has a partial amount of 105 kit, all be it porentially arguably in the most expensive places.

It's predecessor, was at one point availabe for a ridiculous £500!

The above bike will not be so easy to fit mudguards too, so if you do what that, and potentially a rack, then the 540 is the more flexible bike.

Kind of depends on how muchc you think you might get into it - most people imho, buy a decent bike, and then if they really get into it and want to get a 'best' bike, the current one gets fitted with mudguard and turned into a winter bike.

Have you factored in all the other kit you will need - clothing, shoes etc etc?

Matthewfalle

Anything Boardman shaped?

milemuncher1

Daniel B wrote:

Powelly2309 wrote:

Thanks very much, it seems almost unanimous that this is atleast worth consideration.

I'm in Cheltenham, our nearest store looks to be Oxford. Only about 1 hour away so not too terrible.

The only slight downfall that i can read about seems to be the tyres, some users have opted to change their tyres up by a couple of mm to presumably allow for extra grip on the road.

Is there a particular reason why this is highly ranked for the money, is it just a general good all-rounder?

That's no real distance at all - there is also Reading, but that's probably a bit further.

As already said, tyres are consumables, but with all new bikes they tend to fit pretty cheap tyres in my experience, with the idea that the new owner will put their own ones on.
Personally, for my winter bike I run Schwalbe Durano Plus 25mm tyres, which have treated me well.

I know you said what your budget is, but IF you acn extend it, or if you get lucky and they reduce this bike, it's a little step up from the 540, and to my eye rather pretty, and also a tad more racey than the 540:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-900-af-road-bike-105-id_8377261.html


It also appears to have a full 105 groupset, where as the 540 has a partial amount of 105 kit, all be it porentially arguably in the most expensive places.

It's predecessor, was at one point availabe for a ridiculous £500!

The above bike will not be so easy to fit mudguards too, so if you do what that, and potentially a rack, then the 540 is the more flexible bike.

Kind of depends on how muchc you think you might get into it - most people imho, buy a decent bike, and then if they really get into it and want to get a 'best' bike, the current one gets fitted with mudguard and turned into a winter bike.

Have you factored in all the other kit you will need - clothing, shoes etc etc?

I wouldn’t recommend the Ultra 900 for a newbie. The compact frame with the curved top tube can take a bit of getting used to, the internal cable routing is not something that I’d wish on anyone who’s new to the game either. The Ultra 900 shares the same brake set up that I have on my 720 AF, and it’s not a problem, if you’re used to brake adjustment / fettling, but it could be a bit bewildering for someone who is just starting out, ( particularly the rear brake set up ). If you’re spending 800 quid on the bike, at Decathlon, I’d say ( from experience) the Triban 560 CF is a better bet for a beginner, there’s no particularly quirky bits to confuse, and being a 10 speed Tiagra groupset, bits will be cheaper to replace if they come to grief.

jp4urio

I got into biking a couple of years back, and have only bought second hand bikes since. You lose out on the warranty yes, but the amount of people that buy sub £1000 bikes on deals to get fit or do a Triathlon with work and ride them once is mental. I've bought numerous bikes in this bracket for me and friends for 30-50% of original cost, usually with extras like bottle cages, pedals and lights included. These things are brand new.

Bikes get minor scratches, parts wear and paint rubs off cranks etc within 500 miles or so no matter how careful you are so the novelty of buying from the shop wears off. Having 105 11 speed off the bat would be amazing, but if you're starting out Sora/Tiagra will be fine and give you room to benefit from the upgrades later when you know you want to spend the money on it.

That said, the BTwin bikes are phenomenal value, genuinely and consistently astounding.

Powelly2309

Any thoughts on - Bianchi Via Nirone Xenon 2017 Road Bike

Currently showing £300 off the RRP price from £1000 to £700.

trivial_poursuivant

Powelly2309 wrote:

Any thoughts on - Bianchi Via Nirone Xenon 2017 Road Bike

Currently showing £300 off the RRP price from £1000 to £700.

Very good, I own a 5 year old VN7 which came with Tiagra , now fitted with Campag Veloce. It’s a lovely bike and looks gorgeous. Typical Italian style. It doesn’t set the world alight but when I first got mine I was doing regular 100km rides on it and never felt beat up or fatigued. It’s relegated to commuter bike now but it’s still a great bike to ride.



Still looks as good as the day I bought it

milemuncher1

JP4urio wrote:

I got into biking a couple of years back, and have only bought second hand bikes since. You lose out on the warranty yes, but the amount of people that buy sub £1000 bikes on deals to get fit or do a Triathlon with work and ride them once is mental. I've bought numerous bikes in this bracket for me and friends for 30-50% of original cost, usually with extras like bottle cages, pedals and lights included. These things are brand new.

Bikes get minor scratches, parts wear and paint rubs off cranks etc within 500 miles or so no matter how careful you are so the novelty of buying from the shop wears off. Having 105 11 speed off the bat would be amazing, but if you're starting out Sora/Tiagra will be fine and give you room to benefit from the upgrades later when you know you want to spend the money on it.

That said, the BTwin bikes are phenomenal value, genuinely and consistently astounding.

^^^^^

Wot he said.

milemuncher1

Powelly2309 wrote:

Any thoughts on - Bianchi Via Nirone Xenon 2017 Road Bike

Currently showing £300 off the RRP price from £1000 to £700.

I’d certainly never advise anyone against a bargain like that. A very nice bike, and a cracking price too.

antonyfromoz

I have an earlier model via nirone with carbon seat stays and it is, as has been mentioned, very comfortable and not too heavy.

thetoecutter

Another vote for the Via Nirone. I have a 2016 model, my first bike, it's now done a winter and a half and still in good nick. It's not too heavy, comes in at about 9.5 kg, and personally I have never had any reliability problems with it. I like the Campag thumb shifting, especially in winter when I can wear mitts/crab claw gloves and still shift no bother.
It was comfy enough to take me through some long distance rides, 90 mile plus.
Yes and I would change the tyres for winter and I run Schwalbe Duranos which have been great.

thetoecutter

Oh, also check on the colour of the Via Nirone at £700. Sometimes they are discounted but not in Bianchi Celeste or black. Not saying there is anything wrong with silver, but personally I prefer the Celeste and black models. Yeah sad I know but ...
Having said that, I got mine in Celeste, from my LBS at £700 from £1000 18 months ago.

Powelly2309

Thanks very much guys, i did actually very much like what i have been reading about the Decathlon 540, however purchasing a bike comes at a bad time for me with a new house and a new baby so finances are a bit tight and therefore i was hoping to put a couple hundred down and then arrange a finance plan which Decathlon dont offer.

In which case limits my purchasing options to one of the main retailers, other than the Bianchi Via Nirone Xenon 2017 is there anything else which should be strongly considered? The Bianchi would be stretching what i wanted to pay but obviously as you guys say i want to get bang for my buck.

A few have mentioned about going second hand and it could be an option, my 2 concerns would be not getting the correct sized bike and the history of the bike, maintenance and damages.

daniel_b

I'm not up on credit cards these days, but can you not take out a 0% credit card, buy it on that, and then just pay it off monthly before the 0% period expires, or save the money elsewhere and schedule it to go before the date it up.

Alternatively, seeral places offer 0% offers, some of them for 2 years or more, so you could look to extend your budget (Should you want to) as I suspect, but could be wrong, that some places will only offer finance on a bike over a certain value.
L2R recently bought a Scott Solace from a place for a great price, and I think on 0% - can't recall the name of the shop\site sadly - not one I had used, but a well regarded site IIRC.

As a last option, does your workplace offer the cycle to work scheme?

You could go second hand, but then you still need to find all the cash up front.

Are you going to use the bike to commute at all?
If you are, you can workout what money you will save in fuel\servicing\maintenance to put towards said bike.

Powelly2309

Thanks Daniel B,

A credit card transaction could well be the way forward.

Thanks.

arlowood

Leisure Lakes bikes has a 0% finance option and they have a store in Cheltenham where you live.

Their sale bikes are listed in the link below

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/road- ... discount=5

Why not have a scan through that listing and check out what you think you could afford on a monthly basis and look at what is on offer for that figure.

Around your current cash budget the Cannondale Synapse Sora might be an option but if you are using 0% finance then you could probably stretch your budget to something like the Trek Domane S4 which has a better spec than the Cannondale

jp4urio

Powelly2309 wrote:

Thanks very much guys, i did actually very much like what i have been reading about the Decathlon 540, however purchasing a bike comes at a bad time for me with a new house and a new baby so finances are a bit tight and therefore i was hoping to put a couple hundred down and then arrange a finance plan which Decathlon dont offer.

In which case limits my purchasing options to one of the main retailers, other than the Bianchi Via Nirone Xenon 2017 is there anything else which should be strongly considered? The Bianchi would be stretching what i wanted to pay but obviously as you guys say i want to get bang for my buck.

A few have mentioned about going second hand and it could be an option, my 2 concerns would be not getting the correct sized bike and the history of the bike, maintenance and damages.

Those 2nd hand reservations make total sense, however you can gain the sizing guide for any bike on the net before you go to view it/buy. If you type the make, model and year all the main sellers still keep the pages live, they're just archived. I've bought bikes back to 2007 with no issues there, but most bikes I'd recommend buying are 2-3 years old as they dont get any cheaper if they are older after that, and 2014/15 bikes still run very recent or current groupsets.

Maintenance isnt really an issue if you buy one thats never been used. It will need the gears indexing and a bolt check, but you should do that on all bike including new (a mate of mine bought a £2k carbon Ribble recently and the Ultegra crank came off on his first ride). I would say 1 in every 10-15 bikes in the sub £1,000 price range on eBay/Gumtree have done less than 50 miles. All of my bikes have been like this.

Damages are a risk, and long term you have no warranty on the frame, so if it cracks you're out of luck. However, you spend £250 on a whole bike rather than it's original £700-800 ticket, so your quids in and can pick up another frame on it's own for £150. It's very unlikely this would ever happen, if it did it would be a logistical pain but you're still ahead financially. Crash damage on an aluminium frame/carbon forks would be pretty hard to hide also, especially when most paint jobs are matte now. Honestly they just sit in peoples garages.

I'm obviously an advocate for second hand, but I do appreciate how nice it is to have a brand new thing! I'd just rather save the money and spend it on the inevitable upgrades later on .

kingdav

I'll chip in with another vote for secondhand, I've bought a few, now mostly virtually unused as described above. No duds yet.

£26 giant mtb for my wife on ebay
£56 gumtree Kona Dew Hybrid commuter for me (ok that one did need a bit of work (new tyres and chain), special junker project for leaving locked at station)
£120 triban 3 for my wife on ebay
£200 Specialized Allez sport (full tiagra) for me in the cyclechat classifieds (including matching shoes and helmet, pedals, mini pump, cyclops turbo, tt bars)
£230 Specialized Allez (sora) for my brother in law on gumtree
£320 Bianchi via nirone c2c with 105 for a mate on gumtree (had broken shifter as described. Replaced by me using parts included in the price from merlin)
£680 Colnago CLX3.0 with 105 on ebay

I enjoy the thrill of the chase and a little bit of spannering. It's great for trying something out and getting a feel for the market without blowing your budget at the outset, you can always sell one on or keep as winter bike when you've worked out which carbon super bike you want to move on to.

Moonbiker

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/EBPXRT58T ... -road-bike

Bargin

tiagra & decent wheels