(looking for my first race bike) Trek , Specialized , Eddy merckx or Cannondale ?

Newbiker1

I'm looking for my first racebike and need some advice. I already looked for information on the internet and i came up with the brands Trek , specialized , eddy merckx and cannondale(you can suggest others). I don't really know much about bike's so i'm here to ask you guys to help me choose a brand/model that will fit me. First of all i'm not a big person so reach can't not be to big. I'm 153cm and inner length of my legs is 73cm. I'm 23 years old. If you need more information please ask

joe_totale-2

What kind of racing is it? If we are talking about Crit racing then I'd lean towards an alloy bike as you will crash and you'll want something that could survive one, most crit racers ride alloy bikes.

The classic crit bikes are Specialized Allez Sprints, Cannondale CAAD 12's and Canyon Ultimate AL's. They will all offer a really fast and responsive ride but maybe not the most forgiving.

imposter2.0

Joe Totale wrote:

I'd lean towards an alloy bike as you will crash and you'll want something that could survive one, most crit racers ride alloy bikes

That is simply not true.

pippi_langsamer-2

Imposter wrote:

Joe Totale wrote:

I'd lean towards an alloy bike as you will crash and you'll want something that could survive one, most crit racers ride alloy bikes

That is simply not true.

What he said, and high end alu frames are just as likely to be consigned to the scrap heap as a carbon one....in fact, I'd say you're more likely to have to scrap an alu frame, whereas carbon frame you can have repaired easily and (relatively), cheaply. Believe me, I've been there :roll:

Newbiker1

Thanks for al the tips and information , don't really know what Crit racing means but i don't think that would be a bike for me. Is that not more for professionals ? Also a little thing i forgot to say i'm a women. So needs to be a women bike : )

imposter2.0

Newbiker1 wrote:

Thanks for al the tips and information , don't really know what Crit racing means but i don't think that would be a bike for me. Is that not more for professionals ? Also a little thing i forgot to say i'm a women. So needs to be a women bike : )

Might be worth clarifying what you mean by 'race' bike then.

Newbiker1

A bike like Trek domane , Cannondale caad12 ,... I'm sorry if they are crit racing bike's don't know much about it.

cld531c

You dont need a womens bike just because you are a woman.
Best thing would be to go to a bike shop and have a look at,sit on (and possibly) test ride a few.
Suspect the OP wants a 'racer' racther than a bike to race.

Newbiker1

ofcourse that i'm gonna do , but wanne have an idea where i'm leaning towards to. So i know something little about the bikes and don't wanne do each shop for every brand , i wanne narrow it down to a few brands that will fit me the best.

cld531c

You will only know what fits you best by trying them

Newbiker1

true , i will do that. Thanks for the advice

kingrollo

Some bikes sacrifice a tad of comfort for pure speed - it can be tempting to think 'yeah thats what I want' - but then if you're doing longer rides - you might find the discomfort slows you down anyway.

Probably the best thing to do is throw yourself at the mercy of a decent bike shop. That can limit your range somewhat, and you may pay a good whack more than a web purchase, but if you're just starting out fit is much more important , then Specialized, Cannondale, Trek etc.

Or if you live near a decathlon store, that do some great entry level bikes for not very much money. The staff in decathlon are usually pretty good, you can then ride the cheaper bike, tweak the position yourself, and find out what type of cycling you enjoy. - few months on sell the decathlon bike, not loosing much on what u paid for it, and you will have gained the knowledge to make a much more informed choice.

Remember to set aside a fair amount of cash for cycling kit, especially, shorts, shoes,then helmet, gloves, etc.

All that said, bear in mind if you are totally new to cycling you will ache in certain places, take it easy, not too much to soon .....

Enjoy and keep us posted !

Joebristol

You might want to have a look at a Boardman for a women’s specific road bike. I’ve linked one below in a ale and I’ve read a couple of good reviews about it. £800 currently for a carbon framed road bike with women specific geometry.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/r ... 5cm-frames

Whilst it doesn’t have a fancy brand name it’s good value for money. I’ve had the men’s version from 2010 from new and it’s been great. I’m only changing it as I mostly commute and want disc brakes for the bad weather.

Newbiker1

kingrollo wrote:

Some bikes sacrifice a tad of comfort for pure speed - it can be tempting to think 'yeah thats what I want' - but then if you're doing longer rides - you might find the discomfort slows you down anyway.

Probably the best thing to do is throw yourself at the mercy of a decent bike shop. That can limit your range somewhat, and you may pay a good whack more than a web purchase, but if you're just starting out fit is much more important , then Specialized, Cannondale, Trek etc.

Or if you live near a decathlon store, that do some great entry level bikes for not very much money. The staff in decathlon are usually pretty good, you can then ride the cheaper bike, tweak the position yourself, and find out what type of cycling you enjoy. - few months on sell the decathlon bike, not loosing much on what u paid for it, and you will have gained the knowledge to make a much more informed choice.

Remember to set aside a fair amount of cash for cycling kit, especially, shorts, shoes,then helmet, gloves, etc.

All that said, bear in mind if you are totally new to cycling you will ache in certain places, take it easy, not too much to soon .....

Enjoy and keep us posted !

Thanks for the info!
I would rather give some more for service in the store and finding the right fit , then get some cheap one online and don't know much about and have to change after a year. I get that's better for a beginner that doesn't know which sort of bike he wants and learn how the racebike rides. So i follow what you said. Is there anything i can pay attention to if i buy shorts (because there so many brands and kind of shorts)and how many you need to spend for a good short ? . For shoes i think shimano rp2 any thoughts about that ?

kingrollo

Newbiker1 wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

Some bikes sacrifice a tad of comfort for pure speed - it can be tempting to think 'yeah thats what I want' - but then if you're doing longer rides - you might find the discomfort slows you down anyway.

Probably the best thing to do is throw yourself at the mercy of a decent bike shop. That can limit your range somewhat, and you may pay a good whack more than a web purchase, but if you're just starting out fit is much more important , then Specialized, Cannondale, Trek etc.

Or if you live near a decathlon store, that do some great entry level bikes for not very much money. The staff in decathlon are usually pretty good, you can then ride the cheaper bike, tweak the position yourself, and find out what type of cycling you enjoy. - few months on sell the decathlon bike, not loosing much on what u paid for it, and you will have gained the knowledge to make a much more informed choice.

Remember to set aside a fair amount of cash for cycling kit, especially, shorts, shoes,then helmet, gloves, etc.

All that said, bear in mind if you are totally new to cycling you will ache in certain places, take it easy, not too much to soon .....

Enjoy and keep us posted !

Thanks for the info!
I would rather give some more for service in the store and finding the right fit , then get some cheap one online and don't know much about and have to change after a year. I get that's better for a beginner that doesn't know which sort of bike he wants and learn how the racebike rides. So i follow what you said. Is there anything i can pay attention to if i buy shorts (because there so many brands and kind of shorts)and how many you need to spend for a good short ? . For shoes i think shimano rp2 any thoughts about that ?

Loads to consider - below is what works for me:-

Shorts - pay the extra for bib shorts, these don't slip around like normal shorts. My favourite brand are 'Funkier' these cost between £40-£60 and I haven't found the need to pay anything over and above that. I also have a few pairs of budget bib shorts from decathlon for £20 - I use these for shorter rides and commutting.
Don't wear underwear with cycling shorts, they are designed to be in direct contact with your skin - underwear just rubs and chaffs. On longer rides I use chamios cream to reduce friction even further.

Shoes & Pedals
Before buying your shoes you will need to consider what pedal system to use. When starting out a lot of people use SPD - this is quite a small cleat which pretty easily clicks into your pedal. Because its so small, some spd pedals are double sided making clicking in even easier. I have some pedals which are spd on one side but then just a big flat pedal on the other. I like these for commuting as I can pedal on the platform bit when pedalling away from traffic lights etc - then click in when the road is less complex.
SPD are pretty easy to walk in - especially if you choose a shoe with a recessed cleat

SPD/SL / LOOK etc put a larger cleat on the shoe - this makes clicking in a tad more difficult and as far as I am aware there are no double sided options. The advantage is you are clicked in more firmly and you feel much more part of the bike. I use SPD/SL on my better road bikes. These are pretty much the pedals you will want if want to race (IMO)
Walking in them isn't easy though.

Shoes,
Make sure the shoes are compatable with the pedal type you wish to use.
Don't use youre everyday shoe size as anything other than a vague guide of your size ! - You want you shoes to be reasonably tight - but not so tight as to limit blood flow to your toes, which them start to go numb or hot, etc. Also bear in mind that you feet will swell up as you get hotter - making the sizing choice even more difficult !

Thats my experience based on 30 years cycling. Others will have different views, and what you like changes over time - main thing to get out and out ride - once this damm ice has shifted !

Mostyn

Newbiker1 wrote:

Thanks for al the tips and information , don't really know what Crit racing means but i don't think that would be a bike for me. Is that not more for professionals ? Also a little thing i forgot to say i'm a women. So needs to be a women bike : )

Hi NewBiker,

My daughter is 37, and she uses a lady specific frame-Bike, She has a Cube Axiel and a Cube Attain, she loves both of them, Orbea also do a ladies specific bike also Specialised Ruby, Giant are also a very very good producer of lady specific bikes. You could also buy a small mans bike with shorter stem.
You really need some advise from other lady cyclists.

lakesluddite

There are a few things you need to look out for when buying your first bike (as you probably will have gathered!).
It would be good to go to a bricks-and-mortar shop, rather than the 'net first time around, but this in itself can be problematic - a lot of local bike shops (LBS) don't stock that many different brands, so you might not have the choice, but you will benefit from their personal service and expertise. Some of the other places, such as Evans, will have a vast choice (even if they don't have them in store, they can order it in), but you might lose something service/expertise wise (although my local Evans is very good, some don't get good reviews on here). Then there is somewhere like Halfords (or Bike Republic) who will stock Boardman bikes (great value and reputation), but again the reputation in some places isn't great.

It might be helpful to know whereabouts in the country you live (assuming UK?), so someone might be able to point you in the direction of a good LBS.

Also, as has been said above, the Decathlon range (B'Twin) is very good VFM, and they always seem to get good reviews for their 'beginners' bikes.

I would say that the brand is not that important - most manufacturers make bikes at all price points, and there will be very little to choose between them. It will basically come down to aesthetics. Also, don't be too hung up on women specific frames - some manufacturers do them, but others do not bother. As long as you can get the correct fit, then it won't matter. If it becomes an issue, consider getting an independent bike fit - then you will come away with very specific measurements that you can then apply to your search for the right bike.

Newbiker1

Thanks guys for you're time and answers , learned a lot from it. @ LakesLuddite thank you for the suggestions on stores but i'm from Belgium. I found this store http://www.jowan.be maybe that's a good one to start ? But maybe i will do the independent bike fit then i have some other brands to compare to.

Moonbiker

I'd get an eddy merkx in XXS from:

https://www.merlincycles.com/eddy-merck ... 08023.html

XXS is size the recommend for your height according to there website:

http://www.eddymerckx.com/products/road/female


Maybe theres one in a bike shop near you &, & you could then be cheeky & see if the bike feels the right size then buy online to save money.

Moonbiker

As for womens specific geometry from what I can see looking at a few geometry charts, its seems to mostly mean a more upright "endurance bike" riding position, for most brands, while the male bikes are a more "agressive" aero position.

So depends what you want/like best, either would be good.

DexterBaxter

I'm wondering what the op finally settled on....