Need buying advice Budget £450

philarkwright
philarkwright Posts: 6
edited January 2014 in Road beginners
Always had a cheap hybrid bike however I think its time to change.
I am looking for my first road bike.
Looking for a good reliable bike which can also be taken on gravel and maybe hard mud however mainly road. Love doing long distance rides e.g. 60 miles +
So must be durable.
I'm a 20 year old male. Height 182cm and weight 72kg.
I live in the UK.

Comments

  • crispybug2
    crispybug2 Posts: 2,915
    Go to Decathlon and get a B'Twin Triban 5 @ £429.99


    Best value for money in your price range by a very considerable distance.
  • Right ok thanks. I did see this one however the tires are only 23mm and thought that wasn't good enough for gravel. A couple people recommended that I look at the trek 1.1 c or pinnacle dolomite.

    What are your thoughts?
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    take a look on ebay and in bike mag classified ads. could get a bargain there. Nothing wrong with buying a used bike of superior quality than buying a new basement quality bike with 20% VAT factored into the price.
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Right ok thanks. I did see this one however the tires are only 23mm and thought that wasn't good enough for gravel. A couple people recommended that I look at the trek 1.1 c or pinnacle dolomite.

    What are your thoughts?

    These are road bikes. Designed for ROAD use. If you want to ride over gravel no tyre on a road bike is goint to like that. Cyclocross may be a better idea if thats your sort of thing
  • crispybug2 wrote:
    Go to Decathlon and get a B'Twin Triban 5 @ £429.99


    Best value for money in your price range by a very considerable distance.

    I might question that, it's where my money is going shortly.

    http://m.rutlandcycling.com/101193/prod ... irect=true
    Kuota Kharma Race [Dry/Sunny]
    Raleigh Airlite 100 [Wet/Horrible]
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    take a look on ebay and in bike mag classified ads. could get a bargain there. Nothing wrong with buying a used bike of superior quality

    +1, you'll get much more for your money.

    It sounds like you need a CX bike but a good tourer would handle the rough stuff too. 25mm tyres are fine for hard packed mud or paths, but for gravel you really need something much wider.
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
  • I've confused gravel with compressed ground so its all good. I definitely want to shift my biking style more towards road anyway.

    So the first few posters say B'Twin Triban 5 and I've looked at reviews and it looks excellent however then on some other forums it says you really shouldn't pay less than £600 for your first road bike.

    I can go over my budget however at the moment don't think I'll appreciate the value and I'm not the convinced that spending any extra money will benefit me.

    I've learnt my lesson however in the past generally speaking with buying at a "budget" price and then products not lasting and all and so although I want a beginners bike. I want a bike where I'm going to be able to do 7/8 hours of cycling per day.

    If the general concensus is to get the B'Twin 5 then great however if people recon I could spend a bit extra and get something that would last better and work better in the long run then please do say. My ears are wide open.

    On the note of buying a second hand bike. Even though that might be better value for money I'm not to keen on the idea in case of problems and all.
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    If you're going to be doing that many miles you might as well get something decent, there will be bargains in the sales - look for 2013 models. You don't need a CX bike for hard packed paths, I manage fine on 25mm tyres when the need arises even in the wet.

    549 for a Cannondale CAAD8 with Sora (avoid the cheaper 2300, Sora is worth the extra):
    http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/.Cann ... tAod8VcAQg
    Now that's a good frame that's worth upgrading over the years. You'll find similar 2013 bargains on the Cannondale Synapse and maybe the Specialized Secteur and Allez if you shop around.

    But I'd strongly think about something used. A lot of folk spend a grand on the cycle to work scheme with good intentions then the bike sits in the shed for three years, I've seen it happen to my own mates. A little used bike like that would be a great buy for 500 quid.
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
  • Like with most things if you are just starting out you won't feel the benefit of anything really flash, but you are going to be wanting to ride this bike for a good while beyond the 'just starting out' phase so it makes sense to spend a little more. £450 is not sufficient for a bike you may be riding for the next two years or so. I'd say spending £600 or thereabouts is good advice.

    If you're right about doing 7/8 hour rides then you're going to want something comfortable and reliable for which I would suggest approx double your original budget.
  • larkim
    larkim Posts: 2,474
    £450 is not sufficient for a bike you may be riding for the next two years or so. I'd say spending £600 or thereabouts is good advice.
    Surely you need to be a bit more objective about it than that. Vs the Triban 5 at £430, what specifically is £170 extra going to buy you that will be noticeable? Point out the immediate weaknesses of the Triban 5 rather than putting an arbitrary ££ figure on how much to spend. Compare a currently listed £600 that you would recommend with the specific things that are worth spending £170 on today, vs potentially spending over the next 12-18 months gradually to get a better overall bike.

    Matt
    2015 Canyon Nerve AL 6.0 (son #1's)
    2011 Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc (son #4s)
    2013 Decathlon Triban 3 (red) (mine)
    2019 Hoy Bonaly 26" Disc (son #2s)
    2018 Voodoo Bizango (mine)
    2018 Voodoo Maji (wife's)
  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,098
    you can have my old Sirrus for £100, size 56 / L :D

    Bit battered but still works OK

    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • Someone's already said it but get a Btwin
  • carrera virtuoso from halfords good 1st road bike
  • dfriel2
    dfriel2 Posts: 47
    crannman wrote:
    carrera virtuoso from halfords good 1st road bike

    Bought one for my wife back in the summer, a great bike for the money - although change the tyres before you ride it!

    That said, with the sales on there are plenty of more expensive options which are now under £500. Specialized Allez / Sectuer (which I have and is a much nicer ride than the virtuoso, largely due to carbon fork) for example.

    You need to think how you'll use it. A road bike on road tyres won't be fun on loose gravel / mud, so depending on exactly where you need to travel, it would be worth looking at CX options.
  • £450 is not sufficient for a bike you may be riding for the next two years or so. I'd say spending £600 or thereabouts is good advice.

    This annoys me, nothing personal of course, but the OP has asked a question, given a budget and, as seems to be the case on here, people have ignored the OP and answered a different question!

    BTW I have been riding by Triban 3 for about 18 months, done about 4000 miles on it and it's still going strong, and that cost £299.
  • £450 is not sufficient for a bike you may be riding for the next two years or so. I'd say spending £600 or thereabouts is good advice.

    This annoys me, nothing personal of course, but the OP has asked a question, given a budget and, as seems to be the case on here, people have ignored the OP and answered a different question!

    BTW I have been riding by Triban 3 for about 18 months, done about 4000 miles on it and it's still going strong, and that cost £299.

    +1. Do these bikes suddenly snap in half? I see no reason why a £600 bike should be significantly longer lasting than a £450 one, and both will be adequate. If the buyer is looking to spend money on his or her new hobby, chances are they will upgrade from either. Granted, the componentry on a £600 bike will obviously be of higher quality, but both bikes will have cheap factory wheels; if anything, I'd expect the cheaper bike to have heavier set wheels, which might just take more of a beating.
  • the Decathlon model looks great to me. but, shop around as you never know what you may find in the sale. always try and sit on, test ride if you can to make sure you will be happy with it
    Cube Cross 2016
    Willier GTR 2014
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Just done a quick search on ebay. loads of quality used bikes under 450 available. Tgere is even a brand new Giant Defy 2013 buy it now on sale. that is a sure bargain in anyones eyes.
  • Manc33
    Manc33 Posts: 2,157
    £450 is not sufficient for a bike you may be riding for the next two years or so. I'd say spending £600 or thereabouts is good advice.

    This annoys me, nothing personal of course, but the OP has asked a question, given a budget and, as seems to be the case on here, people have ignored the OP and answered a different question!

    BTW I have been riding by Triban 3 for about 18 months, done about 4000 miles on it and it's still going strong, and that cost £299.

    Yeah but £600 won't cut it and he has to go to approx £800 to get the right bike. :wink:

    I got a Triban 3 and that ain't gonna change anytime soon. Hoping to put over 1000 miles on it this summer.
  • Most of the time budgets are flexible. So if someone says "about £400" then if they see something is available for £600 which is significantly better it's amazing how often they'll go for the better one.
  • I started with a £500 budget last year and indeed ended up spending £700, but only becasue for that I got a Trek 1.5 reduced from £850 in the sale. Otherwise, I would not have minded at all buying a Trek 1.1 for around £500

    If the OP budget is truly £450 and no more, I think that the bike he will buy will be of good quality and last as well as one costing 600-800 and he should go for it...he just wont get carbon forks or Sora/Tiagra components
  • zx6man
    zx6man Posts: 1,092
    Triban 5 is sora and carbon fork at 429 or 399 for a white one in sales :-).
  • DKay
    DKay Posts: 1,652
    One point to think about with regards to buying a bike at the cheaper end of the spectrum; if you don't like the switch to a full road bike, then you stand to lose a lot less if you decide to sell it on.

    Worth thinking about.
  • Cycling active have a very positive review of the new Triban 500. Haven't got it to hand, but it seems like it fits between the 3 & 5 in the range. I think it was around 300.