New Buyer Looking for some advice

vortex143
vortex143 Posts: 3
edited January 2014 in Road beginners
Hey everyone,

I was hoping to get some advice on buying a road bike, I have never ridden one before however would like to make the step up to get fitter, always loved the TDF and would like to get into some charity events later this year.
Im 5ft 8 (172cm), What size frame would you recommend?
Cycling will be a secondary sport for me though so have a budget of around £300-450.

I have been reading the forums for a few weeks trying to pick up pointers and was going to go for the Triban 3 however it looks like thats been discontinued and only sizes of 54 and below are left.

Then theres the Triban 3a however from reading the forums it seems thats not as good as the Triban 3.

On the upper side of my budget I could Triban 5 which has been suggested quite a lot i see for someone at the £450 budget

At a local store theres a couple bikes that interest me
A CAAD 8 is up for £450
http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/produc ... tRU3PRSaaM

also a Genesis, although i don't recognise this brand
http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/produc ... tRaF_RSaaM
Would i notice much difference if i were to buy this over a Triban?

Then theres the second hand market, which i've been looking at very closely recently however my knowledge of road bikes is really limiting me in this area as I'm not really sure which bikes are good value for money.
A couple of recent examples are:
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/canno ... to-content

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/trek- ... 1044814137

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/orbea ... 1044585800

Are any of these worth taking a look at?

I understand this is a lot however if you have got this far thanks for reading and hope you can help me out, not really looking to spend over £350 however don't want something whats going to break down on me.

Dan

Comments

  • toppy21
    toppy21 Posts: 1
    Hi there!
    I think regarding the frame size you'd be looking at something around 54cm (I'm 5'9). This differs from manufacture to manufacture and I suggest you look at their website or go to LBS for a short test ride. If it was me I'd go for the CAAD 8 (it's a steal for that price) since it's probably the most well known brand out of all bikes you're pointing to, but I think you should go try it out at the LBS to see how you feel and go with the one that's right :)
    Hope this helps
  • Vesterberg
    Vesterberg Posts: 330
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  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Vesterberg wrote:
    ecLq2HA.jpg

    +1

    best advice so far
  • vortex143
    vortex143 Posts: 3
    Thanks Toppy, I'll pop down my local store that has the Caad8 on sale this weekend and see how it goes, hopefully have a test ride and see how it feels. Anything i should look out for when test riding a road bike?

    Also this is at the upper end of my budget and would mean i'll be struggling to finance the gear i need to ride, is the Caad8 really worth the extra money over the other bikes?
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    I think the problem is that if you are not used to road bikes it may be difficult for you to look out for the differences in frame flex, handling, comfort. It may not be comfortable at first until you get more supple, it may feel unfamiliar to you and a stretch and the danger is there's no knowing if its because you are not yet familiar with road bikes or if its because the frame size or set up is not right for you, unless you have a good, experienced friend you can take along with you, whose judgement you trust. If the Caad8 does not leave you with enough money for the rest of the gear you need, then buy the next best one you can afford! Whilst a newbie it is less likely you will tell the difference or benefit from it. The entry-level bikes around £400-500 mark are all of a similar standard, its a very competitive market. Don't stress about it, get the one that feels best for you and one you like the look of.

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