Please recommend a road bike?

[gidon]

Hi
I know there are some keen cyclists here so am hoping for some advice.
I've always been a keen cyclist but am recently getting a little more into it. I have a Saracen lowish range mountain bike about 16 years old (!) which has been fine and I still need for towing the children around on in a trailer! It has slick tires but it's still hard work on the hills around here on Dartmoor.
I'm wanting a road bike (what I remember being called "racers") with dropped handle bars.
Can anyone recommend something for around £500 (make / mode) - and where to get it from - somewhere online would be good because I'm not so keen on my local bike shops and doubt they are competitive (price-wise).
Thanks.
Gidon

 

[milkman]

As both my road bikes are 20 years or more old I can't recommend a new bike but I can give you food for thought.
Don't be too down on local bike shops [when I say local I mean there's only one branch]. They are the guys who will give you a bolt or a screw or a this or a that rather than selling you blister packed spares at 200% the right price.
They are also good for getting the right size of bike for you and right fit.
That said if your local shop is full of kids bikes and a few shoppers then maybe move along.
A road bike can screw you up sharpish if its not a good fit, think the worst neck pain you'll ever get; and its difficult getting this right by post unless you like sending large parcels back and forth.

I'd go by fit and by the quality of the groupset.

Drop bars: I have them although rarely use the drops but a mate gets on very happily with straights and regularly does lots of hill work

 

[StevieB]

Hmm, £500 should get you something decent but without paying for carbon fibre everywhere. For a non-club cyclist that will be fine. If you plan to enter time trials or races then £500 is the lower limit of respectable. For solo runs etc however you will not be disappointed.

As to make - go for Trek or Specialized as a start, then GIANT, Look, Felt or possibly Bianchi. The Chris boardman bikes (sold only through halfords unfortunately) are also getting good reviews. A couple of websites (apart from the manufacturers own) would be evans cycles or wiggle. If you order online however you will need to self assemble. May be a bit late in the year now, but some 2008 models are competitively priced now the 2009 models are well and truly available. One other thing to check with buying online is the gears - make sure you do not by a fixed thinking it is a geared racer. Other advice - depending on fitness level and the hills near you, I would always say go for a triple front ring rather than a double. nice to have even if its for occasional use. If you want to get heavily into gear ratios and techie bits then sheldon browns website is good, and for forum advice cyclechat takes some beating, although not everyone is as nice as they are on here - more sarcasm certainly!

Hope that helps!

Steve.

 

[13eightyfour]

A friend of mine has a Trex 1.2, its a nice piece of kit imo, think it retails for just under £600 though, but im sure an 08 model could be found within your budget.

 

[Ironballs]

The Cycling Plus forum is quite good, even if it is full of roadies :wink:

There's no substitute for going to your LBS and trying a few bikes, if you're nice to them then they may also do some price matching or chuck in extras like clipless pedals for example. You can also have a chat about the kind of riding you think you'll be doing and they'll suggest the bike you need. If your local LBS is not too good then it's worth travelling a bit further away to get the service rather than going mail order.

Don't discount ebay either, I flogged my Cinelli Supercorsa with some very nice kit on it and a spare set of wheels, the bloke who bought it got a more than fair price of 450 quid

 

[bobscarle]

Have a look at St John Street Cycles. Its in Bridgewater so not too far from you. They do a range of bikes although I am not sure of the prices. I bought my Thorn Audax from there and have been absolutely delighted with it. And they are all cyclists as well.

http://www.sjscycles.com/

No connection, just ride one of their bikes.

Bob

 

[woodbloke]

Another vote here for Trek. The 'Blokebike' is a Trek 7.5FX, ali frame with carbon forks, Bontrager bits and pieces (bars, saddle and saddle post, wheels and slick tyres). Cost me £500 a couple of years ago, now about £600. I've got a rack on the back with a couple of Altura 35l panier bags. I'd sort out a decent bike shop to get it from as well as they'll be able to offer help and advice on sizing - Rob

 

[Ironballs]

Of all the bikes I've ever owned the most comfortable one as a fit for my shape and size is the one in my sig pic, built by me under the expert tuition of Dave Yates - and of course using his calculations and jig for sizing it.

All done by using his patented Mk I Eyeball whilst sizing me up and seeing me sat on another bike

So get yourself properly sized - and that means working out handlebar width (about the same as your shoulder width), top tube length, stem length, length of fingers for brake lever reach and handlebar profile, seat tube length, crank length and very importantly your saddle.

Now you may have to go through a few saddles before you find one you really like, but for road use I'd recommend the higher end Specialised body geometry range. They come in a range of widths to match the width of the sit bones in your derriere, so get SWMBO to measure your bum bones and work out your saddle width - to go with my average-ish size and height, I also have a middle of the road buttocks apparently. These saddles also have the pressure relieving channel down the middle, very useful on a road bike and avoids you getting a numb trouser snake

 

[Chrisp]

I have a low end Giant from Wiggle.co.uk which is great (apart from getting knocked down last year but tell me of a bike that stops that!, remember its the engine thats driving the bike and the enjoyment of the ride you should be worrying about, I spent a couple years on an old steel Raleigh road bike, entering competitions ( the Thruxton mass attack duathlon I was the only one there with a £30 bike that I used to commute to work and left the mud-guards on and still came in the top third) as mentioned already the Chris Boardman bikes are getting fantastic reviews and I would consider one of them.
Chris.

 

[Tony Spear]

Going along with the oldies elswhere in the Forum, the last proper bike I bought (or had bought for me) was a Holdsworth. Now there's something for the other Wrinklies to talk about!

 

[woodbloke]

Going along with the oldies elswhere in the Forum, the last proper bike I bought (or had bought for me) was a Holdsworth. Now there's something for the other Wrinklies to talk about!

Triumph Palm Beach was the first proper bike I had...which is the only thing I've got in common with Eric Clapton - Rob

 

[gidon]

Sorry for replying so late to this ...
Thanks a lot for the helpful advice. I've got nothing against local bike shops - quite the opposite - it's just the two near me I'm not keen on.
I went to one in Totnes yesterday which has been around for ages and does Specialized and Scott. They had the Specialized Allez 27 for £567 which looked nice - size 56cm - which he said was about right for me (I'm 5' 10", inside leg 30") - but since it's the last one not sure if he was just trying to get rid of it! that was 2009 model - all their other bikes were 2010 which he said are not as good value as the 2009 bikes because of the exchange rate.
I want to have a look at the Trek bikes - will have to find a local'ish dealer.
And will also have a look at Halfords - actually had a good experience buying my wifes bike from Halfords years ago (and an awful experience buying my bike from a local bike shop in Birmingham at the same time!)
Would one really notice all carbon versus just carbon forks? Is there a minmmum spec of gear set I should go for? Any other features I should look at - brakes etc?
Glad Chris you've use Wiggle for a bike - I use them for accessories. Were they ok? They have some reduced bikes at my price point but not heard of the makes!
Wil be back with more questions no doubt.
Thanks again.
Gidon

 

[matt]

I'm a fan of Specialized, having owned a few other makes. Currently have 3 across a broad price range and all have proved excellent. Two are mountain bikes and one a flat handlebar road bike bought for approx £300. Whatever you do, find a shop that will allow you to take the bike out on the road for a ride. I've never bought a bike that I've not been able to ride first.

 

[Beardo16]

Gidon
I use Wiggle alot and find there service brilliant.

I have only had Giant bikes myself so cant comment on others. You will get a varied responce, but as for giant i find them brilliant.

I personally wouldnt bother too much about the components and make sure you get a decent frame as components can be added.

What you could do is get measured up which is quite costly and just hunt around for a bike in your price bracket.


Good look finding a bike you like, There are always bargains out there.

 

[Chrisp]

Gidon,
Wiggle were fantastic, great advice over the phone and super quick delivery, I did have a chance to try the bike as someone I knew at the time had one to size myself against, Wiggle have a couple suppliers that are exclusive to them but in reviews they come highly recommended, don't worry too much about the groupset as you can upgrade if needs/funds allow, remember to budget for shoes, clothing a helmet is a must (saved me from serious damage when a driver "didn't see me" last year) they don't look silly when you wake up lying in the middle of the road with your head still working! did you visit Hot Pursuit? the guys there are good and what they are saying about last years models is true you always get more for your money that way, they are a wealth of info too so pick their brains.
Chris.

 

[Ironballs]

You may fit a 56cm frame, I'm also 5 10 and think I have a slightly longer inside leg than you, 56cm is at the upper edge that would fit for me. You'll need to factor in crank length and also top tube and stem length, as you don't want to be hunched up or stretched out

 

[dickm]

Going along with the oldies elswhere in the Forum, the last proper bike I bought (or had bought for me) was a Holdsworth. Now there's something for the other Wrinklies to talk about!

Dawes Galaxy bought secondhand off a guy with more money than sense has done me well for the last 20 years.

 

[gidon]

I do like the Specialized bikes - have found Big Peaks in Ashburton which does Trek and others so will take a look soon if I find the time.
Good to get praise of Wiggle - they don't seem to do Giant any more though ...
My wife won't allow me to get all that clothing!
Yes Hot Pursuit - good shop and good advice but always found them a bit expensive ...
Thanks for advice on frame - so I want the biggest frame I can fit on do I?
Cheers
Gidon

 

[gidon]

OK well I've had a good look into this and narrowed it down to a few that I like / can get easily:
Specialized Allez Sport 2009 (£734) / Specialized Allez Elite 2010 (£799) - exact same back different colours. Shimano Tiagra. (The basic Allez is nice too but the 2009 one is hard to get hold of )
Wiggle's Focus Variado 2009 (£599) - good value - similiar spec to above.
Boardman Comp (£650) - very good value - slightly higher spec than above two.
It's hard for me to try any of them - it's been raining so bike shops aren't keen I take them out - plus with a new baby seem to have other children in tow everywhere I go! Think I'll go for 56cm frame.
I like the Specialized best but the new 2010 bikes aren't great value and the 2009 bikes are hard to get hold of.
What do you reckon? I've sadly compiled the specs into this spreadsheet for comparison:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key= ... hZzMASPEug
Cheers
Gidon

 

[StevieB]

From that list I would avoid the Wiggle and go for the Boardman then the Allez (either) if I didnt like the test ride on the Boardman. you are getting a bit over your £500 budget now though - addictive isn't it!

If kids are a problem then I seriously recommend thinking about a turbo trainer. If you can get over the mind numbing boringness of sitting still and looking at one thing it will give you the opportunity of cycling late at night when the little ones are asleep. It really is a case of mind over matter though, but for me I am finding I cannot get out and about anything like as often as I would like so a turbo is better than nothing. Top tips - get an mp3 player, go to http://www.waxdj.com and download something with a hypnotic monotonous beat and go for it. Top tip no 2 - get a rear wheel mounted trip computer (wired, not wireless) and watch the numbers - for me the best thing is adding a mile to the last time ride - distances will soon add up!

Steve.