# advice if you please



## jason swan (15 Jan 2012)

Hi swanny again needing some more advice please. Been cycling now for a grand total of 15 days solely for fitness (not for commuting live to far from work) and done my longest run today of 16 mile and hope to do 50 mile this week (42 mile last week over 4 days) The thing is i think the OLD mountain bike i'm using is holding me back a bit , its a raleigh h1 given to me by a friend to get me started , done the job and got me hooked but now i'm looking something fresher and lighter and more road orientated , local bike shop is selling
Barracuda Blackfin Racing Bike​ 
for £325 which is about as much as i can go to at the minute . What do you all think of them for a novice like me good buy or not . Thanks in advance


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## jim55 (15 Jan 2012)

carrera tdf from halfords is much nicer


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## smokeysmoo (15 Jan 2012)

That Barracuda looks like a proper 'catalogue/Argos' bike IMHO. Personally I'd buy used with your budget, but I appreciate this requires some knowledge and perhaps some mechanical nous to avoid buying a 'lemon', however, some new bikes can prove to be huge lemons too, and even if they are under warranty, do you really want the hassle of frequent trips to the bike shop?
If your not confident buying used, and you want the 'assurance' of a warranty, I'd look at Halfords and Decathlon. Both do some decent low priced bikes, and there are a lot of CC'ers who are using them on a daily basis, some of whom I'm sure will be along with their own experiences soon enough


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## jim55 (15 Jan 2012)

+1,,decathlon or halfords ,,even evans but they are gen a bit higher up the price range


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## jason swan (15 Jan 2012)

1681860 said:


> In what way is the bike holding you back?


 
Just feels quite heavy and the knobbly tyres and the gearing doesn't seem to suit the roads as once you come to a decline i cant spin the crank quick enough to keep up with the bike although the bike is going relatively slow


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## DiddlyDodds (15 Jan 2012)

I like this bike , £299.00 from Decathlon Btwin Triban 3 , also the benefit of triple rings at the front to get up the steep hills


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## Monkspeed (15 Jan 2012)

I have the Btwin Triban 3 from Decathlon, very happy with it. Its a great starter bike, the small chain ring at the front (AKA Granny gear) is great for starters to tackle hills, at least until you build up your fitness levels and muscles. The saddle is not too bad at all either, I actually bought a £30 Selle Italia saddle and the original Btwin one is much better (in my opinion).

Wheels are strong but not very light. Probably the first things that will need upgrading.

EDIT: I'm just checking Endomondo (milage and route tracking website) and it says I've done about 428km minus about 28km because I used a different bike those times, so say 400km (248 miles) done so far on the Triban 3


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## jim55 (15 Jan 2012)

or this if its still there
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40049&t=12830968


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## Peteaud (15 Jan 2012)

I like the Btwin bikes.


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## xpc316e (16 Jan 2012)

As a family we have bought two bikes from Decathlon, and they are very hard to beat for value for money.


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## donnyjnk (18 Jan 2012)

try looking about the classified or your local bike club. Our local bike shop also sponsors the local club and you may find a decent secondhand bike there. If you work for a company does it deal with a cycle to work scheme if not try to kick start it with the boss. Halford do it through my company and I know that sainsbury deal with Ride a bike.


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## sixty (20 Jan 2012)

spesh allez on ebay are going for reasonable prices


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## biggs682 (20 Jan 2012)

jason why not try changing to slicks that will help a bit .

but if you must replace bike look at 2nd hand here and other forums (they do exsist) , try before you buy and find out if any members are local to you , they might be able to help you find a bike .

where is home ?


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## Nosaj (20 Jan 2012)

1st Choice second hand, 2nd Choice either Decathlon Btwin or halfords Carrera range. As a swerve ball maybe consider the Merida range. You will get much more bang for your buck second hand although for someone new it may feel daunting. I almost bought (a year ago when looking) a 2010 Specialised Secteur Sport from e bay it went for for £ 350. It was about 9 months old and in very good nick but I went the Cycle to work scheme option instead. Now there is another thought if your employer does this. I also have the benefit of hindsight having had a road bike BSO and if you shared the same hindsight as me (especially as you say you are getting really into it), then you would not buy the Barracuda. If you see something 2nd Hand use the people on here they are extremely knowledgeable and will be able to give you extremely good advice. Swap those MTB knobblies for slicks and save a few more pennies and for £ 100-150 more than the cost of that bike you can purchase a Trek 1 or Spesh Allez entry level machine Brand New!!!!!!. It is a rubbish time of year weather wise and you wouldn't want your brand new pride and joy getting dirty would you??


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