1st Road Bike

[JWebbo86]

Hi all.

I am looking into getting my first road bike. I have come across the giant defy 4 and the btwin triban 500 at the moment. Thinking the btwin could be the better option as would be cheaper compared to the giant and could put the extra money towards accessories.What are your thoughts on these 2 bikes good and bad things about them.

Thanks

John

 

[eggman]

Hi. Hope you get a positive response.

 

[Killiekevin]

I have a btwin triban 500 and love it. Use it for commuting and it does around 150 miles per week and has required very little maintenance. The Giant is a better bike spec wise and are one of the most popular bikes in the road for a reason but I love my Btwin and for the price I think you would struggle to find better value for money.

What are you planning on using the bike for? Leisure rides at weekend, commuting etc?

 

[vickster]

Try them out, see which you prefer both decent starter road bikes.

 

[Killiekevin]

With the Decathlon stores you can generally ride up and down the aisles to get a bit of a feel for the sizing, not sure if they would let you venture into the car park or not.

 

[RegG]

Giant have got a summer offer on of 20% off Defy models. I would go for the Giant...... but then I'm biased as I have a Defy 0!

 

[eggman]

Anything at Halfords WHILST THEY ARE DOING 20% DISCOUNT?

 

[Wolf616]

If you can stretch to an extra £50 or so then I'd go for the Triban 500SE. It was (and indeed still is) my first road bike and has treated me very well for the past year or so. Good plan to keep under budget and save money for accessories, I've probably spent as much on that rubbish (and even more on physio following my over-excited start to cycling) as I did on the bike alone...

 

[markharry66]

Btwin good bikes if you go for the btwin personally from experience keeps some money aside for new wheels as btwin stock wheels are rubbish

 

[rideswithmoobs]

Try them out, see which you prefer both decent starter road bikes.

With the Decathlon stores you can generally ride up and down the aisles to get a bit of a feel for the sizing, not sure if they would let you venture into the car park or not.

Won't tell you anything about the bike wobbling up a busy shop isle with bikes, clothing stacked either side of you and no chance of really doing a full test ride as a lot constantly advise to do that would significantly show anything.
Comes down to best bang for your buck and which you like the best look of etc. Peoples opinions of the two and owners view is a huge help as well and probably the best option

 

[vickster]

Evans for example let you take the bikes out for as long as you want in my experience. As do other shops around here

The Croydon decathlon has a reasonable test area just go when it's quiet, ie not weekends

 

[rideswithmoobs]

Evans for example let you take the bikes out for as long as you want in my experience. As do other shops around here

The Croydon decathlon has a reasonable test area just go when it's quiet, ie not weekends

So long as it's dry and not raining.

 

[annirak]

I bought a 2014 Vitus Razor (Chain Reaction's brand) when I got my first road bike. It's been a mixed bag.

Pros: it's light at 9.8 kg, it was well-specced for the price, it has a carbon fork, the wheels were decent: mid section alloy, and not too heavy. The carbon fork is pretty durable; it survived a head-on collision at 18mph--the front wheel didn't.

Cons: The front derailleur barrel adjuster was cross-threaded and jammed from the factory. The front derailleur trim points have never worked properly. The ride of the frame is harsh compared to a Cannondale Synapse. The chainline favours the small ring on the crankset too much. The shifters rattle constantly. There is just one eyelet for either rack or guards on both sides.

I would suggest buying the best frame you can afford and not worrying about spec too much. You can always buy better components as the old ones wear out.

But if they won't let you do a real test ride, it makes some of these things very hard to judge.

 

[vickster]

This week: Ribble pro carbon, £600 with Tiagra...http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-evo-pro-bike-of-the-week-1

 

[ianbarton]

If you can stretch to an extra £50 or so then I'd go for the Triban 500SE. It was (and indeed still is) my first road bike and has treated me very well for the past year or so.

I bought a 500SE a couple of years ago. Generally very happy with it. I use it as a winter bike. My only criticism is that because it uses cheap components, things wear out faster than you might expect. I have gone through two freewheels and 2 rear cassettes much faster than on my Defy 2. However, it does get used in wet and muddy conditions in the winter.