1st road bike

[DanB]

Thanks colinr,

Very excited. I've heard good things about the Allez range but my concern is tyre longevity. I think the reason I stuck with the hybrid for so long was the armadillos I stuck on them last forever. Can you or anyone recommend good slicks for the road bike? I've heard the continental armadillos are quality. Any good?

 

[colinr]

Haven't a clue, accessories forum people can probably recommend these things. Never heard of road tyres being any less hard wearing than non-road ones. I've Schwalbe Durano Pluses on my commuter but that's because I hate mending punctures

 

[DanB]

Thanks for that. I'll take a look a those.

 

[iendicott]

I have just bought a bike from Rutland cycles that Colinr mentioned. I have just gone from a Hybrid to a full on road bike and they couldn't do enough for me.

I too am doing a number of miles at the weekend. I could keep up with road bikes on the hybrid no prob's but I wanted to get into a bit of road racing and time trialling, I looked and looked for a number of months and thought a Ribble would be a good choice but after seeing a picture of one that someone took and hearing stories about the paint work etc I decided not to.

I had a bigger budget which helped so the contenders for me where Giant (which is the make of my hybrid), Felt, Scott, Orbea, Specialized and Bianchi.

The Bianchi is a lovely looking bike and I tried to source an 1885 but most places had sold out in my size.

I took the Scott out first which was a big mistake, the frame was just a little to big and it felt unstable but it was also the first ever road bike I had used. I then tested the Giant and Specialized, both competent bike but the Felt was something else. A high spec groupset and the perfect feel inbetween the Giant and Specialized which I ruled out both in the end.

I had gone into the shop to buy a Scott and not liked it. I went in a few days later to give the bikes one more test before committing and ended up trying the Scott again but as soon as I got on it the guy who was looking after me told me it looked to big and promptly ordered one from his other store. I went back a day later jumped onto the next size down Scott and it felt perfect, after a test ride the bike even felt alot more stable the second time round due to me not over stretching.

The moral of this story is try a bike a couple of times, it's a bit like a house on a second viewing, you will either love it or find little things you hate about it which means walk away.

Ivan

 

[sayek1]

Other options

I've just bought my first road-bike. Managed to up the budget a bit and went for a discounted Verenti Millook from Wiggle - they often have weekends with 15% discounts so got it for a little over £1k in the end.

Other good value options (I am no expert but plenty of people have told me so) include the Boardman range from Halfords - I think you get the Team for £700 or £800 and everyone I know who has one says they are great. My hybrid is a Boardman.

Also, the Verenti range has a starter at £800 - good reviews. Wiggle will also do you a 30-day free trail on a lot of bikes - I think all Verentis & also the Focus ranges.

Good luck. If you are like me the options are bewildering. However, I am sure that s long as you get the right size whatever you end up with in your budget will be very pleasing for you.

 

[DanB]

Hi All,

I was sized up on an Allez a while back (I'm 5'8") and the guy looking after me suggested a 54 as I was everso slighlty over stretching on a 56. The problem is I've been lucky enough to be in the enviable position of being offered an Allez Sport (56 size) for £240!?!? It's brand new but I've been lucky enought to have had some friends and family make a contribution towards it . It was a surprise gift so I had no say in the size. Is there anything I can do to minimise that slight stretch or does anyone feel that at my height the 56 may prove ok. When I sat on a 56 before it didn't feel too much different or unstable when I took it for a spin but I'll be covering some distance on it and I guess I'm worried about posture/stretching over prolonged period. Any advice?

 

[colinr]

Shorter stem, rotate bars back slightly and move the seat forward. Between these things you should be able trim a few cm off the reach.

 

[DanB]

Thanks colinr - that's much appreciated