Absolute cheapest roadbike thats not crap

[sswats]

I need a road bike to use on my 16mile round trip commute in London.
Currently using a MTB with road tyres, and its slow and cumbersome and very draining.
I was just about to get the carrera virtuoso, but the price jump to £380 makes it much less of a bargain.

any other options, that are below £350.

Or any ideas when the new range of bikes come out, and old stock is cleared (if they do that?)

Even used i don't mind. But i just have no idea what to look for.

 

[4F]

Is there a decathalon near you ? http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/sport-road-bikes-3963881/

 

[GrumpyGregry]

have a look on the Evans and Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op web sites. Evans have a range of sub £400 road bikes and EBC own brand "revolution" stuff gets consistently tidy reviews.

Spa Cycles might have a new old stock Dawes Giro or similar.

 

[MajorMantra]

£350 will get you a pretty mediocre road bike if you buy new. How about an older used road bike with a 531 or similar frame and downtube shifters if you want a bargain? You may find something decent for less than £100 and for between £100 and £150 you sometimes find really nice bikes, and they'll be less desirable to thieves than something new. I once got a lovely 531 Peugeot in great condition for £120 with a full 105 groupset and indexed shifters.

Since you're in London you've got plenty of options, Gumtree and ebay being the obvious ones. Just be careful with Gumtree as a lot of stolen stuff gets shifted on there - asking probing questions about the bikes will give you an idea of whether the seller is legit.

Alternatively, try and find your nearest bike recycling charity. Oh, and a friend who can guide you will come in very handy as it can be easy to miss details when buying used.

Matthew

 

[sswats]

Well a bit of searching around i founf.

-Dawes Giro 300 is £343.
-Claud Butler criterium 2009 is £299.
-Saracen Tour 2 2008 is £350
-Raleigh airlite 200 is £312.

which is the best option?

And conveniently all available from Evans near to me assuming they honor their price match promise from those retailers.

 

[Sittingduck]

What about the Carerra Virtuoso?

SD

 

[rich p]

Depending on your strength, fitness, joints and hills you may be advised to consider whether or not you need a triple or a double. If you've been riding an mtb you'll have had some pretty low gearing I expect.

 

[simongrant]

Im biased towards CB's,i have the Claud legend hybrid and the Claud san remo,both are serving superbly well for me,i almost got the criterium myself but got the san remo instead,although i dont think theres much between them spec wise from what i can recall.Cb's are just not in fashion any more it tends to be giant/trek/spesh these days.Check em all out if you can and im sure you will find the best that suits you.

All the best

Simon

Ps,i paid £379 last year for the san remo and the price has shot up to £499 now,exact same spec,nothing has changed.

 

[srw]

I need a road bike to use on my 16mile round trip commute in London.
Currently using a MTB with road tyres, and its slow and cumbersome and very draining.

London is mostly flat, and a 16 mile round trip is not that far. Stick with your current bike, make sure you keep the tyres well pumped up and the chain well oiled, and within a few months you'll be fitter and find it much easier.

Then decide whether you really want a blingy lightweight nickable road bike you can't attach luggage to for a commute on potholed roads.

 

[hulver]

I bought a Dawes Giro 300 a few years ago, and although I've got nothing to compare it to, I would recomend it as a decent cheep(ish) road bike.

I've had very few problems with it. The others might be better, but I'm happy with mine.

 

[4F]

London is mostly flat, and a 16 mile round trip is not that far. Stick with your current bike, make sure you keep the tyres well pumped up and the chain well oiled, and within a few months you'll be fitter and find it much easier.

Then decide whether you really want a blingy lightweight nickable road bike you can't attach luggage to for a commute on potholed roads.

Rubbish, plenty of road bikes will take mudguards and racks so why put up with a heavy old mtb when a road bike will make the ride so much more enjoyable.

 

[yorkshiregoth]

Spesh allez takes racks and guards

 

[srw]

Rubbish, plenty of road bikes will take mudguards and racks so why put up with a heavy old mtb when a road bike will make the ride so much more enjoyable.

The Dawes Giro 300 mentioned by the OP is 11.4kg. Assuming it will take a rack (though that seems unlikely) that would add another 0.6kg. A pair of mudguards within the OP's budget is another 0.3kg or so. Add all that lot together and you've got 12.3kg.

The Dawes website shows a simple city bike which includes mudguards and rack and weighs 14.6kg. That's an additional 2.3kg - hardly a mega-difference.

If the OP wants to get a road bike for riding out on the road on a fast ride, that's fine, but I personally wouldn't touch one for commuting in London. It's just not worth it unless he's got somewhere very secure at the end to hide it away.

 

[sswats]

Well i can manage with my current, but i want to enjoy the commute in a bit more. I could get a hybrid, but they're just boring. so a road bike is what i want.
And i store it in a safe location so very small chance of it getting stolen. so not a factor.

Depending on your strength, fitness, joints and hills you may be advised to consider whether or not you need a triple or a double. If you've been riding an mtb you'll have had some pretty low gearing I expect.

I only ever used the top 5 or 6 gears even on the hills, and always found myself wanting a bit higher even.. so i think a double is plenty.

Carrera Virtuoso was what i was getting because it was supposed to be a bargain at 330. at £380 it just seems overpriced when i can get something like the very similar Raleigh airlite 200 for £70 less. which is currently what i'm swaying towards. or the claud butler for that matter at £80 less.

How do i know if a roadbike takes a rack and/or mudguard?

 

[simongrant]

Just for your info Op,just had a closer look at the criterium and it appears to have shifters on top of the handlebars so it appears they are not STI's.They look something like the old downtube shifters but on the bars.This may or may not be a factor for you but i thought i had better mention it anyway.I love my STI's.

Simon