First road bike...

[brookesamy]

I have signed up to do my first triathlon in June and am looking for a beginners road bike for it. I have no idea what to look for, and ideally don't want to spend more than £250. I will be happy with a second hand bike. Can anyone recommend a decent first racer bike?

thank you

 

[accountantpete]

£250 ain't going to get you very much new - so it's probably best to go second hand - search "racing bikes " on eBay and stick to the main manufacturers like Specialized, Trek, Giant, Cannondale, Dawes etc


eg

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Specialised-A...K_Bikes_GL?hash=item2a042d9c78#ht_1266wt_1165

 

[AlanW]

£250 isn't gonna get you much second hand either.

A half decent set of wheels cost more than that!

Me thinks that you might need to rethink your budget, either that or your a bloody fast swimmer and runner.

 

[shippers]

I'm a tight git and the cheapest new road bike I could get was £475. BUT if you cat get one through a bike to work scheme, suddenly it's affordable. Have a look at edinburgh bicycle cooperative, evans cycles, ribble cycles etc.

 

[cyberknight]

ebay ftw assuming you know what you want

or carrera virtuosso..

cracking bike but £329

maybe this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Carrera-TDF-M...ZViewItemQQptZUK_Bikes_GL?hash=item2304eee0ea

or this?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Giant-OCR-Rac...ZViewItemQQptZUK_Bikes_GL?hash=item2304eda828



No idea what size you want , only buy on ebay if you know what you want , maybe try your LBS to see if they have any second hand ones?

 

[Hacienda71]

You should get an ok bike of ebay but be prepared to have to spend a little on it when you get it, so buy slightly below your budget so you have some surplus to get the bike serviced by a reputable local bike shop. You won't get high end components i.e. if you get integrated brake/gear levers you are unlikely to get anything better than sora (shimano) which are not viewed all that highly by some but are perfectly functional. You may get a bike with down tube shifters like the racers from back in the day. There is a lot of talk about carbon titanium alu frames etc but a good steel (reynolds or good cromo) is perfectly functional for a beginner and many more experienced cyclists love riding steel frames so don't assume the latest/lightest bit of kit is all that much better. It is the person on the bike which is the biggest variable.
If you are set on a new bike then this http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/sport-1-54-57-69567468/#
is not much over your budget and will get you round the course. You can always sell it on later if you want to upgrade.

 

[brookesamy]

great thanks, this is all really helpful. I'm 5ft 4 so unfortuntely all the ebay ones recommended are a little too big for me. It's definitely 2nd hand i'll be looking at.

thanks, Amy

 

[accountantpete]

Keep checking eBay - heres a nice one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FELT-LADIES-Z...UK_Bikes_GL?hash=item4a9dfa4249#ht_974wt_1165

 

[-walsh-]

I managed to get a very nice giant ocr 3 for 160 quid on ebay. hardly been used too. Just keep an eye out!

 

[kewb]

argos -
bang on yer money