New roadie and need advice

[adamdavies]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and road cycling. I used to do a bit a mountain biking but the bike has been parked up now for about a year untouched. I quite fancy having a go at road cycling so I thought I'd buy a tidy cheap bike and give it a bash. I have a max budget of about £700 ( not a massive amount I know) just wondering could you give me any advice on some of these bikes I'm considering
1. Ribble Sportive 7005
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/r...part=BB12RIBSPORTIVE7005&sub=conf_BBRA&bike=1
2. Specialized allez
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized..._medium=Product_Search&utm_campaign=Froogle02
3.Giant defy 4
http://www.ashcycles.com/site/giant...-goods?zenid=f2d9efa905d8060b2678c2aafc0c3833
I'm sure you get these questions all the time so I'm sorry if it's a bit tedious. But any advice on these or any other bikes will be deeply appreciated.
Thanks
Adam

 

[defy-one]

Those 3 are all good bikes. I would go and sit/ride all 3 before buying.
Don't know much about the 7005, but it always gets good reviews.
The Allez geometry is pretty racy, so a face down position. The Defy has a more relaxed position, and suits people that are new to road bikes.
Only you will know which you will prefer

 

[biggs682]

+1 re defy-one's comments about trying them .

thats a lt of money to spend just to give it a go , why not limit yourself and go 2nd hand route (great bargains at mo) then once covinced buy new then

 

[Psyclist]

I'd go for a Defy if you're new to road cycling. As Defy-One said, it has a more relaxed geometry. I did this as my first road bike when I started out (bought a Defy 4 2011) If you like road cycling, and you continue to ride the Defy, it'll be a good starter bike for a few years to train on. Then, you could upgrade to a road bike with a racier geometry if you find that you want to get into clubs/racing more.

 

[DooDah]

If it were me I would buy a btwin triban 3 from decathlon for 300 quid, if you want to try it out. You would then have 400 quid for clothing, accessories and upgrades.

 

[defy-one]

Put £150 aside for new wheels if you buy the Triban. The originals are made of cheese and won't last long/miles

 

[Easytigers]

+1 to the above but a great bike for the money (I have also changed the wheels) but you get a heck of a lot of bike for the money and if you don't fancy it after a while then you didn't waste all of your cash (sure you'll love it but it's not for some).
If you do go for the Triban, make sure you spend some time at the shop and don't think you have to just pay and go...they'll let you ride it around the shop/car park and help you set it up in terms of saddle height etc

 

[Peteaud]

Allez, only because i like them

The defy is good, i have a defy 2.

 

[cyberknight]

boardman race
Always rated highly are the boardman range..
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-boardman-race-11-45110

 

[adamdavies]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I've had a few go's on my fathers allez and from what I have experienced, I did enjoy road cycling. I couldn't experience it to the full though as I felt a bit twitchy on the bike, because I'm used to mountain bikes. I am on the lookout for a good second hand bike but there don't seem to be a lot of 52" frames that aren't hundred of miles from me. I will have a look at the triban thanks, haven't heard of it before. And the problem I find with a ribble is they seem to be dealer only so I can't test one

 

[gbb]

Pros and cons as usual with each choice.
Ribble, excellent value at sub £600
Sora 9 speed, never heard anything negative about it. I have the older 8 speed on my commuter, reliable as you like.
Rodi Airline wheels, i got some of those on my Sportive Racing, never really used them, but they are reputedly strong, although heavy. They do feel very smooth with the little runs ive given them.
Frame, no experience of that one. Being a Sportive, i assume the geometry is more relaxed than the others. My Sportive racing is very comfortable...far more so than say my Bianchi, which i suspect compares with the Spesh.

Specialized...a bit cheaper than the Ribble. No doubt a good frame, but only has 2300 8 speed, not as good as the Ribble, and Spesh wheels ? the forums have plenty of post regarding poor hub life etc.

Giant..cheapest of the three. Again, only 2300 groupset, shame, and i have no experience of the rest of it, wheels etc.

They'll all be fine. Ribble's doubtless the best specced. And possibly the most comfortable, and probably will give you the best bang for your buck....but i'm a Ribble owner and a very satisfied one.

 

[adamdavies]

Thanks for the advice, I do quite fancy the ribble because from what I hear has good components, looks good and is cheap. My father thinks that some people have said that the frame sizes are different to other bikes and people have had to change their frame size. Have you heard anything about this?

 

[Nearly there]

http://www.ashcycles.com/site/giant-defy-2-2012-15percent-worth-of-free-goods

This is a better spec than the defy 4 and under budget

 

[Peteaud]

http://www.ashcycles.com/site/giant-defy-2-2012-15percent-worth-of-free-goods

This is a better spec than the defy 4 and under budget

Mate of mine has that bike, absolutely fantastic bit of kit. If i had the cash thats the bike i would go and buy.

 

[adamdavies]

Looks like I have a few bikes to consider. I think I'll go to my local bike shop next week and see if I can find any of these and just try out the bikes they have there