Whats a good entry elvel Drop Bar Bike?

[Caspian_Tyger]

I have been riding on a Hybrid Carrera bike and I would like to get my first drop bar bike, but I am not that knowledgable about these type of bikes and would like to get a decent entry level bike.

If I enjoy riding it, perhaps I will get something a little more advanced down the line.

 

[vickster]

What’s the budget?
If under £500, Decathlon do decent entry level road bikes, and having seen one recently, the Halfords Carrera Virtuoso with disc brakes looked good in the metal.
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/road...ad-bike-2020---red---s-m-l-frames-348542.html
@cyberknight has one i think

Otherwise, look for a lightly used second hand model like a Giant Defy/Contend, Specialized Allez, a Boardman or similar.

‘Advanced’ doesn’t really exist, bikes are mostly the same in essence, just some parts are lighter, maybe a little smoother, more expensive. And the frame might be made of something different, lighter.
Pretty much any roadbike will be lighter than a Subway

 

[Grant Fondo]

Something like this?

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Boardman-S...gn=boardman-bikes&utm_source=Boardman-website

Vitus Razors on sale at Chainreaction if your size.

 

[cyberknight]

What’s the budget?
If under £500, Decathlon do decent entry level road bikes, and having seen one recently, the Halfords Carrera Virtuoso with disc brakes looked good in the metal.
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/road...ad-bike-2020---red---s-m-l-frames-348542.html
@cyberknight has one i think

Otherwise, look for a lightly used second hand model like a Giant Defy/Contend, Specialized Allez, a Boardman or similar.

‘Advanced’ doesn’t really exist, bikes are mostly the same in essence, just some parts are lighter, maybe a little smoother, more expensive. And the frame might be made of something different, lighter.
Pretty much any roadbike will be lighter than a Subway

The virtuoso i bought for commuting as the discs offer more consistent breaking in all weathers , its not the lightest bike at this price point but when i have panniers on it the extra wight doesn't matter .I had the change the stock saddle but that is a personal choice and the tyres that are stock are harsh and come up narrow for the sizing so i run zaffiro plus in 28s .Rides well enough and worth the price.If i had the cash i would go for the Boardman as listed by @Grant Fondo if your not going to be riding to work on it ( they sell them at halfords too if you dont have a tredz) .

 

[Cycleops]

Some good suggestions. Any would suit you but remember that a road bike will have a much harsher ride on its narrow hp tyres than your current mount.
As said perhaps have a look at what’s available second hand in your area on Gumtree etc. Avoid well used examples. You can post anything that appeals on here.
Giant might disagree with Vicky about no such thing as advanced :
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/bikes-tcr-advanced-disc
But that’s for when you graduate to ‘all the gear’ hierarchy.
Good luck and to the forum.

 

[bonzobanana]

Claris groupset is a great entry point to road bikes, very reliable shifting, durable and long lasting. As long as you get a bike based around that or better it should be a good bike. I'd avoid Tourney or below especially with a freewheel which will limit your high gearing and make shifting less reliable. I'd avoid the Carrera Zelos but the Virtuoso and Vanquish are worth considering. Also there is a Voodoo gravel bike with Claris for similar money and a bit more durable but heavier and has a steel fork.

The Giant Contend Claris is a great entry level road bike that you can get for about £599 at present if you shop around.

One thing I would personally avoid is a budget carbon fibre fork with carbon fibre blades and an alloy steerer. In the past many brands have had recalls on such forks and the bonding between the two dissimilar materials is difficult and can fail over time. Forks failing can be life threatening and even though the risk is low its still there especially after a few years of use when the bonding has weakened. Like most bicycle components the lighter you are the lower the risk. If you are a 60kg rider then perhaps you don't need to worry but at 110kg you probably should consider avoiding them etc.

 

[cyberknight]

Claris groupset is a great entry point to road bikes, very reliable shifting, durable and long lasting. As long as you get a bike based around that or better it should be a good bike. I'd avoid Tourney or below especially with a freewheel which will limit your high gearing and make shifting less reliable. I'd avoid the Carrera Zelos but the Virtuoso and Vanquish are worth considering. Also there is a Voodoo gravel bike with Claris for similar money and a bit more durable but heavier and has a steel fork.

The Giant Contend Claris is a great entry level road bike that you can get for about £599 at present if you shop around.

One thing I would personally avoid is a budget carbon fibre fork with carbon fibre blades and an alloy steerer. In the past many brands have had recalls on such forks and the bonding between the two dissimilar materials is difficult and can fail over time. Forks failing can be life threatening and even though the risk is low its still there especially after a few years of use when the bonding has weakened. Like most bicycle components the lighter you are the lower the risk. If you are a 60kg rider then perhaps you don't need to worry but at 110kg you probably should consider avoiding them etc.

cant say i have had an issue with carbon/alloy forks but like you say im about 65-66 kg

 

[vickster]

cant say i have had an issue with carbon/alloy forks but like you say im about 65-66 kg

Nor have I and I’m much heavier (not 110kg though). All my bikes have a carbon fork

 

[cyberknight]

Nor have I and I’m much heavier (not 110kg though). All my bikes have a carbon fork

i think they meant carbon fork with alloy steerer

 

[vickster]

What’s the alternative? I don’t have any fully carbon as far as I know (other than the carbon bike maybe?)

 

[Cycleops]

No problem with the carbon fork on my 15 year old Trek. If choosing a fork I’d have a steel one rather than alloy for reasons of strength.

 

[bonzobanana]

Clearly I'm not saying all carbon fibre forks will fail its always a small percentage that have issues. However bikes with CF forks are only a niche of bikes sold yet make up a huge amount of bicycle recalls and of that bonded blade CF forks have had a higher number of recalls but it still effects a huge number of full carbon forks. The issue of bonded forks now is they represent entry level CF forks and some of these are coming from very basic factories in Bangladesh etc which typically have bikes with a higher percentage of failures, they aren't as advanced typically as Chinese factories and rely more on manual labour that can lead to more errors and less consistency. CF forks are far more dangerous than CF frames simply because of the way they fail. Bangladesh are now manufacturing entry level road bikes with bonded CF forks as well as factories in Vietnam and Cambodia which aren't as bad but not as good as the better mainland Chinese factories or the best factories in Taiwan. Forks are the most safety critical part of a bike. I'm certainly not saying everyone needs to worry about their CF forks but you have to understand the commercial pressure at entry level prices to produce a desirable product at a low factory door price. The two main compromises to bike safety are price and performance, a low price means a product cannot be manufactured well and performance dictates low weight where a product can be compromised in durability, strength and lifespan in order to save weight. You are getting pretty much both of these in an entry level road bike.

https://www.google.com/search?q=car...YF4&bih=817&biw=1707&rlz=1C1CHZN_enGB966GB966