Buying first road bike online

I wouldn't put too much on disc brakes on a 500 Euro bike, they won't be up to all that much. Performance isn't going to outshine reasonable rim stoppers.

Decathlon all the way at that price.

Or second hand.

Have a look at stock in small local bike shops. They tend to discount but not clear away old stock. I just found my brother a 2016 Cannondale Caadx Tiagra disc for £500 last week so they are out there.....

I'd check out Planet X too. They always have something half decent around £500.

Unfortunately no disc brakes on the Decathlon road bikes - yet. They are coming in the Autumn I believe. They really are amazing value for money and reliable - and will be cheaper in Germany than in the UK.

If you absolutely must have disc brakes with that budget then your best option is to look at secondhand bikes. You'll get a 1 year old bike from a recognised brand (Specialized, Canyon, Giant, Merida, Cannondale, etc.) for your budget.

Some things to consider: Double or Triple chainset? You mention that you live near the mountains - a triple can be good for climbing, or go for a double with a compact chainset and large rear casette. Look for 50/34 chainrings and an 11-32 cassette.

At your price range you will be getting mechanical disc brakes. Look for Avid BB5 or 7 or Tektro Spyre (Spyre easier to maintain and adjust)

I agree on the Triban 520 suggestion - excellent value for money for the specification.

I'd also suggest looking at Merlin Cycles, they often have some good deals:

https://www.merlincycles.com/road-bikes-75267/?sort=price-min

Looks like the PR7-R and Felt F95 would fit with your budget, though there is also a £50 delivery charge for Germany, so maybe you could shop around for a similar German retailer. The Felt is half a kilo lighter than the Triban, though the Triban is probably a more comfortable ride.

Apologies if I'm telling you something you already know, but when looking at bikes the idiot's guide to comparing how good value they are is to look at the weight, if it's provided, and also the groupset. Pretty much all the bikes for your budget will have Shimano components, so the order of quality would be Claris at the bottom, then Sora, then Tiagra. Sora is probably the best you'll get new for that price, and you'll probably also find a mix of some proper group components and some cheaper equivalents e.g. Sora shifters and derailleurs but a different chainset and cassette. Disc brakes are heavier than rim brakes, so don't worry if you find a disc brake bike you like that's a bit heavier than another bike with rim brakes.

Also, do you have any preference about using clipless pedals? Beyond a certain price point road bikes will come without pedals so you need to choose your own. The Triban comes with flat pedals so you can wear normal shoes with them, but the Felt for example comes with clipless pedals and proper cycling shoes as part of the deal. If you will mainly be cycling as a hobby I'd strongly recommend going with clipless pedals as they make you faster!

In summary - can't go wrong with the Triban.

The first road bike that I bought was a Viking (Jubilee) and it was great.

I wouldn't touch Viking with anyone's now. CHEAP and NASTY JUNK!

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p0/Road-Bikes/Racing-Road-Racing usually has decent stuff for little money.

decathlon aren't all bad.

What's your budget?

DON'T TOUCH THAT VIKING!

The spec is very poor for that kind of money. It really seems to have nothing to commend it.

As peted76 says, Decathlon offer excellent VfM, and just damn good bikes - do look them up.

Disc brakes may be the tricky thing to find at your budget though - do you really need them? Unless you're riding regularly on wet, dirty roads (which wear down brake pads and rims quickly) then rim brakes are usually fine, and a relatively inexpensive pad upgrade can improve the cheaper units fitted to bikes in your price range.

If you're convinced you need disc brakes then Wiggle have a couple of offers in your price bracket, as do Halfords - who have the advantage of stores you can visit (if you're in the UK). The Carrera Vanquish is probably OK, and the discounted Boardman - if you can stretch your budget a little - a very good option. There'll be other options online - but look for a decent brand and reviews.

Otherwise there's the secondhand route as peted76 suggests.

Hi jordan_dnsc - look no further, the BTWIN Triban 520 series bike is the best 'new' bike for the cash in my humble opinion. Available from decathlon shops all over Europe and online also, go along, test the sizes out and splash the cash. 

Or go second hand, facebook pages are full of decent second hand bikes at that money, this may be a minefield though if you're new to cycling.

Or search ebay for a second hand Giant Defy - there are millions of them out there, people buy them to go cycling on, hardly use them and sell them two years later for a fraction of the price.