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Road Newbie seeks 1st bike advice!

Hi all,

I am embarking on a charity ride next summer, my first as a road rider!

We are riding across/through 25 counties in a week and the new mile tally is 556 miles, a quick calculator visit tells me that that is nearly 80 miles day.

Now my riding experience over my lifetime amounts to a touch of BMX racing in my youth and hybrid riding in recent times. As I enter my new life as a road rider I need to approach a few things to set me on my journey.

As I have quite a restrictive budget of £750 I have got my bike wish list down to a few now. As I want to ride a lot after the charity ride (and of course before!) I would like to have a ride that is quick and comfy if possible, while still looking pretty special!

My heart is telling me to go for a 2012 Bianchi Via Nirone Xenon (love the styling and classic celeste, sorry!) but my other sensible side is pushing me towards either a http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/roa ... librium-10 (which I can get for a price within my range) for the comfort of the steel ride .

My third side (never good at maths me is looking at the Sensa Romagna http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/b ... -2013.html which would come in at a friendly price of £709.48 after discounts. Even though I have never heard of them the spec looks really great for a bike in this range with Shimano 105 etc. Would it be a good beginners bike for long miles in the saddle? Will any of these do the job?

I guess I'm asking for anyone who has experience in these bikes to step forward and big them up!

I love all the other mentioned bikes and my heart is still looking towards the Bianchi which I would eventually upgrade on the Campag side of things.

My aim is to get fitted this week and possibly even ride the Bianchi (if in Stock at Bristol's Evans).

Any advice will gladly received before I pull the trigger on my first road bike purchase.

Thanks,

N.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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2 comments

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Raleigh | 11 years ago
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Go and buy Cycling Plus, they just had a feature on this price range.

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Simon E | 11 years ago
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Via Nirone and Equilibrium have quite different styling, though both classy too. My suggestion:

1. Visit some shops, have a look at a variety of makes & models.

2. Buy the one that fits you, and that you like best (ideally from a shop that also provides good customer service).

If you can't have a test ride then at least ask for a spin on a turbo.

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