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Advice choosing between entry level road bikes

by Velo_there
Sat, Jul 07, 2018 20:57
9

Hi all, I'm quite keen to get into road cycling and thought this might be a good place to ask for some advice. I've done some research and found two bikes in my kind of price range - the B'Twin Triban 500 ( of which I have heard good things) and the Carrera Vanquish Disc ( not heard so much of, and I'm quite wary of Halfords, but has a fairly big discount on at the moment).
I have a pretty much non-existant knowledge of which components are better and so forth, so I was wondering if anybody wiser than me can offer an opinion on which would be the best to go for? I'll leave links to the bikes just to be clear what I'm talking about. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?...

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-road-bike-red-id_8377759.html

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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9 comments

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Beecho | 6 years ago
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Ah bum. There’s a road.cc road bikes for under £500 piece somewhere... a ha!

http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/217632-10-best-2018-road-bike-bargai...

Me, as you mentioned hills, I’d try and keep the weight sub 10Kg. It’s not the be all and end all (and wheels can be upgraded in time) but if your build is more Kittel than Quintana, saving a Kg or two may help.

 

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Mungecrundle | 6 years ago
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Well if it were me, and if this is really a suck it and see exercise then I'd go the whole taking a punt route and buy second hand. I don't know what represents a lot of money to you but if you keep away from carbon and potential of a cracked frame or anything aluminium or steel that is obviously bent and as long as it actually works on a test ride and is in the ballpark of being the right size then you won't really go too far wrong as an experiment. Theres a lot to be said for something that you can crash, abandon in the shed, take apart and break as a first bike. There's more to cycling than just cycling.

If it were my money and forced to choose between the 2 you have posted, on spec and retailer reputation, I'd go for the BTwin. But they'll both get you out there and riding. (But Beecho's Boardman looks pretty sweet)

 

Happy travels, and total envy of where you live.

M

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Beecho | 6 years ago
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How’s about this then:

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-road-sport-bi...

 

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Velo_there replied to Beecho | 6 years ago
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Beecho wrote:

How’s about this then:

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-road-sport-bi...

 

Out of stock, thanks though.

I have looked into going down the second hand route, as was suggested earlier by Mike, however there could be potential pitfalls for inexperienced buyers like myself - and replacing busted parts could end up costing time and money.
From the information given to me, I think it would be best for me to go with the B'Twin and rack up some miles and experience, and try to learn as much as I can for my next, more serious bike.

Thank you all for your help! Happy cycling!

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Mungecrundle | 6 years ago
1 like

Q. Why these 2 bikes in particular? Is it simply price point?

At the risk of blowing your whole request into an overload of opinions, how do you intend to use the bike? Commuting, racing, touring, just getting out, bit of everything, cycling with mates, fair weather only, long distance, short local, town or country?

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Velo_there replied to Mungecrundle | 6 years ago
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Mungecrundle wrote:

Q. Why these 2 bikes in particular? Is it simply price point?

At the risk of blowing your whole request into an overload of opinions, how do you intend to use the bike? Commuting, racing, touring, just getting out, bit of everything, cycling with mates, fair weather only, long distance, short local, town or country?

It primarily is due to the price point. The main reason I came to those two bikes was that I had heard, and found plenty of reviews and videos to support, that the B'Twin was one of the best available at this level. Of course, I decided to also look around and see what else was on the market, and found the Carrera at a very similar price point.
Main usage would be for adventuring out to lochs and hills along the roads, with the odd sprint maybe thrown in, just to get me started in with this type of cycling really.

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EddyBerckx | 6 years ago
2 likes

Decathlon without a doubt!! Very highly rated bikes for the money and you don't hear the same horror stories about their mechanics like you do with Halfords (my brother had 2 bad experiences with them....)

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ktache | 6 years ago
1 like

Mike, fine advice and very well put.

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mike the bike | 6 years ago
2 likes

 

Difficult one, this.  Each model has some objective advantages over the other but then falls down in other respects.  In the end it will come down to the one you like better, the one you would be happier riding.  Either will certainly give you a reasonable taste of road bikes and, who knows, could lead you on the well-trodden road to financial, emotional and personal ruin.  Such is the fate of the road cyclist who, in his search for the ultimate bike, will relegate his relationships and his financial health firmly into second place.  

Me?  I'd spend the money on a second-hand machine, maybe a Boardman or similar, slap a new chain on it and it will feel better and run for years.

Best of luck.  

 

 

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