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First road bike for about £1k

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  • February 5, 2014 at 7:40 pm #20640
    Peter996

    Hi all,

    Apologies for this very basic question… what is a good first road bike around £1k?

    I’m a 46 year old male who got back into cycling about 2 years ago and have been riding a Specialized Elite Disc hybrid. I currently ride about 1200 miles a year max distance circa 40m usually at weekends. I want to get into some longer rides and I will get a bike through Cycle to Work scheme.

    Trouble is, I don’t really know much about bikes other than how to ride! I’ve started reading up, but after about 10 minutes my head is spinning… There are also so many reviews/opinions etc I don’t know where to start.

    Ribble bikes seem good value, but there are so many choice options! A colleague got a Planet X but I’ve read of customer service issues – and with my knowledge that probably isn’t ideal!

    Any thoughts gratefully received!

    Cheers,

    Peter

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Viewing 9 replies - 16 through 24 (of 24 total)
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  • February 5, 2014 at 9:52 pm #772089
    0
    ajmarshal1

    paulomac85 wrote:Tifosi ck7

    paulomac85 wrote:
    Tifosi ck7 audax – campagnolo gearing and light aluminium frame with mudguard clearance for under 1k!

    I’ve seen them as low as £650 recently. Thinking of getting the Mrs one.

    February 5, 2014 at 9:33 pm #772087
    0
    paulomac85

    Tifosi ck7 audax – campagnolo
    Tifosi ck7 audax – campagnolo gearing and light aluminium frame with mudguard clearance for under 1k!

    February 5, 2014 at 9:25 pm #772085
    0
    mrkeith119

    Ride lots of bikes, pick the
    Ride lots of bikes, pick the one you like best.

    Try and get the best frame avaliable for the money you have, every thing else will wear and get replaced eventually.

    February 5, 2014 at 8:57 pm #772083
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    Ghedebrav

    Thanks to the cycle-to-work
    Thanks to the cycle-to-work scheme, at that price point you’re spoilt for choice – there is an enormous amount of competition between brands to get a decently-specced road bike at a squeak under £1k. Boardman and the new Hoy bikes would be a good place to start looking (the Boardmans are unbeatably specced but the Hoys look nicer IMO), but there are so many strong alternatives that it may just come down to aesthetics for you. Test rides are crucial.

    As others have suggested though, if you strike now you may still find a last-season bike with a big reduction taking it into your price range. This will be your best bet, but act fast!

    Or you could think out of the ordinary and go for something a little different; a soulful steed of steel, for example: not the most popular material but will last forever and you’ll stand out in sportives/club runs. You may still pick up a lovely 2013 Genesis Equilibrium 10 in the sales somewhere – fast and gorgeous.

    February 5, 2014 at 8:51 pm #772081
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    movingtarget

    Agreed. A good way to
    Agreed. A good way to approach this is to sit down and think about how you ride now, what types of rides/riding style (hills, touring, commuting, sportifs, …) you want to incorporate into your riding, what you find comfortable/uncomfortable in your current bike, and a reasonable estimate of how much time you want to devote to riding and then go and spend some time a few different LBS talking with the staff and doing test rides. Don’t feel bad if you haven’t decided within 10 minutes what frame, groupset, wheels, … you want. A good bike shop will answer your questions and point out potential pros/cons that you haven’t mentioned as well as allow you whatever time you need to make a decision you’re comfortable with. (My husband has been riding since he was a teenager and is well versed in bicycle-ese and he did 6-7 hour+ test rides on his current bike and spent hours talking with the staff. I’m a fast decider and chose my current bike after a couple test rides but my LBS would have been happy to chat with me for longer if needed and I like them so much I tend to stop by and say hi on rides anyway.) Hopefully this will be a long term investment in your leisure/exercise time that will translate into hours and years of enjoyment in the saddle. It’s really frustrating to pick out a bike that ends up being uncomfortable or just can’t do what you want/need it to do. How exciting. Love looking at new bikes 🙂

    February 5, 2014 at 8:37 pm #772079
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    BikeBud

    A decent bike shop should
    A decent bike shop should advise you and let you test ride plenty of different bikes. Last year I bought a Cannondale CAAD8 from Leisure Lakes – great bike, good service. Suggest you try a variety of types – e.g. “Sportive” bikes, standard road bikes etc from different brands.

    February 5, 2014 at 8:36 pm #772077
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    ajmarshal1

    You can pick up a Ridley
    You can pick up a Ridley Orion 105 or a Giant TCR composite 2 at that price in the sales at the minute. Both absolutely brilliant bikes, look no further. The Ridley comes up big though. I’ve owned both, look into them.

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ridley-orion-105-special-edition-2013/

    http://www.rutlandcycling.com/155056/products/giant-tcr-composite-2-2013-road-bike—black-red.aspx?origin=pla?kwd=&gclid=CMbWyenrtbwCFafKtAodSzUAMw

    February 5, 2014 at 8:31 pm #772075
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    arfa

    For 1k you should be looking
    For 1k you should be looking at a 105 groupset and at a push a carbon frame if you drive a hard bargain. Nothing wrong with aluminium but I find carbon lighter and more comfortable. The main question is what type of rider are you ? If we take just the manufacturer of your current bike, they make out and out racing bikes (venge and tarmac) or more endurance style bikes (roubaix) and the geometry is more “upright” than bent aerodynamically over the bars. It really is a matter of preference and every manufacturer has “horses for courses”.
    I would strongly urge you to go into the shops to ask questions as it is such a broad question that you will only find the answer after asking loads more questions !
    I really would not take a flier and buy off the internet ! Good luck

    February 5, 2014 at 8:30 pm #772073
    0
    arfa

    For 1k you should be looking
    For 1k you should be looking at a 105 groupset and at a push a carbon frame if you drive a hard bargain. Nothing wrong with aluminium but I find carbon lighter and more comfortable. The main question is what type of rider are you ? If we take just the manufacturer of your current bike, they make out and out racing bikes (venge and tarmac) or more endurance style bikes (roubaix) and the geometry is more “upright” than bent aerodynamically over the bars. It really is a matter of preference and every manufacturer has “horses for courses”.
    I would strongly urge you to go into the shops to ask questions as it is such a broad question that you will only find the answer after asking loads more questions !
    I really would not take a flier and buy off the internet ! Good luck

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