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road bike commute

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  • June 27, 2017 at 2:36 pm #27277
    yitzchokhaffner

    Hi I’m looking to buy my first road bike. I mainly need it for a commute to and from university, about 4 miles each way, the way home is mostly uphill. I want something that takes mudguards and possibly a rack. I also need something to cope with Manchester weather ie rain and cold! My budget is aroun 500. I know pretty much nothing about bikes but from reading reveiws online I have narrowed it down to 3 prospective bikes Boardman road sport, Marin argenta a6 and specialized allez e5. The specialized probably won’t be good for me but I threw it in there because it looks so exciting. Can anyone advise me. Thanks

    Yitz

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  • June 28, 2017 at 7:20 am #895975
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    Simon E

    University sites are hotspots

    University sites are hotspots for bike thefts so I’d buy something less desirable (but I’d still buy 2 decent locks as well, a thick cable lock and a D-lock). Cheap ‘n’ cheerful would be my suggestion. Try to find something that’s not stolen via forums, ebay etc. Maybe a hybrid/flat-barred bike?

    A decent waterproof jacket will make life more bearable in the rain, you might find one in Millets for a third of the price of a cycling-specific one. I wouldn’t bother with fancy gear like padded shorts or SPD shoes for 4 miles. If you get into riding longer distances you can always get these later, along with a nicer bike.

    June 28, 2017 at 6:52 am #895973
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    Toast

    Oh, you may want to upgrade
    Oh, you may want to upgrade the pedals early on with any of those. For commuting & casual riding, consider SPD pedals rather than SPD-SL if you want to clip in. And a decent set of lights when it gets to winter is absolutely worth the money in extended cycling hours and reduced feeling like you might die :p I winced the first time I clicked “buy” on over a hundred quid’s worth of glorified torches, but within a week was only regretting I’d not done it the year before.

    June 28, 2017 at 6:47 am #895971
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    Toast

    It’d be difficult to spend
    It’d be difficult to spend £500 and get a bike that’s no good for 4 miles each way.

    I bought a £200 hybrid and wanted to upgrade within a year, so disagree with the £90 option – it might even discourage you from recreational cycling :p If you’re spending £500, I’m going to assume you’re using the commute as an excuse to spend the money on something more fun that you might get out on at the weekend.

    Personally I’d get the Allez, they all have the same Shimano gears but the Allez looks like a more speed-oriented frame. You’re not going to have time to get uncomfortable doing four miles on it, so I wouldn’t worry about “endurance geometry” from the Marin or Boardman, and you’ll get more of a kick out of it when you decide to stamp the pedals a bit on a longer route home!

    http://road.cc/content/review/221424-specialized-allez-e5-sport-2017

    There’s the road.cc review of one with a slightly nicer build kit (more gears, nice wheels, but I think the same frame – so potentially in a couple of years you could spend £400-ish upgrading that kit and have a very respectable bike to show for it).

    As it comes, you could definitely take that e5 on some longer rides, and hold your own with a club if the bug really bites, without immediately wanting to upgrade to a whole new bike.

    If you’re more likely to go on relaxed Sunday rides out of town on your own exploring, maybe look at the other two, the more upright positions may be more comfortable and more importantly (in my opinion) they give you a higher vantage point for taking in the view over hedgerows 🙂

    June 28, 2017 at 6:09 am #895969
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    Anonymous

    You need to decide what your

    You need to decide what your other use of the bike will be other than ‘mainly’ commuting. Personally if all I was doing was riding 4 miles each way and then the bike sat in a shed I would spend £90 on something from Halfords. If you think you might ride the bike for pleasure/touring etc this will help you decide which bike to buy. Any of the three bikes will suit for commuting.

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