First Road Bike

I’m pondering the same
I’m pondering the same decision wanting to upgrade from my old mountain bike. I like the look of the Ribble Winter Trainer which is set up as a winter bike/commuter with mud guards etc and is less racy than an Allez or similar, for me I’d rather have comfort than speed at that price point and be more likely to put the miles in.

The ‘quality’ brands all seem to start out at around the £500-£600 mark. At £400 you’re more likely to have to pick something up which is older, second hand or from a smaller or less well known brand.

Alternatively, if you can wait till the end of July-early September places like Evans start trying to clear out this year’s stock ahead of bringing in the new ranges, you can get a heavy discount on these bikes if you time it right although I’m always getting emails from Evans advertising 30% discounts or more on some brands.

Oh, and Halfords always seem to try and push their Carrera and Boardman bikes during the Tour de France in July so you might find a good deal on one of them in a few weeks.

You will get plenty of makes
You will get plenty of makes mentioned tbh. Carrera do good entry level bikes too.
Do you want new or second hand?

Can’t you ask me something
Can’t you ask me something easier like what is the meaning of life? Or what is at the bottom of a black hole? There are a lot of bikes out there! Generally people are likely to want to upgrade after a while. So get the best frame you can afford; that way you can upgrade the components without ending up with expensive components on a cheap frame. Ask yourself questions like, “do I want mudguards?” If yes, get a frame with mudguard eyes. “Am I going to tackle steep hills?” If yes, then think about gearing (triple v. compact v. standard v. fixed etc)+ lots of other factors; Good luck!

Specialized Allez is always
Specialized Allez is always popular and a reasonable price for beginners. Aluminium frame with a carbon fork (absorbs some vibration off the road) is about standard entry level for most road bike companies. Go to the LBS im sure they’ll be able to help. Theres a wealth of bike companies out there all offering similar bikes for that price with similar level kit/componentry, so shopping around could get confusing. Entry level generally up to about £600 for all brands. Hope thats helpful 🙂 Thats how I see it anyway – I bought my first road bike two and a half years ago for what its worth.