Road Bike Help

[richbk]

So following on from the mountain bike thread, my son has just bought a giant defy 3 road bike, which means he will be leaving me for dust on the road if i stick to my MTB.

 

therefore i need a decent, possibly second hand road bike. i know all brands vary in size, but at 6' 2" tall i have been measured by couple of places and connects is I need a 55.5  / large framed bike.

 

Would rather have good kit on a lightly used and well maintained second hand bike than a cheaper new one.

 

i have £350 - £400 to spend, so does the MLOC massive have any suggestions / contacts or indeed bikes that i should / could be looking at ??

 

Also has anyone ever seen a bike rack on an exige ?, The MTB's are obviously far to heavy to consider carrying, but i figured a couple of lightweight bikes may be possible if a frame has been devised for camping weekends??

 

cheers

rich

[winthattt]

That size sounds a tad small for you, I ride a 56cm and I am just 6ft. It all depends on your leg length and you can raise the saddle (within limits). Reach, seat to bars is the less easy to change dimension. Just check you do not feel hunched up on the bars. Elbow to finger tip plus one hand width is a good first estimate of the length from the saddle tip to the bars. The length on the bike can be changed with different stems but do not go too long or short. 11cm is a good average. Saddle can be moved backwards and forwards but start with it mid way on the rails.

 

For your budget second hand will get you the best bike. Get one that fits as the number 1 priority. Boardman bikes from Halfords are very good value worth the money. Try to get an alloy frame but avoid one that is made if fence posts, try to get a quality frame and then put good bits on when the others wear out. Cannondale also make good value frames though they can have dodgy kit on cheaper bikes, at least mine did.

[Alex B]

Rich

Check out Pinkbike.com some bargains to be had.

[Sundaydriver]

Have you the option for buying on a scheme, cycle to work, I think they call it ?

My daughter bought a defy on the scheme . Works out very cost effective.

There are great bikes available at just under £1k as a result of the scheme too.

 

Having said that , if you're not sure you'll take it up, then secondhand is best I guess.

Roadie life isn't for everyone, and the Lycra life isn't either lol !!! And you do need to

wear it, or you're just not getting the benefit of the bike fully. It's about smooth effortless

progress, so being hampered by flappy shorts is a no no !!!

Don't spend too much unless you know you've got the bug, and if you're not a racing snake

then don't spend big money to save grams, most of the accessory carbon fibre stuff is fake, but a good

groupset like shimano 105 as a minimum will reward you well.

Stay away from the heavy, unknown make groupset bikes.

 

Apologies if you know all of that !!

 

Best bit of advice is road bike specific, get a bike fit at your local bike shop for about £100, otherwise

you may well not like it due to the aches and pains from being bent over unlike on the MTB .

 

Cheers , and enjoy :-)

[Eric]

Try Evans.  Quite a few stores dotted about where you can try before you buy.  Plus, it seems that bike "fashions" are now resulting in huge discounts on "last year's model", so they also have some cracking bargains if you hunt them out.

 

I bought a Tern Link folding bike for part of my commute and saved around £100 compared to "this year's model" (which is pretty much identical)!

[richbk]

Cheers folks.

Had a fit, on a giant, which felt good with a slightly shorter handlebar post. Problem being that as mentioned all bikes seem to vary in size so need to sit on a few more.

Pink bikes seem to have lots to offer and in good nick .

My son has used my bike to work scheme allowance for this year for his cube acid so second hand looks like the way to go and if I like the road I can treat myself next year.

 

I'll update when I have a bike

 

Rich

[cjwjames]

you could always buy this one

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Sports-Bike-Type-108-Track-Bike-/191706693520?hash=item2ca29bff90