I'm sure there must have been similar posts to this in the past, but the search engine doesn't appear to be up to finding them. So...
Having commuted by bike to work each day for the past five months, and having started riding further afield a few times recently to the tune of fifty or so miles a day, I've decided that I could do with a decent road bike, so that I can get a few more miles per hour out of my efforts.
Naturally, WSC is my first port of call for advice.
I'm looking for a sportive type frame, rather than a out-and-out racer - I don't intend to spend three hours with my arse hanging six inches above a razor blade. Carbon forks would be nice, as would a compact chainset (the Italian manager of a cycle shop in Kendal charmingly informed me that triples were for the unfit, hill climbers, and "weemin"). Apart from that, I just want durable components, away from the bottom-end ranges, that won't fall to bits.
How much to pay? Some opinion seems to be that £500 will buy a decent entry-level bike. In the shops, perhaps not surprisingly, I've been urged to go for the £700-800 ranges. Obviously the less I have to pay the better, bearing in mind the points in the previous paragraph. Those £300 bikes in Halfords are kind of tempting, but they look like they'll fold up at the first pothole.
I've been looking at the popular brands, like Trek and Specialized, and at the B'Twin Tribans, which seem to have a few good write-ups. I've been watching eBay too, but most of the decent bikes seem to go at prices that aren't much below the shop cost, once the bidding has escalated.
Eagerly awaiting your recommendations.
Having commuted by bike to work each day for the past five months, and having started riding further afield a few times recently to the tune of fifty or so miles a day, I've decided that I could do with a decent road bike, so that I can get a few more miles per hour out of my efforts.
Naturally, WSC is my first port of call for advice.
I'm looking for a sportive type frame, rather than a out-and-out racer - I don't intend to spend three hours with my arse hanging six inches above a razor blade. Carbon forks would be nice, as would a compact chainset (the Italian manager of a cycle shop in Kendal charmingly informed me that triples were for the unfit, hill climbers, and "weemin"). Apart from that, I just want durable components, away from the bottom-end ranges, that won't fall to bits.
How much to pay? Some opinion seems to be that £500 will buy a decent entry-level bike. In the shops, perhaps not surprisingly, I've been urged to go for the £700-800 ranges. Obviously the less I have to pay the better, bearing in mind the points in the previous paragraph. Those £300 bikes in Halfords are kind of tempting, but they look like they'll fold up at the first pothole.
I've been looking at the popular brands, like Trek and Specialized, and at the B'Twin Tribans, which seem to have a few good write-ups. I've been watching eBay too, but most of the decent bikes seem to go at prices that aren't much below the shop cost, once the bidding has escalated.
Eagerly awaiting your recommendations.
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