# Thinking of Buying a Road Bike



## Ben M (30 Jul 2011)

Hi, I'm very into sports, mainly long distance running, and I'd like to get into cycling. I have a really old Saracen rufftrax ATM, which my dad let me ride (until the derailleur fell off). I'm not very knowledgeable about road bikes, although I've done some reading on the web. my budget would be about £300. I've found the Carrera TDF Limited Edition Road Bike for £300 down from £450 at halfords. Is this a decent bike? And what should I be looking for in a decent road bike?

I asked on here as I think I remember that there are some cyclists on here.

cheers


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## GreenNeedle (30 Jul 2011)

The Carreras aren't very good really.  Prety heavy.  Even the next one up the virtuoso and they will also come with the bottom end gear.

You won't get anything of quality for under £500 new unless you get an awesome deal at the LBS.

Best bet if you are not looking for an instant buy is to buy something second hand off ebay.  You should be able to pick something up a couple of years old that would've been £600-£700 for your budget.  Especially if it is 'local' pick up only' as that narrows down their 'audience.

I Just bought a 2009 Raleigh 300 as a makeweight until I can get another (got my top notch roadie nicked)  That is still selling for £430 on the net.  Original RRP was £550.  I picked it up 2 miles from my house and paid £260 for it.  It won't be a permanent thing but can't afford to replace the old one like for like at present time 

So the tip is select bikes, complete bikes, then down to the distance and put in within 20 miles of [enterpostcode] and up will come 10 or so pages of bikes.  Find the ones you like that are your frame size (Must get the frame size right so use the link I've added below) Put them in your watch list, research what they should've cost, research reviews and then thin out the watch list.  Put a note on each one how much you are prepared to go.  (i.e. if it was £500 brand new 2 years old limit yourself to £250, 4 years old limit to £200)

Every time one goes above your note then get rid of it from watching.

Every day/2 days you can do the same search just selecting -listings time - started within 24 hours.

Patience and you may get yourself a £1k bike for your budget 

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CC ... ATOR_INTRO


Andy


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## plantbrain (31 Jul 2011)

Some fairly inexpensive steel road bikes should be available, I'd check locally for used bikes. It's the rider, not the bike really, but a nice bike will make things very comfy. 

Cycling is about 3-5X easier than running, and you are less prone to injury, however, you Are more likely to get run over by a car. Cycling is also a good way to scope out a good running route also and measure the kms.


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## dory (1 Aug 2011)

I agree that buying a second-hand bike would be your best bet - that way, you can get a pretty decent one for those money. My friend had to sell her pretty decent and quite new bike, cause she had to move country, so it's not necessarily old bikes that get sold on eBay and such. Cycling is a great update from long distance running - I, myself, prefer my own two feet, but can't get anywhere fast enough   , but can't go buying bikes now, cause I'm also moving country soon. But yes, beware the traffic and you can also get loads of safety tips on the web, that's one good thing about internet, isn't it


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## Garuf (8 Aug 2011)

The only thing I would add is research too, loads of it, I've got 3 steel framers now and not one of them has interchangeable parts, age isn't everything and size is critical, I rode a bike too small and it killed me, I borrowed a bike too big and it was like riding damp spaghetti, avoid frame only if you can, unless you have loads of NOS sitting about it's a fortune to spend.


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