Help choosing a bike from a complete noobie

[Evan5177]

Hi guys, I'm new so I apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge about equipment and bikes (I'm a rower). I'm going to be buying a new bike soon and to be honest I'm not too sure on what I should pick, my budget is roughly around €700-800 and I just thought I'd ask for a little advice on the subject.

What I've been looking at so far are mainly the Boardman Race:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_789247_langId_-1_categoryId_165710

The Specialized Allez:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/allez-compact-2013-road-bike-ec040963

And possibly considering the price:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...01&langId=-1&productId=912141&catalogId=10151

I'd just like to ask any advice you veterans have to offer for myself as a buyer of an entry level bike and things I should look out for and avoid, I'm liking the Allez at the moment but wondering would the Shimano 2300 set be a problem or would it perform okay for a novice like me? And would it be okay to upgrade in future should I become more accustomed to bikes? The Allez always seems like a good option because of the STI shifters it has where as the Boardman race only has Sora gear shifters which can become a problem on descents, however would I be better off going for the Boardman considering it's lighter weight and it's carbon fork?

Thanks in advance!

 

[King Boonen]

Hi Evan,

You say Euros, are you based in Ireland? Or do you mean pounds? I'll base what I say on Euros. I'll not stray outside your budget, the worst thing (at least for me) that can happen when on a budget is having someone say "well, if you can stretch to this then..." as it invariably adds £100+ to what you were intending to spend!

The STI shifters on the Allez are, I think, a lower level shifter than Sora, they both have the annoying thumb switch. That said, they will both work fine for you at first but if you got a bit more serious you'd be wanting to upgrade them pretty quickly. It's also unlikely you'd want to upgrade on those frames if you really go into racing, you'd probably just buy a better bike, which in a lot of cases is actually a much more cost effect way of getting better bits.

With that said, I'd recommend you take a look at these. They'd all make great first bikes and then a great winter training bike if you were to get something more expensive for racing:

Ribble sportive
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/r...ipped?part=SE13RIBSPORT7005SHIM&sub=conf_SERA

Tiagra equipped, slightly relaxed geometry so it'll be comfortable for longer rides at first.

Ribble race
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/r...uipped?part=SE13RIB7005RACESHIM&sub=conf_SERA

Also Tiagra equipped, a great first race bike.

The good thing about Ribble bikes is they can be customised before purchase, so if you want a particular cassette/crank etc. you can choose it without having to buy an extra one as well as the standard fitted one. Also, if you have a few quid spare you can put it into upgrading a few bits at the point of purchase. Ribble bikes don't come with pedals, but all road bikes that do come with pedals are usually the cheap nylon ones that need replacing ASAP.

When I was looking at getting a road bike I wanted Campagnolo. The issue with it is that replacement parts can be more expensive and harder to get hold of (Longer waiting times) Shimano is everywhere. That said, there are campagnolo options in your price bracket on Ribble so have a look around.

Some others to look at would be:

Sensa Umbria Tiagra special

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/bikes/road-bikes/sensa-bikes/sensa-umbria-tiagra-special.html
Tiagra at the low end of your budget leaving money for pedals/shoes etc. what more can you say? I'm also picking up a mountain bike from them on friday so would be happy to report back on the shop, customer service etc. Online reviews are excellent. Bear in mind they will charge to post the bike, £30 UK so probably similar in Ireland (again, assumption). Sensa are a big brand in Europe.

Merlin Malt-R
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-sh...-road-bikes/merlin-malt-r-road-bike-2013.html
Compact Tiagra groupset and carbon fork, again fantastic value.

If you are in Ireland none of these options take into account one of the biggest considerations, the bike fit. If you don't need a bike fit then great, if you do and can't get to Ribble or Merlin, an LBS is your best option. If you want to buy one of these bikes it's worth while asking if your LBS will do a bike fit for you so you know what frame size, crank length etc. you need so you can then order the correct bike. I'd expect them to charge £50-75 pounds for it along with an initial position set up for you. They will probably tell you that it's very difficult for them to fit you to one frame and then apply it to another, which is true, but they should be able to at least get you the right size and position. Not all LBS's will do this, but in the current financial climate they'd be silly to turn down the money, it may also help you build a relationship with them should you not be confident enough to do your own maintenance.

I don't know if there is a decathlon store near you, but this could be an option if you need a bike fit. I don't know how good Decathlon are at fitting bikes though.

Triban 7
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-7-road-bike-black-id_8239802.html

Hope this helps at least show you some other options that are out there. At this price point the big brands tend to be very similar, it's the less well known ones where you can find the best deals.

If I think of anything else I'll add it later.

A word on maintenance. It's not that difficult, there are lots of videos on youtube and it's actually quite fun and very satisfying. If you are happy to do it then there is no reason you can't learn to do pretty much everything yourself. If you visit a mountain bike forum you'll find a large proportion of members there build their own bikes, slightly smaller here.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

My advice (and I am by no means an expert) is to pick a few that you are interested in and then try them out. Actually riding them and getting a feel for them might completely sway your opinion.

 

[Hawkwood]

+1 on Ribble. Campagnolo Veloce 10 appears to start at £725, and Shimano Tiagra 10 £660. Ribble also offers an interest free credit deal. And as the previous poster has stated you can customise to your heart's delight.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Hi guys, I'm new so I apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge about equipment and bikes (I'm a rower). I'm going to be buying a new bike soon and to be honest I'm not too sure on what I should pick, my budget is roughly around €700-800 and I just thought I'd ask for a little advice on the subject.

What I've been looking at so far are mainly the Boardman Race:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_789247_langId_-1_categoryId_165710

The Specialized Allez:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/allez-compact-2013-road-bike-ec040963

And possibly considering the price:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...01&langId=-1&productId=912141&catalogId=10151

I'd just like to ask any advice you veterans have to offer for myself as a buyer of an entry level bike and things I should look out for and avoid, I'm liking the Allez at the moment but wondering would the Shimano 2300 set be a problem or would it perform okay for a novice like me? And would it be okay to upgrade in future should I become more accustomed to bikes? The Allez always seems like a good option because of the STI shifters it has where as the Boardman race only has Sora gear shifters which can become a problem on descents, however would I be better off going for the Boardman considering it's lighter weight and it's carbon fork?

Thanks in advance!

Talk to some cyclists and go to a local bike shop they trust and talk to them. Get something MO and you 'may' be SOL', if something is wrong or if it doesn't fit. PLUS, regardless of what some will say, most MO stuff is 'self warrantied', that is, not via the manufacturer so that may or may not be an issue.

BUT a good, knowledgable LBS, it's what they do.

 

[mountainrman]

Is the bike to work scheme still going?
If so you may have a bigger budget than you think.

PaulsCycles are worth checking out for deals on previous years models eg 2010 2011 at knock down prices ( who cares whether it is this years colour?) BikeRadar can generally tell you whether anything significant has changed in that time. But as someone said, find the bike first, then find a good deal for it! A great bike for someone may be no good at all to anyone else!

There are generally good deals to be had on ebay for relatively new bikes particularly popular ones - eg a boardman team carbon can cost £800 - a massive discount to new, but still the same bike.

 

[Evan5177]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

In terms of the Ribbles I have looked at them before, the only problem is none of the bike shops close to me stock them and I will probably be able to get half price on the bike using the bike to work scheme so it will have to be a shop somewhere near. Today I went into this store.
http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/?gclid=CMTvtYP147YCFcg72wodJAYA5w

This is by far the best bike shop in my general area. I'll be able to save roughly half price on a bike LESS than €1,000 so I was thinking I might aswell stretch my budget to anything under that seeing as I would pick it up for around €450-500.

In the shop, the two bikes for the price range that seemed to stand out were these two:

http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/product/66263/Specialized-Allez-Sport-13/

The Allez again but this time the upgraded version has a carbon fork and Sora STI shifters. Very pretty bike too!

http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/product/62826/Cube-Peloton-Compact-2013/

I've decided that when I buy it will probably be from this store so just wondering how ye think these too compare? Slightly in favour of the Allez at the moment.


Thanks again.

 

[Evan5177]

Oh and I'm just wondering what are the differences between 25c and 23c tyres? Are the 25c's more reliable with slightly less speed? Or will it even make a difference?

Thanks again!

 

[BroDeal]

...

Last post? Yeah, right. He lied again.

 

[LugHugger]

Oh and I'm just wondering what are the differences between 25c and 23c tyres? Are the 25c's more reliable with slightly less speed? Or will it even make a difference?

Thanks again!

According to Continental and Specialized 25cc tyres are faster due to less elongation deformation than a 23cc - 25cc form a round contact patch with the road rather than oval with a 23cc. The weight gains are offset by the reduction in contact patch friction. Oh and they're more comfortable too due to the greater air volume. Don't over inflate tyres until they become dead , 90-110 is fine for most people dependent on your weight and road surface quality.

 

[avanti]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

In terms of the Ribbles I have looked at them before, the only problem is none of the bike shops close to me stock them and I will probably be able to get half price on the bike using the bike to work scheme so it will have to be a shop somewhere near. Today I went into this store.
http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/?gclid=CMTvtYP147YCFcg72wodJAYA5w

This is by far the best bike shop in my general area. I'll be able to save roughly half price on a bike LESS than €1,000 so I was thinking I might aswell stretch my budget to anything under that seeing as I would pick it up for around €450-500.

In the shop, the two bikes for the price range that seemed to stand out were these two:

http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/product/66263/Specialized-Allez-Sport-13/

The Allez again but this time the upgraded version has a carbon fork and Sora STI shifters. Very pretty bike too!

http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/product/62826/Cube-Peloton-Compact-2013/

I've decided that when I buy it will probably be from this store so just wondering how ye think these too compare? Slightly in favour of the Allez at the moment.


Thanks again.

This appears to be a general sports store rather than a dedicated local bike shop. My recommendation is to follow Bustedknuckle's advice (Post #5). Tell them what your budget is and they might figure out a deal for.


Also you will need a good pair of cycling shoes - these make a whole lot of difference. I use "touring"shoes with recessed cleats for trail use and commuting, and road shoes for club rides and racing. You can dispense with cleats and use short, strap free, toe clips initially to position your feet on the pedals, until you are used to your new bike.


Also recommend a helmet.

 

[sittingbison]

My advice.. .support your Local Bike Shop (LBS)

If that goes down the gurgler due to ebay you are screwed in the longer term

 

[mountainrman]

My advice.. .support your Local Bike Shop (LBS)

If that goes down the gurgler due to ebay you are screwed in the longer term

Too true of course.

I just had a fascinating experience. One of my bikes had a gearing problem. Took it into a LBS, not local to me, but one with experience of that bike.

So they started swapping parts looking for the problem.

When it came to swapping the shifter (a £300 part bought as a pair) I balked at paying full retail price, arguing that I wanted them to make a profit, but that didnt mean I was willing to pay £100 more than online places, but more importantly their price was £50 more than at other LBS, ie comparing like with like. With some brow beating they agreed.

That was not the end of the story.

It took them several days of changing everything, cables, shifters, mechs the lot to discover that the chain and cassette were the cause, presumably a fault in one damaged the other, so one simple swap of anything did not fix the bike. It must have taken them four to five hours, and in the end they did not need an expensive shifter.

I asked them for the bill. They refused to accept more than £25 for a "gearing fix". I argued telling them they could not possibly charge me less than 3-4 hours , since they had to make a profit, but I failed to argue them up to more than £30 they grudgingly took. I felt really churlish about having argued about the price of a shifter!!

Since then I have been looking for something to buy from them to make them a few quid instead.

I cannot imagine a halfords doing that, and certainly not an online store.

So it leaves you with a quandrary. If you buy a mid range carbon - say a 105 carbon , scott, cannondale synapse, whatever , the LBS will generally want £1600/1700 for it. To go ultegra in similar models is £2400 / £2500 is typical, but similar bikes are literally £1000 less from online sources or ebay.

So what do you do? Nobody can ignore a differential of £1000. There must be a middle ground somewhere. Maybe I am deluding myself into believing my approach works in keeping the LBS afloat, but I buy bikes at the price I can get them, but a stream of accessories always from the LBS, despite the price and they do have the highest margin %. I suspect (don't know) that LBS ( other than custom builders) don't make a great deal out of selling a bike unless they get significant volume sale discounts, and most will not do much volume.

 

[avanti]

This appears to be a general sports store rather than a dedicated local bike shop. ................

I took another look at the site you mentioned. It seems to be a triathete store which may be OK. However keep in mind that triathletes have a different bike riding position than do road riders; so make sure anyone advising you on a bike does road riding.

 

[dsut4392]

OT

Too true of course.

I just had a fascinating experience. One of my bikes had a gearing problem. Took it into a LBS, not local to me, but one with experience of that bike.

So they started swapping parts looking for the problem.

When it came to swapping the shifter (a £300 part bought as a pair) I balked at paying full retail price, arguing that I wanted them to make a profit, but that didnt mean I was willing to pay £100 more than online places, but more importantly their price was £50 more than at other LBS, ie comparing like with like. With some brow beating they agreed.

That was not the end of the story.

It took them several days of changing everything, cables, shifters, mechs the lot to discover that the chain and cassette were the cause, presumably a fault in one damaged the other, so one simple swap of anything did not fix the bike. It must have taken them four to five hours, and in the end they did not need an expensive shifter.

I asked them for the bill. They refused to accept more than £25 for a "gearing fix". I argued telling them they could not possibly charge me less than 3-4 hours , since they had to make a profit, but I failed to argue them up to more than £30 they grudgingly took. I felt really churlish about having argued about the price of a shifter!!

Since then I have been looking for something to buy from them to make them a few quid instead.

I cannot imagine a halfords doing that, and certainly not an online store.

I suggest you get them to order you in two of these, and two of these. When they come in, buy one of each, and suggest they keep the other for the workshop. Then find yourself a new mechanic

 

[dsut4392]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

In terms of the Ribbles I have looked at them before, the only problem is none of the bike shops close to me stock them and I will probably be able to get half price on the bike using the bike to work scheme so it will have to be a shop somewhere near. Today I went into this store.
http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/?gclid=CMTvtYP147YCFcg72wodJAYA5w

This is by far the best bike shop in my general area. I'll be able to save roughly half price on a bike LESS than €1,000 so I was thinking I might aswell stretch my budget to anything under that seeing as I would pick it up for around €450-500.

In the shop, the two bikes for the price range that seemed to stand out were these two:

http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/product/66263/Specialized-Allez-Sport-13/

The Allez again but this time the upgraded version has a carbon fork and Sora STI shifters. Very pretty bike too!

http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/product/62826/Cube-Peloton-Compact-2013/

I've decided that when I buy it will probably be from this store so just wondering how ye think these too compare? Slightly in favour of the Allez at the moment.


Thanks again.

Any LBS will be able to do the bike-to-work thing for you so your choices should be pretty open (especially if your employer is signed up to multiple schemes). Specialized historically haven't been great in value for money, but that has changed (at least in Australia, for their high-end MTBs) in the last year or so. Look around a bit and don't be shy asking for test rides of bikes you're genuinely considering - a good shop will be happy to let you take the bike out for half an hour to get a feel for it.

Ribble will only be stocked by Ribble - they don't deal through other shops [although you will often find the same frames under different decals, e.g. the Guerciotti frames ridden by Serramenti Androni were the exact same dedacciai frames as the Ribble Scuro RS]. I have one that I bought while working in the UK and love it, fantastic bike at a great price [even though not purchased on cyclescheme as I was a short term contract employee]

 

[mountainrman]

I suggest you get them to order you in two of these, and two of these. When they come in, buy one of each, and suggest they keep the other for the workshop. Then find yourself a new mechanic

Hmm...yes I must admit I certainly wondered why it took experts at the LBS so long to figure the problem.

But in their defence and mine, it is an aero bike with internal cable routing and there was certainly a question mark by both them and me over whether internal cable snagging was the cause of the problem, and I did not feel competent to get involved with internal cabling.

Anyway - I don't want to hijack this thread, but certainly supporting the LBS is an issue in the equation. I don't mind paying a premium over online stores to help, but there are big price differences hard to ignore.

One behaviour I absolutely abhorr, is those that go to an LBS to try something they then buy online. It has destroyed a lot of retail businesses, like local baby shops, and climbing shops who end up doing the work for the sale but not getting it, and clearly it threatens the LBS. I feel less guilty buying on ebay what I see in halfords!

 

[rgmerk]

Hi guys, I'm new so I apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge about equipment and bikes (I'm a rower). I'm going to be buying a new bike soon and to be honest I'm not too sure on what I should pick, my budget is roughly around €700-800 and I just thought I'd ask for a little advice on the subject.

You've really got to give the shifters a try. I couldn't stand the thumb switches on Sora, and had to upgrade to Tiagra. These days that upgrade is a lot more costly because Sora is 9 speed and Tiagra 10.

At this price range you might also consider second-hand.

 

[mountainrman]

You've really got to give the shifters a try. I couldn't stand the thumb switches on Sora, and had to upgrade to Tiagra. These days that upgrade is a lot more costly because Sora is 9 speed and Tiagra 10.

At this price range you might also consider second-hand.

Maybe I have missed something here, but on a budget of 750 - why do you need to settle for either?

A boardman team racing bike is higher spec 105 , which IMHO are far better, and in at that price. Comfortably in twith "bike to work" and a lot lower than that price for a relatively new one on ebay.

CORRECTION

Sorry scratch that, I am wrong. Is 999
Probably only available in that budget on ebay.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

My advice.. .support your Local Bike Shop (LBS)

If that goes down the gurgler due to ebay you are screwed in the longer term

'Gurgler'..gotta remember that.

 

[King Boonen]

I'm with mountainrman, I can't ignore online bargins, they are just too good, but I do try to buy all accessories from my LBS, where the discount doesn't always equal that much.


By the way, Ribble do the cyclescheme so you can get a bike through them my brother had to look about 100 miles from his place of work to get his roadrat, it doesn't have to be local.

 

[kuoirad]

You've really got to give the shifters a try. I couldn't stand the thumb switches on Sora, and had to upgrade to Tiagra. These days that upgrade is a lot more costly because Sora is 9 speed and Tiagra 10.

At this price range you might also consider second-hand.

I'm with rgmerk on the Sora vs. Tiagra thing - my first road bike had Soras on it, and I hated the thumb switch.

I'm a little sad about that, because it means I'll probably never be able to properly enjoy the "wonder" that is Campy because of that preference.

 

[DirtyWorks]

I'm with mountainrman, I can't ignore online bargins, they are just too good, but I do try to buy all accessories from my LBS, where the discount doesn't always equal that much.

Except if the rider doesn't want to waste time learning to fix his bike, then suddenly an LBS is a MUCH BETTER DEAL after the first or second maintenance.

I don't understand why consumers are so happy about spending a whole lot more later.

 

[cycladianpirate]

Too true of course.

I just had a fascinating experience. One of my bikes had a gearing problem. Took it into a LBS, not local to me, but one with experience of that bike.

So they started swapping parts looking for the problem.

When it came to swapping the shifter (a £300 part bought as a pair) I balked at paying full retail price, arguing that I wanted them to make a profit, but that didnt mean I was willing to pay £100 more than online places, but more importantly their price was £50 more than at other LBS, ie comparing like with like. With some brow beating they agreed.

That was not the end of the story.

It took them several days of changing everything, cables, shifters, mechs the lot to discover that the chain and cassette were the cause, presumably a fault in one damaged the other, so one simple swap of anything did not fix the bike. It must have taken them four to five hours, and in the end they did not need an expensive shifter.

I asked them for the bill. They refused to accept more than £25 for a "gearing fix". I argued telling them they could not possibly charge me less than 3-4 hours , since they had to make a profit, but I failed to argue them up to more than £30 they grudgingly took. I felt really churlish about having argued about the price of a shifter!!

Since then I have been looking for something to buy from them to make them a few quid instead.

I cannot imagine a halfords doing that, and certainly not an online store.

So it leaves you with a quandrary. If you buy a mid range carbon - say a 105 carbon , scott, cannondale synapse, whatever , the LBS will generally want £1600/1700 for it. To go ultegra in similar models is £2400 / £2500 is typical, but similar bikes are literally £1000 less from online sources or ebay.

So what do you do? Nobody can ignore a differential of £1000. There must be a middle ground somewhere. Maybe I am deluding myself into believing my approach works in keeping the LBS afloat, but I buy bikes at the price I can get them, but a stream of accessories always from the LBS, despite the price and they do have the highest margin %. I suspect (don't know) that LBS ( other than custom builders) don't make a great deal out of selling a bike unless they get significant volume sale discounts, and most will not do much volume.

I can't agree with your sentiments enough. I had much the same "problem" as yourself when getting some mudguards fitted (I lack the patience and skill to do it myself). My LBS were honest to the point of advising me to buy the mudguards online and to bring them in to be fitted. They then charged me the princely sum of £15 to fit them (beautifully).

I honestly had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from asking them what they were playing at and how they could possibly expect to run a business in that manner - I mean, what sort of hourly rate were they charging at?

I bought a pair of gloves and a few inner tubes instead....

 

[avanti]

I'm with mountainrman, I can't ignore online bargins, they are just too good, but I do try to buy all accessories from my LBS, where the discount doesn't always equal that much.
.......................

I know the owner of a LBS quite well; he says he could not exist without selling stuff through Craigslist and Ebay. Very often he sells take-off components, excess inventory, test bikes, old season bikes, and the occasional trade-in bike.