New cyclist requires help Re: what road bike to buy

[jonnyc]

Hello, this is my first time on this site/forum, so bare with me.

I am looking for advice;
I have been on and off road cycling for around 1 year (for fitness and leisure) on my mountain bike but have got hooked to on road cycling. I cycle 3 times a week doing 2 short rides (15-25 miles) and one longer ride (60 - 100miles) and have participated in organised mass participation rides, but I have urges to go faster, push myself further/harder and compete agaist other cyclists (I want to become more serious)- so I would like to have a go at local time trials and join a club and compete in races. Therefore I would like to purchase a road bike, but being a Law student I am on a budget, around £250 -£400 (though thats pushing it!). Does anyone have any suggestions of what road bike to go for within this price range that has a decent performance and would enable me to compete in T/T and races, but can be used for training over longer distances?

I have seen a 2004 Claud Butler Milano (with carbon forks and campag componants) on offer for GBP 399, and I know the Trek 1000 is not that much more but at the other end there's a Barracuda Azzuri for GBP 199.99 or Claud Butler San Remo for GBP 260

How do these compare to each other and which would you recommend?

Any advice on bikes and also on racing etc is welcome.

Thank you for taking your time out to read.

Jonathan

 

[cjcanty]

Most bikes within a particular price range are going to be pretty similar. The most important detail in buying a new bike is not the bike but the shop you buy it from. Make sure that they are committed to servicing you. Free maintenance is standard at the shop I deal with.

 

[BikeyGuy]

Good luck with the mount selection.
FIT, FIT, FIT. Make sure you have a bike that fits, including the proper stem length. The last thing you want is to realize tht your bike is sized wrong after your purchase.

 

[Ruff_Ryder]

Hello, this is my first time on this site/forum, so bare with me.

I am looking for advice;
I have been on and off road cycling for around 1 year (for fitness and leisure) on my mountain bike but have got hooked to on road cycling. I cycle 3 times a week doing 2 short rides (15-25 miles) and one longer ride (60 - 100miles) and have participated in organised mass participation rides, but I have urges to go faster, push myself further/harder and compete agaist other cyclists (I want to become more serious)- so I would like to have a go at local time trials and join a club and compete in races. Therefore I would like to purchase a road bike, but being a Law student I am on a budget, around £250 -£400 (though thats pushing it!). Does anyone have any suggestions of what road bike to go for within this price range that has a decent performance and would enable me to compete in T/T and races, but can be used for training over longer distances?

I have seen a 2004 Claud Butler Milano (with carbon forks and campag componants) on offer for GBP 399, and I know the Trek 1000 is not that much more but at the other end there's a Barracuda Azzuri for GBP 199.99 or Claud Butler San Remo for GBP 260

How do these compare to each other and which would you recommend?

Any advice on bikes and also on racing etc is welcome.

Thank you for taking your time out to read.

Jonathan

i was in the exact same situation as you a few weeks ago. in my opinion i think you should forget the San Remo and the Barracuda. them kind of bikes come with all sorts of dodgy gear such as heavy, unbranded components. the frames wont be that good either, so there isnt much room to improve on the bike.

if i was to go with a bike out of the ones you stated, i would go for the 2004 Claud Butler Milano. trust me, it really is worth that little extra.

i found a good deal on a 2005 Giant OCR3 (£390). i think this is a great bike for a beginner and would reccomend it. the OCR frame is very good for the price (its the same frame as on the OCR Zero priced at £1125!) and you get carbon forks.

iv still got some good links from when i was searching for a bike, have a look at them all:

https://sslrelay.com/s96379727.oneandoneshop.co.uk/sess/utn;jsessionid=1540c5897fbe918/bs_shopdata/0010_Bikes/product_overview.shopscript

 

[Ruff_Ryder]

Hello, this is my first time on this site/forum, so bare with me.

I am looking for advice;
I have been on and off road cycling for around 1 year (for fitness and leisure) on my mountain bike but have got hooked to on road cycling. I cycle 3 times a week doing 2 short rides (15-25 miles) and one longer ride (60 - 100miles) and have participated in organised mass participation rides, but I have urges to go faster, push myself further/harder and compete agaist other cyclists (I want to become more serious)- so I would like to have a go at local time trials and join a club and compete in races. Therefore I would like to purchase a road bike, but being a Law student I am on a budget, around £250 -£400 (though thats pushing it!). Does anyone have any suggestions of what road bike to go for within this price range that has a decent performance and would enable me to compete in T/T and races, but can be used for training over longer distances?

I have seen a 2004 Claud Butler Milano (with carbon forks and campag componants) on offer for GBP 399, and I know the Trek 1000 is not that much more but at the other end there's a Barracuda Azzuri for GBP 199.99 or Claud Butler San Remo for GBP 260

How do these compare to each other and which would you recommend?

Any advice on bikes and also on racing etc is welcome.

Thank you for taking your time out to read.

Jonathan

i was in the exact same situation as you a few weeks ago. in my opinion i think you should forget the San Remo and the Barracuda. them kind of bikes come with all sorts of dodgy gear such as heavy, unbranded components. the frames wont be that good either, so there isnt much room to improve on the bike.

if i was to go with a bike out of the ones you stated, i would go for the 2004 Claud Butler Milano. trust me, it really is worth that little extra.

i found a good deal on a 2005 Giant OCR3 (£390). i think this is a great bike for a beginner and would reccomend it. the OCR frame is very good for the price (its the same frame as on the OCR Zero priced at £1125!) and you get carbon forks.

i would also recommend the Dawes Giro 300.