Asking the impossible...

First of all, yes, bicycles do come in sizes, and fit is the most important thing in buying a bike. Height alone does not determine the corect size. Inseam length, arm length, torso length, flexibiliby, and fitness level are all important. Search this site and there are many links to fit calculators, but the only way to get a really good fit is to be fit by someone who knows what they are doing. Many local bike shops (LBS) can do this.

In your price range, do not even think about weight or frame composition. You are looking at an entry-level aluminum frame with Shimano Sora or Tiagra (if you are lucky) components, and inexpensive, heavy (but most likely durable) wheels.

The problem with the bike on the link is that there is not enough information provided to say anything about it. They do not list the frame size or geometry. Shimano makes a wide variety of components ranging from extremely cheap to extremely high end. From the price, they have to be low end, but how low? Grip shifters are usually only found on hybrids and mountain bikes. I had not seen them before on a road bike.

The main problem with buying a used bike is that you do not have the experience to know if the bike fits you. If you have someone who can help you in that regard, and you can inspect and ride the bike before you buy, you might get lucky and find a bargin, but if you buy a used bike on your own, you are likely to end up with a bike that does not fit you or a bike that will cost half again in repairs to get into proper working order.

Your best bet would be to check out some LBS and see what they have. The good news is that this is the time of year the 2007 models are coming out, and you might find a good deal on a new 2006. At the very least, you will find someone who can give you a good idea of what size bike you need and what adjustments to the fit will be needed. This would give you more information to go on while you continue to search for the right used bike.

I am not sure about UK pricing, but entry level road bikes from Trek, Felt, Specialized, Giant, and LeMond might be found for £400. They usually can be had for $600 to $700 this time of year.

Thanks for that RickF, very helpful 🙂

I went to a LBS yesterday and spoke to one of the guys who seemed to know what he was talking about. He basically said that I shouldn't really consider anything below about £550, because it'll show in the quality. I really can't afford that, and as I said my limit is about £200, so I'll have to take my chances on ebay.

I've spotted those fit calculators and I'll be taking all the measurements I need, and I'll look out for something suitable. I guess another thing I could do is go and get measured up for a bike and find something I'm comfortable with, then find all its measurements in a brochure or something and try and find a 2nd hand bike with similar sizes?

A couple of friends have said it might not be a bad idea to buy a mountain bike and fit road tyres... what would you say to that?

I really didn't realise buying a bike was so complicated!

Another possibility is a hybrid. Hybrids are in between a mountain bike and a road bike. They generally have tires that are the same diameter as those on a road bike (700 cm), but slightly wider (35 to 38 mm instead of 23 mm). The frames tend to be heavy, similar to a mountain bike, and the gearing covers a wider range, going from the lowest gears of a mountain bike to the highest gear of a road bike. Hybrids generally start at about £250, but this is the end of the model year, so you are likely to find 2006 models discounted to about £200.

I did a quick search and found the Specialized Crossroads brixtoncycles.co.ukcommuter crossroads.htmlOpen ↗ and the Trek 7000 trekbike.co.ukbikes.phpOpen ↗ might be good options for you. I have a Specialized Crossroads and a Specialized Roubaix (unfortunately, at $1849 (~£1299), it is out of your price range). The Roubaix is much better on the road, but the Crossroads is much more versatile. I use the Crossroads on bike paths and multi-use trails and the Roubaix on the road. On the road, I can average about 3 mph faster on the Roubaix than on the Crossroads, but if I want to add a rack and panniers to go shopping or to commute to work, I will use the Crossroads.

Other manufaturers have similar entry-level hybrids. In general, you will get more for your money with a hybrid than with a road bike or mountain bike.

The main reason that road bikes are so expensive is that you are paying to keep the weight down. The manufacturers are under the impression that anyone who would buy a 30+ pound bike would be just as happy with a hybrid as they would be with a 30+ pound road bike. To go from 30 pounds to 24 pounds more than doubles the cost, and further weight reductions increase the cost exponentially. My 30+ pound Crossroads Elite was $400. My 20 pound Roubaix Elite was $1850. If I had the money and was so inclined, I could have purchased the S-Works Roubaix for $5500, and it would have weighed in at about 15.5 pounds. That is a lot of money to spend to save 4.5 pounds, but that is the way the bicycle world works.

Yes I figured the weight would be the main issue, personally I'd rather lose a few lb's myself than spend £1000 more on a bike lol

I do think I need to go for a road bike. I'm aiming to be able to cover 100+ mile journeys and I don't want to make it harder by buying a bike which isn't 100% suited to the task. I won't ever use it for anything else, so I may as well get a road bike.