Carl-h said:hi, Im after a road bike for about £300 max. I know its not alot but I want a bike for excersise mainly just riding on weekends or in the evening. I want something that is going to be fast and easy to ride, so not a mountain bike. Im not that bothered about weight because im not looking to race, just to ride for long slow(ish) rides to get fit. I want a bike that is not going to fall apart. I dont see why things will need replacing with the way I ride. I ride a very cheap mountain bike which I dont treat too well and it held together OK. Im 15 and Im want the bike for christmas. Also what sort of clothes do I need to wear when going for a long ride. I dont fancy all those tights but dont want to be sweating all the way, and are the CO2 bike pumps any good and will they fill he tyre if I get a puncture.
Thanks in Advance, Carl
Many of the major brand have bikes near that range (Giant, Trek, etc), but the component quality will not be too impressive. There are some tough issues for you: 1) your budget will limit your selection, so that used bikes should probably be considered, 2) proper bike fit is very important, so buying used will require you either know a cyclist who knows how to fit you or buying at a local bike shop (LBS) which drives the budget back up, and 3) you're probably still growing, so you may need to consider that in your bike sizing.
The tough thing about getting a bike AT Christmas time, a bike that should be fitted to you, means it's most likely to be a gift of "here is a budget for you to use towards your bike, which you get after Christmas." Or you go and get fitted beforehand. Perhaps you've already been looking around and know your bike size very well, in which case some of these complications may vanish.
As far as bike clothing, the shoes and padded shorts are your first priorities if you like to take long rides. The CO2 pumps work OK, but you better have enough CO2 cylinders and be able to patch your tubes correctly the first time, as you don't get as many chances before you run out of air.
Good luck! 🙂
