First Road Bike - any buying advice??

[Gavin Rees]

Help. I am looking to buy a road bike after turning to cycling following a severe skiing accident. I can no longer climb and ski so am throwing myself into riding.

I need to buy a bike to replace my clapped out MTB. I have a budget of £1200 (I know it should be more but hey!).

I have narrowed my search down to the Trek 1500 and the Cannondale R800. I have looked at Specialized, Giant and Scott but like the Trek and Cannondale.

Any suggestions? How much difference does the Ultegra make against the 105? I may look to race when I am able but that may be a long time in the future.

Should I look to buy a good frame and build from there, replacing gruppos and wheels etc when I can afford it?

So - good frame and go from there? Best complete bike I can find foo my budget? Look at other models?

Any advice will be gratefully appreciated. Thanks again!

 

[ccorrick]

Originally posted by Gavin Rees
Help. I am looking to buy a road bike after turning to cycling following a severe skiing accident. I can no longer climb and ski so am throwing myself into riding.

I need to buy a bike to replace my clapped out MTB. I have a budget of £1200 (I know it should be more but hey!).

I have narrowed my search down to the Trek 1500 and the Cannondale R800. I have looked at Specialized, Giant and Scott but like the Trek and Cannondale.

Any suggestions? How much difference does the Ultegra make against the 105? I may look to race when I am able but that may be a long time in the future.

Should I look to buy a good frame and build from there, replacing gruppos and wheels etc when I can afford it?

So - good frame and go from there? Best complete bike I can find foo my budget? Look at other models?

Any advice will be gratefully appreciated. Thanks again!

I say get what you like. Being new you probably won't feel a difference in the ride. Get the best components you can for the money. It will just be a bit crisper and smoother. Bascially all bikes in a set price range are going to be very comparable so whatever tickles your fancy or catches your eye. You will adapt to whatever you get. Make sure it fits and have fun.
My first real bike was an R800, road the wheels off the bloody thing! Man, I liked that bike. I'd be partial to the Cdale, but you're not going to go wrong with that trek either.

Since it's your first, I'd go with a complete bike. You can build one later as you learn what you like...

C-

 

[meehs]

I don't know how much your budget is in US $ but if you're looking at Ultegra and 105 you'll be able to get a really nice bike.

First thing is that fit should be your absolute number one priority. Get the bike that fits you the best! That's most important.

In my opinion there's really not a huge difference between 105 and Ultegra. I've said this before. I'd buy the bike with the best frame that you can afford. Parts wear-out over time and they'll eventually need to be replaced. You can always upgrade them when you buy new ones. A good frame will last you a long, long time.

Good luck!

 

[CayoMan]

When I bought my road bike five years ago, I first test drove about six different frames, by C'dale, Stevens, Trek and Müsing. I eventually settled for the Müsing, because it was the best fit (I'm pretty tall). I bought it mail-order from a company in Germany, and probably saved a few hundred quid that way. If you know what you want, it's easy to order that way, and even with shipping costs it came out cheaper than buying one in the UK. (Having said that - I also test drove them in Germany, so I don't know where you'd find a Müsing here in the UK).

The upshot - try out a lot of frames first! It was great fun and very informative ! Component-wise, I'd say get whatever you can afford. Ultegra is nice, but 105 is fine too, I'm sure. And buy what you actually _like_ - in the sense that if you enjoy your wheels, you'll ride more often !!

Enjoy the buying experience!
cheers,
Sven