Road bikes

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Doki
Can anyone give me some ideas on what a servicable basic road bike might cost?

Depends on what you want to do. Entry level to get you around a race might be £500, top end bikes £2500+. You could by second hand for less.

You could get a bike from Halfords, LBS, etc. for less, but good luck to you if you choose this option.

"Doki" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Can anyone give me some ideas on what a servicable basic road bike might cost?

(New) 300 quid - very very servicable (if that means taking it in for services ho ho ... poor
quality joke). It would seem you need to pay more to get things that are created out of something
than the parts bin from a few years back. At just over 500 quid there are all sorts, including
things from the likes of ribble and Giant.

Thats assuming you mean something approximating a road race bike. Otherwise its "Dawes Horizon" for
something with drops, or a big can of worms if we delve further into bicycles that do a reasonable
job of getting you from A to B on a road.

In article <[email hidden]>, usenet- [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Doki said:

Can anyone give me some ideas on what a servicable basic road bike might cost?

Depends on what you want to do. Entry level to get you around a race might be £500, top end bikes
£2500+. You could by second hand for less.

You could get a bike from Halfords, LBS, etc. for less, but good luck to you if you choose
this option.

--

Look at £300 minimum, £500 would be better. £2500 would get you a Vortex frame alone! Look second-
hand, but make sure you, or a friend knows what to look for. A lot of cyclist chop in for a new
bike every year, let them (me!) pay the deprecation! Oh, and get measured too, save you money in
the long run.

--
Mark (MSA) This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not volume. Some settling of contents may
have occurred during transmission

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Doki" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Can anyone give me some ideas on what a servicable basic road bike might cost?

Thats assuming you mean something approximating a road race bike. Otherwise its "Dawes Horizon"
for something with drops, or a big can of worms if we delve further into bicycles that do a
reasonable job of getting you from A to B on a road.

I'm not entirely sure 🙂. I don't want to be full on cycling short man, just something fairly
light and with road tyres...

What do you want it for?

If one takes 'road bike' to mean something that's predominantly for cycling on the road, (as oppose
to an energy-sucking mountain bike) road bikes include - Racing bikes
- Audax bikes
- Touring bikes
- Hybrid bikes
- Recumbent variants of all of the above
- Tricycle variants of all of the above
- Tandem variants...
- etc

My guess is that if you wanted a racing bike you would know you wanted a racing bike. They're built
for speed over comfort - I've never owned one so I shouldn't say any more about them.

Touring bikes look like racing bikes (curly drop handlebars), but they're stronger, more
comfortable, more practical, can take mudguards, are slower (but still waaay less work than a
mountain bike).

Audax bikes are somewhere in between racing bikes and tourers. They're built for people to ride
crazy distances - like 400 Km in one go - so they have to be comfortable but also quite fast.

Hybrid bikes look superficially like mountain bikes because they have flat handlebars rather than
drop handlebars, but they have narrower tyres and probably no suspension. This makes them less
work, but perhaps because they often use mountain bike components they tend to be the cheaper
option. A friend just bought a perfectly serviceable hybrid with a rear luggage carrier for about
£200. I've ridden it for 50 miles at a decent lick and whilst I'd prefer a proper tourer every
time, I had a nice day.

Tell us a bit more about yourself - whether you want the bike for exercise, work, competition, how
far you expect to ride and whether you'll need to take luggage - and we might be able to give you
more advice.

AC

Quoted message said:

Tell us a bit more about yourself - whether you want the bike for exercise, work, competition, how
far you expect to ride and whether you'll need to take luggage - and we might be able to give you
more advice.

And what kind of surfaces you'd want to ride it on - just tarmac or wil it go on any bridleways etc?

"anonymous coward" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If one takes 'road bike' to mean something that's predominantly for cycling on the road, (as
oppose to an energy-sucking mountain bike)

...

Quoted message said:

Hybrid bikes ... they have narrower tyres and probably no suspension.

A rigid mountain bike can be fitted with slick wheels, and hey presto. Admittedly there are almost
none of these left new, but there are second hand ones (choose a good make).

They can make good general purpose bikes, and I've done 1000s of miles on such bikes.

anonymous coward <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Doki" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
> Can anyone give me some ideas on what a servicable basic road bike might cost?

Thats assuming you mean something approximating a road race bike. Otherwise its "Dawes Horizon"
for something with drops, or a big can of worms if we delve further into bicycles that do a
reasonable job of getting you from A to B on a road.

I'm not entirely sure 🙂. I don't want to be full on cycling short man, just something fairly
light and with road tyres...

What do you want it for?

If one takes 'road bike' to mean something that's predominantly for cycling on the road, (as
oppose to an energy-sucking mountain bike) road bikes include - Racing bikes
- Audax bikes
- Touring bikes
- Hybrid bikes
- Recumbent variants of all of the above
- Tricycle variants of all of the above
- Tandem variants...
- etc

My guess is that if you wanted a racing bike you would know you wanted a racing bike. They're
built for speed over comfort - I've never owned one so I shouldn't say any more about them.

Touring bikes look like racing bikes (curly drop handlebars), but they're stronger, more
comfortable, more practical, can take mudguards, are slower (but still waaay less work than a
mountain bike).

Audax bikes are somewhere in between racing bikes and tourers. They're built for people to ride
crazy distances - like 400 Km in one go -

That's not crazy, that's middle distance. 1400 (London-Edinburgh-London) that's crazy!

2LAP <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Doki said:

Can anyone give me some ideas on what a servicable basic road bike might cost?

Depends on what you want to do. Entry level to get you around a race might be £500, top end bikes
£2500+. You could by second hand for less.

You could get a bike from Halfords, LBS, etc. for less, but good luck to you if you choose
this option.

I agree. The bottom end Carrera Valour from Halfords is a case in point; sounds good value at 250
but when you look at all the cheap nasty components which will probably need replacing within a
short while you can add at least another 100, so why not spend the extra on a better bike in the
first place?. As has been mentioned be wary of bike which have a few big name components and a lot
of low quality ones. it seems to be a common ploy. Good luck ;-)

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That's not crazy, that's middle distance. 1400 (London-Edinburgh-London) that's crazy!

Yes. Fancy wanting to cycle in London

W K said:

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That's not crazy, that's middle distance. 1400 (London-Edinburgh-London) that's crazy!

Yes. Fancy wanting to cycle in London

Back to London, thats crazy

--
The Reply & From email addresses are checked rarely. mseries.freeserve.co.ukmseries.freeserve.co.ukOpen ↗

Research, chaps, research. The nearest it gets to London Town Devine these days is Harlow.

--

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

MSeries <[email hidden]> wrote:
: W K wrote:
:> "MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
:> "]news:[email hidden]...
:>
:>> That's not crazy, that's middle distance. 1400 (London-Edinburgh-London) that's crazy!
:>
:> Yes. Fancy wanting to cycle in London

: Back to London, thats crazy

It's even worse than that - LBL is actually something like Harlow - Dalkeith - Harlow. And Harlow is
really the pits.

--
Arthur Clune clune.orgclune.orgOpen ↗ "Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

Arthur Clune said:

It's even worse than that - LBL is actually something like Harlow - Dalkeith - Harlow. And Harlow
is really the pits.

Dalkeith isn't exactly up to much either!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

in message <[email hidden]>, MartinM

(') said:

2LAP <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

You could get a bike from Halfords, LBS, etc. for less, but good luck to you if you choose this
option.

I agree. The bottom end Carrera Valour from Halfords is a case in point; sounds good value at 250
but when you look at all the cheap nasty components which will probably need replacing within a
short while you can add at least another 100, so why not spend the extra on a better bike in the
first place?. As has been mentioned be wary of bike which have a few big name components and a lot
of low quality ones. it seems to be a common ploy. Good luck ;-)

With this caveat. Sometimes you can get bikes at the bottom end of a good manufacturer's range which
have a good frame but cheap parts (bottom of the line Cannondales being a case in point). You can
upgrade the parts over time; upgrading a frame is considerably more difficult. So a cheap bike with
a good frame may be a bargain.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

Do not sail on uphill water.
- Bill Lee

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Simon Brooke
I agree...
With this caveat. Sometimes you can get bikes at the bottom end of a good manufacturer's range which have a good frame but cheap parts (bottom of the line Cannondales being a case in point). You can upgrade the parts over time; upgrading a frame is considerably more difficult. So a cheap bike with a good frame may be a bargain.

This is sage advice 🙂 Your frame is the core of your bike. It's far easier to upgrade your components than to replace your entire frame. Component replacement allows a gradual improvement, with a new frame it's all or nothing, and you've got to hope you get it right.

Simon Brooke <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, MartinM

(') said:

2LAP <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

You could get a bike from Halfords, LBS, etc. for less, but good luck to you if you choose this
option.

I agree. The bottom end Carrera Valour from Halfords is a case in point; sounds good value at
250 but when you look at all the cheap nasty components which will probably need replacing
within a short while you can add at least another 100, so why not spend the extra on a better
bike in the first place?. As has been mentioned be wary of bike which have a few big name
components and a lot of low quality ones. it seems to be a common ploy. Good luck ;-)

With this caveat. Sometimes you can get bikes at the bottom end of a good manufacturer's range
which have a good frame but cheap parts (bottom of the line Cannondales being a case in point).
You can upgrade the parts over time; upgrading a frame is considerably more difficult. So a cheap
bike with a good frame may be a bargain.

Agreed; an alloy frame will only be about 2kg whatever the make, but the extra weight will go on
steel forks instead of alloy/carbon + heavier components. You need to look at what you will end up
ripping off the frame and replacing, and comapre that to the cost of buying the extra bits on the
first place in the shape of a better bike. I know, I've made the good frame with rubbish parts
mistake before. And once you start upgrading it can be a downhill slope ;-(

Doki said:

anonymous coward said:

Quoted message said:

> "Doki" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
>> Can anyone give me some ideas on what a servicable basic road bike might cost?
>
> Thats assuming you mean something approximating a road race bike. Otherwise its "Dawes Horizon"
> for something with drops, or a big can of worms if we delve further into bicycles that do a
> reasonable job of getting you from A to B on a road.

I'm not entirely sure 🙂. I don't want to be full on cycling short man, just something fairly
light and with road tyres...

What do you want it for?

If one takes 'road bike' to mean something that's predominantly for cycling on the road, (as
oppose to an energy-sucking mountain bike) road bikes include - Racing bikes
- Audax bikes
- Touring bikes
- Hybrid bikes

Form what people have said these sound about right...

Quoted message said:

- Recumbent variants of all of the above.

Too likely to disappear under an X5 🙂.

Wot's an X5? I buy your concern, but in reality you do want a recumbent even though you don't know
it yet. Everyone does 😉.

The height thing isn't necessarily an issue - I have a high recumbent and if I go cycling with my
friend who has a racer, our heads are actually level when he goes down on the drops. But if cost is
a big concern then you may want to gather enthusiasm over the next few years before buying your
first recumbent.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My guess is that if you wanted a racing bike you would know you wanted a racing bike. They're
built for speed over comfort - I've never owned one so I shouldn't say any more about them.

I don't want the horror of a rock hard saddle made out of a piece of super light
unobtainium etc...

Quoted message said:

Touring bikes look like racing bikes (curly drop handlebars), but they're stronger, more
comfortable, more practical, can take mudguards, are slower (but still waaay less work than a
mountain bike).

Audax bikes are somewhere in between racing bikes and tourers. They're built for people to ride
crazy distances - like 400 Km in one go - so they have to be comfortable but also quite fast.

Hybrid bikes look superficially like mountain bikes because they have flat handlebars rather than
drop handlebars, but they have narrower tyres and probably no suspension. This makes them less
work, but perhaps because they often use mountain bike components they tend to be the cheaper
option. A friend just bought a perfectly serviceable hybrid with a rear luggage carrier for about
£200. I've ridden it for 50 miles at a decent lick and whilst I'd prefer a proper tourer every
time, I had a nice day.

This sounds about right, though I'd not be averse to drop handlebars if they weren't totally daft.

They used to be completely daft, as you couldn't reach the brakes from certain positions. Now they
normally have several brake levers. Apart from the aerodynamic thing they let you change hand
position which can be welcome on longer rides.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Tell us a bit more about yourself - whether you want the bike for exercise, work, competition,
how far you expect to ride and whether you'll need to take luggage - and we might be able to give
you more advice.

Exercise.

If you're really only interested in exercise, a cheap mountain bike is the way to go ;-) Reading
(possibly misreading) between the lines you want to do day rides of about 50 miles, and probably
alone rather than as part of a cycling club?

Quoted message said:

Not really bothered about luggage (assuming it's halfway sane to ride a bike with a small rucksack
with your lunch in).

It'd probably be very worthwhile buying a saddle-bag or handlebar bag. If you're going far enough to
need lunch, you'll want to take a small repair kit, waterproofs and a few other items. These really
begin to weigh on your shoulders after a while, and your back gets clammy.

Hmmm... My advice would be that the bike is only a small part of an enjoyable day out. So long as
it's trustworthy (i.e. not likely to break catastrophically 60 miles from home) and fits you
reasonably OK then it's not worth bothering about until you've learnt enough that you don't need to
ask what you want...

If you have a mountain bike, I'd suggest sticking skinny tyres on it and spending the rest of the
money on having it tuned by a good bike shop.

If you haven't already done so:
- Buy a copy of 'Cyclecraft' - cycling safely on the roads demands a different skillset from driving
on the roads.
- Learn a little about what to wear, how fast to turn the pedals, what to eat and other aspects
of cycling such as clipless pedals - partly from browsing the internet, and partly by 'doing'.
You don't need to wear lycra to have a good day out, but there are plenty of reasons not to
cycle in jeans.
- Maybe join a cycling club for a few runs. There are lots of completely non-competitive clubs out
there, and they'll be able to give you advice, let you try different styles of bike etc... without
forcing you to dress in lycra.
- Be careful what bike shop you go to - there are lots of good ones, but lots of them will want to
sell you a BMX, MTB, racer... rather than the bike that you need.

AC

Doki said:

Quoted message said:

- Recumbent variants of all of the above.

Quoted message said:

Too likely to disappear under an X5 🙂.

Why? It appears to be a very common misconception that recumbents are=20 too low to be easily
visible. Mine puts me at the same height as a=20 typical car driver, certainly higher than my friend
in his Lotus. He=20 doesn't worry about disappearing under 4 x 4s, I don't either. Folk=20 that ride
them don't seem to be in the habit of not being seen any more=20 than the upright folk.

Quoted message said:

I don't want the horror of a rock hard saddle made out of a piece of su=

per

Quoted message said:

light unobtainium etc...

You can put most saddles on most bikes, you're not stuck with what's=20 supplied.

Quoted message said:

Exercise. Not really bothered about luggage (assuming it's halfway sane=

to

Quoted message said:

ride a bike with a small rucksack with your lunch in).

If that's all you want then I'd get a hybrid, simply because you can get =

a quite reasonable rigid one from about =A3200 and the other options will=
=20
all cost you more: the economies of scale!

It's halfway sane to ride with a light rucksack, but *only* halfway.=20 You've just bought a strong
frame to take your weight, why not let it=20 take more and hang your lunch on it directly? It's just
so much nicer=20 not wearing a rucksack, even an empty one!

Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics,
Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

MartinM said:

I agree. The bottom end Carrera Valour from Halfords is a case in point; sounds good value at 250
but when you look at all the cheap nasty components which will probably need replacing within a
short while you can add at least another 100, so why not spend the extra on a better bike in the
first place?. As has been mentioned be wary of bike which have a few big name components and a lot
of low quality ones. it seems to be a common ploy. Good luck ;-)

What are the most important components other than the frame you should check?

Marc