Tips on buying a road bike



chemy222

New Member
May 31, 2007
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I'm currently looking at investing in a road bike. I have a hybrid at the moment, but am taking cycling more serious and keen to get a road bike. I have about £1000 to spend, but not sure to buy a ready made bike or to buy frame, wheels, etc and put it togther myself? - Any tips? Is their any advantage in buying gears & frame etc individually?
 
chemy222 said:
I'm currently looking at investing in a road bike. I have a hybrid at the moment, but am taking cycling more serious and keen to get a road bike. I have about £1000 to spend, but not sure to buy a ready made bike or to buy frame, wheels, etc and put it togther myself? - Any tips? Is their any advantage in buying gears & frame etc individually?
It is never cost effective to buy a frame and new parts and build a bike. From what I've seen, a whole bike generally costs 1/2 to 1/3 what the parts would cost.

In the US, for the equivalent of your budget, you could buy a very nice, "lifetime" bike that you would not need to upgrade unless your tastes and needs change. You need to educate yourself by cruising bike shops and on-line sources to see what you might get for your budget. Best way to buy is to test drive bikes in your budget and buy the one that feels best. In GENERAL (there are exceptions of course), all bikes within a certain price range will be very similar in componentry and quality, the only differences being color, and different geometry and fit.