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entry level bike


all cycling so far has been on my specialized mountain bike. its heavy..... actually very heavy. i don;t mind training on it as its really sorting my fitness out but i am looking at doing my first sprint tri in about 6 weeks and figure now is the time to get a road bike.



i had a brief look in halfords at the weekend just to see what is about, the bikes in there are not that light TBH !



any sugestions on a starter road bike that will last me a few years?



or maybe a second hand bike site as i can;t find one locally or on line (bedfordshire area)





Comments

  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    A lot of people are all about to chip in and say "Whichever bike fits you best within your budget".... Unless you are very certain about your measurements and what you are looking for then you must have a test ride, even if it is just up and down the road.



    So, I guess you need some suggestions of which ones to try out:



    Hard to say without any idea of budget, but as a suggestion the Giant SCR 3.0 seems to be pretty good for a budget bike, and can be had for less than £300 if you don't mind last year's colours. Four of the guys at my club have bought them, and they've all been chuffed to bits.



    On the other hand, you could be loaded..... go buy a Cervelo P3C and some big-ass Zipp wheels. [:D]
  • TeaJayTeaJay Posts: 29
    yeah sorry should have said, I'm not loaded. (who is at the moment)



    i was thinking £300 to £400 to start, to be honest if i can get a better bike second hand for that money i would preffer that but would be happy just to get off my moutain bike to be honest.



    we did 35K at the weekend, through the chilterns so a bit hilly, 107mins and very sore quads ! very poor average speed and i am sure i can increase that by 8Km / hr just by getting any old road bike. i hope so anyway.



    i will go check out the giant, i tried there mountain bike a few years back and wasn't that impressed. mind you, doing a different sport now so guess i need to have an open mind.



    thanks for the help !



  • Hi there, I am selling my bike that i bought this year as my first Tri bike. It is light at 9.2kg and very quick, i've only done 5 races on it but cannot keep it anymore as am moving house and haven't enough storage space! Perfet running condition and no scratches!!!.



    I bought it for £899 in February. But would be willing to take around £550ono if your interested. Have a look at what you think. Am based in Wimbledon, London so not that far really.



    I'll post a picture of it.
  • ashthetashashthetash Posts: 164
    If you end up buying new, don't forget to investigate the cycle2work scheme. Look back through this forum and you will find some information on various threads. I believe it can save you a few bob but haven't used it as yet myself.
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    As Bopo says Giant SCR3 does the business, you will start to see bargains as the dealers clear the shelves for shinier faster (i.e. more red) kit



    Sizing is important so hook up with a good LBS or cycle/tri club for advice and possible bargains.



    I would suggest you do not spend more than £300 - £400 - if you get the bug you will in all probability want to upgrade and need to have some pennies put to one side, then of course all the other go faster bits and pieces.



    Good luck
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    Bomopho is dead right save your money and then buy some speed - Cervevlo P3C Record equipped with Zipp (or Corima) wheels.

    Otherwise save your money for a little longer as you will not get a decent bike for less than £500 better to go for £700+. The tight fisted will call me elitist but there you have it!

  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    Hi treefrog:



    In my original post I was typing up some stuff about maybe stretching to CAAD5 or CAAD9 bikes, even if that meant getting a Tiagra set-up then upgrading later. Then I deleted it all 'cos I didn't know the budget available. (Not that I'm fixated on the CAAD frames, I just know that they can be had cheap and are very upgradeable). In principle I agree, but there are practical considerations, damn them!



    Aside, I saw a lot of P3C based bikes at the London Tri. It really is becoming ubiquitous, and looks utterly stunning up close. What the hell are Cervelo going to do to improve it for next year???



    All:



    It's a tough choice: getting an SCR 3.0 (or similar) now, or riding an MTB for 12-24 months (or whatever) while saving up for something a bit better.



    I'd say the most important thing, if you're only making one big investment in tri, is to get off your MTB and onto something with a set of drops, some road gears and a reasonably light frame. It hasn't done me so badly for a few years - I've certainly learned about which bits are important. I finally got enough together to spend £1000 on what I would think is my 'ultimate bike'.



    treefrog is perfectly correct, of course.... at the lower end of the market each pound buys you a lot more performance so if you are on a tight budget but might be able to sneak a bit more past the missus/bank manager/credit card then it will probably be worth it. Like anything, it gets into diminishing returns at the top of the scale where you an make increasingly finer cost/benefit judgements.

  • HarriHarri Posts: 40
    TeaJay, this was my first season and i had never cycled anywhere before. I bought a Giant SCR 3 and it's been fab. A great entry bike, very light for racing and i ride it to work too. Going to upgrade in a month or so as i want something more badass for the 70.3 next year but would defo recommend the Giant.



    H
  • nivaghnivagh Posts: 595
    I got a second hand Trek 1500 off Ebay and have recently switched the frame over for a carbon fibre TT frame (also, from Ebay - spot the trend?) - the Trek was too big for me really at 56 cm but the 50cm TT frame is just right!

    With tri bars on top (guess where they came from....), once I've sold the Trek frame, my total spend will have been about £600
  • TeaJayTeaJay Posts: 29
    cheers guys, lots to think about there !



    to be honest i am a tight git when i start something new, untill i know its for me i start of with basics and take it from there. the way i see the triathlon is my times will get better the next few years due to training hard anyway, then learning the transitions and techneques the next few years...... then if i hit a platter i can always grab some "free" time by spending money later :)



    anyway, thanks for the help i will go check out the Giant i think and take it from there.



    anyway just filled in the form for my first event, sprint at South Shropshire. 28-08-08 400 / 26km / 6.25km



    what are reseanable times for a starter with "medium" fitness levels. i know, another open ended question ?!?



    to the guy who offered me the bike, not quite the right time but thanks anyway.



    thanks again,













  • TeaJayTeaJay Posts: 29
    Nivagh, thats about how i work too !



    anybody can spend money, i preffer to work hard first then spend the money afterwards, i may know what i am talking about by then too :)
  • JonhinioJonhinio Posts: 289
    Hi Teejay, I bought the Giant SCR4 from JE James in Rotherham for £350 and it's been fine. Completed my first sprint with it.
  • I rented a bike for the season £100 from TriUK.

    If short of cash or like me new to sport a good way to get into it

  • Anyone have knowledge or experience of Cannondale Caad9 105??



    Looking for entry level bike with 10-speed groupset (apparently important) spending absolute max of £900
  • Superb frame. Buy it if you plan on upgrading over the years. The 105 set-up gets you into the 10-speed Shimano range, so you can slowly replace bits with Ultegra / Dura-Ace as you get spare cash.



    IIRC the wheels are crying out for an upgrade on the CAAD9/105. Budget reynolds, I think?



    I don't have one, but I know a man who does.
  • many thanks for that - just need to get it past the powers at be
  • Hi, i'm new to all this too. i live in cornwall and there not much choice really. I jumped in without too much consideration and bought last years model specialized allez sport as it had a £200 reduction and seemed a good bike. I didnt want 2 spend more than 500 either- see if you can get last years model. I'm well chuffed with it! Anybody got this bike? mine's the 07 model. I no 09 is out now though. [;)]
  • I actually bought a muddy fox carver for £180 off e-bay, it was the cheapest i could find. I am going to save up and get a decent bike in 2 or 3 years and then use this bike on a turbo trainer.



    as i said in a different post, i finnished my first tri and the bike got me round, which will do for a few years ! i only had 3 training sessions on it before my event so i have a bit of a sore back now. its very different to a MTB....



    i will go back to do the same event next year and my aim is to knock 10mins off the ride section, which shouldn;t be too hard.



    so heres to 3 years time and decent bike :)







  • BertBert Posts: 24
    Hi everyone, Im new on here and just wanted to show a few frames and items I can supply at good prices.



    click the link below:

    http://s367.photobucket.com/albums/oo112/Colbert_Carbon_Cycles/?action=view&current=WilierLeRoibuild001.jpg



    This bike is for sale at the moment on the `for sale` section for £2300( FSA tri bar extensions also available).



    I can get my hands on top quality frames/components for good prices,example, this frame is worth £1500 rrp.

    My price for frameset (carbon frame/fork/seatpost/headset) £800



    Sorry if this is a bit cheeky of me to ADVERTISE like this, but I too spent WAY WAY too much money on bike/frames/components over the years and have now found suppliers so evryone gets a good deal.



    Thanks

    Stephen
  • puddlespuddles Posts: 37
    Teajay- I did my first sprint at Bodmin in Cornwall last sunday. I'd say i was about 'average' fitness and my times were 10 mins for 400m swim (my worst bit) 51 mins for 14.5mile (22km) cycle and 51 mins for 5.5 mile (8.5Km) run. maybe this will help?? I didnt hav a clue what times to put on my form. Also hav a look on blacksheepsports.co.uk its a timings website. My bodmin time is on there. Cheers

    and good luck! [:D]
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