Bike recommendations

[Needtogetoffmyphone]

Hi

i just wondered if anyone could give me some pointers about buying a road bike. I’d like to get into cycling - as plenty of routes in our area, and it would help my fitness.

I don’t want to go overboard spending unnecessary money, nor do I want to waste money buying something that’s too heavy etc.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated
Thank you.

It's a tricky question without knowing more.
Have you done much cycling before? What's the terrain like where you live and what kind of riding are you envisaging doing?
And, most importantly, what's your budget?
The bike market is still a bit tricky at the moment, with a shortage of some components meaning that there are long waits for some models. That has pushed second hand prices up somewhat, but there are still good deals to be found, and you will almost always get more bike for your money second hand, if you know what you are looking at (or can take someone who does.)
Your best starting point is probably to find a bike shop that stocks a range of different brands and have a look at what's available. You might have to visit a number of different shops though as most have arrangements with different manufacturers and only stock specific brands. Some do sell used bikes that they take as part exchange as well, which can be a good option as you get a bit more security than buying from a private seller.
I'd imagine you probably want to look at an aluminium frame from a reputable mainstream manufacturer like Giant (Liv is their women's range) or Specialized. You won't necessarily need a women's specific bike, but they are worth considering especially if you're short like me! My winter road bike is an aluminium Liv Avail with a Shimano Tiagra groupset.It is a good, straightforward, reliable bike that is fairly light for an aluminium bike and might make a good starting point for you to look at. There are loads of similar offerings from other manufacturers though so do shop around.

I got my bike from these guys, www.highwaycycles.co.uk they are based in Hertfordshire but do nationwide delivery by their own staff. I got an electric bike but they do a range of bikes including road. They were very helpful and knowledgable.

Thank you.

I did appreciate that I didn’t really know what I was asking - really just wanted some starting ideas to think about.

I have done very little road cycling, but there are a lot of cyclists (including friends and my husband), where we live. Plenty country roads (can be quieter) and plenty hills.

I had a Giant mountain bike until it was stolen and I liked it.

Think the budget would be high hundreds up to about £1000.

Find an independent local cycle shop. Go in and ask for advice, they will have more time and knowledge and can advise on what would suit you. A test ride on what you think will work is also a good idea as you can see what it feels like. Avoid places like Decathlon or Halfords.

I suppose the other thing to think about is do you want drop handlebars? There are a lot of decent hybrid bikes with straight bars around these days. Just dont get one with suspension - extra weight and no real benefit if you are riding on roads. As I am getting older and less flexible I am starting to see the appeal of flat bars, though I will probably stick with drops for a while longer.
I wouldn't normally recommend going to Halfords but the Boardman range is quite good. A friend of mine who is a fairly serious cyclist has a flat barred Boardman hybrid that she uses for commuting which she's been very happy with. A Canyon Roadlite would be another good option if you think you'd prefer flat bars but unfortunately they only sell direct so it's hard to get to try one out. Their online bike fitting tool works pretty well though.
Here's the Liv website - they make a good range of decent quality bikes with a wide price range. My winter bike is a slightly older version of the Avail AR 2 and it's never let me down. There are other versions with lower spec parts that are a bit cheaper. The Thrive might be of interest too - it's described as a fitness bike but is basically a glat barred road/hybrid. www.liv-cycling.com/gb/bikes-avail-ar
If you are in a hilly area, just make sure you go for something with low enough gears. I'd suggest a 50/34 chain ring and something like an 11-30 cassette. I'd probably go for disc brakes too, though to be honest, you don't get the choice on a lot of newer bikes and several companies dont do rim brake models at all now.
You wont get a high performance bike at that price point, but if you stick with any of the reputable brands you should be able to get something comfortable and reliable, especially second hand. Happy shopping!

Thank you very much - that’s really helpful information to start my research from

@MrsAvocet why do you recommend aluminium over carbon?
Ive got into cycling over the last 6 months, up to 80mile Sunday spins, some flat, some hills, average pace around 25km/h and want to upgrade my bike. You seem to know your stuff. What would you recommend?

Sorry for hijacking thread!

@Shopgirl1 I wouldn't recommend aluminium over carbon per se, but the OP was looking for a "starter" bike and not wanting to spend a huge amount of money. A good quality aluminium frame with decent components is almost always going to be better than lower end carbon fibre. There's pros and cons either way. Carbon is lighter of course - or at least good carbon is - and, in my experience, more comfortable. But it's not the be all and end all. It's not as robust and at best very expensive and at worst impossible to repair in the event of significant damage. Fit is probably the biggest determinant of comfort, and comfort is key to enjoyingbyour cycling whether you're a leisure cyclist or a racer or anything in between, so that's what I'd focus on primarily.
What do you currently ride and what's your rough budget for your new bike?

That’s great info. Thanks.
I currently just have an old aluminium Fuji road bike, I don’t know the model, I think I paid around £400 for it, it’s 6 or 7 years old and not light, but it’s served me well. I’ve upgraded the tires on it, but that’s all. I don’t have a fixed budget, but probably not more than £3k and ideally around £2k.

Meant to say, like many people I've got both aluminium and carbon fibre framed bikes. I ride my ally road bike in the Winter and when I was working it was what I used to commute on. It's bomb proof, can take mudguards and is less likely to be stolen (and a lot cheaper to replace if it does get stolen!) but it's still fairly light and enjoyable to ride. My "best" road bike is carbon and I keep that for Summer, or at least dry days. I love it, it's my favourite bike to ride as it's light, responsive but not too twitchy and really comfortable. But I think that is as much because it fits me like a glove as it is what it's made of. Frame material is only one factor that contributes to a good bike, and different bikes are good for different things anyway. Which is where the saying comes from that the optimum number of bikes to own is N+1 where N is the number of bikes you currently have. 😂😂

Was wondering what the difference between summer and winter bikes was.
Thanks, great info.

There are loads of good bikes available around that price @Shopgirl1 Any of the big brands should have something that will suit you. It's always hotly debated whether women's specific bikes are a good thing or not. Personally, I think it probably depends on your build. I'm short but have relatively long limbs compared to my torso and I find frames designed for women seem to suit me better than unisex ones, whereas my lomng bodied best friend prefers men's frames. But if you want to look at women's frames, I'd start with Liv, which is Giant's women's brand. Specialized also do some good women's bikes, as do Canyon and probably others.
From the sounds of the kind of riding you do, you want a road bike with endurance geometry. Road bikes come in broadly two types of geometry - endurance and out and out race bikes. Endurance frames put you in a slightly more relaxed position, a bit more upright and are generally more comfortable and suitable for longer rides. It's easy to be seduced by the good looks of a high end race bike but unless you are a super flexible racing whippet, it's probably not what you need. I'd start by looking at something like a Liv Avail, Specialized Ruby or Canyon Endurace.
You need to decide what type of groupset (gears and brakes) you want. There's a wide range of quality and prices. Personally, I would probably opt for Shimano 105, or Tiagra, which is one down in the hierarchy, is pretty good these days too. If you've got money for upgrades I'd go for better wheels rather than really expensive gears, but obviously that's just my personal opinion and others might give you different advice.
Ideally you need to try some bikes for size though and this may involve trawling round a lot of bike shops unfortunately. Most shops tend to carry limited stock, and sadly they tend to have men's medium and large frames in more than anything else, as that's what they sell most of. Unfortunately some bike shops are very dismissive of women - I've had some bad experiences, so they didnt get my money! But some places are really helpful. I've had a member of staff bring her own bike in for me to try in one shop, and in another they rang a customer who'd recently bought what I was interested in and she let me try hers. Be persistent, at least sit on and ideally ride as many bikes as you can, and don't be pressured into buying something you're not completely happy with. Good luck and enjoy your shopping!

Loads of great info there, thanks! I’m tall, 6ft, I think I made a mistake getting a ladies bike last time and it’s actually a bit small for me, so I’ll be leaning towards unisex this time.
Endurance also sounds right….if I race it would be triathlons so that would be right for me anyway I think, just with TT bars added for the moment. Looking forward to going shopping!

Oh you are going to be even more spoiled for choice in that case then, and much likely to find bikes you can actually try out in bike shops. All of the big mainstream brands will have some decent bikes at around the price point you are looking at. People have their own personal preferences and brand loyalties of course but to be honest, I think you'll get something pretty similar from all the big brands and it's a matter of personal preference and where you can get the best deal. None of the manufacturers sell "bad" bikes at £2-3k in my opinion.
Of course second hand is another option and you'll probably get more bike for your money that way, but there are pitfalls as well, and of course no warranty. I have bought plenty of used bikes in my time, but they tend to be from people I know or know of, or who are in specific bike related groups on Facebook etc. I know it doesn't give you absolute certainty, but if I can see that they sell other related stuff, the listings suggest they know what they're talking about, their profile pic shows them wearing a club jersey that I recognise, and ideally we've got a friend or 2 in common, I'm more inclined to believe that their bikes have been well looked after, and more importantly, aren't stolen! You can of course get some great deals second hand and I'm sure most sellers are perfectly decent honest people, but you do need to be slightly wary.

Yes, a few people have recommended second hand, but I’m nervous of that, I’m just not knowledgeable enough to recognise a bike with issues, so I’ll be sticking to new this time anyway!

I've got a Dawes folding bike. It's fab, I just chuck it in the back of the car and take it anywhere. Looking to upgrade to
An E folding bike as flat cycling round me is limited.

One thing to note about buying a second hand carbon frame is that it's very difficult to judge whether it has any internal damage without an x-ray, which is expensive. Whereas with an aluminium alloy frame you can see any bends or cracks etc.
OP, you say you have friends who ride road bikes, why not ask them to give you a try-out on theirs?
If you do buy new, make sure they give you a bike-fit session to set it up properly for you, and also look to invest in a saddle that suits you, a decent bike shop should have something for measuring your sit bones.

If you work, check to see whether your employer has, or will join, a cycling to work scheme. That gives you a bike tax free and is well worth it imo.

Buying new, don't forget to see if your employer is in any of the cycle to work schemes as this can save you quite a lot. There used to be a £1k price ceiling which meant it was of limited use, but I believe that's been lifted now so worth exploring.
Good advice from Ifailed re bike fitting, though being of a slightly cycnical nature I prefer to go somewhere other than the bike shop for mine. There's a physio local to us who does bike fitting and as she doesn't sell bike parts she has nothing to gain by suggesting a new stem or saddle to me, hence I'm more inclined to trust her judgement. But as I say, I'm a cynic. 😂
That said, we bought my son's last road bike direct from the manufacturer and got a bike fit done there. I was expecting to have to fend off multiple suggestions for upgrades but in fact the fitter moved his saddle about 4mm, said everything else was spot on and that he couldn't morally justify charging for the fit as he hadn't really done anything, so there are honest dealers out there!

Sorry - cross post with itsnotdeep