I’ve been set the task above by a friend who would like to buy a road bike, and is looking for the best bang for her buck around £600. She is looking at last years Felt Sora women’s specific model at wiggle for £500, and I reckon we can do better! Use will be fun and fitness, possible triathlons, riding c50km tops to begin with.

Fire away with your suggestions/experiences! Cheers

Shop in Kilmarnock have some cracking 2014 sale bikes Instock http://www.sprocketscycles.com/bikes-frames/others/clearance-bikes/clearance-road-bikes
They deliver as well

Try paulscycles.co.uk

If it has to be woman specific geo then the Cannondale synapse sora womans looks good for a bargain and better resale second had I suspect when she wants to upgrade than the felt.

£430 on a Btwin Triban 5 (full sora 9 speed which is a great groupset)

Then spend £145 on a pair of new Mavic Aksium wheels to go on it = perfect budget road bike for a whole bunch of money less than anything else.

Weak point of any budget road bike (just about anything under £1000) is the wheels. Just about all run on the cheapest of cheap joytech hubs, which usually aren’t remotely smooth of the box, freehubs commonly become permanently free after a very short period of time, then laced to a no name non eyeletted rim with naff spokes. Fine for very occasional use at entry level, but any sort of mileage or weather on them and your back at the shop buying new wheels. Hence just get Aksiums or shimano RS right away, you’ll likely get a good discount too

Pauls Cycles.

Huge discounts to be had.

My sister has recently bought a Felt zw95 and is very pleased with it.

Wiggle are doing them for £500 down from £700.