Hmmmm Dark side looming….fancy giving the 12mile commute up Loch Ness side to the office a try.

Can you recommend me a size and type of roadbike to look out for. It’s going to have to be second hand !!

I’m reasonably fit and 5′ 11″

If you like MTB first; Uncle John

And then try it on the trails!

Don’t call it darkside…..

Ribbles are usually well reviewed, and buying 2nd hand means you don’t actually have to deal with them, result

planet x!

ribblesareus

as it’s second hand, try the bikeradar classifieds, try on here (you may get lucky) and your local gumtree.

ribbles and planetx are good vfm, giant defy’s would be a decent s/h buy as long as you get one with decent gears (avoid the really cheap shimano, 2300 I think they call it, sora will be ok though and tiagra or 105 is a win). don’t discount a boardman or spesh

if you find something post it on here and ask 🙂

Size wise you will be looking at either a 56cm or 58cm frame – though its more important you try before you buy with road bikes than with Mtbs.

I bought a planet x sl pro for just over a grand (top spec too).

If I was to buy again though I would consider the Uncle john so I could try the odd cyclocross

I’m 5’10” with 32″ inside leg and rode road bikes from 52 to 56cm without problems (only used longer stems). Best bet would be to try one for size and then look for similar size just to get an idea on the fit.

For a commuter I would probably want mudguard mounts and enough clearance to run full guards on the front. Crud Race are ok but nowhere near as good as full SKS jobbies.

Check eBay for good secondhand deals but probably keep in mind that You might have to change the bar tape (if it’s worn out), put new inners and outers for brakes and gears and maybe new tyres (it all depends on how well the previous owner looked after his bike) + cost of full guards.

£300-400 should get You a good starter bike with Tiagra/105 mix.

budget??

“Size wise you will be looking at either a 56cm or 58cm frame -“

A 58cm is way too big for me and I’m 6’2″

This should be just about spot on.

“Size wise you will be looking at either a 56cm or 58cm frame -“

a 58 would be way to big

Assuming normal proportions I would have thought a 56cm would be right.

A 12 mile commute along the shore of Loch Ness sounds fabulous BTW.

Agree with Twelveski, very nice bike for £300, has all the bits needed for a commuter and full Tiagra works very well. Good thing about road bikes is that at certain point they don’t loose as much value. This £300 bike would probably sell for £300 next year with new cables and fresh bar tape.

Almost every time I have ridden that road I have had a near miss.

The last time I rode it my jacket was brushed by a wing mirror (white haired lady in a red Vauxhall just outside Drum). The previous time I was forced off the road into the rocky ditches near the Clansman by a car squeezing past me when there was oncoming traffic.

I recommend high visibility gear, a rocket launcher like James Bond, and a bike you can jump off the road on.

Oh, and a bikecam so your family can see who did you in and take an appropriate Highland revenge.
🙂