I know there are no stupid questions, only stupid people but…………

I never thought I’d say this but I fancy a go on a road bike, have my fs for days out and built a well specced ht for getting out for the odd hour and in really bad weather but the ht just doesn’t get used as I always go for the fs.

I fancy getting shut of the ht and buying a road bike (under 1k) for evening blasts etc. I just don’t know where to start, what I’m looking for or even if it is the right idea.

I could walk into any lbs and ride one round the car park but it wouldn’t give me a real idea. I had thought about hiring one but after reading a few horror stories regarding returning hire bikes I really don’t fancy it.

Don’t know anyone who bats for both sides so I’m a bit stuck, any ideas?

Thanks.

Don’t know anyone who bats for both sides so I’m a bit stuck, any ideas?

Find someone else that bats for both sides, that you are a good fit with, and have a go on theirs quite simply!

You won’t know if you like it not, til you give it a try… 😉

Say where you live, someone local may read and take pity on you.

😉

If you live in Manchester you could always ask Hora for advice on what size to buy…

Or if you leave it long enough, chances are he’ll have an almost immaculate second hand model in your size, it’ll be one of the twelve frames that he’ll have bought.

😉

As already advised – borrow before you buy.

Good route makes a huge impression on trying out a road bike.
Try and find somebody who knows the best routes to show you around.

be open minded . The first time you try one you might hate it. Remember your going down from 2.35″ tyres to 23-25mm. The bike will feel edgy, unbalanced, harsh to ride, you’ll feel every bump, lump,pothole etc. It will also feel quick, i mean, a few pedal strokes and your doing decent speed. Geometry is totally different to mtb’s, everything from chainline to Q factors are all slimmer. You’ll probably need a few rides on one to get used to it though.

Some help. There are decent bikes out there for under 1K. Try get something from ribble, planet x which offer decent rides and good kit. Look about for sale bikes as well, get some decent bargains on them. You want something around 105/ultegra for that money.
Dont be afraid: Lycra kit does what it is designed for, so start liking wearing lycra ( no baggies etc) and if not already so, try clipless and get used to them. It makes a big difference. Try some rides by yourself and then look around for local clubs. They’ll have plenty of rides on every week and its easier doing 80 miles with a group. Most to alot of people are very decent funny guys out there.
Try and enjoy it as well, its different to mtb’ing but once used to you’ll get a massive buzz from the speed you’ll hit

There are decent bikes out there for under 1K

Even a £500 road bike will feel night and day different to any MTB on the road, £1k gets a hell of a lot of road bike to be fair.

Try get something from ribble, planet x which offer decent rides and good kit.

Buy from your LBS. FAR more important (if it’s your first road bike) to buy a bike that definitely fits you (which your LBS will make sure it does before you leave on it) and that you can continually take it back there for adjustments and to ask lots of inane questions etc. Your LBS is likely to have a group of guys to go out riding with too, and the fact that the bike you buy for £1k has Tiagra/105 and own brand finishing kit rather than Ultegra really won’t matter quite frankly, in comparison to the benefits buying from them will bring you.

Look about for sale bikes as well, get some decent bargains on them

A bargain is only a bargain IF it fits… Too many people get tempted by the price on sale bikes, telling themselves “it only needs a shorter stem on it” etc. You’ll go faster and be more comfortable on a cheaper bike that fits you properly than you will a more expensive one that’s the wrong size.

Dont be afraid: Lycra kit does what it is designed for, so start liking wearing lycra ( no baggies etc)

You may think you look odd wearing nothing but lycra, but first time you turn up to a group ride everyone else will wonder why you’re wearing baggies! I resisted for a while, but honestly, accepting lycra is one of the best things you can do for your own comfort as a cyclist. And remember, not all lycra is created equal… A decent quality pair of bibs won’t be cheap, but they will afford you hours and hours of comfort in the saddle time and time again.

Road riding is addictive for totally different reasons to MTBing, but speaking from experience, the more you do it, the faster you’ll become, the more you enjoy it, the more you’ll want to do it. When I first got a road bike I wondered how I was going to break a 15mph average on a ride. Now I regularly see 19mph avg over sub 2 hour rides, and 18mph over 3-4 hour rides, and I’m continuing to improve too.

Go to a Giant Store and ask to take out# a test bike in your size. Just make sure it fits. Nothing more off-putting than riding too-big/small bikes.

#You should get a few days to test. I took a Defy racing. Then bought one (but I was already experienced).

As all the above, but given that this will replace the ht as the bad weather bike, consider a road bike that can take proper mudguards and maybe bigger tyres.

Thanks everyone, some great pointers there.

I’m in Bolton so if anyone can suggest anywhere nearby that would be a bonus?

To be honest I’m totally bamboozled by all the different specs of road bikes and unsure of what’s what. From what I can gather, carbon forks/poss carbon frame are good, shimano 105 groupset is kind of where I should be looking and frame size is very important. Merlin is very local to me and they seem to have a good range when I’m down there so they could be contenders, Ribble are very close too.

Don’t have a problem with lycra but not keen on the whole kit colours job, rode spuds for a good while on my fs but went back to flats as I just had no confidence on the techy stuff but road won’t be a problem.

I know it’s a how long is a piece of string question, but at 5’9″ 32″ inseam, roughly which frame size am I looking at to give me an idea?

To be honest I’m totally bamboozled by all the different specs of road bikes and unsure of what’s what.

Takes some time to work it all out to be fair! If you’re buying off the shelf, and from an experienced LBS, they will help you cut through all the stuff you don’t need to know though.

From what I can gather, carbon forks/poss carbon frame are good, shimano 105 groupset is kind of where I should be looking and frame size is very important.

Frame size is EXTREMELY important. More so than anything else. Personally, on a first road bike I wouldn’t bother with the expense of carbon. A good ally bike will really impress you, and leave a lot more in your wallet. Groupset wise, don’t be too hung up on this. Tiagra works really well still, Sora even works well (it’s basically old Tiagra 9spd) and Claris does too (just it only has 8 gears). For a first bike, an ally frame, carbon fork, Tiagra groupset and half decent wheels will see you right for some time to come.

Merlin is very local to me and they seem to have a good range when I’m down there so they could be contenders, Ribble are very close too.

Merlin and Ribble are both well respected. I always try to dissuade people from buying road bikes online (unless they really know their geometry and exactly what they need millimetrically perfect), but if you can go into their shops then you can’t go far wrong. Both companies have a bit of a habit of fitting unknown or no name wheels to their bikes, that on closer inspection, aren’t that good quality and are often quite heavy, but you can usually upgrade to anything half decent (stick with Shimano R500/R501 c24’s for an entry level wheel IMO) for a few quid more. Tyres make a bigger difference than you might think, entry level tyres are often heavy and not that grippy. Race tyres are often very grippy, but expensive and don’t last very long. Go for a decent “training” tyre like a Schwalbe Durano though and it will grip well, last a long time, and be light enough to give a decent boost in performance over a cheap tyre.

I know it’s a how long is a piece of string question, but at 5’9″ 32″ inseam, roughly which frame size am I looking at to give me an idea?

Anything “Medium” or 54/55cm in size will be a safe bet to start looking at. Different companies size their bikes differently (for instance a 55cm Pinarello will be quite a bit too big for you), but any decent LBS will be aware of the nuances here.

If you’re popping to Merlin, for £500 you could do a hell of a lot worse than this… http://www.merlincycles.com/ridley-r6-el-road-bike-61377.html

FWIW, just got my GF this…

It’s a 2014 KTM Strada 1000, ally frame, carbon fork, Tiagra Groupset and R500’s. Excuse the flat pedals (can’t get her on clipless yet, though that’s not stopped her getting Strava QOM’s already!), but otherwise that’s very much the kind of thing I’d recommend as a first road bike without spending too much money…

In a 54
Spend the change on some fulcrum/aksiums.

To add above, get the right size, a good shop with a good selection and some skinny espresso drinking roadies is a good start 🙂 Explain yourself and what your after, don’t buy anything with out trying it!

my mate has the 2012 version of that cannondale linked to above.
its very nice.
i wouldnt buy it without trying it for size though, i usually ride a 54cm, his is a 56cm and is miles too big for me.
just for the record, im 5’9″, with a 30.5″ inseam.

when i bought my road bike a couple of years ago, we went for a blast along a cycletrack, my mate was on a HT with slicks on. his main observation was “you could obviously leave me standing anytime you wanted”
we are normally ‘very’ closely matched.

If this is your first road bike and likely to your only one, in this country get one that will take full Mudguards. Which is likely to be something with a less racy position as well, so should be ideal.

But try before you buy, fit is a bit more important on a road bike, and all brands vary how they size up in the real world

I’m not a roadie, and I think that’s the point:

If you’re a long-term mtb rider and new roadie it’ll take quite a while to find your right position. I doubt even a bikefit would help find a good position or if it did you wouldn’t believe them as it would feel awful.

I’d suggest that you borrow if you can, or else buy a cheap bike with “decent” components in approximately the right size and just ride it for a bit while you learn to bend in the middle. Later you can tart about with 2nd hand stems from hora’s ebay account 😀 to get the fit right, or else buy a new posh frame if you want.

You have Merlin and Ribble within easy reach, though I don’t think you can turn up and try stuff out at Ribble.

The Malt CR at Merlin looks nice in the flesh, they have them on display in the shop.

A couple of Qs…

How tall are you?

What do you want to use it for? Just leisure or commuting too?

Cheers lads, will try and find a medium somewhere for a ‘borrow’ to see how it feels first.

How would a CX with slicks compare? From what I gather they tend to be a bit more relaxed but with road tyres can be just as quick but with the benefit of being able to go off road/mudguard compatibility etc.

You have Merlin and Ribble within easy reach, though I don’t think you can turn up and try stuff out at Ribble.

The Malt CR at Merlin looks nice in the flesh, they have them on display in the shop.

A couple of Qs…

How tall are you?

What do you want to use it for? Just leisure or commuting too?

I’m 5’9″, 32″ inseam. Will only be used for pootling around and getting some miles in. Won’t be used for commuting as I can almost see work out of the window (unfortunately).

Sounds daft but don’t want to go too cheap as I have a serious case of ‘upgradeitis’ and don’t want to be swapping bits in a few months time.

What about a cx bike so you could take it for some light xc too

Drop me a line if you just want a go on a medium roadie, I’m local enough to help out.

For the sort of use you intend, I wouldn’t get hung up on having full mudguards. It’s very limiting in terms of choice and clip-on ones work really well anyway.

If you really get into it you’ll probably end up getting a cheaper (or more expensive) bike specifically for winter.

From what I can gather, carbon forks/poss carbon frame are good, shimano 105 groupset is kind of where I should be looking and frame size is very important.

Frame size is the most important of that lot, by a long way. My road bike is a fairly basic 550€ Decathlon model (although I have since upgraded the wheels), and “despite” an ally frame and Sora gears it works fine. I’ve got a big sportive coming up this weekend in the Pyrenees, it’s the third time I’ve done it and I don’t doubt I’ll get a better time than a lot of other riders on much more expensive bikes.

Thanks again, would definitely consider a CX bike as it would be a bit more flexible in terms of where I can ride it and I like the idea of disc brakes too.

Drop me a line if you just want a go on a medium roadie, I’m local enough to help out.

Cheers mate, that’s a cracking offer. Let me know when/where’s best for you and I will sort something out.