[Closed] Cheap road bike

I'd say stick to known brands, not as critical as getting some assurance on bearing and transmission wear and correct sizing.

Also, if you want mudguards and a rack (commuting essentials for me) make sure the bike can take them

I have a Caad4 which I bought for £300 off eBay in 2005, its now got dura ace on it but the original bike was pretty good.

The Allez I would say is probably the easiest to buy as there are just so many of them, and for good reason. The equivalent of my caad4 is probably a caad8 or even a caad10 if its a bargain.

Do you know what size you're after? There's usually a bit of overlap between brands with one brands 58 being more like another's 56 (and compact bikes being a rule unto themselves). So as you're probably not going to get a full bike fitting its worth having a look through the manufacturers geometry tables and seeing what would fit (some give a rider height guide, its obviously not perfect but will be close enough) but there is no point buying a 56cm specialized because you fit a 56cm cannondale, when the cannondale steeper angles make it feel more like a specialized 58 (that was true last time I looked but will have varied over time and models).

Don't buy the first one you see, at that price point you will be seeing a lot of C2W bikes that have been ridden into the ground and in desperate need of new everything. The secondhand road bike you want is the one bought by someone who watched Wiggins win his first TDF and went into Evans with a wedge of cash then rode it twice. My Caad4 had a paint chip and that was all that seperated it from new. In the first two years all I ever replaced was the OEM BB (and bar tape and tyres)!

Budget for fresh wheels and tyres regardless, even the cheapest factory shimano wheels are an upgrade over 95% of stock wheels. Ditto tyres. Get some 25mm gp4000s, not particularly cheap but a great all round .

No need to replace wheels and tyres unless there is an issue with them, especially as that could be 50% of his budget.

Shimano wheels may be "better" - probably just bearing durability though at that price, no riding benefit.

Looking at 56 - 58 I'm 5 11", seems to be a small increase in price that separates knackered wrecks from the hardly used.

Previously have had the Shimano 205 wheel set on a Trek 1000sl. Specialized are top at the moment, sheer volume keeps prices low.

Depending on where you are, there might be a suitable Facebook group. I am a member of Yorkshire Cycling Sales group and there are often some great deals. Saying that, I got my commuter from Ebay in the end - a once-ridden Carrera Zeleos for £100.

Shimano wheels may be “better” – probably just bearing durability though at that price, no riding benefit.

True, but the OEM wheels are often 2200g+ (add on 150g inner tubes and 300g tyres.

I bought a pair of r-550 (probably akin to the rs11 in the current lineup) for £30 secondhand, ad in some continental supersonic tubes (£13) and a pair of half decent tyres (£40). And for <£100 you can shed about 700g of rotating weight.

Not essential to get you going, but a massive upgrade if you're prepared to shop around for bargains (and he did say the budget could stretch a little).

Fair enough TINAS, that is a good weight saving/£

good advice from TINAS, wait until you see the right bike - the decathlon bikes may be a good shout, look for a triban 5 or higher ideally because a s/h model from the bottom of the range may be commuted to death 🙂 .

The other thing that makes a budget bike heavy is the chainset, be choosy about triples on square taper BBs, they work but can be a bit agricultural

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-road-bike-red-id_8377759.html

The Triban 520 is highly rated, but you're looking at £500 for them.

Plenty of options for £300; This will find you a mainstream Specialized Allez, Giant Defy, Cannondale CAAD8 or a Bianchi Nirone C2C. Forks will be carbon with alloy steerer, wheels will be stock and quite heavy, groupset will be most likely Sora 8-speed, older Tiagra 9-speed or possibly newer 10-speed Tiagra with external cables (shifters not as nice with more plastic). Age will be about 3-5 years, Best upgrade will be some decent tyres and tubes for about £60. Looking for one for my nephew. Fit is the most important point here. Older bikes may have better components such as 6600 Ultegra (I bought a TCR for £400 that was fantastic), so don't write off older bikes if you know what you are looking for.

Also don't write off the cheaper Carrera, Vitus offerings. B'Twin are very good value but use microshift shifters, which might be an issue for upgrades and spares. Ultimately you want an alloy frame, carbon fork blades, named Shimano groupset, but some campag options in 9 speed may also turn up.

I have a specialized allez sat in my shed since I bought my gravel bike. You can have it for 190 quid if you are interested. I'm in the midlands, but could meet up.

I'll be sticking a Genesis Equilibrium in 56cm in the classifieds this afternoon. Nice Reynolds 725 frame with carbon fork in cherry red. Need to get photos uploaded when I am back at my desk.

Thats a lovely bike Mister P. If I needed a 56 I’d have taken it. Sorry about your brother. You did him proud with that bike.

Picked up a Sora equipped allez in 58 on friday, came with a pair of little used aksium wheels with conti GP 4000 S2 tyres with the molding blobs still on for £250.

Frustrating part is the drive side pedal will not come out. Have rounded off a crappy Allen key, all my proper tools are still at the ex-wife's house. No sockets no breaker bar, going to drop the crank at the motorbike mechanic this afternoon. Briefly considered Halfords but decided I didn't want things making worse and can't afford road shoes.

Thanks though for the advice and offers.

Park pedal allan key is what you need.

Nice bike. Good wheel upgrade for the price.

Are you trying to remove it with the correct thread?

Remember, the <b>left pedal</b> spindle is reverse <b>threaded</b>, so turn clockwise to remove the <b>pedal</b> when facing the crank arm. The <b>right side</b> is normal, so turn it anti-clockwise to loosen it.