So the budget is set £1000 and I definitely want to see what all the road cycling business is about.

So what bike should I consider and what other gear do I need to budget for to get me started?

I will use the bike mainly for weekend rides to improve fitness and the occasional commute to work and back.

I have looked on other road forums but to be honest they are all a bit pants when it comes to advice and I trust the great STW wisdom far more!

Cheers

Baggyone

I know sod all about road bikes, but bought a Focus Cayo carbon bike on the advice of some skinny, lycra-clad roadie chums last year and so far have no complaints.

I read on bike radar that the Focus Cayo is meant to be pretty good. I’ll look into that one.

More advice regarding gear would be appreciated!

I’m about 3 weeks ahead of you. Have my bike now (Bianchi 928 C2C Veloce) and am loving it! Have done some nice extended commutes on it, taking it out on a proper thrashing this weekend. Have noticed the effect on my MTB fitness already. My bike is supposed to be a bit less racy and more suited to longer days in the saddle. If you want something more racy, the Boardman carbon is supposed to be great, but you’ll have to get it from Halfords.

I don’t want to carry much when I’m on it, so have glueless patches and a CO2 doofer instead of a pump and patch kit. 1 tyre lever, phone, keys, GPS and glasses are the only other things I take. If you don’t already have some, high quality lycra shorts are a must I reckon. My decent Enduras are just so much more comfortable than the cheaper Lusso ones I have. Think nice thick pad for sitting on a razor on a rigid bike!

If you have an LBS you trust, I’d go and see them and have them size you up. Fit is so much more important on a road bike. Mine are about to swap the stem out (not that they know it yet!) for a shorter one. They also changed the saddle for me and spent some time making sure everything was roughly in the right place. Will see them for a tune up now I know a bit more about how I want it set up.

I got a Focus Cayo last week, I love it, although I have nothing to compare it against. Decent carbon frame, Shimano kit. It has own-brand seatpost, stem, bars, saddle, but those are the bits you’re likely to want to change anyway.

Also got dhb 3/4s and long sleeve jersey from Wiggle, can’t complain about either and the back pockets on the jersey are very handy. Don’t forget to order some bottle cages with the bike. Haven’t really needed gel gloves but might get some for longer rides.

Steel.
Get something older & steel’er.

Another happy Cayo owner. I got mine last January and it’s been lovely to ride. No problems to date. I’ve replaced saddle, stem and a couple of other bits – including the rather dodgy silver bar tape.

Forget it! Road riding is no fun these days. Too many half wit aggressive rabid numpties out there who at best will spoil your enjoyment, at worst they will kill you!

Don’t be a statistic.

Offroad riding rules!

Got my Cato 105 today. Not ridden yet but it seems reet nice

Forget it! Road riding is no fun these days. Too many half wit aggressive rabid numpties out there who at best will spoil your enjoyment, at worst they will kill you!

Don’t be a statistic.

Offroad riding rules!

There’s an element of truth in that, but part of the fun is learning your routes and picking the ones with the quite roads!

Nothing says “I pay far too much attention to what forumites tell me” more than a Focus.

Go to your LBS. Go to a few of them. Tell them you’re looking at spending a grand on a road bike (it’s a _very_ popular price point) and try out as many bikes as you like. A good LBS will not only set up the bike properly for you (this makes a MASSIVE difference) but will also give you a discount on any accessories and probably a couple of free services too. Be nice to them (beer and Jaffa Cakes) and they’ll probably look after you for a very long time.

I hate Bianchi, but that’s mainly because I’ve had to deal with their warranty department (or rather their 2-person UK office “we’ll have to send that back to Italy, it’ll take 3 months for a response (4 if August is involved)” department). Shop around, ride lots, make up your own mind. And try to steer clear of anything that arrives on your doorstep in a box.

: P

I had a blast today powering as hard as I could for only 26 miles.

Made it before Pc world shut lol. 1.5 hrs blasting went so fast (for me) I couldn’t think is this boring etc.

Road ridng is fun, have to be careful as car drivers can be what above users said.

Don’t do what I do and wear black-wear bright colours red and yellow are best seen.

Enjoy.

oh, and for a grand, try and go for something that has at least Shimano 105 on it, ideally also with wheel with the “normal” number of spokes. Most manufacturers will try and sell you wheels with a low spoke count but unless you’re racing, you’re better off trying to get wheels with more spokes instead as they will almost always be more durable.

: P

I have fun annoying car drivers by being faster between traffic lights.

been doing it for 30yrs so well practiced 😀

Specialized seem popular around my way as does Trek from Evans

I have recently acquired a Boardman Team Carbon that comes in a few quid under your £1k budget.

TBH it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Great full carbon frame, SRAM groupset takes a little getting used compared to the 105 on my CX bike but it took me about 2 miles to work that out. I’ve done a few hundred miles on it and find it quick, responsive and comfortable.

Full bike weighs less than 18lbs which is pretty impressive for the cash,I managed to get a ride on a mates Cayo before ordering mine and I dont think that the ride compares. The Cayo was stiff but very twitchy for me (this might be down to the set up so don’t take it as a criticism of the bike)

If you can get past the bike snobbery of buying a bike from Hellfrauds then you’ll end up with a pretty good bike.

If you’re in central scotland I can let you have a go on mine (It’s a medium team carbon).

Finally, yes there is an issue with the spokes loosening in the rear wheel after about 50 miles. Hellfrauds fixed it in 5 minutes with no major issues.

G

Forget it! Road riding is no fun these days

Isn’t it? I must have missed something as I very much enjoyed my ride last night. There are still some quiet roads out there where you can get in some miles and hardly see a soul.

As for spending a grand on a road bike then I would echo what others have said. 105 groupset and sensible wheel choice. As for make and model finding one that fits and suits you is a heck of a lot more important than buying one that others have. It really is a case of trying before buying. No need to get anal over geometries but an idea of what suits your body shape is a starting point.

plenty of choice out there.

if you buying new check the frame warranty, anyone who does lifetime is a good place to start

the boardmans should be in the mix, he would not put his name on crap.

I’ve had my Giant Defy Advanced for a week now and it’s been great fun. Haven’t done a long ride on it (max 40 miles so far) but I love it. Great for fitness and also if you like speed. I hit 40mph on Monday going round a bend and it felt so smooth and effortless, if the slight downhill had continued I had enough gears left to hit close to 50 I reckon.

As for gear….. either a mini pump with pressure guage(sp?) or a CO2 pump and seperate guage, decent tyre levers, decent lycra shorts (bibs are more comfortable) and a well vented helmet. A waterproof you can roll up and put in a pocket is worthwhile too for the summer

I’ve just done a Planet-X Carbon SL Pro with 105 self build for about £800.
The two main makes of ‘off the peg’ bikes I see at races are Trek and Giant, see a few Boardmans as well now.
I would try some diferent makes if you can. My head would say go for a more relaxed frame over a full blown race version i.e Roubaix over Tarmac and SCR over TCR. However I for one never listen to my own advice.

Lots of bikes at that price point some others to consider
Ribble sportive/centaur( incredible value)
Kiron scandium ( bit different)
Dolan mythos ( dolan make v good frames)

Pierre – Member

Nothing says “I pay far too much attention to what forumites tell me” more than a Focus.

That’s strange, becuase when I bought mine, no one on STW had one. Wiggle also let you try out the bike and send it back if there are any problems. But hey h0, if you want to pay over the odds at a BS staffed by a bunch of illiterate numpties, go ahead*

* Oh sorry – was I generalising?

oh, and for a grand, try and go for something that has at least Shimano 105 on it

So the consensus seems to be you should find something with 105 kit and a decent set of wheel, maybe Shimano RS10s or something like that. Then it comes down to a choice of frame between aluminium from any of the big brands, or carbon from some of the less fashionable ones…

If you want it for commuting and general riding, rather than purely for racing / club riding, then maybe think about something that can fit mudguards. Much as the carbon race bikes are fancy and all that, if you ride to work in winter you will look and feel like you pooed yourself by the time you get in. Race bikes are also a bit extreme to ride, which can put people off who aren’t used to road bikes, whereas for a lot of people a less racey position might be more comfortable and efficient.

Also pumps – either go for the wasteful but handy co2 cartridges, or get a frame-fit pump. Lots of roadies have mini pumps. These are generally just to show willing, and as an emergency thing to get a bit of air into a tyre so you can get home, inevitably if someone breaks down on a group ride, the frame fit pump will be the one people actually borrow and use. If you have your own one, it means it is easy to pump up tyres when you break down alone, and you can get enough air in to keep going on a ride, rather than a just get you home air pressure.

Joe

I’d second the giant defy advanced, they look great. Also BMC LBS stocks them and they look very nice too, think the street fire is just less than a grand

Thanks for all the input. to clarify a few points..

I live in Sweden so halfords is out for me.

I like the idea of a Bianchi and I think my LBS (which I will be going to in just an hour or so) stocks those.

Great advice about the pumps and I am definitely going to invest in a pair of good bib shorts. But does this mean leg shaving needs to follow?? Not sure the gf would like that too much! 🙂

What is the real difference between the groupsets? Should I also consider SRAM or other gear manufacturers or is Shimano definitely the way forward?

If you want a Bianchi you’ll have the choice between Campag and Shimano. I have small hands and found the shifting more difficult on the Shimano setup (it has floppy brake levers to shift onto bigger ring/cog), so I went Campag.

No leg shaving here thankyouverymuch.

No leg-shaving is required, but it’s quite nice. I agree with Joe about mudguards. I very much wish I’d got something more general purpose when I took this decision – I thought I’d be racing lots and that hasn’t really happened.

You will also need to perfect the roadie walk. This is usually done on shiny wet tiles in your road shoes when you have a wet ass, and requires you to walk with legs akimbo and arms out wide, holding on to anything solid you walk past, however many cyclist round here just use it whenever they are in lycra

I got a Specialized Allez Elite about a month ago, as in insurance replacement for my old, loved, stolen Kinesis tourer. They’re about £1000 new, mostly Shimano 105 bits, carbon forks and seatstays. I’m amazed how comfy it is for long rides, feels loads easier than the bike it replaced. Fast, too. Certainly faster than I can make it go. The cheaper one (£750?) (Sport?) also looks good, and can take rack and guards I think.

2009 Allez have been getting kind-of-OK-but-not-thrilling reviews, so they might be cheap if you negotiate?

Above advice re. what to take is all good. I’m certainly not a proper roadie, but I got some road shoes (cheapest Shimano) and pedals (Look Keo Classic) and they’re awesome compared to the SPDs I had on the old tourer, feel loads more stable and comfier for long rides due to stiffness, I guess.

Lycra makes me faster, simply through embarrassment.

I’m off to the LBS now. Will report back in an hour!

Typical. Welcome to Sweden! My LBS is closed today as it is a bank holiday tomorrow here in Sweden !?!

Opens again on Tuesday! Can’t quite believe it.

It is a tradition here that bike shops don’t open on Saturday or Sunday. They don’t even display that they are closed on Sunday as if I would be stupid to assume they might!!! GRRRR.

I’d second factoring in road pedals and shoes, made a big difference to me when I switched from spuds.

Also another vote for the planet-x superlight carbon. Comfy and fast.

I love my Bianchi 928. Best bike I’ve ever had.

don’t dismiss alloy with a carbon rear. would rather have a well thought out/constructed one of those from a known manufacturer than a cheap carbon frame.

don’t dismiss steel.

As for kit, a decent pump, shoes and pedals and some Lycra. Bottles and cages too.

I bought a couple of years old Giant SCR Ltd for £250 off here. Same spec bike new is about £700 (Tiagara level) with Carbon post. Its great fun especially up here with the quiet roads 🙂

I’ve just gone the general purpose route, condor fratello with campag centuar 🙂

From my experience taking to the road over the last few months:

make sure you get fitted correctly or have proper test rides, fit is probably more important than anything else
think carefully about what you want from the bike, do you really want an out and out racer or something more comfy?
consider buying something cheaper if you’re not convinced road riding is the way forward, I bought a discounted Boardman for £430, tried it over winter, liked it, sold it for £435 (with some upgrades!) and bought a rather nice Sabbath Silk Road.

djglover – Member

I’ve just gone the general purpose route, condor fratello with campag centuar

have you ridden it yet?

as daveh says, fit is the most important thing, a good bike shop will sort you there. You’ll be sat in the same position for a long time, it’s not like mountain bking where you’re moving around a lot. next is good wheels. Really, the best you can get. After that is groupset, 105 is what you’re after at minimum as people have already said. I’m loving Ultegra at the moment though, it really is a huge step up from 105, especially the chainset, amazingly stiff.

As far as being on the road…. It’s about taking control. you’ll be fine if you ride defensively and expect everyone to be a moron. Personally in the last couple of years I’ve found attitudes have improved a lot. That’s not to say it’s easy but if you are confident and be traffic reather than a cyclist, you’ll find it a lot easier.

If I were providing advice to a road newbie, it’d be ‘expect everyone overtaking you to turn left right in front of you’, that’ll save your life about 80% of the time IME.