Beginners Bike

As the title suggests I'm looking into getting a bike to have a go at triathlons next year, does anyone have any tips for a beginners bike that will be good enough to last a few years and last some (hopefully) big mileage? Also, what would you need to spend, reading around the figure of ??1,000 comes up a bit?

Comments

  • difficult to recommend a particular brand/model as its very subjective.



    I started with a 500quid Orbea, which I was very happy with, until it got nicked. Upgraded to a 1500 Orbea with Ultegra groupset and difference was immense, so much quicker. But, I can be beaten easily by my son-in-law riding my 400quid Halfords hybrid, so its not all about the bike.



    It makes a bit of sense to go for a reasonable price bike to start, too cheap gives you reliability problems, gears don't work as well, but going for the expensive option right away can lead to bit of "all the gear, no idea" syndrome (and very expensive repairs if you drop it).



    So, perhaps



    http://www.decathlon.co.uk/mach-720-carbon-road-bike-105-id_8339670.html



    or something similar, but a visit to a local bike shop might be better.



    Its ultra important to get set up on the bike, right size frame, seat height/position, handlebar height etc. makes a huge difference.



    If, after a year or so,you want to upgrade, then, like lots of us, you may end up with a bike for training, or used with a turbo trainer over winter and your brand new race bike, which by then you will know a lot more about what you like or need.
  • I rode an aluminium bike for 3 to 4 years, including 2 ironman races. There is little difference (1.5kg) between ali and Carbon. Two water bottles or three weeks training.
    Stiffness? Much the same.

    The difference is the gear. I'd try and go for Shimano 105 from the start. I spent on replacements each year to finally get there as the parts wore out. And they do.
    A third of the bike price is the wheels. No manufacturer puts decent wheels on. My first set made 11 months. The next have been much better, but might just make 3 years. But that's the thing, the more you ride on highly tuned mechanical equipment, the more it wears. Also we are rougher when new to cycling.

    Here's the same bike as above but in Ali
    http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-540-road-bike-105-id_8350480.html

    Amazing prices for either, but it is postal, and self assembly.

    http://www.rutlandcycling.com/320627/products/2016-cube-attain-sl-road-bike-black.aspx

    http://www.rutlandcycling.com/369453/products/cube-attain-gtc-race-2016-carbon-road-bike.aspx This one's Ultegra equipped, with Mavic Aksium wheels. Wow!

     

  • Lovely, thanks very much for the advice, it's obviously more technical than I had imagined, guess step one is getting measured for a correct fit, I'm

    keen to get something I can keep for a while so want to get it right!
  • The bike listed by Iron-blisters above, the decathlon one, is a great first bike

    but like has been said its all about fit

    There are a few places around that will let you build a bike from the frame up, i.e. you can change the groupset set, gears handlebars, wheels, saddle, pedals etc

    PlanetX

    Ribble

    Both seem to be quite good value

     

  • I started out on a Giant OCR cost about £500 .. served me well

    image

  • Great, thanks again.

    With everything else being equal, do you think there would be much difference in terms of performance between a £500 bike and a £1,000 bike?  

    Would there be much difference in performance between a top of the range bike and a £500 model, ie: how much of it is down to the bike?

  • For me, the main difference is groupset and tyres, anything less than a shimano 105 can get annoying, and on my 1st bike I was averaging a puncture every 50 miles or so.



    I think either decathlon bike, the ali or all carbon one, will be ok on both counts.



    The one Iron-Blisters recommends looks to fit the bill, and if you can get to a store, they should do you a fitting, but, as before, if you've got a good local bike shop, they may be more expert at setting up
  • I havem I will take a trip down there I think, thank you

  • Agree re comments... getting the size right, Shimano 105 seems great value versus reliability/performance point. Wheels and good tyres also make a big difference (something about rotating weight and aerodynamics being a big multiple of rest of bike). Clip on tri bars - once you get used to them (more pressure on back re position) are good.. and cheap additions. Clip in pedals (eg Look Keo) so you cycle for the full 360 degrees.

    Weight makes a bigger difference if you'r planning on or expecting more hills.

    Ribble have some good offers on and if you're near Leyland, Lancs will do the fitting/sizing. Planet X seem to have some outstanding offers but don't know anybody who has used.

  • Brilliant, thanks to all, big help
  • When you go to your LBS (Local Bike Shop) they will almost certainly prefer to supply a different brand. OK. No worries. They are much of a muchness, but now you have an idea of what you can get for your money.

    The biggest saving though, is the Cycle to Work scheme. HMG (Her Majesty's Government) would like more people to cycle, and the scheme is very open. Open to all levels in an organisation. Nobody will police how often you use the bike or for what journeys. Your employer has no actual cost against them, other than just ensuring that a few costs get correctly allocated in a pay packet. You save about the same as your income tax. You can spend up to £1000 per year through the scheme, not just on bike but also clothing, helmets, spares. Some cycle schemes even let you spend the £1000 as a part payment on a dearer bike.

    I was sceptical, but there are just so many positives. Unlike many other schemes, this one also appears to have a life span. It has survived several Governments. It's not perfect or watertight. It relies on honesty. To HMG the risk is that it gets too successful, but that appears to be a positive. Hence the scheme survives.

    As a scheme user, I get a great big chunk of my new carbon bike on zero % interest for 12 months, and a substantial reduction in the price. There's an incentive to insure the bike, which is good. Any LBS worth its salt works with the CTW scheme. Because they sell more bikes, gain customers, and generate service business. Happy days.

  • I remember.
    Best time to buy a bike? It's a seasonal market.

    Now (Autumn): Great bargains at the end of summer. Fewer people are out to buy a road bike ready for winter. Off road bikes are about to hit peak.

    New Year: Some manufacturers release the 2017 designs or colours and have sales of the 2016 models.

    Spring: The bike shops are desperate to shift old stock.

    Of course there's ebay. Pre-Christmas as people sell off their bikes they bought but didn't use as much as they thought they might. Shops also use enay to shift stock. Caveat emptor.

  • I actually used the Cycle to Work scheme a few years ago and didn't even think about looking into it again as I had assumed it was finished. I also thought that this was like a hire purchase where you have to pay the remaining funds up to the amount of the purchase at the end of the scheme? I was called on leaving the company and given a figure to pay although I queried it and never heard back!
  • I was thinking New Year and hoping there would be sales on!
  • Reading with interest. I'm thinking about getting a new bike and fancying the giant avail. Has some good prices now, reduced to £720. It has 105s and a compact in contrast to o my present tiagra and triple but otherwise a similar spec frame and weight. Any views on this being a worthwhile upgrade? I'm tempted to spend a bit more to get disc brakes as I'm chicken downhill but bike shop didn't really recommend. Can't quite afford carbon. Any thoughts welcome 

    Thanks

  • compact beats a triple anyday... the weight penalty of a triple makes no sense anymore now compacts are so readily available.

    105 is a good groupset... yes, its not got the gear change slickness, or ultra light weight of an Ultegra or Dura Ace system, but its a fraction of the cost, and for the vast majority of riders, the shifting performance difference is so little that its not noticeable... I had 105 on my winter bike (until it got nicked) and it was abused beyond beliefe, and never missed a beat. Its a worthwhile step up from Tiagra.

    I agree with your LBS on the discs... they are heavy... and unless you plan on doing losts of very high speed braking attempts on steep hills in foul weather, then the braking benefit isn't worth it... plus they make things like puncture repairs at the road side just a little bit harder... spend the extra on better wheels and good tyres instead... you'll get a lot more benefit from them.

    lets be honest.... its all prep for an Ironman on my 100th birthday
  • The World Tour Pro peloton are in no rush to embrace disc brakes.

    Most punctures are caused by under inflated tyres. Always use a decent track pump and gauge 

     

    ( and for what it's worth 3 out of my 5 IM starts have been on an aluminium triple ) 

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