Advice buying 1st road bike
Advice buying 1st road bike
Hi there, I'm looking to buy my 1st ever road bike through the Halfords cycle 2 work scheme & would appreciate any advice over the few bikes I've found within my budget, please help!
Re: Advice buying 1st road bike
It's very difficult to provide good advice. First, we don't know what you want to use the bike for (beyond road riding), and second, there are various possible types that could be used for any one purpose. That's a matter of personal preference, so there's a danger of your just learning about our preferences, and of course yours won't become clear until you've owned a bike or two.
To address the first point, do you want to do fast day rides, mostly in good weather, or commuting all year round, or touring, or sportives, or potter with friends? Might you wander onto tracks sometimes, or ride only on metalled roads? How much might you carry with you?
It would also help to know budget. Bikes are like anything else - the very cheapest ones aren't that great, although you don't have to go far up the range to get something decent. I tend to feel that bikes from manufacturers who make a full range, up to quite expensive, are a safe choice - so, look for a bike you can't afford, and then go for a cheaper one from the same range. Not a perfect approach, but can help to narrow the field.
If your budget is limited, second hand can be a good option, especially if you can find a knowledgeable friend to look at possible bikes with you. If you can borrow bikes from friends, that helps too in forming ideas.
Hope this helps for starters. Oh, and there are lots of threads on here asking similar questions. Try taking a look at those.
To address the first point, do you want to do fast day rides, mostly in good weather, or commuting all year round, or touring, or sportives, or potter with friends? Might you wander onto tracks sometimes, or ride only on metalled roads? How much might you carry with you?
It would also help to know budget. Bikes are like anything else - the very cheapest ones aren't that great, although you don't have to go far up the range to get something decent. I tend to feel that bikes from manufacturers who make a full range, up to quite expensive, are a safe choice - so, look for a bike you can't afford, and then go for a cheaper one from the same range. Not a perfect approach, but can help to narrow the field.
If your budget is limited, second hand can be a good option, especially if you can find a knowledgeable friend to look at possible bikes with you. If you can borrow bikes from friends, that helps too in forming ideas.
Hope this helps for starters. Oh, and there are lots of threads on here asking similar questions. Try taking a look at those.