First road bike <£500

rossk26

rossk26

rossk26

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North East of England
Put an application in for my work to join a cycle to work scheme. So hoping this gets approved in the next few days and then I can begin the process of getting my first road bike.

Last time I looked the Triban 3 (red) was the one to get. So with that in mind I've seen the Triban 500SE for £330 on Decathlon. Are there any other contenders around that price? I'm wanting the certificate to come under £500 which would include equipment too.

An issue with the Triban is that there's no Decathlon store near me, and I'm not sure if you can order online with C2W scheme. So this could potentially throw that one out the window.
 
You can order online that's not an issue :)

You would just have to email the cert to the store for them to process it.

If you can afford to up your budget then the Defy 3 is a fantastic first bike.
 
James07 said:
You can order online that's not an issue :)

You would just have to email the cert to the store for them to process it.

If you can afford to up your budget then the Defy 3 is a fantastic first bike.
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That's good to hear! Thanks

The Defy 3 is more than double the cost of the Triban. In what ways would that be worth it?

The bike will primarily be used for a 4.5 mile ride to work, and home. Then pleasure on weekends.
 
The Alur is a massively nicer bike to ride but for the uses you've talked about you can easily make do with the Triban. If you end up really getting into riding then you can pick up a nicer bike in a year.
 
rossk26 said:
Triban 500 SE would work out at £231.60 total cost under C2W. Alur 700 would cost 435.77 total.

How would I benefit picking the Alur 700 over the 500SE?
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It mainly comes down to "better" components until you get way up the price bracket.

Personally for a first bike I would be looking for;

A fairly decent frame and these days IMHO it is difficult to buy a particularly bad one unless you buy cheap from Argos, Tesco etc.

Carbon fork, not a deal breaker but a nice to have and possible with your budget.

and personally... a Shimano component set. Claris upwards is perfectly acceptable. I went one level higher and got Sora but only because it was a good deal on last years model... and I preferred the colour :p

Other considerations - Do you want to be able to fit proper mudguards to it (i.e. proper fit and forget ones rather than clip ons that wobble around and rub). Do you want clearance for slightly larger (28C) tyres which give a slightly better ride over bad roads.

All in all though that Triban is excellent VFM and if it leaves you plenty of spare funds to get yourself kitted out then I'm sure it will serve you well.
 
PermaBanned said:
Component wise, this is pretty much impossible to beat for the price.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/eastway-r30-2014/
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Can vouch for SRAM Apex, my Pinnacle came with it and it's been great so far, shifters are different from Shimano (Sora/Tiagra) but I find they're better.

If you can then go for a test ride on a couple bikes, finding the right geometry and frame size is important.
 
FrenchTart said:
The Alur is a massively nicer bike to ride but for the uses you've talked about you can easily make do with the Triban. If you end up really getting into riding then you can pick up a nicer bike in a year.
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As above really, 105 is amazing but you would be pushing your budget to get it and all the kit you need.

As a newish commuter (started nearly 3 years ago) some advice - don't be alarmed to spend 50% or more of your first C2W on clothing, shoes & helmet. The bike you get really doesn't matter but as mentioned the Triban is a great buy. The 500SE and 520 both have a rear brake mounted by the BB, although this might only be a problem if you're looking to do your own maintenance.

The reason I say 'the bike doesn't matter' is that within a year or less, you'll want to replace it and will know 'what you want'. It would then be a case of using the bike you're getting now for commuting and winter riding (keeping your nice one for leisure/summer riding).

When commuting - reliability, cheapness of parts, ease of repair, mudguards and comfort are the main things. Many think a hybrid is the best thing but they are really only for people who are too scared to ride drop-bars and don't want to go fast! :rolleyes:

Anything you buy should be governed by the 'groupset', here is a good guide on how the Shimano ones are 'graded'/rated - http://blog.evanscycles.com/advice-2/shimano-road-groupsets-the-hierarchy/

Buying a bike with a 'matched' groupset is usually best (for reliability and ease of parts/adjustment). Many you find will have a mix of 'Claris/Sora' along with their own componentry (like the B'TWin) which can lead to you having problems with adjustments and parts in future. Especially without a local Decathlon (you can't just 'drop in' to ask about a part/adjustment!).

Check which of your local shops are part of the C2W scheme and go down to try some bikes out, at the very least you'll have an idea of the size you need and you may even grab yourself a bargain on a S/H machine or some cheap commuting gear! ;)
 
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