New bike

sean_84

Hi,
I know there's lots of these threads already, but I hope there's room for one more

I want to buy a road bike with a view to take part in some triathlons. I do a few running races and a bit of swimming already, but currently only cycle as a commuter.

My problem is that I don't have much money for this, max is about 800euro. And I only have room for 1 bike in my apartment. So my questions are:

Is it possible to commute by a road bike? I currently have a Trek T30 hybrid which is very practical with mudguards/rack/chain guard/kickstand etc., can handle going over drains and potholes, and weighs an impressive 16kg. I guess a road bike wouldn't handle bad road conditions as easily? I was looking at the Pinnacle Sentinal which has mounting points for mudguards and a rack
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/sentinal-10-2009-road-bike-ec018113

I currently don't use the rack much, instead I use a backpack. Will it be more uncomfortable to have a backpack with the less upright position of a road bike?

Is there much a difference between different groupsets for a beginner? For example the bike above has Sora and the Cube Aerial has Tiagra
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=30569

I've also looked in local shops (in Cork), but it seems to be just Trek or Giant which seem to have lower spec for the same money than bikes online (although I'm not an expert and might be wrong about that)

Should I be looking at touring or cyclocross bikes instead? A guy in a shop advised me to look at flat bar hybrid like Trek 7.5FX but I think it wouldn't give much benefits over my current bike?

I realise it's a lot of questions but if even some can be answered I'll be grateful, and hopefully able to answer others in the future

Sean

parko202

hi, I got my first road bike a couple of months ago and it definitely is the way to go for spending any time in the saddle. The handlebars offer a number of different positions which becomes important the longer you spend in the saddle. I initially found the bike slightly uncomfortable on the roads due to bumps and potholes but would not really notice it anymore, you learn to avoid them rather than try plough on!

I have a beone which has tiagra and find it fine but i think the higher you can go the better. I cycle into college with a backpack and also a laptop bag and the only uncomfortable part i find is the sweat patches I have at the end of the cycle.

petethedrummer

I commute 40kms a day on a road bike with a back pack. Usually just contains a laptop and underwear/socks. I leave clothes in work and wear lycra for the commute.

Most (not all) road bikes under 1000 euros will have mounting points for racks and clearance for mudguards and wider tyres. I sometimes put on 28Cs, if its icy or snowy, but the rest of the time commute on 23Cs.

Lumen

€800, room for only 1 bike, commuting, training and racing.

Like, OMG, you need this.

Apologies for blatant plug, it's a bit far away from you but this is an example of what you end up with when you want "one bike that does everything".

Otherwise, a cross bike with eyelets might be a good choice, although it'd be a bit "unusual" doing a triathlon on a cross bike with aerobars, and I'm not sure about geometry issues.

Cross bikes are usually more expensive than road bike equivalents, although the prices on Evans aren't so bad.

ajk24

Lumen wrote: »

€800, room for only 1 bike, commuting, training and racing.

Like, OMG, you need this.

Apologies for blatant plug, it's a bit far away from you but this is an example of what you end up with when you want "one bike that does everything".

Otherwise, a cross bike with eyelets might be a good choice, although it'd be a bit "unusual" doing a triathlon on a cross bike with aerobars, and I'm not sure about geometry issues.

Cross bikes are usually more expensive than road bike equivalents, although the prices on Evans aren't so bad.

if shameless plugs are allowed then check out this . I have been using it for the same 3 purposes as you intend and need to off load due to apartment space constraints after an upgrade. About half your budget so will allow you to pick up some tri gear as well.

actually I've just spotted that it has the eyelets for mudguards as well.

sean_84

parko202 wrote: »

hi, I got my first road bike a couple of months ago and it definitely is the way to go for spending any time in the saddle. The handlebars offer a number of different positions which becomes important the longer you spend in the saddle. I initially found the bike slightly uncomfortable on the roads due to bumps and potholes but would not really notice it anymore, you learn to avoid them rather than try plough on!

I have a beone which has tiagra and find it fine but i think the higher you can go the better. I cycle into college with a backpack and also a laptop bag and the only uncomfortable part i find is the sweat patches I have at the end of the cycle.

petethedrummer wrote: »

I commute 40kms a day on a road bike with a back pack. Usually just contains a laptop and underwear/socks. I leave clothes in work and wear lycra for the commute.

Most (not all) road bikes under 1000 euros will have mounting points for racks and clearance for mudguards and wider tyres. I sometimes put on 28Cs, if its icy or snowy, but the rest of the time commute on 23Cs.

Thanks for the replies, It looks like commuting on a road bike isn't too difficult. Now I just have to pick a bike