New to road bikes!

taylorconor95

Im completely new to road bikes and such (I'm 17 and had some sort of bike for as long as I can remember but nothing good). I was just looking for some advice as to a good entry-level road bike. I spied this one from Halfords, but since they don't 'bend' the bike-to-work scheme rules (like many small bike shops do) I probably won't be able to get it there. Any advice?

Hungrycol

You're likely to get better bang for your buck in the second hand market for around the €400 mark. Look at adverts.ie, dondeal, etc.

joxerjohn

It really depends on what you intend doing with the bike, are you planning to cycle with a local club, do some sportifs or maybe even get involved in racing.

The first thing you need to know is the frame size you need and the next thing is your budget. You can pay from €500 to €5000 for a new road bike as there is a huge range out there.

I would say for entry level you should expect to pay between €800 to €1k for a decent new entry level road bike, although for about half that you should be able to get a get a good second hand bike on Adverts or Done deal.

TheTDF bike you spotted is a very basic road bike and comes in around at around €400 new I think, maybe a bit cheaper. It would get you started but if you got into it you would probably want an upgrade fairly soon and as such you would be better to get something a bit better to start off with.

I recently enquired about a basic entry level race spec. bike and was told to expect to pay between €2k to €3k made up as follows.

Groupset - Ultegra or better - €800
Wheelset - Mavic Kyserium 0r Fulcrum 3 €500
Carbon frameset - €800
Finishing Kit, bars, stem, seatpost saddle etc. €400

It adds up to €2500 fairly quickly as you will see so before you commit that much you will need to do your research. So visit some bike shops, borrow a bike from a friend and get out for a spin, go along to a club spin and ask around.

Good luck

Seaneh

He's looking to use BTW scheme by the looks of it.

taylorconor95

Seaneh wrote: »

He's looking to use BTW scheme by the looks of it.

I sure am, that's why it will have to be bought from a shop, not adverts or anything

Doctor Bob

Seaneh wrote: »

He's looking to use BTW scheme illegally by the looks of it.

FYP.

joxerjohn

With the BTW scheme up to €1000 on the bike and accessories can be covered.

I am not sure how you are planning on bending the rules but as a 17 year old you should know if you are buying the bike yourself that you will firstly need a job to avail of the scheme, your employer will then pay the bikeshop the full price agreed for the bike and you pay back your employer through payroll from your gross pay i.e before tax is deducted and so your get the tax saving in this way. Most employers would do the scheme for part time employees and can also be restrictive in terms of the bike shops they will deal with.

So as I say you'ii need to do your research.

Kronos11

I'm going to buy my first road bike soon too and had a look at the TDF in Halfords.

I'd much prefer to spend similar money on a second-hand bike though and try and get the best specs for around 400 or 500 Euro.. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to search for?

I've ridden a partially carbon-framed Trek before and it seemed great.

Cheers,

- Kronos.

joxerjohn

Should say would not do the scheme .

joxerjohn

Certainly Trek are very good and have a huge range form entry level right up to Professional level bikes.

Should be a good choice of second hand treks to choose from, clearly its buyer beware when buying second hand.

Entry level new Treks around €1k. in the shops.

Tonyandthewhale

First of all, what do you mean by 'bend' the bike to work scheme? If you're buying through your parent's bike to work scheme entitlement then that should be no more difficult in halfords than anywhere else.

Also, is 400ish your max budget? Even with the bike to work scheme? If so, the carrera you linked to or the decathalon triban 3 (they have a shop in belfast but I think you can get delivery for a bit extra), would be your main options as you're at the very bottom of the range when it comes to road bikes.

Personally, with 400 euro in my pocket I'd be going second hand all day long. Even with 250-300e you could get something nicer than the carrera second-hand but you'd need a lot of patience and know exactly what you're looking for.

taylorconor95

Woah I didn't know any of this was illegal! The guy in Halfords said they don't put more than one bike on the BTW scheme (Looking for two), but two local bike shops will, probably as they're not chain stores, just sole traders