Newbie please advise

mosesgun

Hope you guys can help me. I've recently been bitten by the fitness bug and have taken up jogging etc. I've decided that I'm now going to buy myself a bike and use the bike to work scheme to soften the financial blow. My question is straightforward - should I buy a Hybrid or a Road Bike (A racer as we used to call them) I think I should go with a Road bike becuase I would like to build up my stamina over time and go on some long cycles. I've seen some posts on here by people saying they regretted buying Hybrids as they are not so good on long road journeys. Would there be any reason not to buy the road bike. Are there any downsides that I should know about? I've a maximum budget of €1,000 so any suggestions would be most welcome.

Raam

Road bike all the way. Happy cycling.

sav1980

Definitely a road bike if you want to do longer cycles. I have a road bike and a hybrid and compared to the road bike the hybrid feels very heavy and slow. It is good for nipping to the shops and the like but for long training spins I always use the road bike.

mosesgun

Thanks guys. Will I get a decent road bike for €1,000. Any brands I should look for?

Dipsomaniac

Heres some good work on roadbikes from gog when he was looking for a €1000 bike

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=77731290

Dermot Illogical

+1 on a road bike.

dahat

Bought a Giant Roam 2 under the Bike to Work scheme,decent bike but so regret not getting a road bike so do not make the same mistake i did..........

mosesgun

dahat wrote: »

Bought a Giant Roam 2 under the Bike to Work scheme,decent bike but so regret not getting a road bike so do not make the same mistake i did..........

Thanks. I'm glad I asked the question here because I can't afford financially to make the wrong decision.

dahat

mosesgun wrote: »

Thanks. I'm glad I asked the question here because I can't afford financially to make the wrong decision.

Same as me really,would love to change but cannot...still love my bike though,it just aint suitable for what i would love to do

Maciej_D

Was going through the same dilemma over a month ago and decided to get a road bike. It's a Fuji Roubaix 1.0

Use it for commute and fitness/training.

mosesgun

Maciej_D wrote: »

Was going through the same dilemma over a month ago and decided to get a road bike. It's a Fuji Roubaix 1.0

Use it for commute and fitness/training.

Just Googled yur bike there. Smashing looking bicycle. Would it be rude to ask how many Euros you had to part with to purchase that machine? Did you buy online or in a retail outlet?

Maciej_D

mosesgun wrote: »

Maciej_D wrote: »

Was going through the same dilemma over a month ago and decided to get a road bike. It's a Fuji Roubaix 1.0

Use it for commute and fitness/training.

Just Googled yur bike there. Smashing looking bicycle. Would it be rude to ask how many Euros you had to part with to purchase that machine? Did you buy online or in a retail outlet?

Got it through the cycle to work scheme via buildabike.ie

The bike price was 1100€ before all the tax relief.

mosesgun

Maciej_D wrote: »

Got it through the cycle to work scheme via buildabike.ie

The bike price was 1100€ before all the tax relief.

Lovely. Thanks for that. Did you also go with the Cleats & shoes or standard pedals? I presume you'd have to go with cleats would you?

Maciej_D

mosesgun wrote: »

Lovely. Thanks for that. Did you also go with the Cleats & shoes or standard pedals? I presume you'd have to go with cleats would you?

Originally I went with normal pedals and only got cleats and shoes on Friday. Went for a 50km spin in those for the first time on Saturday and I have to say the difference is very noticeable. I'd recommend getting the shoes and pedals from day 1.

mosesgun

Thanks for the replies guys. Looks like a resounding yes for a road bike. I just need to decide on a make now.

To Alcohol

How about a Giant Rapid? Am I right in saying this is essentially a road bike with flat handle bars?

route66

mosesgun wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys. Looks like a resounding yes for a road bike. I just need to decide on a make now.

A few other things to decide on:

1. Buy in a shop or online
2. Accessories

For no. 1, lots of bike shops have good deals this time of the year. In addition, if you are new to bikes, it's nice to have a real place where you can be sized for the correct bike, have small changes made to the spec to suit your needs/size/pocket, etc and where you can bring your bike back to for servicing and to have problems sorted. You generally get better stuff online, but you are on your own. My favourite online choice at that price would currently be this

For no. 2, you will need things like a pump, puncture repair kit, pedals, shoes, shorts, jersey, helmet, and a basic selection of tools, lights, etc. Some people buy this stuff outside of the bike to work scheme and spend the full €1k on a bike. Remember you can spend more than the €1,000 - you just pay the balance out of your net pay.

Oh, and remember - just as lots of people regret buying a hybrid instead of a road bike - most people who buy a bike on the BTW scheme, regret not spending more to get a bike that will do them for the medium term, and not just for the moment.;)

mosesgun

To Alcohol wrote: »

How about a Giant Rapid? Am I right in saying this is essentially a road bike with flat handle bars?

No not the flat ones. It's the racing style ones I'm interested in. Thanks though.

mosesgun

route66 wrote: »

A few other things to decide on:

1. Buy in a shop or online
2. Accessories

For no. 1, lots of bike shops have good deals this time of the year. In addition, if you are new to bikes, it's nice to have a real place where you can be sized for the correct bike, have small changes made to the spec to suit your needs/size/pocket, etc and where you can bring your bike back to for servicing and to have problems sorted. You generally get better stuff online, but you are on your own. My favourite online choice at that price would currently be this

For no. 2, you will need things like a pump, puncture repair kit, pedals, shoes, shorts, jersey, helmet, and a basic selection of tools, lights, etc. Some people buy this stuff outside of the bike to work scheme and spend the full €1k on a bike. Remember you can spend more than the €1,000 - you just pay the balance out of your net pay.

Oh, and remember - just as lots of people regret buying a hybrid instead of a road bike - most people who buy a bike on the BTW scheme, regret not spending more to get a bike that will do them for the medium term, and not just for the moment.;)

That's a great post. Thanks a lot for taking the time to do it. I agree regarding buying in a good bike shop. I'll need guidance so best talk to the experts. I'll definitely spend the money on the bike. I can pick up and add to the accessories as I go. Thanks again for the advice.