Road bike recommendation

lighterman

I'm looking at upgrading my bike with a little help from santa

I'm currently road cycling on a mountain bike doing between 30-50 miles so looking at getting a road bike.i'm not interested in getting a racing type bike.

I was looking at this on cycle super-store.Would this be any good or what would be recommended.It couldnt cost much more than the bike i have posted.Thanks

https://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=68825

quozl

lighterman wrote: »

ntain bike doing between 30-50 miles so looking at getting a road bike.i'm not interested in getting a racing type bike.

You might have a very good reason for that but are you sure? At those kind of distances the extra hand positions would be nice and will only get nicer if you choose to increase the distance. It's also nice to be able to get a big lower down if there's a strong head-wind.

Drop-bar bikes don't all require you to take an aggressive position - many deliberately have 'relaxed' geometry so you're positioned quite similarly to how you would be on a more sporty straight-bar bike but you still have the extra positions and the option to get lower by going into the drops. The drops are really comfortable by the way, especially down-hill.

That cannondale looks grand. Perfectly nice bike. I just wanted to chime in with make sure you don't want a road bike. I've got one of each and while I prefer the hybrid for city centre commuting, if I could only one of them it's the road bike that I'd keep.

lighterman

quozl wrote: »

You might have a very good reason for that but are you sure? At those kind of distances the extra hand positions would be nice and will only get nicer if you choose to increase the distance. It's also nice to be able to get a big lower down if there's a strong head-wind.

Drop-bar bikes don't all require you to take an aggressive position - many deliberately have 'relaxed' geometry so you're positioned quite similarly to how you would be on a more sporty straight-bar bike but you still have the extra positions and the option to get lower by going into the drops. The drops are really comfortable by the way, especially down-hill.

That cannondale looks grand. Perfectly nice bike. I just wanted to chime in with make sure you don't want a road bike. I've got one of each and while I prefer the hybrid for city centre commuting, if I could only one of them it's the road bike that I'd keep.

To be honest its just a case of never having one in regards to the handle bars etc.

I'm not sure what you mean by the high-lighted bit

Dcully

I agree with quozl, Back in late August i was about to buy a hybrid or mountain bike for casual cycling.
However thanks to advice given on here similar to what you just got above i went with a road bike [racing bike as you called it] and never looked back.
In the long run and once you get used to things its a hell of a lot more comfortable, last week it was very windy and i was delighted to be able to get lower down than i would have on a hybrid or mountain bike.
Im no expert,im far from quick either but to me as a casual cyclist im delighted i took the advice given by the lads on here.

quozl

lighterman wrote: »

To be honest its just a case of never having one in regards to the handle bars etc.

I'm not sure what you mean by the high-lighted bit

Sorry, when I say 'road' bike I mean what you call a 'racer'. I'd call what you linked a straight-barred road bike or a fitness/sports hybrid. Sorry for the confusion

You're already doing good distance on your MTB, so another plus for a racer is that if you ever want to join a cycling club you can with a racer. No clubs that I know of allow joining group rides with a straight bar bike as there's a risk of hooking handlebars.

lighterman

I might change my post a small bit and seek any recommendations for one of them bikes.Keep in mind it'll be my first time getting a bike like this.Thanks

quozl

This one is 50e more expensive https://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=67709 but it does come with a carbon bladed fork rather than an alloy one. For what that's worth.

This one is 70euro cheaper than the one you linked - https://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=67722 but also has 8 speed claris. You lose the carbon bladed fork.

The Giant Defy is a relaxed geometry road bike. It would feel strange at first but you'd get used to it very very quickly. I rode a drop-bar bike for the first time in August and it felt like a clown-bike for the first few minutes. Now I love it.

Giant is a large, reputable brand. The Cannondale synapse is also relaxed geometry but I don't see a drop-bar one in your price range.

quozl

if you're near Rathmines then thinkbike.ie do a 2 day bike trial. So if you were unsure about a drop-bar bike then you could give one a good test ride. They do the same 2 Giant's that I linked on cyclestore and at the same price.

They don't do Cannondales - I think - but they do Treks, who are also good bikes. One of the Trek road-bike ranges will be relaxed geometry and they'd be able to tell you which. I think a fairly relaxed geometry is the default for consumer road-bikes now.

feck sake lads

NOW hang on a sec think about this for a minute.
you want a bike not for racing but a top class quality road bike one that will last a lifetime provided you look after it .
well take a look a Thorn Audax bike, why well you can use it for fast day rides or group rides /if you fancy doing a bit of touring no problem,takes mudguards has braze ons for front and rear racks made from quality steel .you can also buy as extra front carbon forks if you fancy that.:cool:
so shoot over to SJS cycles and take a look.
happy christmas.

quozl

feck sake lads wrote: »

well take a look a Thorn Audax bike,

At 999 sterling are those not about twice the OP's price range?

I'd like one of them myself though

feck sake lads

quozl wrote: »

At 999 sterling are those not about twice the OP's price range?

I'd like one of them myself though

probably is but its a super quality bike that will last him forever.
i missed out on one yesterday on ebay,the feckin sniper got me :D

next bike i buy will be the thorn audax hopefully next year.
i'm cycling most of my life (60) had plenty of top end bikes in my day still riding a beauty raleigh 753 class bike but the thorn audax ticks all the boxes for me.

mcgratheoin

quozl wrote: »

At 999 sterling are those not about twice the OP's price range?

401 forum rules mandate the inclusion of an over-budget option on every recommendation thread. Failure to do so will result in severe loss of euro status.