where to get bike as christmas present

oldfella

im looking at getting a road bike for the wife for christmas ... racing type bike and entry level would be fine as its not for compettion....would halfords be the best place and what type of brakes , gears should i look out for ...mint secondhand would be fine as well
thanks

iwillhtfu

Budget?

Does she currently cycle? On a road bike/racer?

oldfella

she cycled on/off during the summer on a road bike... but next year wants to up her mileage with a racer

fat bloke

If you want virtual shopping help we're going to need:

1) budget

2) size

oldfella

my budget is under 500 ..shes about 5 ft 4 so prob a small frame

Beasty

OP - Is this a wants ad (which belongs here), or a discussion on where to get such bikes (which should be moved to the main forum)?

fat bloke

Halfords is a good bet then in my opinion.

And their best bike, again in my opinion for 500 quid is the Wiggins Rouen in a size 48, which should be fine for someone 5 ft 4

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?catalogId=15551&langId=-1&categoryId=212442&productId=1290219&storeId=11101

I know it's sold in the kids bike range but it's for a junior/young teen of about your wife's height.

They have size 48 and smaller bikes in their women's range like the Laura Trott models and boardman models but for 500 quid they're all heavier and with a poorer spec (claris) groupset and not a carbon fork.

The Wiggins has a sora groupset, carbon fork and is lighter.

The whole "women's bikes" thing is misleading anyway as mostly its just smaller than usual frames, women's saddles and shorter stems. But my wife has always ridden men's bikes, or... "bikes", if you will.

You don't have a lot of choice new or used for 500 quid really and there's a lot of crap out there, but I think the Wiggins bike is a great wee bike, and I have them earmarked for my kids when they grow up a bit.

LCD

|Visit your local bike shop before buying online or Halfords. Give them a chance to be competitive. You`ll probably need their services at some stage