Beginners Road Bike with commuting (Triban Vs Vitus Razor)

onrail

Appreciate any experience or advice anyone might be able to lend!

Have been thinking about buying a beginners road bike for a while now and think I'll finally take the plunge this week.

I reckon I'll be using it 4 days a week for a 6k (ew) road/path commute, with a 50% chance that I'll take it for some weekend cycling come spring and summer. Running has taken its toll on my body, so cycling might be the ticket to keep fit while not wrecking myself.

As it's my first bike (bike to work scheme) and who knows how much use it'll get, I don't want to spend much money, so have set a budget of Stg£550 before any of the btw discounts are taken off.

I Think I've narrowed it down to two options:

Vitus Razor VRX

Triban RC500

Both seem to be very good spec for the money (but what would I know)

• Vitus has the advantage of lower weight and Shimano Tiagra Drivetrain. Possibly better for weekend spins?;
  
• I'm leaning towards the Triban because it seems to be better set up for commuting (mounts for mudguards, rack, better tyres).

Would love some opinions! Also welcome to tell me not to bother with a bike at all!

Lumen

Vitus, nice and simple.

magicbastarder

i had to buy a new bike once because the one i had couldn't take mudguards.

onrail

magicbastarder wrote: »

i had to buy a new bike once because the one i had couldn't take mudguards.

That's the fear with the Vitus!

magicbastarder

if you're on the upper tax bracket, the cycle to work scheme is a very efficient way of buying a bike, and you can't store up whatever you didn't spend under the 1k limit.
also, does your employer allow you to buy from decathlon, or online retailers?
there's no legal reason not to, but some employers will create a restriction for administrative reasons.

onrail

magicbastarder wrote: »

if you're on the upper tax bracket, the cycle to work scheme is a very efficient way of buying a bike, and you can't store up whatever you didn't spend under the 1k limit.
also, does your employer allow you to buy from decathlon, or online retailers?
there's no legal reason not to, but some employers will create a restriction for administrative reasons.

Yeah, I've been looking at a used bike, but would prefer the peace of mind of a new model - particularly given the discount available. Given that I'm a complete newbie, it seems difficult in my mind to justify any spend over £500-550.

Based in Belfast, so luckily we have bricks n' mortar stores for Decathlon and CRC. Both are covered by our scheme.

Lumen

onrail wrote: »

That's the fear with the Vitus!

Trek 1.1 reputedly takes mudguards.

£525.99 in Lisburn, wherever the hell that is.

https://www.jmhcycles.co.uk/Trek-Bikes-stockists-northern-Ireland-belfast/trek-1-1-2017-536285-1987?sort=rating&order=ASC

magicbastarder

Lumen wrote: »

£525.99 in Lisburn, wherever the hell that is.

duh. it's the capital of portugal.

onrail

Lumen wrote: »

Trek 1.1 reputedly takes mudguards.

£525.99 in Lisburn, wherever the hell that is.

https://www.jmhcycles.co.uk/Trek-Bikes-stockists-northern-Ireland-belfast/trek-1-1-2017-536285-1987?sort=rating&order=ASC

I'm a bit too much of a short arse for a 58" unfortunately

Reckon that the other two aren't worth buying?

TheJak01

For what it's worth, I've only ever heard good things about the Triban bikes. Was looking at the same sort of price point to you (actually, maybe a little lower but I managed to up sell myself as I am want to do) and was strongly considering one of the Decathlon Bikes as any avenue I looked down suggested they were very good value for money at the lower price point. Unfortunately I know fairly little about the Vitus.

In the end I bought a Mango Point R, which would have been at your price point at the time I bought it, but has now crept up above 600 for the Sora version. Couldn't have been happier with it as an all rounder. Personally I'd say if you're commuting a full set of mudguards are an absolute lifesaver. Originally thought I'd be happy without them, but on a commuting bike I'd be opting for the Triban on that basis alone.

robyntmorton

I used to cycle a Vitus Razor VRL. A nice machine for sure, as I discovered a love of road cycling on it before upgrading to something a little lighter and with a better groupset. I'd still consider the Vitus for shorter spins though. If you can get a good deal on the Razor VRX go for it.

onrail

Cheers for the steer everyone. To wreck my head further, I just came across a used Moda Chord Hybrid for a very very good price

Lumen

onrail wrote: »

I'm a bit too much of a short arse for a 58" unfortunately

Reckon that the other two aren't worth buying?

It's a 56, not a 58., but Treks are sold in many places.

The Vitus is fine. The Triban has cable discs which I don't like.