first bike recommendation

bigmc23 · 18-06-2021 12:37PM #1

It will mainly be used for commuting in Dublin, weekend riding and maybe a triathlon next year.

what would you recommend? road bike? gravel bike? is there a minimum tyre clearance I should look for?

bigmc23 · 20-06-2021 01:33AM

Bump

fat bloke · 20-06-2021 08:03AM

Ya gotsta show us yer money.

All too often such threads / requests finish up with a naïvely unrealistic and game-ending "... and I'd like to spend max 175 euro"

magicbastarder · 20-06-2021 08:40AM

also, a triathlon bike and a bike suitable for commuting can be different beasts. that's not to say you can't enter a triathlon on a normal road bike.

if you're using it for commuting, your best bet is a road bike with clearance for mudguards, maybe a pannier rack etc.

davegilly · 20-06-2021 09:13AM

Similar to you and I purchased a Gravel Bike - https://www.orbea.com/ie-en/bicycles/urban/vector/cat/vector-drop - It's perfect for what you want to do. Not the lightest or fastest bike but wider tyres mean less punctures which when commuting will help. You're not going to win a triathlon on it but I'm cycling 80-100K in it at the moment no problem. If I had my time back again then I'd probably spring for something with a 105 groupset - will really help going up hills but what I have is perfectly fine to be honest.

If winning is your aim then it's a whole different conversation. And price point.

fat bloke · 20-06-2021 09:28AM

davegilly wrote: »

Similar to you and I purchased a Gravel Bike - https://www.orbea.com/ie-en/bicycles/urban/vector/cat/vector-drop - .

That's a lovely looking bike. And I didn't realise Tiagra had gone hydraulic. Where did you pick that up?

boombang · 20-06-2021 09:32AM

Don't spend less than €500 is a good starting point as you'll only get junk that will cause you heartache.

bigmc23 · 20-06-2021 10:38AM

fat bloke wrote: »

Ya gotsta show us yer money.

All too often such threads / requests finish up with a naïvely unrealistic and game-ending "... and I'd like to spend max 175 euro"

On the b2w scheme so budget is €1,250

a148pro · 20-06-2021 02:11PM

bigmc23 wrote: »

It will mainly be used for commuting in Dublin, weekend riding and maybe a triathlon next year.

what would you recommend? road bike? gravel bike? is there a minimum tyre clearance I should look for?

There's no need for a gravel bike or minimum tyre clearance if you're not going off road or on bumpy fire roads / tracks and trails

(unless you need specific tyre clearance for mud guards and stuff - I don't know about that)

Otherwise I actually think a cheap bike is grand. You have €1,250 budget which is good. I wouldn't actually be worried about getting 105, I have three different group sets across 3 different bikes and they're all grand. A good groupset is really a luxury.

So I'd just determine if you want to go off road or not and then ride a few bikes and buy the one you feel most comfortable on. I assume if you don't get 105 the saving you make will go into other parts of the bike.

davegilly · 20-06-2021 10:44PM

fat bloke wrote: »

That's a lovely looking bike. And I didn't realise Tiagra had gone hydraulic. Where did you pick that up?

Rothar in Phibsborough

bigmc23 · 21-06-2021 01:08PM

cheers to the replies all, now just the small matter of finding a shop with stock!

Macy0161 · 21-06-2021 01:18PM

I'd focus on the commuting/ weekend spins tbh. Starting Triathlon you're not going to compete on even the bike leg on any road bike imo (on most courses anyway).

If I was buying one bike to rule them all at the moment, I'd also say a gravel bike. Most have clearance for decent width tyres, plus mounting points for rack and mudguards.

fat bloke wrote: »

And I didn't realise Tiagra had gone hydraulic.

Last year I think, when they upgraded all the hydraulic hoods too. My 2020 Topstone AL came with hydraulic Tiagra anyway and can't really fault it. I only changed out the crankset to GRX for the gearing from the FSA it came with so I could fit a hollowtech 2 power meter I already had!

first bike recommendation

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