UKC

Im thinking of getting an entry level road bike. Any advice on Boardmans now Halfords have the range?

Up to now the Decathlon BTwin Trban 500 seems to be tops.

Living in Sheffield so lots of Peak climbs on the doorstep to consider.

Any advice on these models or any others would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
R

In reply to robw007:

One of my colleagues has just got a Triban 500 and seems to really like it, but it's his first road bike and nothing to compare against.

In reply to robw007:

Between the Boardman Road Sport and the B'Twin Triban 500, the B'Twin has a carbon fork and higher-range gear shifters (the Boardman has those nasty levers with a tiny thumb lever for downshifting), but the Boardman has better wheels.

There's also this : http://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-performance-road-pr7-bike-73113.html# same wheels as the Boardman, carbon fork and decent gearing.

And it's £130 cheaper than the B'Twin.

The Boardman and Merlin have a compact chainset and the B'Twin has a triple. If you're just starting out then a triple might be better, but a compact gives pretty much the same range of gears and is lighter/simpler. I would advise you not to do a web search on "triple vs compact" unless you have a lot of spare time and a high tolerance for ambiguity.

Buy the one you like the colour and look of best - it'll motivate you to get out more.

In reply to TimB:

I'm not sure what people have against the thumb shift. My older bike has Sora with these on and I don't dislike them at all.

In reply to GrahamD:

I agree - i have sora on my winter bike and really like it. Unless you plan to spend a long time in the drops or have really really weak thumbs its a non issue and just snobbery imho

In reply to VS4b:

Not a lot in it. Have a look, you'll know which you prefer.
Both get good reviews for the price.

In reply to GrahamD:


Do you prefer them to your Ultegra shifters? Both bikes will function, this is a question of what is superior. Sora no longer have thumb shifters.

In reply to TimB:

That looks fantastic value.

In reply to The New NickB:

I saw an article on road.cc about it, and couldn't quite believe the price.
http://road.cc/content/news/131472-just-new-merlin-cycles-pr7-costing-just-...

But then I like black bikes.

In reply to The New NickB:

I prefer my 105s to the Sora but not because of thumb shift particularly. For an entry level bike I certainly wouldn't make the presence of a thumb shift or not a deciding criteria.

In reply to GrahamD:
Sorry thought you had Ultegra. I have tried thumb shift and definitely find them inferior to my 5 year old Tiagra. Although to be far I find the Tiagra inferior to my new Dura Ace, but unless we get some nice days before winter sets in, I'll be back on the Tiagra equipped bike until spring.

In reply to robw007:
If you can squeeze an extra few quid out of your budget I'd look for an end-of-season deal on an Allez. The entry level model is all shimano claris I believe, with a triple (ideal for the hills, and then when you're stronger/ it wears out, replace it with whatever you feel you need at that point). Seems like an obvious choice, but it is popular for a reason. I have ridden mine furiously for the last 4 years, and though I have a carbon bike now, still commute on it every day. Bomb-proof and great fun to ride- fully recommend.
http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/specialized_allez_road_bike_2014-ID_61005

For an extra £100 the sora compact Allez sport is available

In reply to Strachan:

That looks like an inferior bike to the £300 Merlin, which has a carbon fork and better wheels.

In reply to robw007:

Similarly you can get a full carbon bike from halfords for a lot less than many aluminium bikes, but I know which I would consider to be the better bike. Nice friendly response though, cheers...

In reply to robw007:

This is the sport (carbon fork, but not a triple) http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/specialized_allez_sport_road_bike_2014-ID_61006

I'm going to assume that there is a reason the merlin is £300, and probably, that is the same reason I have never seen anyone riding one.

In reply to Strachan:
I'm not personally a fan of Specialized bikes, overpriced probably being my main criticism, but I think Merlin know what they are doing. I am also wary of cheap carbon, but I would not want to pay £500 for a bike with an aluminium fork.

In reply to Strachan:


It has only just been launched.

In reply to robw007:

Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op have a few bikes in that price range.

In reply to TimB:

If I was buying my first road bike now it'd be that £300 Merlin bike. Save the extra money for some decent bibs and other gear.

In reply to robw007:
Cheers everyone - thanks for the response. The Merlin sounds a bargain I'll definitely take a look.

Thanks. R

In reply to robw007:

Only thing I'd add, is at least with your other options you can sit on them and size them up, you won't get that chance with the Merlin so you'd be guessing that the sizing was good for you.

In reply to robw007:

I bought a Triban 500 a few months ago. I can't say too much against it as it's my first road bike. I also live in Sheffield and I can tell you that I use the easiest gear a lot so that's something to bear in mind when choosing (unless you're already a beast of course).

It handles nicely and goes like stink down hills is about all I can say. The back end is a little heavy due to the rear triangle being a bit over-engineered. In time I'd probably change the wheels, or at least tyres and possibly put in a carbon seat post and change the saddle but for the money, it's a decent bike.

In reply to robw007:

Merlin have a shop in Chorley. Maybe schedule a visit with a trip up to the Lakes?

They make quality, great value bikes in my opinion.