UKC

Hi Folks,

Sorry for the same old story, but I'm looking at getting into road cycling. I am looking for a reasonable bike that is better equipped than entry level such that I won't have to upgrade the components before they are worn out.

I am looking at the B'Twin Alur 700 as it is a resonable price at the moment (£600) and it has Shimano 105 stuff on it.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/alur-700-road-bike-id_8290145.html

Are there any bikes that compete with this bike that I should also be considering?

Cheers,
Chris

In reply to knighty:

The BTwin isn't full 105 groupset - got some random cranks and bottom bracket on it. Wheelset is own brand as well.

Bit more money: http://www.canyon.com/en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3577
Full 105 plus Ultegra bottom bracket, good make - used by pro teams (Movistar?), geometry looks sorted and the wheelset is mavic so should be better.

Also look at Planet X - great value on a range of bikes.
http://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/road-bikes

In reply to spragglerocks:

Thanks. I like the look of the Planet X ally roadbike.
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT58ALRIV22/planet-x-rt-58-alloy-sram-riva...

But it is £100 more. Quite frankly I am finding all this equipment stuff baffling. Is it worth the extra £100? I am also a little concerned that I will not be able to sit on one before I buy it (they may have a returns policy but this is likely to be messy with the c2w scheme).

Has anyone ridden both or either of the BTwin Alur and Planet X RT 58 and able to give me any feedback?

In reply to knighty:
http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/121928-10-best-road-bikes-under-£1000
http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/116764-10-best-£500-£750-road-bikes
http://road.cc/content/news/72001-best-entry-level-road-bikes-under-£500


HTH

In reply to knighty:
B'Twin Alur looks a good deal for that money. But it is absolutely worth getting a test ride before you buy first racing bike.

On other hand you could think about a second hand bike. Year old bike with moderate millage (~2000) will be 50% - 75% of original price.

In reply to knighty:

Something like item number 271748034649?

Never discount good used buys...

In reply to nniff:

Really helpful article - thanks for posting that.

I note that it talks about seasonal discounts; do these tend to fall at a particular point during the year - e.g., after winter or summer?

I've had to shell out quite a bit on servicing an old bike recently, and am considering an entry level road bike might have been a better plan.

In reply to Si Cox:

The sale season tends to be October onwards, but I'm still getting sale emails from various bike retailers.

In reply to The New NickB:

Thanks. Will check out the retailers.

In reply to knighty:

Chris. I just bought my first road bike and I got bewildered by all the techhy stuff....it's crazy.I did have one specific query about the sitting position, and I asked all the shops I visited how they would deal with it.Most just blandly ignored the question. Then at last one said " oh you need this one for this reason" and their advice was excellent. It was a Giant Defy range bike.

So my advice is find an unusual question ,ask it, and search until you find somebody who gives right answer.I spent £650 including shoes.

In reply to neilh:

I'm surprised you found most shops ignored the question about seating position, this is a fit issue and all the shops I use are pretty good on fit.

In reply to Siward:

That is a lot of bike for the money. Certainly going to follow it to see what it ends up going for.

In reply to nniff:

Thanks for the links. It is reassuring that they think it is good value.

Just got to make sure it fits me now

I am not so keen on buying used firstly because I worry that I'd be buying a stolen bicycle and secondly that I don't really know what to look for in terms of wear and tear on a bike. Obviously this is something that I will learn as I cycle more..

In reply to The New NickB:

I was as well....!! The shop I went with had been trading for 30 years, and you could tell, they were in a different league.It was not that the others ignored the question, they just brushed it to one side.

On the other hand for alot of these shops the starting price was £600. Most only seemed interested in selling nice expensive ones.

Visited about 6.

In reply to neilh:

Funnily enough, the one local bike shop where I know I am guaranteed terrible service (it is the most convenient for me, but I very rarely use it) is the one which has been established the longest, at least 30 years.

In reply to The New NickB:

Lol.

In reply to knighty:

Don't know about that particular bike, but at the beginning if November I bought a Triban 500 SE as a winter bike. For the money it's been great. Last week the freewheel packed up after about 1000 miles. Took it back to Decathlon and explained I lived about 90 mins drive away. "No problem, we'll fix it straight away". They didn't have a spare freewheel, so gave me a complete new wheel. Staff very friendly and helpful and seem to know their stuff.

In reply to knighty:
I know a few people who have (and love) the Planet X Pro Carbon SRAM Rival 22 - great spec for the money (£850).

Note - I know zero about road bikes

In reply to The New NickB:


Would that be SF's?

In reply to balmybaldwin:

No, local bike shop with a famously grumpy and unhelpful owner.

In reply to ChrisJD:


I picked up one of these in the sale just before Christmas but with last years SRAM Rival 20 instead and after 500 miles I am very happy with it. I've replace the saddle with a full leather SpaCycles Aire (heavy but worth it for the comfort over plastic tat) and put michelin Pro4 Service Course tyres on, other than that everything else is as it came.

This the 1st Road bike I've owned, 1st carbon frame as well, so not much to compare it to other than my old Specialized hardrock from 2001 and my 2014 Revolution Cross. Both of these now feel like tanks compared to this. I still use the Revolution for commuting when the weather is particularly bad, but if its not raining when I leave the house I've been jumping on the P-X. Compared to the other two bikes it is really lively and just begs to be ridden hard.

In reply to wilkesley:

Wow. Now that is customer service! How long should a freewheel last?!

In reply to knighty:

So, I have discounted both Planet X and Ribble because it's another £100+ for similar specs. I have narrowed the choice down to the b'twin Alur 700 for £600 or I've seen a deal on the Giant Defy 1 for £675. Both have very similar specs.

Which would you choose and why?