UKC

I currently have a full-susser mtb and it is so slow on anything other than utterly treacherous downhill that it annoys me. The other day I was literally pedalling full-tilt down a road hill and couldn't catch up with a road bike that was coasting without pedalling - that really put things in perspective for me.

Will any cheap, old, (heavy?) 2nd hand road bike blow my mind in terms of speed on the road compared to my mtb? I've never ridden a road bike so have no idea what to expect.

I want to balance it being fast and wonderful with me being able to leave it locked up outside a swimming baths/gym/shops and it not get looked at twice by thieving thiefs... any tips? Is 2nd hand the way to go or should I get some cheap GoOutdoors/decathlon own brand thing?

I'm not bothered about panniers or oat like that I just want it to be fast to cover lots of miles.

Thanks folks!

In reply to elliot.baker:

I bought a second hand Specialized Allez off eBay for £350 a couple of years ago and since then have done just over 3000 miles on it. I can confirm that the answer to the first part of your question is "yes".

Of course its a bit like Trigger's broom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus in that I've had new forks, cranks, chain-rings, chain, cassette, wheels and so on, but it was still a good buy.

When I got it I hadn't ridden dropped handlebars since I was about 15 (I'm early 50s now) so I was hedging my bets as to whether I would like it. I do, most emphatically, and I'm considering an upgrade (full carbon, 105 or Ultegra) but I'd still keep the Allez as a winter bike just because I love it so much.

Does that help?

Rob

In reply to LittleRob:

Yes, very much. As soon as I started researching road bikes I was like "right I'm getting something carbon with Di2 group set!" But then I was like... I could literally only use that for recreational riding as I wouldn't be comfortable leaving it locked up anywhere, ever. So now I'm thinking I could probably get about 90% of the same enjoyment for 10% of the cost, and have the added bonus of being able to lock it up without fear of theft (hopefully).

In reply to elliot.baker:


As the owner of both an expensive full-sus mtb and also a (relatively) cheap road bike, I can confirm to you that the on-road speed of the latter is in a completely different league to the former.

In reply to elliot.baker:

Having had similar thoughts about 5 years ago I bought a really cheap old steel racer and was amazed at how much I enjoyed being able to effectively use a bike as a form of transport once more rather than just taking the MTB out for specific off road trips.
Unfortunately it's a slippery slope, I then bought a £300 Trek 1.2 when I mangled the old Peugeot and later spent out on a carbon beauty which has put me back to square one in a way as I'm now afraid to lock it up anywhere.
The old trek is still going strong though and I haven't actually needed to do massive amounts to it beyond changing things that just wear out.

In reply to LittleRob:



What he said.
I spend £350 on a Trek something or other of a certain age. - Gumtree in my case.
Be warned though that my mountain bike has hardly been ridden since.
The Trek became a donor of parts for a flash new frame. Slowly flash new parts got bought for the flash new frame and the old bike re-emerged as a winter bike.
Now there's a new even smarter bike on the way.
And there's a 24" skinny-wheeled folding bike too.
And a fixie.
And an old mountain bike somewhere....

In reply to elliot.baker:

Buy 5metres of 25mm wide lemon hi viz reflective tape on ebay, maybe a couple of metres of red.

Put lemon colour along full length of down tube, cross bar, seat stem facing sideways to left & right.
Apply some to seat stem, front forks, down tube and seat tube facing forwards.

Apply red tape to seat stays, seat tube and seat stem facing backwards.

Apply scraps to wherever else it fits (rims even).

It is exceptionally ugly possibly rendering your bike zero value second hand for thieves and you

Possibly buy a second hand bike as it may break your heart to do it to a new bike!

In reply to elliot.baker:

£200 will buy you a 5 or 6 year old aluminium / carbon forked bike with Tiagra or better 105 groupset that would have cost £800-£1000 new. Might take a little searching though. My 'winter' bike is exactly that, a 2009 Cannondale Synapse. I don't just use it in winter, I take it places and leave it places it locked up. My good bike, on which the frame, groupset and wheels all cost more individually than the Cannondale new, never leaves my sight when I am outside of the house.

In reply to elliot.baker:
If you are getting a single bike to do everything (commuting and recreational riding) look at a getting a 'low-end' road bike, probably made of aluminium. Even the heaviest, entry-level road bikes will be crazy fast and substantially lighter than a hybrid or MTB. Personally I would spend a bit extra to get a decent spec group set on it, though, probably Shimano Tiagra or ideally 105.

I wouldn't leave anything made of carbon locked up on the street, ever.

Going against the grain but personally I would look at buying new rather than 2nd hand. The consensus in my club seems to be that the B'Twin Triban 540 (the drop bar version), despite being Decathlon's own brand, is actually a pretty decent road bike and very good value for money.

Buying 2nd hand is dicey. I recently got burned buying a 2nd hand TT bike from eBay, which looked great in the photos, and was claimed to be in 'excellent condition' but turned out to have hairline but structurally significant cracking to the seat tube - the seller claimed not to have noticed it. If I hadn't been really thorough checking it, I might have missed it too until it was too late. I got my money back eventually but only because I'd insisted on paying using paypal (seller had wanted me to pay via bank transfer, which was my first alarm bell). I would insist on cash on collection and take an experienced friend who knows what they are looking for, if you go down this route.


If you get really into road biking you will inevitably end up with more bikes anyway, then you will already have a bike for commuting and utility duty and/or winter riding, and can indulge your desire for carbon and electronic shifting.


Don't skimp on locks. Allocate a decent chunk of budget. You will never make your bike impossible to steal for a professional but you only have to make it less attractive than the other bikes locked up nearby. I use an Abus U-Mini (gold rated) and an Abus Granit Steel-o-flex (silver rated), both round the frame and one through each of the wheels. Combined they weigh a ton but I can leave the cable lock at work so only have to carry the mini D lock around. I live/work in central London, and touch wood, I've never had a bike stolen. That being said, try to avoid leaving it on the street if you can possibly avoid it, I have managed to get a bike locker at work which keeps it out of sight. If you have to lock it up, lock it somewhere really busy and public, not down a deserted side street.

In reply to elliot.baker:

It's also worth thinking about changing quick release levers on your wheels to some kind of 'locking' skewers if you're planning to leave the bike chained up. I did that on my winter bike and it makes chaining it up a bit less faff (and, I guess more importantly, I hope it makes stealing the wheels more faff).

In reply to elliot.baker:

I've fairly reliably informed that London couriers are known to buy half-decent bikes and then make them look tatty to disguise the value - cover the frame in tape/hand spray paint to hide shininess and brand, etc. Scrub up the ends of the bar tape for good measure.

Don't forget some Spokie Dokies and a carrier bag over the saddle for finishing touches

In reply to cathsullivan:


I'd second that, after getting back to the station after a night out to find some scrote had gone down the whole bike shed and chucked all the skewers into the bushes/on the tracks, leaving me to walk home pushing the bike.

I have Zefal ones on that bike now, which are key-less, so nothing to lose/forget: http://www.zefal.com/en/locking-pins/93-lock-n-roll.html

My hybrid came with ones that need a 5-sided version of a Hex key, which can definitely be lost (by previous owner, not me).

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Get a steel bike with big mudguards, 3 speed Sturmey Archer gears, and a wicker basket on the front.......

In reply to elliot.baker:

I owned a Decathlon B'Twin Triban 3 for a few years and put a couple of thousand miles on it. For £300 it was seriously good value and I would recommend it as a good way in to road cycling. The 500SE is the current model: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-se-id_8306187.html

In reply to thedatastream:

I presume this would be like the Starship enterprise compared to a rowing boat when compared to my full-susser...nice thanks for the tip.

In reply to thedatastream:

I got a Revolution Cross, 2-3 years old and little-used, £230 with lock, lights, etc. Combines some of road bike speed with robustness of mtb for kerbs and Embra potholes. Love it. Panniers mean you can take proper locks with you...important! Rear qr skewer repkaced with security skewer means bike still easily goes in car or taxi with front wheel off, but one lock fits frame and front wheel. Cyclocross tyres do fine on grass but way better than mtb on road.

In reply to elliot.baker:

The scroats around here steal old, worthless bikes for the scrap value. It may be low, but it's still more than £0.00.

Rather than value of the bike, choice of location for leaving it seems to matter more. You want somewhere very public and very open.