Buying my first road bike

So I am starting a new job soon that's about a 40 walk and I am looking at getting a road bike to make the commute quicker. The road I'll be travelling on requires me to go up and down hills too.

I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to bikes and was wondering if anyone could give me any tips? Like what to look for in a bike? Should I buy second hand? How much should I spend?

Need advice guys :colondollar:

Reply 1

junayd1998

11

Original post by Katiee224

So I am starting a new job soon that's about a 40 walk and I am looking at getting a road bike to make the commute quicker. The road I'll be travelling on requires me to go up and down hills too.

I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to bikes and was wondering if anyone could give me any tips? Like what to look for in a bike? Should I buy second hand? How much should I spend?

Need advice guys :colondollar:

You should cop a quadbike that would be perfect for your situation.

Reply 2

Vav Sartrean Po

18

Original post by Katiee224

So I am starting a new job soon that's about a 40 walk and I am looking at getting a road bike to make the commute quicker. The road I'll be travelling on requires me to go up and down hills too.

I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to bikes and was wondering if anyone could give me any tips? Like what to look for in a bike? Should I buy second hand? How much should I spend?

Need advice guys :colondollar:

Is your area safe? Like will you lock your bike up or take it into your office

Reply 3

hezzlington

20

Original post by Katiee224

So I am starting a new job soon that's about a 40 walk and I am looking at getting a road bike to make the commute quicker. The road I'll be travelling on requires me to go up and down hills too.

I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to bikes and was wondering if anyone could give me any tips? Like what to look for in a bike? Should I buy second hand? How much should I spend?

Need advice guys :colondollar:

Look up mango bikes :smile:

Reply 4

shawn_o1

21

I got a hybrid bike for less than £100 from Argos

Reply 5

hi-zen-berg

12

Original post by Katiee224

So I am starting a new job soon that's about a 40 walk and I am looking at getting a road bike to make the commute quicker. The road I'll be travelling on requires me to go up and down hills too.

I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to bikes and was wondering if anyone could give me any tips? Like what to look for in a bike? Should I buy second hand? How much should I spend?

Need advice guys :colondollar:

I have been riding to school/sixth form every day and its about an hour walk so similar situation to you. I'd strongly recommend getting a fixed gear or singlespeed (looks like a fixie, but you can 'coast' i.e pedals dont always have to be in motion) bike.

Not only have they been my segue into falling in love with cycling, but on a practical level they are:
-cheaper
-simpler
-easier to maintain

that full out road bikes of similar design and quality.

Reply 6

hezzlington

20

Original post by hi-zen-berg

I have been riding to school/sixth form every day and its about an hour walk so similar situation to you. I'd strongly recommend getting a fixed gear or singlespeed (looks like a fixie, but you can 'coast' i.e pedals dont always have to be in motion) bike.

Not only have they been my segue into falling in love with cycling, but on a practical level they are:
-cheaper
-simpler
-easier to maintain

that full out road bikes of similar design and quality.

Nice avatar, it used to be my old one when the album first came out :smile:

But OP says there are hills. Single speed/fixie may not be the best option there if the hills are significant.

Reply 7

JamesN88

20

Original post by Katiee224

So I am starting a new job soon that's about a 40 walk and I am looking at getting a road bike to make the commute quicker. The road I'll be travelling on requires me to go up and down hills too.

I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to bikes and was wondering if anyone could give me any tips? Like what to look for in a bike? Should I buy second hand? How much should I spend?

Need advice guys :colondollar:

It can take a while(It took me around 4 weeks) but you can often pick up bikes that are practically brand new on ebay for around 50% of the retail price.

You can spend as much or as little as you want. An entry level road bike for approx £200 new would fulfill your requirements for a commute but it's really a case of "how long is a piece of string?".

If you're new to cycling I'd get a bike with a 50/34 chain set at the front. This means the number of teeth on each ring. Most road bikes have either 50/34 or 53/39, the latter will make getting up the hills harder but you'll have more potential for speed on the flat and downhill. Whether it's got 8,9,10, etc gears at the back isn't so important but if your back cassette is 11-28 and you've got 50/34 at the front you should be able to get up anything.

https://roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/technique/beginners-guide-how-to-use-road-bike-gears.html/2#JydvxReLgPqVv7tI.97

There's people with boat loads more knowledge about tech specs than me on the cyclists society thread as well.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4024369

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 8

doodle_333

19

Take a look at the cyclists forum.

It really depends what you want and what your budget is. For a basic, entry level hybrid bike which would be fine for a 2 mile commute you could get something reasonable for £200ish new. For an entry level road bike you're looking at £700 or so for something decent, but you don't need a proper road bike for a 2 mile trip.

Don't worry about hills, that's what gears are for. You'll probably feel like you're dying the first few times but it won't take long to adapt.

Buying my first road bike

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