Recommend a racing bike for a 1st timer.

MOTHERTRUCKER

Hi,

Can anyone help me please.
I'm in my early 30's and have just given up smoking and want to buy
a racing bike to get fit again.
My budget is no more than E300. It is January and i'm more or less broke.

I have no experience in racing bikes whatsoever. I have checked out some of the websites that were recommended in the above threads but they seem to be all well over E1000. Which i presume are for Professionals.

Can anyone help me source a 2nd hand quality racing bike for this kind of money?
It doesn't have to be new, and looking at the prices of some of the bikes i don't expect to get a new one with my budget.

I would appreciate any response............

P.S
I'm 6 Ft 2 Inches. Most bike websites sell frames (and bikes) by measurements
what one would suit me? Should i buy a bike online?
When i said i hadn't got a clue i meant it!!


Help

Wez

I was in the same boat, was checking out getting something new originally, but went into cycleways and was pretty much laughed out of the shop! SO I had a look online, and they were nearly as bad.. I decided to check around 2nd hand places, found a couple nice enough deals, but even still most of them were around €500.. I went onto Ebay and found what appears to be pretty much a nice enough racer. I've never heard of the brand before, but it's only a starting point, planning on replacing everything bit by bit, eventually the frame and then have a completely different bike by the end of it.

I'm just waiting on delivery now and can then fill you in on how it goes, but I thought it looks like a good enough deal..

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320064671295&sspagename=ADME:B:AAQ:DE:1#ebayphotohosting

MOTHERTRUCKER

Thanks for the info Wez.
Would you believe i was actually looking at this guys shop on ebay this morning, but when he said he wouldn,t except paypal i lost interest.

So how mush did you pay? It looks like 100 Pound and 39 Pound shipping?
Is that correct, so roughly your talking about Euro 204?
How did you pay? Bank transfer?

How long have you been waiting on delivery?
I'd be greatful if you'd let me know how you got on and how the bike feels and looks.

Looks a tiny bit cheapy to me, to be honest, not a good sign when he sells the bike as a Shimano gear system, didn't catch the make?

What does : frame high 80cm ( from the bottom!). 50 cm total frame high!
mean?
Also he says it has 26inch rims? Is this normal?

As i said i'm 6ft2 is this the bike for me?
i'd be sick if i bought it and i ended up looking like krusty the clown riding a childs tricycle.

Chips Lovell

You're right, €300 won't get you a new road bike. Around €650 is the minimum these days, but as Wez found you might get something cheaper on eBay. Second hand is the other option. I've never bought second hand, so I'm no help on which shops in Dublin are good for that. I'd be cagey about buying second hand from small ads if I knew nothing about bikes. You'd have no idea if you were getting a good deal or not.

Frame size can be tricky. I'm the same height as you and ride a 59cm frame. However different manufacturers use different frame geometries and some measure them a little different to others. You probably should be in the region of 58-62cm, but you'd need to get fit at a bikeshop to know for sure.

Riding the wrong size bike may feel alright at the start, but as you start doing longer rides you may start getting nagging aches and pains.

You could always hold off and save your pennies. When I started cycling I bought a €100 mountain bike and rode the hell out of it for nearly a year until I could afford a road bike. It gave me a chance to see if a.) it really was for me and b.) learn a little about bikes so that when I did have the cash to spend, I knew what I was doing.

Morgan

I seem to remember seeing an entry level road bike in the Cycle Superstore for about eur300 a few months ago - it might be worth giving them a call.

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie

MOTHERTRUCKER

Thanks for the the info Morgan.

I gave them a call and asked them about an entry level road bike and they
suggested the following:

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=12400

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=13123

The Lapierre is Euro 689 over double my budget.
But he recommended it over the Giant OCR which was Euro469.
Because the Lapierre had carbon forks

I asked them about selling second hand bikes but they don't.
Are there any good shops that sell second hand road bikes?

Wez

Well it actually cost €228.92 including postage (surprising €80!) which is insured etc. and is supposed to take 5-7 days. I transfered the money into his account, which was straight forward enough, took about 5 days to get there for free (can pay 25 to have it done over 1-2 days) and then once he receives payment he ships the bike. I got a receipt, but not the tracking number I was supposed to get. I'll fill you in with details as everything unfolds, has taken a while over all, I'm on about the 2nd week now, there was a bit of messing going on, but it was xmas, so that'd explain it..

I'm due to get the bike sometime next week, so I'll let you know how it goes once I get it.

Captain Trips

MOTHERTRUCKER wrote:

Thanks for the the info Morgan.

I gave them a call and asked them about an entry level road bike and they
suggested the following:

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=12400

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=13123

The Lapierre is Euro 689 over double my budget.
But he recommended it over the Giant OCR which was Euro469.
Because the Lapierre had carbon forks

I asked them about selling second hand bikes but they don't.
Are there any good shops that sell second hand road bikes?

You don't have to get a road bike - a commuting style bike for cheap can be had easily, but on some slickish tyres and your away.

As someone who only took up cycling only around 2 years ago, and who smokes, I would buy/cheat/steal to get as good a bike as I could afford! What's my quitting smoking brand? Cannondale! And 60km trips up to Glencree!

Alkers

Don't mind him telling you about a carbon fork. Sounds like you went a bit heavy on the RACINGbike thing. Ring up again saying you're looking for a road bike (that is if I assume correctly you don't plan on doing any racing).

Turbulent Bill

MOTHERTRUCKER wrote:

Thanks for the the info Morgan.

I gave them a call and asked them about an entry level road bike and they
suggested the following:

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=12400

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=13123

The Lapierre is Euro 689 over double my budget.
But he recommended it over the Giant OCR which was Euro469.
Because the Lapierre had carbon forks

I asked them about selling second hand bikes but they don't.
Are there any good shops that sell second hand road bikes?

The CycleSuperstore is the Irish agent for Lapierre, so they'll probably push that brand more than others. They're good bikes (and it's a good shop), just something to keep in mind.

daymobrew

MOTHERTRUCKER wrote:

The Lapierre is Euro 689 over double my budget.
But he recommended it over the Giant OCR which was Euro469.

As you are no longer smoking can the money you would have spent on cigs be used to boost your budget?

The 'City bikes' on the Cyclesuperstore site might work for you. Also known as 'hybrid' bikes. They tend to be rather close to road bikes in terms of speed but have slightly wider tyres and a more upright riding position, both for comfort.

Back at Cycleways, for e400 there is the Specialized Globe hybrid. For e300 there is Planet Newport with mudguards and rear carrier, ideal for commuting.

MOTHERTRUCKER

Thanks for the info Daymobrew.

But i'm really looking for a road bike not one of the ones you selected.
Thanks for the recomendations.

I like the look and feel of a racing bike, and with regards to the smoking question, yes i'm still off the smokes and its alot more easier said than done to raise the extra cash to buy a bike worth Euro600 with the money saved from giving up smoking.

(Not getting away from the topic but:.........)
I reckon i would have smoked 10 fags a day, working out at about Euro 1296 per year spent on smokes.
That money doesn't just appear the moment i give up smoking, and i don't want to wait 6 months to buy a bike which is the cheapest available at Euro 649.

I taught Euro300 was suficient to pick up a beginners racing road bike, don't forget all the extras that will have to be bought aswell.

Something along the line of a bike Wez bought on ebay. (see Above post).

Is getting a half decent second hand bike in Dublin going to be that difficult for E300?

Again can anyone help me find a shop that sells 2nd hand racing bikes?

daymobrew

MOTHERTRUCKER wrote:

Again can anyone help me find a shop that sells 2nd hand racing bikes?

A thread about 2nd hand bikes in December mentioned Cycle Inn in Tallaght village and Bike Rack in Cabinteely.

Captain Trips

MOTHERTRUCKER wrote:

Is getting a half decent second hand bike in Dublin going to be that difficult for E300?

Again can anyone help me find a shop that sells 2nd hand racing bikes?

Unfortunately I think the budget of €300, when looking definitely for a road bike, is going to be quite low. Is there anything in a road bike you really are looking for exactly? Weight? Handlebars? I mean, for around the city, a road bike is pretty rough, like driving a Ferrari up and down the North Wall all day - no space for panniers, etc., .

You could go along to one the Garda bike auctions. I don't know when the next one is on.

Other option is to search Buyandsell.ie for Trek, Raleigh, Dawes, Giant, Cannondale, La Pierre or other brands and you could go and see and try them before buying (e.g., ebay might not be that great). There are a good few for 1-200 at the moment, but quality and suitability will all have to be judged by you.

BeardyGit

Halfords have an entry level Raleigh road bike at the moment for around the €309 mark. It's not at all a bad bike for what you're hoping to use it for:

Colours/Paintwork

Colours Red
Sizes 55cm, 59cm
Part Numbers AIR5506, AIR5906
Number of Gears 14 Speed
Frame 7005 aluminium compact road frame
Fork Steel Aero blade fork
Rims Lightweight alloy rims
Hubs Lightweight alloy hubs
Tyres Kenda road tyres
Pedals Composite road pedals with toeclips
Crank Lightweight cranks
Rear Derailleur Shimano
Shifters Bar mounted shift levers
Stem Alloy aheadset stem
Saddle Lightweight road saddle
Seatpost Micro adjust alloy seatpost

http://www.raleigh.ie/_bikes/viewBike.asp?bikeID=53

If you're planning on buying something that you might upgrade, the above is a nice enough bike to get started with, and would certainly be good enough for a few component upgrades as they wear out.

Unfortunately, and with the best of respect to Wez, that bike from eBay is not a good deal in the least. It's grand for what it costs as a runabout, to run into the ground and throw out when something bigger breaks or wears out on it. But it's not ideal as a machine to slowly upgrade when the opportunities arise. Most of the components are non-standard which means you'll have your work cut out for you to just find upgrade/replacement parts. The headset is threaded, instead of the current Aheadset standard. The crankset is a pressed steel unit, unlike that on the Raleigh which will allow you replace individual chainrings as they wear, or to match your ideal gearing setup with a little experience in the saddle. The seatpost on the ebay special is heavy steel, using a seperate clamp and is quite frankly crap. The disk brakes are non standard - Where will you get replacement pads for example? And disks? The Raleigh uses standard rim brakes, very suitable for your intended use, and the pads can easily be upgraded or replaced when worn for just a few quid.

What I'd suggest you buy is that Raleigh - I've looked at it very closely in Halfords myself a few times (before deciding to spend a fair bit more when I got a tax refund) and think it's great value for money.

If you decide to go with it, I'd suggest picking up an 8 speed Sora rear mech which will work just fine with the 7 speed cassette on the Raleigh:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13596

The delivery from CRC is free so it's just €18 for the mech.

That'll leave you at €327 including the above upgrade for quite a nice bike, brand new, with warranty from a 'local' shop. It's a respected brand too, not something we've never heard of etc. What use is that warranty from Germany if they charge €80 to send you the bike in the first place? You'd have to pay for any parts you need swapped etc. Better to be able to walk into a shop and hand it to someone, eh?

As a follow up down the line, replace the not so nice but perfectly serviceable bar mount shifters with these units which will bolt right onto the downtube, where the cable sleeve stops are at the moment:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13671

They're another €35 - perfect birthday present

At that point, you'll have quite a nice bike. A further upgrade then would be a lighter wheelset, like the Shimano 500 series ones from Cycle Superstore for €89. Add €20 for an 8 speed cassette and €15 for a new chain and you're up to a 16 speed, Shimano geared, wheeled and shifted Aluminium Raleigh bike, standing you a grand total of €486, but bought as you have the cash or interest to invest. Of course, the last bits aren't really required - Personally, I'd stop at swapping the shifters for an all in total of €362 for a nice bike.

MOTHERTRUCKER

Thanks for the very detailed info Gill Dub.

I'm going to head into Haldords the weekend and take a look.

Cheers.:D

BeardyGit

No problem. Let us know what you decide to do anyway.

Cheers,

Gil

Wez

I know what you mean Gil_dub..

I received the bike this morning! There were a few things I wasn't exactly delighted with, there wasn't a manual for how to put some of the parts on and when it came to the brakes, that's when things got confusing.. I managed it alright in the end, took about an hour to assemble and then I went to my local Statoil and pumped the tires up. It absolutely flies along! Hills etc are no problem! I was using a nice raleigh racer for the past week, and in comparison, this is alot more comfortable, much more room and the brakes are alot smoother and MUCH stronger than the cantilever.

There are a few parts that feel kinda cheap. The brake handles are kinda flimsy feeling (gonna replace these eventually) and then gears, although they seem perfect once you get them into position, when changing around they can be difficult to get where you want them (gonna adjust this later today, it's not a build problem, just need to be tuned).

Over all, I'm absolutely delighted, when you consider the price, I think it's ahead of the game by far! It'd suit someone my height/size, maybe a bit bigger. There are some parts that need to be upgraded, purely being picky, mainly levers, but they won't be too expensive. I think the general build quality is good enough for the price, but could be better. If I could choose between this and the raleigh, I'd definitely pick this. Especially for someone tall! Although you'd probobally get better quality from the Raleigh, I think this is good enough for me.

BeardyGit

Fair play for the update Wez - Helpful stuff, good to know how people get on with the online deals and that sort of thing.

Did you get out to have a look at that Raleigh afterwards Mothertrucker?

Just to let you know lads - The bargains are out there to be had. My final purchase a while back was a Saracen Morzine on clearance special from the Cycle Inn. The only things I've changed on it are the wheels - €160 complete with tyres, tape, tubes - and only bought as I wanted to use the really well built original wheels on my singlespeed project bike), I've added SPD's (MTB ones, one pair of shoes for everything then), and a new saddle. But it was complete and very useable when I bought it for just €400 from the shop - Almost €200 off I think.

Shop around and you'll find a good deal eventually. Let us know how you go MT

MOTHERTRUCKER

Sorry about the delay in replying.

OK i've just been in Halfords last night and didn't see any sign of a Raleigh
racing bike as mentioned above.
What i did see was an :

Apollo TDF 2.5 A L' 06. Whish was E399.99
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_165596_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_47151



Carrera, Vanquish 06 at E639.99 which was 1/3 off the RRP.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_240405_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_47151

Any thoughts on the above?

Bluefoam

MOTHERTRUCKER wrote:

Sorry about the delay in replying.

OK i've just been in Halfords last night and didn't see any sign of a Raleigh
racing bike as mentioned above.
What i did see was an :

Apollo TDF 2.5 A L' 06. Whish was E399.99
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_165596_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_47151



Carrera, Vanquish 06 at E639.99 which was 1/3 off the RRP.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_240405_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_47151

Any thoughts on the above?

Apollo & Carrera are Halfords own brands, I don't know much about them. But, I did have an Apollo mountain bike (allegedly) when I was young(er) & I wasn't impressed with it at all. AT ALL!

MOTHERTRUCKER

Bluefoam wrote:

Apollo & Carrera are Halfords own brands, I don't know much about them. But, I did have an Apollo mountain bike (allegedly) when I was young(er) & I wasn't impressed with it at all. AT ALL!

So is that a "steer clear of Halfords"

I've really tried looking for a decent 2nd hand racing bike for the last 2 weeks.
Maybe my E300 isn't enough.

Maybe i should try taking up golf :cool:

Turbulent Bill

daymobrew wrote:

A thread about 2nd hand bikes in December mentioned Cycle Inn in Tallaght village and Bike Rack in Cabinteely.

Did you try these places? They seem to pop up a bit when second-hand bikes are mentioned, also Little Sport in Fairview.

Eurocycles do some cheap road bikes (including Rayleigh), quality may not be great but it might be a good beginner's option.

marathonic

Not sure if it's the same bike as mentioned before but there is a Raleigh bike in Argos for €300 . See the link below for details...


http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=30001&langId=-1&catalogId=10151&productId=656664&Trail=C%24cip%3D44184.Sports%2Band%2Bleisure%3EC%24cip%3D44209.Bikes%2Band%2Bcycling%3EC%24Brand%3DRaleigh.Raleigh&categoryId=44209&clickfrom=name

Bluefoam

MOTHERTRUCKER wrote:

So is that a "steer clear of Halfords"

I've really tried looking for a decent 2nd hand racing bike for the last 2 weeks.
Maybe my E300 isn't enough.

Maybe i should try taking up golf :cool:

Golf is a good idea, you can get a set of starter clubs for about €250, downside is that it costs about €28 each game on a public course. Cycling is mostly free after the initial investment.

I'm not saying stay away from Halfords, I owned the Apollo about 10-15 years ago & it was poor quality. I did read a review of a Carrera MTB in MBUK this week & it came out well.

Have you tried the bike shop in Temple Bar (down a lane off Dame St.), I bought a second hand bike from the shop in Fairview about a year ago...

Bluefoam

MOTHERTRUCKER wrote:

OK I've just been in Halfords last night and didn't see any sign of a Raleigh racing bike

Was in Halfords (Malahide Rd) this evening and saw the raleigh in question. Its kinda retro cool looking. I didn't really know what I was looking at, as I don't know much about road bikes. But it seemed fine to me - the paint finish wasn't great.

paul grogan

done deal has cheap bikes to start on;)

petethedrummer

Do they sell calendars?:D

BostonB

RoverCraft wrote: »

Halfords have an entry level Raleigh road bike at the moment for around the €309 mark. ....

Out of curiosity, which shop was that, I've never seen a Raleigh Road Bike in Halfords

BostonB

MOTHERTRUCKER wrote: »

Sorry about the delay in replying.

OK i've just been in Halfords last night and didn't see any sign of a Raleigh
racing bike as mentioned above.
What i did see was an :

Apollo TDF 2.5 A L' 06. Whish was E399.99
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_165596_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_47151



Carrera, Vanquish 06 at E639.99 which was 1/3 off the RRP.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_240405_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_47151_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_47151

Any thoughts on the above?

That Carrera has always been around that price. Its never been a third more.

The Apollo's have a poor rep, the Carrera are meant to be ok-ish

Bluefoam

BostonB wrote: »

Out of curiosity, which shop was that, I've never seen a Raleigh Road Bike in Halfords

I don't remember what bike shop I was in last week, let alone 3 years ago...

BostonB

holy thread revival batman,

lol, didn't notice.

ipodrocker

Mothertrucker, how about going through your employer for the bike, then you can pay for it monthly and get a kick ass bike and get a tax-free bike depending on your income.

Chips Lovell

ipodrocker wrote: »

Mothertrucker, how about going through your employer for the bike, then you can pay for it monthly and get a kick ass bike and get a tax-free bike depending on your income.

Considering the thread was started three years ago, I think it's safe to say he's now bought the bike.