racing bike ideas ?

thebrendanr1

im 15 years old and i am really interested in cycling i have a claud butler mountain bike at the moment with road tyres on it but i am looking at getting a racing bike im just wondering if any1 has any ideas for a good bike and accesories that i will need at the moment i do 20 k cylces but im wantong to do more

Hungrycol

how much do u have 2 spend

thebrendanr1

i dont at the moment im looking at how much i will need to get together

Lumen

€250 will get you a decent used road bike that's a few years old if you have the patience to find one.

€500 will get you a newer good used bike.

€700 is about right for a new road bike at entry level, though you may find ones cheaper if you can cope with slightly clunkier components.

€1000 will get you something new that is a joy to ride.

Anything more than €1000 just pays for bling and old-man comfort.

Mid-summer is not the best time to find a bargain.

thebrendanr1

what makes would be good and what makes should i avoid ?

Lumen

thebrendanr1 wrote: »

what makes would be good and what makes should i avoid ?

Depends how much money you intend to spend.

A bike is made up of a frame, which has the manufacturer brand name on it, and a bunch of components from other manufacturers, broken down into groupset, wheels, finishing kit (seatpost, saddle, stem, bars, etc). Sometimes the frame manufacturer also apply their own brand to the wheels and the finishing kit (e.g. Giant, Trek/Bontrager, Felt).

You're also paying for the quality of assembly. Some bikes are just thrown together. This tends to go away once you spend proper money (e.g. €500+).

Bikes purchased online direct from the manufacturer (e.g. Planet-X, Canyon) tend to be cheaper but are more difficult to size since you can't sit on them or take a test ride.

thebrendanr1

ok thanks for the advice ill think about it and keep an eye out

Lumen

Also, the best thing you can do is join a club.

It'll probably be full of middle aged men and MILFs but you'll get some good advice and they'll have you racing in no time.

Bike racing is very, very fun.

thebrendanr1

yea the barrow wheelers would be my local team and my grandad is a keen cyclist to