Help on buying a road bike

[mr2haz]

I got back into cycling at the start of the year on a Specialized Stumpjumper and have enjoyed using it on and off road.

I am now considering purchasing a second bike intended for road use and possibly the 6 mile commute.

I started looking in the shops with an eye to use the cycle to work scheme to find my new toy. not knowing a lot about racers th advise from the shops have seen me looking at bikes priced around £900.

I have since found out that the company I work for no longer take part in the scheme so am now left think of just buying a second hand bike.

This leads me onto the question of what should I be looking at/avoiding? What should I get?

[andySC]

At your sort of budget take a look at Boardman. They get pretty much rave reviews everywhere & tick the "alot of bike for the money box". They are sold via Halfords. The aluminium framed version should suit your needs perfectly well I would imagine. The Giant Defy range are also pretty well liked also.

Take a look on eBay or Bike Radar classifieds. You just need to be sure the bike fits you ok.

Edited by andySC on Saturday 29th October 22:53

[mr2haz]

What I should have said is since I will need to finance the bike myself without the aid of the cycle to work scheme my budget will be cut in half.

I have been advised I will need a frame size 58cm.

[T350 Al]

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=special...

I bought the 2010 version last year just as they were updating the models and picked mine up for just a smidge under £500. It is, without a doubt, a fantastic bike for the money. It's still going strong now despite daily commuting, training and a lot of racing. The only differences it has between then and now is some Tri bars and new wheels.

Really can't recommend one enough!

[mr2haz]

The Allez is certainly a contender.

When looking for a mountain bike people recomended building one, is it the same for road bikes?

I also notice there are two wheel sizes 26" and 700c, what are the pros and cons of each?

[CoolC]

26" are MTB wheels and 700c are road bike wheels

For the budget you have eBay is going to be your friend, just keep searching "closest first" and then go and take a look at them to get a feel for how well they have been looked after.