what is a good road bike for a first time buyer?
 

what is a good road bike for a first time buyer? i would like to spend a max of £500.

Thanks all Olie

Definitely something with a 60-11 gear ratio, if you are a weightlifter and want to go 60mph on the flats.

Otherwise... you may want to ask this on the "road cycling" forum and not the "road bike racing" forum... just a suggestion.

One does not want a 60-11 ratio on a road bike. First that would give a top gear of 147 gear inches.
With a cadence of 90 you'd be travelling 39 mph, the areo drag at those speeds would require a rider to produce 1200-1400 watts, something only the elite echolon of cyclist can maintain in only a short burst.

With a 60T ring, your shifting would be a lot rougher since the standard fder arcs are optimized for big rings about 53T.

You aren't a real cyclist if you use more than one chainring
get a 60-11 single gear road bike, just like the pros, and just like all the weekend warriors that post here

Hard from on this side of the pond to know what price bikes are where you are at.
Don't bother with carbon fiber or Ti on your first competition bike (which certainly would be out of your price range in the US), go for Al unless you're big, say over 6'4", then go with chromo.

I think a smiley was in order in the previous post. If you didn't get it by now, it was a poke at this other thread.

Thanks for a good reply

I think the Giant OCR3 would be a good one. It sells for about 550USD not sure what the current exchange rates are but that should come in close.

I don't know prices where you're at, but here's some info that worked for me...

buy a steel bike in your price range, worry about the frame and fit only. Don't worry about components. I don't think Shimano Tiagra is that much better than Shimano Sora, so don't waste your money on Tiagra. Just upgrade components to 105 or Ultegra as they fail. Even if your wheels don't fail, I'd spend the money on a better set before your 1000 mile ride, perhaps Mavic Open Pros with Ultegra hubs... but that's down the line.

You don't have enough budget for a quality fitting, but the shop you buy from should give you a basic fitting, a good start. As such, you should learn as much about it yourself and tweak one thing at a time until you get your bike comfortable enough. Check out http://peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm and google for more info. Learn as much about fitting as you can as well as basic bike maintenance.

Does 500 include pedals and saddle? cheap bikes usually come with horrible saddles. Is the 500 also supposed to cover helmet and other cycling stuff like clothes, frame pump, on-bike tool kit, spare tube? I know they're goofy, but I strongly recommend lycra bike shorts. Perhaps make the jump straight into bib shorts?

What's this monster ride you're doing?

It is in the UK lands end to john o grotes. it is from the most south west point to the most north east.

No the 500 is for just the bike. as i have a year i will get the rest slowley. i have a mountin bike at the moment and i cycle 10 miles a day on that in under 30 mins normaley so my fitness over that distance is good. but i will want to train to do about 100 miles a day for 10 days. any good training sergestions?

thanks.

distance is about a comfortably fitted bike and nutrition. Drink plenty of fluids, maintain energy levels, get enough electrolytes, and ride a steel bike. The body can go all day if you keep it happy.

My two suggestions would be a Trek 1000 or a Felt F90.

Ollie, a newbie to this forum, appears to be asking a legitimate serious question on his first day of membership.

I rarely post/read in the Road Cycling forum - that level of flaming seems atypical of the corduality typified at Bikeforums- is Road Cycling usually that hostile? (I remember a couple of heated threads recently over in advocacy and safety)

I agree, I have the OCR3 and have been loving it!

I have an OCR3 and am not dissappointed at all.

And padded bike shorts are a must.

This IS the road cycling forum and this was a legitimate forum.. I don't usually see flamers like that. Sad.