andy w

Hi

I'm looking to spend as little as possible on a road bike for steady away
mileage. It's quite hilly where I live so I'd like to get 3 rings up front.
I've seen a Scott AFD Expert at £429 and the Giant OCR4T at £399 - but LBS
bloke has a couple of frames he says he could make up to my spec for around
£300 - so the question is - do i save a few quid (and presumably get worse
components) or do I go for a ready made jobby - and if so, which of those 2
(or any others - Trek 1000 - but really £450 is my absolute limit - I was
hoping for nearer £300). I've looked at flat bar bikes, but I quite fancy
having a bash at a triathlon once I get a bit fitter, so a 'racer' is what
I'm after.

Finally - when do people start flogging off 2003 models cheaper - the
Scott's the only one I've seen with much discount so far.

Thanks

kevquinn

I got my road bike from Allen cycles who do a mail order service, they have
got a full page advert in this months Cycling plus with some nice looking
bikes at around the £400 mark, I'm tempted by the "Raleigh R300 Alu" (tiagra
group set) but I'm not ready to get a new one this year.

seth_brundell

If this your first 'serious' road bike you may decide after a while
that you don't like it or road riding so you are understandably
cautious about spending a great deal. Your LBS should be able to give
you a price for completing a bike to your specification so if you
particularly want say Sora group set instead of Tiagra then they
should price it for you. Take a look at Cycling Weekly at places like
Deeside Cycles and Ribble Cycles they have a menu system where you
choose a frame and a groupset then add a finishing kit to get the
final price. Of course some visits to shops for test rides will be
necessary to get the correct size of frame and stem etc. All shops
should give you a test ride, you do not have to buy the bike from
them.

SJS do a road bike at £300 with triple ring and Sora shifters.
Similar to Dawes Giro 300 which now has double ring, but you may be able
to find older model which had triple. In fact this combo is available from
quite a few people at around £300. From memory it may just take mudguards.

andywgg

Cheers - I've now found a Dawes Giro 300 from 2002 (triple ring) for
£299 - so it now looks like this, a scott AFD expert at £429 or the
Giant OCR 4T at £399.

The Dawes loks good value to me - bit I wondered whether the Scott would
be worth the extra £130?

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cupra

|
| I'm looking to spend as little as possible on a road bike for steady away
| mileage. It's quite hilly where I live so I'd like to get 3 rings up front.
| I've seen a Scott AFD Expert at £429 and the Giant OCR4T at £399 - but LBS
| bloke has a couple of frames he says he could make up to my spec for around
| £300 - so the question is - do i save a few quid (and presumably get worse
| components) or do I go for a ready made jobby - and if so, which of those 2
| (or any others - Trek 1000 - but really £450 is my absolute limit - I was
| hoping for nearer £300). I've looked at flat bar bikes, but I quite fancy
| having a bash at a triathlon once I get a bit fitter, so a 'racer' is what
| I'm after.
|
| Finally - when do people start flogging off 2003 models cheaper - the
| Scott's the only one I've seen with much discount so far.
|
| Thanks
|
|

I've just got a cheap £249 Apollo from Halfords (TdF special offer) to augment my MTB (I'm carless at the mo and Full Sus is a bit heavy for the road!) - only 2 ring though, but it does have Sora shifters which is not bad for the price....


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michael kent

The bike is equiped well for the price Alu frame, Shining wheels Sora
Shifters, Tiagra rear mech, i've not seen anything to rival it yet

Cheers
Michael

cupra

After my first ride, I'm dead impressed..... so that's a recommendation from me! (but be fast if you want one - limted stocks!)


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Unless I lived on the flat or was very strong, I think I'd want a triple.

andy w

Yes - I saw that one at the weekend - looked a great deal for the price -
it's just that it's a bit...well..."yellow", isn't it! And to be honest,
being weedy and living in the Yorkshire Dales I reckon 3 rings up front is
pretty crucial for me. Thanks for the tip, though!


">>> I've just got a cheap £249 Apollo from Halfords (TdF special offer)


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