Road bike for £800 ish

semi

Lokking for a decent entry level road bike for about £800,seen a few on evans cycles,need a few recommendations,only going to be used for training & the odd comp,alum frame,carbon forks,good chain set min specs,light as poss-cheers!!-Missus also looking ' Trek lexa-any good?

Nile

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andygb

The Boardman range from Halfords are all pretty good. I would always trust Ribble cycles and Wiggle for good solid bargains

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/specialedition.asp?action=GenerateConstructor&part=SE12RIBEVOPROSHIM&sub=conf_SERC&bike=1

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-f85-2012/#more

That should give you a bit of an idea.

Strider590

For my money it'd have to be a Cannondale Bad Boy..... BUT, unless you have all the gear already, you should go for a cheaper bike and remember to put £200 aside for things like lights, helmet, clothing, etc etc.

rdr

yhave a look at the Decathlon range

andygb

Strider590 wrote: »

For my money it'd have to be a Cannondale Bad Boy..... BUT, unless you have all the gear already, you should go for a cheaper bike and remember to put £200 aside for things like lights, helmet, clothing, etc etc.

That is not a bad bike at all, but the OP wants to use the bike for training and the odd competition, which kind of points to a pseudo racing bike with narrow rims and drop handlebars.
Good call about putting money aside for kit though - good shoes, shorts, helmet and mitts. Do not skimp on the quality of shorts, because they can make you love or hate cycling!;):D

Strider590

andygb wrote: »

That is not a bad bike at all, but the OP wants to use the bike for training and the odd competition, which kind of points to a pseudo racing bike with narrow rims and drop handlebars.

I kind of (perhaps wrongly) assumed it was to be more "casual", I tend to think a hybrid is more suitable and safer when not trying to compete in the Tour de France :rotfl:

Slippery roads, rough/greasey cycle paths, aggressive drivers left hooking you, dopey old farts pulling out of junctions, suicidal pedestrians, I just wouldn't want to be head down on a bike with skinny tyre's in those sorts of conditions

sheslookinhot

The Trek 1.5 T is a great bike around your budget. I got the 2011 model in July 10 for £900. The 2012 model is now just £800 at Evans.

great bike for the money

iainscomputer

semi wrote: »

Lokking for a decent entry level road bike for about £800,seen a few on evans cycles,need a few recommendations,only going to be used for training & the odd comp,alum frame,carbon forks,good chain set min specs,light as poss-cheers!!-Missus also looking ' Trek lexa-any good?

Definately recommend Ribble Cycles in Preston, check out their website. They bulk buy all the components & then assemble to your spec. They have some bikes with a fixed spec. I admit they are a little over your budget as they are aiming for the ride to work scheme top limit (£1000).
I bought a carbon framed Sportive that is a lot better specced than the other £1k bikes from Specialised, Trek, Felt & Colnago etc.

verybigchris

I got a Trek 1.5 for £800 last week and it's a beautiful bike. The Giant Defy 2 has similar spec at the same price, but I'm not a fan of their sloping top-tubes.

The Ribble bikes seem very good value for money, but if you put "Ribble customer service" into Google you might get a shock.

thescouselander

I have a defy 2 and I'm quite pleased with it, the frame is very good for an aluminium one and combined with the carbon forks it rides very well. It certainly eats up the miles and also gets me too and from work with no bother.