Looking for a decent Road Bike

Bantex_2

sarah_id1 wrote: »

My journey is in Central London. People advice for daily road commute it has to be road bike. I am tempted to buy a boardman which is on offer(15% off) in Halfords. Are they better than Carrera?

Durable Component is what I am after rather than model and year.

For central London I would not go for an all out road bike, you will get all sorts of problems with punctures etc. A fairly light hybrid or hardtail MTB would be much better.

sartois

Bantex wrote: »

For central London I would not go for an all out road bike, you will get all sorts of problems with punctures etc. A fairly light hybrid or hardtail MTB would be much better.

I use a road bike in London almost daily, and do not have problems with punctures. Not sure the roads in London are different than any other town, except for the fact they are probably busier. I also find that because the handlebars are narrow it's easier to filter through the non-moving traffic.

I've never owned one but friends have said good things about the Boardman bikes. One thing for sure with bikes though is you really do get what you pay for...

pinkteapot

Another vote for a hybrid. I love mine to pieces - it's much faster than my old MTB but extremely practical. My commute is 4 miles each way. But I also go out for a Saturday morning ride of 20-30 miles each week, and my biggest ride was a 60 mile charity ride last year.

I have a pannier rack and a Topeak trunk-bag with drop-down side bags, which fits all the stuff I need and saves me wearing a rucksack.

Bantex_2

sartois wrote: »

I use a road bike in London almost daily, and do not have problems with punctures. Not sure the roads in London are different than any other town, except for the fact they are probably busier. I also find that because the handlebars are narrow it's easier to filter through the non-moving traffic.

I've never owned one but friends have said good things about the Boardman bikes. One thing for sure with bikes though is you really do get what you pay for...

I prefer a slightly tatty rigid MTB for city riding, you can jump kerbs and ride potholes without too much bother. I have an old Kona with slick tyres and it is quite fun for short distances.

dandelionclock30

If the woman wants a road bike then she wants a road bike. I've got a road bike and a mountain bike which has slick tyres and I find the road bike better as its faster even for just nipping about on.
For less than £300 the Pendelton road bike is supposed to be good from Halfords. Theres the decathalon Btwin and a variety of Carreras around the £300 mark.
The Boardmans are supposed to be good but I've not had one myself. Whatever you do, get some puncture protection tyres put on it as stock tyres can be terrible and also make sure you get the right size. Halfords can be really bad at sizing people up. Pay attention to the reach and if you feel too stretched out then you are.Its not just about how tall you are which a lot of people think. Good luck.
Specialized Dolce 2nd Hand can be bought for around that this is a good deal if it fits you.http://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/specialized-dolce-52-frame-ladies-road-bike.-carbon-fibre-forks-carbon-seat-post/1089938014

Cash-Cows

Decathlon have got plenty of fans over on cycle chat forum. Suggest you pop over to this forum as this question is very popular.

SW17

Nothing wrong with using a road bike in Central London, but I'd probably go for a hybrid for your needs as well. Something like a Boardman or similar is significantly better (and lighter) than a Carrera etc, but also more financially painful if it gets damaged or stolen. Unless you've got secure storage for it during the day, I'd get something cheaper (whether road or hybrid). FWIW, I use a Carrera that I got a few years ago in a Halfords sale for local journeys (though not daily), still going strong.

Elfbert

I commute through London on my bike - a (very old, now I think about it!) Hybrid Carrera. Although I admit it has two new wheels and two puncture-proof (well, as close at it gets - touch wood!) semi-slick tyres. Oh, and I replaced every bolt/machine screw with stainless steel ones, instead of the chromed ones it came with, as soon as I bought it.

I like it because it's very dull, boring, bit bashed up, I lock it in a bike store under my flat, and it doesn't stand out as being a 'nice' bike, and when I have to leave it on a bike rack on a pavement I don't think it looks particularly desirable.

But it gets me around, and only cost £100 brand new in their sale! I also like the disc brakes, I really notice the difference when it's wet, they grab very well, still (although I think I need new brake pads pretty soon.) I would be sad if it got stolen, as we've been together a long time but I the wheels cost more than the original bike now, so I'd be more annoyed about losing them than the frame!

sarah_id1

SW17 wrote: »

Something like a Boardman or similar is significantly better (and lighter) than a Carrera etc, but also more financially painful if it gets damaged or stolen.

I am tempted for Boardman as the offer runs out soon but London has high chance of bike being stolen and as you rightly said at least it wont ache as much if its not as expensive.

Marco_Panettone

I think the range of comments above point to one thing - ALL bikes are great and you should definitely get one. This clearly wasn't the original question though, and pretty much goes without saying anyway!


OP: have a look at the B'twin Triban series from Decathlon - http://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359113-road-bikes


The Halfords Cararra range: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes?brand=Carrera&initMin=175&initMax=2650


And a 'compare and contrast' bit from road.cc with some nice suggestions: http://road.cc/content/news/72001-best-entry-level-road-bikes-under-%C2%A3500


Enjoy!