Choosing A Road Bike From Scratch

The decision to buy a road bike can prove to be mind boggling. This is especially because of the wide choice of bicycle models available and wide range of prices. It is possible to get a bicycle for as low £50 from the big supermarkets or sports retailers. Specialist bicycles like the ones used in professional road cycling go for as high as £12,000. Choosing a road bike can prove difficult if you haven’t had the chance to ride one before. It is almost certain that if you were to test the feel of the bike, you might complain of the seat being too high or the handle bars being too far forward or the pedals are too low etc… You might even end up complaining of an aching back or that it’s too hard to change the gears. It is therefore advisable to have someone who is familiar with the bikes at hand or ask the expertise of a bike shop owner.

The first thing you should consider is how pleasurable the bike is to ride. When you first start out you don’t need a bike that has a carbon fibre or super light aluminium frame. These two types of bike frames are mainly used on specialist bikes and are thus quite expensive. It is possible to still get a quality bike within the £450-£650 price range. The bikes offered in this price range are from recognised manufactures that include Raleigh, BeOne, Trek, Bianchi and Giant.

The advantage of getting a bike from a recognised manufacturer is that you can be assured that the bike will not have serious faults. It is also possible to have the flaw on the bicycle corrected or the entire bike replaced by the manufacturer. The bikes might not be exactly identical. For instance, the weight on any two bikes from the same manufacturer might have a variation in weight. This is not very critical for normal use. Another advantage of buying branded bicycles is the ease of access to damaged and worn out components.

The size of the bike is very important and it is always useful to get a fitting at a bike shop with people who can give you recommendations. You can then search online to find the best priced retailer who sells that brand.

The colour, design and geometry of the bike are also important factors to consider. If you are an individual who likes darker shades, then you may have limited choice, as many manufacturers go for bright bold and sometimes dodgy shades of green, blue and red.