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Due to not always having the time to travel to the trails and mountain bike I'm looking at possibly getting a road bike. Mustn't be expensive though.
Also turbo trainer recommendations for when the weather gets bad.
Thanks in advance.
What budget road bike wise? Main thing is get fitted as fit more critical than mtb. Decathlon have some very competitive stuff price wise.
Giant do good road bikes and the Defy will take guards in winter - decent frames and get bits to budget and upgrade?
Turbo wise - got a Tacx swing which needs to go - 35 quid and it's yours.....
the decathlon is a bargain in the sale right now
25% off specialized sale at the moment.
Depends what you want out of it?
Suitably priced Allez/tarmac for fast racey bike
Roubaix for something a bit more comfy
Diverge for mudguards/bigger tyres/gravel
Mustn't be expensive though.
Possibly the most "open to interpretation" sentence going when it comes to new bike purchases! Without being ridiculous, what is expensive to you? What would you like your new bike purchase to cost? I know guys that have got Dura-Ace on their "winter" bikes for instance... I'm suggesting their idea of "not expensive" is probably different from yours!
Anyway...
Main thing is get fitted as fit more critical than mtb.
This...
Depending on your height, you'll get lots of people start to tell you "you're X size", or "you should be riding a Y sized bike"... We're all different, you can take two people of the same height and one will prefer the fit of the smaller sized bike with a longer stem, and one will prefer the larger bike with a shorter stem. Road bike sizing is more critical for sure, so find an LBS you can trust and get them to help you find one the right size for you. It's no good buying a "bargain" off the internet if it doesn't fit very well, conversely paying full RRP for a bike that fits you very well and suits your needs and wants is much better "value" than a lighter better specced bike that doesn't fit or suit your needs.
Turbo wise - got a Tacx swing which needs to go - 35 quid and it's yours.....
When it comes to Turbo Trainers, stick to big names like TACX or Elite and you can't really go wrong. Also, there's lots of people (holds hand up) that buy them thinking they're going to use them a lot more than they actually do. This means that inevitably, there's lots of 2nd hand ones in good condition cluttering up people's spare rooms!
Gumtree/2nd hand or ride to work scheme to reduce costs?
I got a giant SCR 2.0 off gumtree once for £160 and seemed to do most things pretty well as it was sporty enough but also had rack mounts, fast road stuff, commuting, touring.
Turbo - consider getting a spare wheel with a trainer tyre on it. Fluid trainers are quieter than mag ones.
I would say £500 max, not a lot I know but can't justify more financially at this time and for the amount of use it will probably get, good intentions though......!
jet26 - could you ping me some pictures and more info e.g. age, usage, condition etc.
I know where there's a lovely new trek 1.1 going for £480 if you ride a 54cm
For that budget of bike there are 2 options IMO, [url= http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-road-bike-sora-black-red-id_8322663.html ]Decathlon[/url] or [url= https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/defy.3/24964/90520/ ]Giant[/url]. Both damn fine bikes that will do you a fine job, I know people with both and they are all very happy with them.
For a turbo, [url= http://www.decathlon.co.uk/blue-motion-pro-pack-turbo-trainer-id_8315768.html ]this[/url] looks good for £100. Or just put a wanted up on classified, someone will have on they don't want or use.
I would forget the turbo and use that money for a set of Crud mudguards as riding outdoors in winter, even in the cold and wet, is definitely more rewarding than sweating indoors, boed and uncomfortable, on a turbo.
Get a bike with disc brakes and you're set up for winter. Something like this would be superb:
https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/road/diverge-a1-cen/128581
If you're a bit of a lanky bugger, this is a bargain
Rocketdog- that is my size....! Where?
Also, merlin have a road bike for around £350. Any good?