[Closed] Road cycling

I just got a Kona Honky Tonk for exploring the back roads of Tassie.
We did a 200km overnighter on the weekend, with 95% dirt roads.
As a die hard mountainbiker, I am enjoying it.

I logged hundreds of miles on the road with my mtb complete with knobblies last year. (Who wants to change tyres between every ride?) Bought a road bike this year and yes it's so much faster and more fun but not essential in any way.

I'd get some SH wheels for your mtb to start, unless it's even more of a heap than a £350 road bike. This will do you until you get the bug or not, then you can commit.

Got a spare Hardtail a Carrera Vulcan I could stick road wheels on.

I think I'd enjoy road cycling. Probably more at night on quiet roads though

I would class myself as a roadie who mountainbikes as well so coming from the opposite point of view to the OP maybe. You certainly don't really need a road bike and I would suggest getting the road tyres for your hardatail as an initial step to see whether you take to road riding at all.

At the end of the day I would say it depends what sort of distance and frequency of road riding you are going to be doing. 15/20 miles every other day and a slick tyred MTB will be perfectly okay. I had a bike like that as my Winter training bike for a couple of years and it was fine.

If you do take to road riding however there is no doubt that a dedicated road bike will ultimately be nicer to ride and easier to ride faster if you really get into it. The drop bars for instance are not just a fashion thing but give you three different hand positions depending on what type of riding you are doing. Faster cruising for instance is more suited to the brake hoods or hooks for instance as it will place you in a more aerodynamic position.

If you do decide to go for the road bike then I would suggest that you find a decent bike shop and get them to advise you on the size you would need. There are all sorts of measuring systems for approximating your frame size however and I'm sure a web search will turn several up.

I'm not sure. I'm interested in getting into road cycling, been reading cycling plus etc and always interested in roadies when I go past in the car etc. And I like the idea of being able to get out the door and just go, without the faff of Mtb cleaning mud etc.

Increase your budget a bit to £429 and you get the Triban 5 which is well equiPped for the money and quite a bit better than the Triban 3

bwfc4eva868 - Member
...And I like the idea of being able to get out the door and just go, without the faff of Mtb cleaning mud etc.

Then you need one of these...

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[i]And I like the idea of being able to get out the door and just go, without the faff of Mtb cleaning mud etc.[/i]

Then a road bike is probably not for you. You have to me even more anal about cleaning a road bike. It's the rule!! 😉

I like the Triban but and this is a wild gues they don't have any 56 cm's in stock.
I had a look at a Sensa prima special. Quite like them.

You'd more likely be a 54cm though.

The Triban 5 is considerably nicer than the Sensa Prima Special IMO.

I do like the triban 5 looks smart. Hard choice between getting a road bike or the Rockshox SID's I also want for the mountain bike.

Well I used to be a keen roadie in my late teens and early twenties and am now a mountain biker who tries to do a bit of roadie-ing when I can so see the appeal of both disciplines. I just like riding a bike. I do struggle to find time to get out on the road bike - mainly cause my riding mates are all MTBers so there is a social aspect to this, but I usually only have a couple of hour window for a bike ride and find in that time I get far more out of the MTB than a road bike. Also I like the skills element to MTBing and there is more of an adrenaline thing. The problem with road biking is that as you get fitter you want to keep on increasing the distances and hence the time on the bike - and time is the commodity I don't really have.

As for a bike - you can't beat a proper road bike for the road. I am just waiting for my C2W scheme voucher to be approved then i'll be selling my 2011 Cannondale CAAD8 which is a perfect bike for exploring the roads, though is more of a higher performance geometry rather than a relaxed touring geometry - I guess its more of a 'sportive' geometry, but I find it perfectly comfortable for hours in the saddle. I'm 5'9" so should be perfect for you!! If you're interested, give me a shout. Its in great nick and only done maybe 150 dry miles or so on it. A perfect platform to get going on and to upgrade as you get better/more keen as its a great frame.

This was my other concern. I'm lucky that I have good quality riding on the moors within 10 mins from my door, but also belting country roads too.

I've also had my eye on a BTWIN Rockrider 9.2 the past few months also. So not sure now.

[i]You have to me even more anal about cleaning a road bike. It's the rule![/i]

Mine gets cleaned once a year. But it's only used for commuting.

[i]I'm interested in getting into road cycling[/i]
Surely you've answered your own question then... if your budget is £350 get a second hand bike. You'll be about a 56cm, but they differ according to manufacturer.

There are 2 Triban 3's. The original stonking value one is red, the newer one is white IIRC and not as well specced. Some stores seem to get shipments of the red, it usually gets posted on hotukdeals.

look second hand too, for £350 you might get something barely used as lots buy them on cycle to work then they never leave the shed before being sold at the end of the year!

I'm 6ft and ride a 56cm cannondale, you'll be 54-56 depending on the brand, if its compact (sloping top tube) then go on the top tube length, traditional frames are 'square' so top tube and seat tube measure the same. seatube angle affects it too steep angles (73.5) you need to add 1cm onto the length to account for having to use a more layback saddle/post so more likely a 54cm, slack at 72 then a 56cm depending on whether you want a racey position or not.

Get a CX bike if you can find one for the budget, almost as quick as a road bike on the road and gives you the flexibility to take it off road as well if you want to. I do have a road and mtb bike as well but really enjoy riding my CX bike for exploring new tracks and bridleways linked up with sections on the road.

As sensible as easing into things with a slick tired MTB is.

The good news is that the entry level Road bike is a market is getting some positive attention, post wigginns and London 2012, "Mamils" taking up cycling are a growing market, and that means decent entry level bikes are all the rage, I would say look at a Triban 3, maybe a Carrera TDF or a similar ~£300 "basic" road bike, or look for something posher 2nd hand.

If quick and conenient road riding from your door is what you are after you don't want to be messing about swapping wheels and even a relatively cheap road bike is quicker and better suited to road riding than a slicked up MTB... IMO of course.

Winter is coming and if your budget is £350 tops, it's worth keeping the bike spend to ~£300 and putting the the remaining £50 towards some guards, lights and new overshoes (assuming you have other appropriate riding kit from your MTBing)...

At 5'10", assuming average proportions, you will want a 55cm top tube and a 100mm stem. That is normally 54cm frame territory, sometimes known as Medium (Giant, Boardman, Merida etc). A 56 will be too big (or you'll need a shorter stem).

I'd look second hand for your budget, although the Tribans are good value. A used 2010 Boardman Comp road should be around that price now, an older Giant TCR (2006-7) would also be in budget. Both medium. If yo don't take to it, you could then sell them on at essentially no loss.

I'd suggest a second hand road bike.

Road riding on an mtb with slicks isn't the same as road riding on a road bike - and I've done a lot of miles on road with a slick'd mtb back before I had a road bike - the road bike position and gearing just feels much better IMO.

I got a great road bike for a bit over £200 on here (which lives at my inlaws so I don't have to travel with one of my other road bikes) just by asking in the classifieds. Road bikes tend to wear much better than mtbs so older ones are generally much better condition than the equivalent mtb. This one is now 11 years old but really works just as well as my much newer road bikes.

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[i]A 56 will be too big (or you'll need a shorter stem).[/i]

Really? I'm 5'10" - My 56cm road bike is a perfect fit. I just about got away with a 58 before that (with a 110mm stem). And my 54cm cross bike is a good fit..
"[i]they differ according to manufacturer[/i]"

You have to me even more anal about cleaning a road bike. It's the rule!

I'm not much good at following rules. Although I don't use the road bike much during winter, so salt is not a problem...

I've got a Decathlon road bike, excellent VFM and a perfectly good first road bike.

bwfc4eva868 - Member
Got a spare Hardtail a Carrera Vulcan I could stick road wheels on.

I think I'd enjoy road cycling. Probably more at night on quiet roads though

I'd just stick some Schwalbe City Jets on this and try it for a bit. If you enjoy it, then get a road bike.
I did hundreds of road miles on my Inbred with a second set of wheels with slicks on, before deciding to get a road bike. It's not as ideal as a road bike, but is a good way of seeing if you like it or not and will probably cost less than £30 for tyres and skinny tubes. I think when I got mine Wiggle had a deal on, so two City Jets with tubes cost me £22.

Buy something from Wiggle, see if you like road riding (for up to a month) and return it (unless you really want to keep that particular bike) and either buy something cheaper like a Triban or stick to MTBing

I struggle with long sentences - get a cross bike. You can ride on the road a bit, nearly as fast if you aren't racing. Then you can jump onto the rougher stuff should you want to. Best of both worlds and ideal for someone who just wants a bike for riding and exploring IMO.

I struggle with long sentences

interesting swear filter 😉

I set myself a £300 budget & put this together for about £270...

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/takisawa2/9704054538/ ]IMAG1679[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/takisawa2/ ]pten2106[/url], on Flickr

Its spot on, rides very nice.
I'm not sure if the angles of the bars/brakes etc, are correct but I just set it to what felt comfy for me. (I hate riding in the drops).
I'm 5'9" & its a 54cm. I'd say it would be spot on for someone 5'10".
I sat on a 56cm & it felt massive.

**Declathlon by the M6 in Walsall had about half a dozen 54cm red Triban3's in the other weekend, at £299. An absolute bargain.

To be honest though, I would have preffered a disc braked CX bike as I think I'd get much more use out of that.

Try a road bike first!!!

After around 1000 Mtb road miles this year, I thought i was fast.
So I gave in and bought a Triban 5 imagining how much faster I was going to be.

I'm not 🙁 on a local TT course, I was only .1 mph faster than on my albeit well specced, light Mtb.

I'm hoping things will improve as I get used to it but I do wonder if the money would have been better spent on upgrades on the Mtb.

Is your new road bike set up like an mtb - if the position is really high (as many seem to come as standard) then it'll be as un-aero as an mtb and therefore, unsuprisingly, not much faster.

Or the other way round, if it's set too low/long then you may not be flexible enough yet to ride it effectively.

No, it's not particularly high. I just think my body is used to generating power from sat upright and it's going to take time to adjust. Along with the slow tyres and heavy wheels, that probably accounts for most of it.

Crosshair - I found the same thing going from my slick Inbred to a road bike the difference was only about 1mph.
It feels faster though and I am definitely faster on the road bike as soon as there is a headwind.

"they differ according to manufacturer"

They do indeed Dezb. But at 5'10" a (virtual horizontal) top tube plus stem length of about 65-66 cm should be a good fit. I have a 54 (Cannondale), two Medium (54.5 AND 55.5) Giants and a 56 Kona. The Kona has a 56.5 top tube and is really too big, hence I ride with a 90mm stem on that bike.

CX bikes tend to come up large. I've tested a 54 Cannondale and it is a good fit, but the medium Giant TCX was too big.