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Ohhhh yes, its that time of year again, the Tour is on, the roadies are out in force, and im hankering after a road bike.
is it worth it?
or is it dull as sin (i would imagine its only any good with other people?)
what good value bikes are there around, no price range in mind, yet.
Ive always had Giant MTBs, and quite like the look of, spec of, and cracking reviews of the Giant Defy series.
Aluminium please, steel isnt real, and carbon strikes me as a bit extreme, espec as will use it for all road duties, rangine from commuting to work through to praps joining a local club and doing a bit of racing.
Giant Defy
Boardman?
Quite like the concept of those anti buzz bumpers in Speccy seatstays and forks, are they any good/worth looking for.
anyone know of a cycling club, roady or not, in Honiton/Tiverton area? (E of Exeter) i need some riding buddies :'(
Buy one, you will love it! It is so good, I prefer it to mountain biking in the summer.
You get the speed of descents, challenge of climbing, great scenery and the joys of endurance.
Giant, speccy etc. Have a look on evil bay for a bargain or get a reduced alloy one.
It would be good if cars used other roads!
Get one. Worth it for so many reasons - good for training, not at all dull, you get to buy even more items of accessory / clothing.
I bought a Bianchi Via Nirone after a recommendation on here. Really, really like it.
Yes buy one, not at all boring, even if alone. I did 100 miles last Sunday on my tod, thoroughly enjoyable.
Once you get one there are so many different types to collect. Timetrial, fixy, track, racer.
mmmmmm, I am going to wear my Tete de Course riding shirt out tonight, it cost £30 more than my road bike...
I am thouroughly enjoying the Tour, but hate riding on the road. It would make a difference where you lived I rekon, around my way its awful.
njee20 - Member
Yes buy one, not at all boring, even if alone. I did 100 miles last Sunday on my tod, thoroughly enjoyable.
Seconded. Great way to spend time with someone you love.
yep, brilliant fun (on the right roads) and made a noticeable difference to my off-road skills too.
I'd say yes. I find it can be a bit dull at times but pick the right routes and you'll be fine. Are you an experienced cyclist on the road? If not you're going to understand what hate and near death experiences are quite soon.
It can be dull if you're used to 'gnarl' of off road. In the winter you get cold (as you sit still) and stay cold, it can be dispiriting to nearly get wiped out by cars more than you'd think was possible. it's a whole new way to spend money...
Having said all of that, it will keep you fit, it's easy to go from your door, you can do a nice work out, and put the bike away without the need to chip a layer of crap of the bike, and yourself. Whizzing about in the countryside at 20mph+ is surprisingly satisfying.
To balance all the outpourings of "I heart road riding" above, personally I find it depressing, demoralising, boring, dangerous (but not in a good way) and rewardless.
I have a feeling this is partly to do with riding out of Edinburgh, which involves shite roads, shite drivers, (generally) shite scenery, and shite weather.
Its just one long grinding slog to me. I hate it. But it does get you fitter, and beats riding an MTB for countless dull miles on road.
Yes, you should buy a road bike. I think joining a club is a good plan as well. 🙂
If you want to get fit and do less cleaning then buy one but if its just retail therapy I would try something else. I've had a road bike 4 years now (mountain bike 9 yrs) and frankly am pretty bored of it. If it was never muddy (a big if I know) I would always stick to the mountain bike. Mtbing is just so much more involved and FUN and te bikes and kit are better off road (suspension, disc brakes, tyres etc - these issues barely arise on road bikes - let face road bikes have hardly changed in 50 yrs).
And whatever anyone says roadies are typically older, less interesting and fun loving and as we all know from threads since dawn of time ruder. and
Definitely buy one but spend time getting one that fits. I noticed with my first road bike that I'd lost some handling skills when I went back on my MTB.
Ended up swapping for something with a slightly longer wheelbase and all is good now. Great for keeping up fitness levels in the winter when the trails are unrideable. Winter miles = summer smiles.
Focus Cayo 105 looks good value
I've just bought a Cayo 105 (sorry, full carbon but don't let that put you off). MTB will always be my first love but I must admit there was a very different edge when riding the road bike, instead of the technical challenge I found it was pushing me to ride harder and faster, something that will benefit my mountain biking as I have a tendancy to drop into too low a gear too early offroad.
So far no regrets, get it done.
Buy one, then sell it dirt cheap to me when you get bored 8)
13thfloormonk 'yep, brilliant fun (on the right roads) and made a noticeable difference to my off-road skills too.'
You perfected the face plant road riding?!
Yes. Its a bike of a type you dont have.
What more reason do you need?!?!
Buy one.
You'll get fitter, faster and probably more skilful; without bounce at both ends, you need to be able to ride rather than point and let the brakes off. You'll learn about conserving momentum, sprinting, climbing, riding for more than 10 minutes without stopping for a faff, riding without a suitcase on your back, riding without your dads big pants on, you'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll be hooked.
[i]te bikes and kit are better off road (suspension, disc brakes, tyres etc - these issues barely arise on road bikes - let face road bikes have hardly changed in 50 yrs).[/i]
This is poop i'm afraid, road bikes are continually evolving, and the technology gets used on mountain bikes too; carbon frames, indexed shifting, 9 speed, 10 speed, 11 speed, electronic shifting, and road bikes have actually got lighter in the last 10 years, instead of staying the same weight as more but lighter stuff gets piled on...
epic is an epic shop.
my LBS back in shropshire, almost.
Buy one but be realistic over how much you spend. I only use mine half a dozen times a year but love it every time I use it!
Olly,
i thought going west of Bristol might send you a bit queer but I never suspected this;-) And you can't show your underwear above low slung cut-offs you know!
The Defy would be a good buy, I rode one in Scotland just before C2C and thought it was a really nice ride. If I was replacing mine a Giant would be top of list.
For a few other tips look here:
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2007/06/its-all-in-details.html
Hope things are going well,
Kev
every year for the past 3 i have fallen into the same tour trap, every year I buy ride for a 100 odd miles then get back on on hardtrail and sell the sodding road bike....however this year i did make a 200quid profit god bless ebay 8)
McMoonter
You perfected the face plant road riding?!
Ouch! 😉
Definitely buy one, but don't start getting interessted in the vintage, rare, beautiful stuff. You will spend all your money. All of it.