Decent road bike under £750?

Question

I am new to road bikes, but I am a keen cyclist and regularly ride a Specialized mountain bike. However I do most of my cycling on road and to save time and travel faster I would like to progress to a road bike. I have been working this summer holiday to save money towards it.

Do you have any recommendations for a decent road bike that will last, for under £750? I would prefer to spend around £500 but can afford more if it would be worth it. What kind of components should I be looking for?

Answer 1

The above poster is correct, you can get a good, basic road bike for about 500 and a decent bike for around 750, but you can do even better than that.

I suggest you wait a bit to purchase your bicycle and perhaps you could get an even better bike. At the end of the cycling season (which is just a few weeks from now) most bike shops start discounting their bicycles. You could probably easily expect to get 25-30% off by waiting until the end of the season. That way, you would still stay in your budget, but you would have a great road bike that originally sold for 1000, but you got for ~750. The components would be even better, and over the long term, you would have a much better bike. As for specifics, you need to look at bike shops near you and see what type of deals are available.

Another choice is to get a gently used bike that is just 2-3 years old. New bikes lose much of their market value in the first year or so. For ~750, you could easily get a good bike that might have cost as much as 2,000 new. Look on ebay or craigslist as well as used bike shops near your house. Bikes that are just 2-3 years old still have all the modern equipment of a new bike, but you can get them cheaper. Higher end bikes have better components, and you will appreciate getting a higher end bike as you progress in road cycling. They perform noticeably better. If you do get a used bike, have a bike shop check it out first to make sure nothing is wrong with it, and  what if any repairs are needed. If repairs are needed, get an estimate and deduct that from you offer on the used bike.

Answer 2

£500 will easily cover an entry-level road bike. You currently ride a specialized - They also make great road bikes.

At £500 you'll be getting a basic aluminium frame, carbon forks and seatpost and probably Shimano Sora shifters and Sora/Tiagra derailleurs/chainset.

If you aim at £750 you'll get a bike you'll be much happier with. While (IMO) there's nothing wring with Sora starting out, you'll soon want to upgrade. I reckon you could get a bike with a nice Shimano "105"/SRAM "Rival"/Campag "Centaur" or "Veloce" groupset for £750 that last you through training and competing for a long time.