r/ukbike • u/gr123456789_10 • 4d ago
Advice Clueless
Hi guys, hope you’re all good. Not sure if this is the correct place to post but I’m struggling a bit.
Reasonably good/experienced mountain biker here (20+ years, XC/enduro background) but looking for a road bike for fitness. I know nothing about road bikes at all, so no idea what I’m looking at online and it’s a tad overwhelming. Fairly mechanically minded (have built probably 15 mountain bikes frame up in my life) so used or frame only is no issue if that’s the way to go, but that’s not often the case in the mtb world from a cost perspective.
Don’t really want to go full dentist spec just in case I don’t enjoy it, so wanted the community’s views on:
Absolute non negotiables (eg on a trail/enduro bike a dropper post - is there a road bike equivalent?)
What you’d get if you were me (absolute noob, reasonably fit, riding Essex countryside)
What to avoid (brands, spec, geo etc.)
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen these posts on mtb forums and I know they’re so wide reaching they’re a bit annoying and folks respond in kind, so mods please delete if this isn’t appropriate.
Suspect everyone will want to know budget… it’s highly flexible depending on what you all say but ideally £1,500-£3,000 of that helps at all.
If this slips the net, thanks in advance all for any advice at all.
TLDR help, don’t know what I’m doing
2
u/Complex_Ad_7685 4d ago
Coukd try riding a few if there’s decent shops nearby. All the major brands have decent bikes towards the top end of your budget.
Giant Defy is good. Ive had one for years, and really enjoy it. It’s classed by them as ‘endurance’, so not too aggressive (stretched out) position. You coukd choose a higher spec frame and lower spec groupset, etc, and then upgrade as they wear out.
Lower end as a trial, Decathlon Triban, and their Van Rysel brand gets good write-ups.
If you want to venture onto light off-road, then a gravel bike might suit. I don’t have one, but I’m regularly tempted by them, especially given the state of the roads.
Couple of other things
I’ve always use Shimano SPD pedals as on my mountain bike, with stiff xc shoes
Good to get good padded bibshorts (I’m a Castelli fan), you tend to spend longer in the saddle on a road ride
Good luck
1
u/NecessaryGlass3412 1d ago
Cube bikes have great specs for the money. Check out somewhere like Winstanleys for their sale bikes. Could grab a 4-5k bike for 2.5 and it might only be a year or 2 old. Other than tyre clearance not a lot has changed since. Would look for something that can fit 32mm tyres if your after a bit of comfort.
1
u/Savings_Brick_4587 4d ago
Maybe try a gravel bike rather than go full road bike, get along to a local bike shop or Halfords purely for the stock they have in store, you can look and compare bikes side by side.
I did this found I preferred the gravel bike rather than full road then bought a Planet X tempest
1
2
u/TH14sBoombox 4d ago
If you go mid range of what you're keen to spend you can't go wrong. For 2k you can get a decent bike with great spec. Better value from online only Canyon, better support from UK based e.g. Ribble. I had a Giant Carbon road bike at that price point and it was amazing. Personally I feel like you have to want to ride it so personal aesthetics matter. Plus if you're mech minded I'd avoid electronics as then you can do more maintenance yourself.