Does anyone have any advice on what to look for in a road bike for beginners? I came across this bike while searching around:
http://www.athleticum.ch/shop/produc...3.html?lang=de
Does anyone have any experience with this brand?
Thanks!
Hi,
if u r just a beginner, u dont need a hi tech bike. if u r not much concerned about price, this bike looks ok. try it once, see height and comfort etc are fine. u can then buy it. or if u need a cheaper one, it also should be available in some shops
Racer is the house brand from Athleticum,
They are OEM asian frames
This model is the very entry level, full aluminum / Shimano Tiagra.
full Aluminum would give a quite harsh ride feel, Tiagra is just one step above from the lowest end on the Shimano road bike lines.
in a nutshell, full aluminum entry level bike with low cost components
to answer to your question on the PM
The price is OK, it is on sale at 50%off. A full aluminum bike with cheap components could ( or could not ) give a harsh ride and a not so good and pleasant riding experience
However this is the paradox, if you put a beginer on a cheap entry level bike, the experience probably couldn't be satisfactory enough to let him enjoy the sport, and then he could abandon. On the other hand if you pay too much for a road bike and he doesn't like it anyway you'd have lost the initial investment.
I'd say it depends on your goals about cycling.
If the bike is for ocassional rides or go around town, then it is ok.
if it is to start on the sport, better aim a little higher and get at least a bike with a carbon fork and a better set of components ( Shimano 105 or Ultegra or SRAM Rival or Force for example.) like this the investment wouldn't be so high.
The "Racer" brand from Athleticum is solid good value bike. I have a higher level road bike and my wife has 2005 version of the bike you have posted a link to. She has ridden multiple Alpine passes on it and has even surprised the EF Thursday night ride "elitists" with her speed. The Tiagra groupset seems fine to me, the times I have ridden and done maintenance on the bike. I agree with Salsa that the aluminium fork would probably not be the most comfortable thing due to possible vibrations. I would say that if you are a beginner and haven't ridden new road bikes before, this chf600 bike will seem like a smooth rocketship and I would call it a bargain. If you have the legs and heart (or develop them) this bike will take you a long way before you would need to upgrade (say if you wanted to race).
I would also add, that if you can afford it, this bike at chf1000 is maybe even better value. It adds a carbon fibre fork which is lighter and will absorb more vibrations for comfort, and upgrades the components to Shimano Ultegra level which is more than any mere mortal needs. These two features alone make the increase in price worth it.
More important than the brand, is the fit of the rider into the bike. Several links exist on bike fitting, and some stores offer the service. Agree on comment from aluminium being better than steel, but seek for a carbon fork and at least 105 shimano rear derailler.
@Salsa Lover: what do you ride, why, and how much does it cost? Is it the most you could afford or does it occupy a value "sweet spot" meaning you don't get that much more from spending more. Cheers
600.- for such a bike sounds like good value to me.
Spending twice the amount will not make you like the sport twice as much. Far from it. If the bike is not stupidly heavy and has "brand name" components (anything from Shimano will do IMO) it will be good enough for you to enjoy riding around the lakes and up and down the big passes in the Alps.
My girlfriend started cycling on a bike just like that a few years ago and got totally hooked to cycling sinc then. It's only when she got the bike stolen that she decided to upgrade to something better, knowing that she liked the sport and that she wouldn't mind spending some money on it.
I am very happy with my Simpel bike:
Martin
I like simpel too. I don't have one but they offer bikes with the Nuvinci 360 CVT rear-hub. If I would still live in holland this would be perfect for me, here I like to climb hills and then the CVT just doesn't cut it due to torgue-limit...
I will answer to that in this way.
I allways rode bikes, for pleasure or transportation in the past.
As some point after a long period of travelling constantly and bad food habits I put on quite a lot of weight. I decided to try a sport, but not just as a game or ocassional workout but an sport to make it part of my lifestyle and keep me fit and happy.
What sport could that be? It had to be outdoor sport as I dislike the gyms and it had to be a sport you could practice individually so you don't depend on other people or complicated organisation to do it. An sport that was soft on the joints too. ( I know that running is not for me)
I was 15 Kgs overweight and not in shape, but decided to start commuting to work by bike. I bought me a cheap mountain bike for 300.- The bike was a cheap entry level Felt mountain bike that I got second hand, was too small for me, and heavy. but started to commute to work and back on it and also go with it for short pleasure rides after work.
Anyway I just liked it, more and more and decided to buy a good road bike and get full into the sport. I looked at many options, second hand, new, on sale etc. I finally decided to go the nine yards.
I went to a shop and bought me the bike that at that time ( 8 year ago ) had just won the Tour de France, a Trek 5500. the bike costed CHF 5000- but I could get a good deal with the Trek dealer in Geneva a last year model on sale for 50% so CHF 2500.- I got the bike, the kit and helmet and started to do the sport everyday. sold the MTB and bought a city bike too ( CHF 600.- )
And there was me, commuting everywhere by bike and riding the road bike almost everyday. I droped the 15 Kgs ( and more ) quite soon, and have been doing it since then.
Now to answer your original question
I ride a Bianchi 928SL that is a top level bike, but I didn't pay the top level price. ( I paid 1/3 of the price for all new parts, and built it myself ).
I could afford the full price, but there is no need to pay full price when you know where and when to get the components.
So that is my "sweet spot". I have the best of the best ( that is not even available on shops here ) but paid like it was a lower model that you can buy at any local bike shop.
You could argue that a cheaper bike would give the save service and that I don't need to have such a superbe bike.
Sure that is true, I could do the sport on a 100.- Banhof Velo or on a 600.- Athleticum bike. But this bike gives me much more pleasure and I enjoy it. It is also a beautiful piece of art and has very appreciable engineering strong points.
I have had and riden lots of bikes, steel, aluminum, alu/carbon, full carbon, HM carbon, cheap, good price, expensive and ultra expensive ones. So I can actually discern what you get for your money, and it is true at some point you just get exponentially lower benefits, meaning you have to pay a lot more just to get a little gain.
For me the "sweet spot" was given to me by myself, I gave me the high end bike at a medium level price.
This bike fullfils all my cycling needs and wishes. It makes me happy.
( BTW I have more than one bike )
I still commute everywhere by bike, and do the sport as often as work let me, all year long, all conditions.
A good road bike represents an initial investment, but this you'll recover it soon, not just because all the health benefits it gives back to you but also because the bike is all you need, you don't need to pay fees to a gym or rent playing fields or nothing, just you, your bike and the roads.
@salsa lover:
My position is this: I am also overweight, and unfit - I've done nothing in 10 years and hate the gym. Recently I've begun renting city bikes from Zurirollt. I'm like a kid with a new toy. I just did around 25miles up and down the lake, and it felt like a workout although I'm very slow. I do look enviously at people with fast road bikes but I don't think I'm ready to shell out money yet. Besides, I think I'd fall off a road bike if I got one now. The feeling of being alone and at speed is amazing though and I'm really glad I found the sport. If you have any tips or discoveries from your early days of taking up the sport I'd love to hear about them either here or over a beer.
The link you posted is expired. Would you be kind enough to re-post it? I tried searching for it on their website but couldn't find it.
http://www.athleticum.ch/shop/produc...05-102894.html
BTW I also have some still for sale
Most riders say the "Raleigh Grand Sport" road bike is a good choice for "beginners" or casual cyclists who are shopping on a budget. The aluminum frame bike is a good performer according to reviewers, who test it against other budget-friendly road bikes.Most reviewers are impressed with the Raleighs shifting performance that is traditionally a weak area for budget bikes. The Raleigh GS is a very very comfortable, beginner-friendly ride, but some testers find the Grand Sport a bit heavy, which is a common complaint for people like me,but all in all thats usually what you get for most bikes under 1000CHF. The Raleigh Grand Sport doesn't use the best components, so you may have to eventually "upgrade" as your skills improve, but most likely once you get into cycling the modifications will never end. A Shimano 2300 front derailleur and shifters are standard, along with a Shimano Sora rear derailleur and a carbon composite fork! If you can afford to spend a bit more, the Giant Defy 2 (*Est. 1,100CHF) also gets good reviews....Just my two cents
I would expect you to know better, Salsa. Shimano's lowest-end road stuff is the 2300-series, then Sora, then Tiagra. So, Tiagra is two steps above the lowest-end. 2300 is rarely available from aftermarket retailers, but comes on a lot of entry-level road bikes, which are often priced similarly to the Athleticum model listed above. 600 CHF therefore appears to be good value for such a well-equipped entry-level machine.
As a beginner, I want to buy also a bike to enjoy the nature roads (like twice a month) or maybe to do a national road in summer. Is a bike like this suitable for these purposes? how about this one ?
If you have any other suggestion, I would be glad to hear it.
Thanks a lot
Hi Ali,
Do you want to go on roads, or off on to light trails? I only ask because the bikes you linked to are a little different in purpose. The first is a mountain bike. If you're staying on roads or light trails, the second (touring) bike is probably better.
IMO, the fork on the mountain bike is a very poor one, and although the rest looks OK at first glance, that alone would rule it out for actual mountain biking.
Give us more of a clue about the type of rides you imagine yourself on, there's a few of us here who can advise with a bit more detail.
cheers
m
Hi,
Thanks indeed for the reply.
I had an Unhappy Triad six weeks ago and the only sport that I can do now is light biking. Hence, for the time being, I want to stay mainly on light trails or roads to strengthen my musculature & enjoy the nature. In future, I might bike on medium trails, but definitely I wouldn't go on hard trails. In addition, I would like to go biking around the cities to see the sights. So, the main purpose is to enjoy an easy ride. (I want to find a bike with comfortable saddle.)
If you know any model from any other store, I would be truly grateful, if you could post the link.
Thanks a lot.
if you can travel to France, those are the best value I believe