[neilloveridge]

Hi

Can anyone advise me. I brought a vittess road bike last year for £90.00 of eBay and enjoyed riding in the summer.

I'm now looking at upgrading and purchasing the trek 1.5 as a road bike. Just a general question.....is this is a decent bike that will last for a good few years...??

[zero3one]

The 1.5 isn't a bad bike. I have no experience with it, but it's definitely better than your run of the mill Walmart/department store type bikes. I would call it an entry level road bike. And yes, it will last you. But my advise when buying a bike... spend more than you want to. You will only regret not getting the bike you "almost" could have had.

[synack]

What are your cycling goals? Short and long term.

[carlharsch]

Welcome to the forums.

[superj]

check craigslist (if you guys have that over there) or ebay. i got both my bikes used and have not spent more the 250 total.

[Industry_Hack]

Originally Posted by synack

What are your cycling goals? Short and long term.

This is one of the best questions you can ask yourself when contemplating a bike purchase. No need to get too much or too little bike. On our classifieds, I see a lot of carbon road bikes and long travel mountain bikes selling at a huge discount, with the lamentation "I didn't ride it as much as I thought I would".

But don't go too cheap either. If you're buying for the long term, mid-level components are your best bet.

[tanglewood2son]

Originally Posted by zero3one

The 1.5 isn't a bad bike. I have no experience with it, but it's definitely better than your run of the mill Walmart/department store type bikes. I would call it an entry level road bike. And yes, it will last you. But my advise when buying a bike... spend more than you want to. You will only regret not getting the bike you "almost" could have had.

I'd agree with this - loads of time I've bought stuff and regretted not buying slightly dearer ! - I think the thing to bear in mind is "you get what you pay for " if you want a bargain basement bike - then fair play ! - but it'll weight the weight of a small elephant and it'll be fair cheap n nasty - however, now is the best time to buy a bike - they're selling last years models off to make way for this years new models - check out sites like chain reaction or wiggle and you'll see that some ate upto 40% off !?
No real need to break the bank there and still get the bike of your dreams.....

[John_V]

Someone beat me out on posting about checking last years models, but that is a good place to start. You can get some really good deals there if the bike they have is in your size. My riding buddy, Frank, just picked up a 2012 Trek Madone 5.2 (50 cm) with full Ultegra for $2,800. That bike normally retails for around $3,500. Both of us are vertically challenged (around 5'6") and if you are in that category, you may luck out on finding a small frame bike that they can't get rid of and are willing to make you a good offer.

There are several bike shops in my area that still have some 2011 models in stock that they are wanting to get rid of at 45-50% off MSRP. You may want to look into seeing if any of the shops in your area still have some 2011 stock left. Of course, if the bike doesn't fit you properly, the ride experience will totally suck, even if the bike is free.

[tanglewood2son]

Originally Posted by John_V

Someone beat me out on posting about checking last years models, but that is a good place to start. You can get some really good deals there if the bike they have is in your size. My riding buddy, Frank, just picked up a 2012 Trek Madone 5.2 (50 cm) with full Ultegra for $2,800. That bike normally retails for around $3,500. Both of us are vertically challenged (around 5'6") and if you are in that category, you may luck out on finding a small frame bike that they can't get rid of and are willing to make you a good offer.

There are several bike shops in my area that still have some 2011 models in stock that they are wanting to get rid of at 45-50% off MSRP. You may want to look into seeing if any of the shops in your area still have some 2011 stock left. Of course, if the bike doesn't fit you properly, the ride experience will totally suck, even if the bike is free.

Word!!!
Absolutely bang on!
:-)

[SixtyPlus]

Can't add too much to the advice you have already gotten, but I can say "Welcome to the forum"!!