Recommendations please for a budget road bike.

[MESmith]

Recommendations please for a budget road bike.

I ride a 29er Trek hardtail which is great for cross country rides, climbing dirt, rocky trails, moderate downhills. Would like something more suitable for road rides.

Under 20,000bt.

[daveAustin]

You can pick up a Specialized starting from around 20k from Cherry. Lovely machines, well worth the extra couple k. Also got Merida and Giant roadies in there. CR road between Super and Inner.

[MESmith]

Thanks Dave, but Cherry is not my favourite shop. When I say "under 20,000", the more under the merrier, though don't mind paying a bit extra if really worth it.

Don't really know much about road bikes, yet...

[MESmith]

A bit more info for you. I'm the wrong side of 50 yrs, not sure if drop handle bars will suit me.

[villagefarang]

For a short term fix, try pumping up your tires to the max and locking out your suspension. It will give you a little better idea what a road bike may feel like. Make sure you really want one before you make the move. I am 60 and still getting used to the drop bars but is not that bad. Hands on top of the bar doesn't feel that much different but it is a long ways down to the lower hold. The only time I notice any real difference is at speed because it does get you out of the wind, reducing drag.

[maxtwo]

I've spent lots on road bike .But still like my mtb with road tyres in issan.

[Chwooly]

Take a look at Cyclocross bikes, They are road bikes with fatter tires, some design features to make them a little better for off road if needed and with the fatter tires are better suited to the roads here,

[up-country_sinclair]

A few years ago you could get a Trek 1.2 from ProBike for under 20K. Not sure about now due to inflation.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Koowang Sing Bikes had a load of road bikes, 7k and up.

Other side of superhighway from Chang Puak road, next to KTB bank and opposite Honda.

They did have a 52cm TREK, but can't remember if road or hybrid.

Problem is if you are tall, nobody stocks anything over 50cm.

Edited January 28, 2015 by AnotherOneAmerican

[MESmith]

For a short term fix, try pumping up your tires to the max and locking out your suspension. It will give you a little better idea what a road bike may feel like. Make sure you really want one before you make the move. I am 60 and still getting used to the drop bars but is not that bad. Hands on top of the bar doesn't feel that much different but it is a long ways down to the lower hold. The only time I notice any real difference is at speed because it does get you out of the wind, reducing drag.

I do have my tyres pumped up & lock out my front forks on tarmac, even on smooth dirt roads. But the fat tyres make it feel like I'm cycling in treacle at times. On my old 26" mtb I tried slicks but not much improvement. Hoping that a lighter bike on skinny slicks will be different. I seem to max out at 60 km over 3 hrs on my 29er. Hope to do more hill road climbs & longer distances.

[MESmith]

Take a look at Cyclocross bikes, They are road bikes with fatter tires, some design features to make them a little better for off road if needed and with the fatter tires are better suited to the roads here,

Not looking for a road bike that can go offroad. I have an offroad bike. If I buy a new bike it'll be 100% road bike.

[maxtwo]

I'am 53 didn't start to cycle till I was nearly 50 .And I love it wish had done it sooner.In Thailand I use a carbon hard tail stumpjumper and is very light and quick.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

For a short term fix, try pumping up your tires to the max and locking out your suspension. It will give you a little better idea what a road bike may feel like. Make sure you really want one before you make the move. I am 60 and still getting used to the drop bars but is not that bad. Hands on top of the bar doesn't feel that much different but it is a long ways down to the lower hold. The only time I notice any real difference is at speed because it does get you out of the wind, reducing drag.

I do have my tyres pumped up & lock out my front forks on tarmac, even on smooth dirt roads. But the fat tyres make it feel like I'm cycling in treacle at times. On my old 26" mtb I tried slicks but not much improvement. Hoping that a lighter bike on skinny slicks will be different. I seem to max out at 60 km over 3 hrs on my 29er. Hope to do more hill road climbs & longer distances.

I could average 29Km/hr on my hybrid with 32mm slicks (27Km/hr with 35mm tires).

Average is 23Km/hr on my MTB with 50mm off roads.

Only on the flat so far.

Nothing to stop you putting thinner tires on a bike.

Reading about tires, seems tread (or lack of it) is not important on a road, best speeds on 32-28mm tires, so don't go too skinny.

[villagefarang]

For a short term fix, try pumping up your tires to the max and locking out your suspension. It will give you a little better idea what a road bike may feel like. Make sure you really want one before you make the move. I am 60 and still getting used to the drop bars but is not that bad. Hands on top of the bar doesn't feel that much different but it is a long ways down to the lower hold. The only time I notice any real difference is at speed because it does get you out of the wind, reducing drag.

I do have my tyres pumped up & lock out my front forks on tarmac, even on smooth dirt roads. But the fat tyres make it feel like I'm cycling in treacle at times. On my old 26" mtb I tried slicks but not much improvement. Hoping that a lighter bike on skinny slicks will be different. I seem to max out at 60 km over 3 hrs on my 29er. Hope to do more hill road climbs & longer distances.

Sounds like you are going through the same thing I did recently. I have found it is not just the kind of bike but the weight and quality of the components. If you don’t get a road bike which is lighter and better equipped than your mtb then you may not notice a significant difference. Shop around and don't rush to get a new bike, then buy the best one you can afford, is the only advice I can really offer.

[moonoi]

Difficult I think to find a quality road bike for under 20k, I think only Merida really offer anything half decent in that price bracket.

If you push your budget up another 5k, that opens up Trek (1.1/1.2), Specialized (Allez)and Giant (TCR or Defy) as well with their entry level road bikes, which come with frames that at worth upgrading the components on if you really get in to road riding. Merida in this price range will come with much better components as standard as well (for example Tiagra 10speed vs Claris 8speed groupsets). I would say that Specialized or Giant has the best frame, but my only issue is Specialized are overpriced considering the components it comes with as standard.

Be warned though, in this price bracket the weight will still be fairly heavy between 11-13kg. Not sure how that compares to your 29er.

Have a look at the KM8 Bike shop website to get an idea of what spec you can get for what price, they carry most brands with the exception of Trek I think. And then head out to your local bike shops armed with a shopping list ;-)

Edited January 28, 2015 by moonoi

[moonoi]

Road cc just posted a review of the 2015 Trek 1.2

http://road.cc/content/review/140904-trek-12-road-bike

[MESmith]

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like a cheap road bike wont be much improvement on my 29er. Do they sell slicks for 29" wheels in Thailand? Hopefully Chiang Mai. I think the lack of improvement with slicks on my 26" mtb was that I was pedalling flat out with offroad tyres & couldn't physically pedal any faster with the slicks. With my 29er top gear is a bit of a struggle to maintain top speed with the big tyres on. Maybe slicks should make top gear easier?

Or I could always put one of the kids in local village school for one term to free up the cash for a better road bike. Now which kid? Eenie, meenie, miney moe....

[maxtwo]

As I said here I have mtb only. at home uk I have same mtb and very nice road bike going out on my own choice mtb every time .The road bike kills my back and forearms.And that is with correct riding position set up by a professional.I would not dream of bringing that bike here with the road conditions .Also do you run tubeless if so try some stans no tubes it has never let me down yet.No more punches!

[maxtwo]

Also have you tried schwalbe racing ralfs .They have a lot less rolling resistance

[ogb]

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like a cheap road bike wont be much improvement on my 29er. Do they sell slicks for 29" wheels in Thailand? Hopefully Chiang Mai. I think the lack of improvement with slicks on my 26" mtb was that I was pedalling flat out with offroad tyres & couldn't physically pedal any faster with the slicks. With my 29er top gear is a bit of a struggle to maintain top speed with the big tyres on. Maybe slicks should make top gear easier?

Or I could always put one of the kids in local village school for one term to free up the cash for a better road bike. Now which kid? Eenie, meenie, miney moe....

29 in mtb = 700c in road, so a 35 to 40mm road tyre would be worth trying.

Try Cherry Bike, Velocity, Song Bike or Jing Bicycle.

Another thing you could do if riding road more than trails would be to turn the mtb stem upside down to get a more aero position.

[moonoi]

I used to run Panaracer Ribmo 35mm road tyres on my old 29er. Prior to that I was running Racing Ralphs. In my experience, the Ralphs rolled better, were faster and weren't such a pig to fit.

[pistachios]

Infinite bikes have decent models for under 20k.

You can find the infinite solution for around 14k if you want an hybrid.

Quite light with only 10kg compared to hybrids of other brands of the same price bracket.

They also have 2 road bikes for under 20k, spad race and spad comp.

[bobfish]

If you're determined to get a dedicated road bike, you'll might want to go for something with a more relaxed and comfortable 'sportive' geometry. Your budget will limit you to an alloy frame which can be a bit harsh, so check reviews first. Steel frames ride smoother but I don't know what to recommend. Anyone??

BTW, I started road riding a couple of years ago at 55... it's same same, but different

[h90]

A bit more info for you. I'm the wrong side of 50 yrs, not sure if drop handle bars will suit me.

I am 44 and didn't do any sport for 15 years.

Slowly you get used to it again (at 44, but I think at 50+ also) unless you have a back problem or a huge belly.

I am not sure but I think.....

[chiangmaiexpat]

29" MTB slicks are hard to find, especially in Thailand, whereas for some reason 26" slicks are not so hard to find. You might have to order them online. But.... while these tyres make you roll faster on asphalt, they definitely put an end to any sort fun you can have offroad.

Cheers, CM-Expat

[AnotherOneAmerican]

29" MTB slicks are hard to find, especially in Thailand, whereas for some reason 26" slicks are not so hard to find. You might have to order them online. But.... while these tyres make you roll faster on asphalt, they definitely put an end to any sort fun you can have offroad.

Cheers, CM-Expat

29" tires = 700c

So very easy to find in Thailand.

"700c, or ISO 622mm is the rim diameter for both 29″ers and road racing bikes. In fact, the ISO 622 is a very common rim diameter that is used on a wide spectrum of bicycles. The term- 29″er- refers to the total diameter of the tire and wheel together, with the rim size being ISO 622mm, or as it is commonly referred to as, 700c."

from

http://twentynineinches.com/2009/01/15/question-can-you-put-road-tires-on-a-29er-rim/

[chiangmaiexpat]

29" tires = 700c

So very easy to find in Thailand.

I was talking about mountain bike tryes, specifically MTB slick tyres.

Of course you can find 700c road tyres, but I would not recommend fitting those on MTB wheels unless you know exactly what you are doing.

Cheers, CM-Expat

[AnotherOneAmerican]

^^

Not sure I get you there, nothing to stop you changing the rims or wheels if you want much thicker or thinner tires.

I just go to my local bike shop and ask them what I need.

I don't fit anything myself.

Here's a chart of what will fit,

http://www.betterbybicycle.com/2014/04/a-simple-guide-on-essentials-of-wheels.html

So if I look up my MTB rim size (559x20c) which currently has 2.1" off road tires.

Looks like I could put 32mm on it if I wanted. (tread pattern is mainly irrelevant for road use, slicks off road, just ride slower)

Edited February 2, 2015 by AnotherOneAmerican

[moonoi]

The problem is MTB rims are generally a lot wider than road rims, and the tyres are designed with that in mind.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

The problem is MTB rims are generally a lot wider than road rims, and the tyres are designed with that in mind.

The link I gave in my previous post suggests not.

http://www.betterbybicycle.com/2014/04/a-simple-guide-on-essentials-of-wheels.html