Help thinking of buying a Carrera road bike! £269 any good??

I want to get in road riding and been looking for a bike but I know very little! Not got much funds and not looking for anything amazing.

Is this a good bike for £269? Was £599 apparently

Carrera Zelos Limited Edition 2013 Large.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Help thinking of buying a Carrea road bike! £269 any goo

Looking at the spec, it's a pretty base model on an alloy frame, so I guess it all depends on what you want to do with the bike.

Without a doubt you will be able to clock some miles up without forking out a huge amount, and if you like it you can change parts like wheels and tyres to get a more lively ride.

Before you decide, take a look in the classifieds in the road section, as retro road bikes can be had for not a lot of money. Also if you have a proper LBS, take a look and see what deals are on the go. My LBS stocks Claude Butler, which are not a million miles away from Carrera, and they have some excellent 'stock shifting' deals. You also get the chance to try the bike for size, which is probably more important on a road bike than on an mtb.

Re: Help thinking of buying a Carrea road bike! £269 any goo

I always say if on a limited budget, buy second hand. The new stuff at that price is always pretty shit, but you can get something relatively nice for that if someone else has used it first

Re: Help thinking of buying a Carrea road bike! £269 any goo

Thanks for the advice, I have been looking in the second had sections and road bikes always hold value even on ebay.

I popped to Halfords today and took one around the car park, took some persuading! Not a bad bike so I brought one.

I will let you all know what its like after a proper ride.

Thanks

Re: Help thinking of buying a Carrea road bike! £269 any goo

Welcome to a whole new world of cycling. :mrgreen:

Re: Help thinking of buying a Carrea road bike! £269 any goo

it,a whole new world,no more 2 hours to clean your bike after a ride

Re: Help thinking of buying a Carrea road bike! £269 any goo

A world of potholes and no comfort

Re: Help thinking of buying a Carrea road bike! £269 any goo

matthew71":1pv3itqy said:

it,a whole new world,no more 2 hours to clean your bike after a ride

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TWO HOURS! You must be fussy Matt. Ten minutes with a hose, road bike or mtb, a quick spray with some GT85 and some wet lube on the chain, job done. :mrgreen:

As for potholes, don't run your 120psi tyres at 120psi, it'll shake your fillings loose. 80 to 90 psi may be a little slower, but it's much more comfortable.

Re: Help thinking of buying a Carrea road bike! £269 any goo

Right pedals!

I am doing the L2B off road in September and my feet hurt after being in the saddle for more than three hours so I was going to upgrade the pedals on my MTB so I can use proper cycling shoes.

Are there pedals/cleats/shoes that are common for both MTB and road? Don't really want to buy two completely different sets.

Thanks

Re: Help thinking of buying a Carrea road bike! £269 any goo

Clifford":6jg52vi4 said:

Right pedals!

I am doing the L2B off road in September and my feet hurt after being in the saddle for more than three hours so I was going to upgrade the pedals on my MTB so I can use proper cycling shoes.

Are there pedals/cleats/shoes that are common for both MTB and road? Don't really want to buy two completely different sets.

Thanks

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I think shimano spd are the same,you can even get some which are a bit more friendly to walk in.kind of like a trainer with a cleat in the bottom. I personally ride TIME pedals ,I would avoid them as while they are excellent to ride in walking is a art form