Looking for a cheap road bike.

[Ev0luti0n]

Hey all,

I'm in need of some guidance.

I'm looking around for a road bike which I intend to start using from the summer semester onwards to ride to the train station and back, rather than using my car. I also want to use it on my days off for fitness.

I'm 19 now, I haven't ridden a bike in many years, the last bike I had was some MTB I rode as a kid, but I haven't touched a bike ever since the start of high school.

I have a pretty low budget of $300, as low as I can go would be better.

I've been doing a little research into bikes under $300 and I've found a couple:

http://www.reidcycles.com.au/bicycles/r ... -bike.html - I saw this one getting mentioned quite a bit and I saw nearly a dozen at uni in one day so I'm assuming they aren't rubbish?

http://www.cyclingexpress.com/cycle/bik ... a-800.aspx - Has a supposed high RRP, haven't been able to find much info on it.

http://www.cyclingexpress.com/cycle/bik ... r-700.aspx

http://www.cyclingexpress.com/cycle/cle ... riser.aspx

The last 3 are flat bar while the Reid I'm looking at is drop bar. I've never owned or ridden a drop bar bike before, but from what I read, more people prefer drop to flat but then again, it probably boils down to personal preference.

I'm completely at a loss as to what I should be looking for in a bike, I read all these complicated words which mean nothing to me. All I need is a decent bike that won't break apart on me that I can reliably use to commute with and also use to train cardio etc.

Cheers.

[Mr_Bob]

In this price range, the biggest difference in bikes (aside from sizing) will be the shifters.
The first one you have linked to has the shifters up top, which will be annoying to use.

If you think you will become quite serious about riding, Tiagra shifters are the sweet spot for value for money.
Reid and Azzuri bikes can be had in this spec for ~$700, which is quite a bit more than your budget, but would be a good investment.
Tiagra shifters use the brake lever to change gears, which means you don't need to take your hands off the bars frequently.

If your skills eventually exceed the capabilities of a tiagra level bike, then you are in a good position to know what your next upgrade is.
http://www.cyclingexpress.com/cycle/cle ... -race.aspx
(cycling express often offer 10% off, so join the mailing list!)

If you're not sure if you will ride much for fun/fitness, then $700 might be a big initial investment.
This would be the next best thing
http://www.cyclingexpress.com/cycle/azz ... sport.aspx


If your area is pretty flat, then a single-speed might be a good starting point for you.
some are listed as fixed gear, which means you can't stop pedalling whilst moving, but many are also singlespeed with a flip/flop rear hub.
A decent one can be had around your budget price, and there's less maintenance because there's no gears to worry about.
http://www.cellbikes.com.au/CELL-Fixie- ... gory=12627

If you plan to leave the bike at the station, don't forget to factor in pricing for some security for the bike!