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About to buy my first road bike, need some advice (self.bicycling)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by Macaroni_ninja to c/bicycling

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Hi all, I hope my post doesn't violate any rules, because of the links, if yes, please let me know.

I am a beginner with road bikes, I was always a MTB person, but I decided to get a road bike for my cardio exercise as I turned 40 and I have less option in my area for MTB rides.

Since Im a beginner with road bikes I would need some advice to not mess up my purchase. Of course I done some research as well, but never know what I missed.

Im in the EU and my budget is 700-750 EUR, so yes, it will be a budget bike. I will ride 3-4 times a week for 50-70 km distances. Some hills, but nothing serious.

I found two possible candidates:

Triban RC500 The obvious choice, many reviews calling it the best budget bike under 1000 EUR, some compromises, but I think it would be perfect for me. Price: 750 EUR where I live.

Sava Vegur 1.2 A bit of a wild card, its currently on half off sale with a reputable online retailer for 680 EUR, but cant decide if its the deal of the year or I should be cautious. I know, I dont need a carbon bike for my needs, but still, Im curious if anyone ever had experience with the brand? I found reviews, opinions, etc but nothing which would tell me to buy or not buy it specifically. Its a Chinese brand, but thats about it from what I can see.

Thanks for the time and I would prefer constructive feedback if possible :)

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[–] besmtt 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I don't have any experience with those brands and I'm still pretty new to road cycling, so I can only give my general thoughts.

You're right that you don't need a carbon frame, but I recently switched from aluminum to carbon and the difference was eye opening. Just the amount of vibration that it dampens on pavement has made a massive, immediate, change in how biking feels to me.

One thing I would consider before making a purchase is the possibility of upgrades/changes that you might want to make in the future. I haven't looked at the bikes you linked but, as an example, if you were to buy a bike that couldn't accept a standard round seatpost and stem, then you wouldn't be able to buy replacements like the redshift shockstop system, which are fantastic.

But other than that I wish you good luck =⁠-)

Edit: oh, also, this: https://youtu.be/sO6TONX4BN8

[–] Macaroni_ninja 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Thanks, great points to consider. The linked model is outside my budget but it has the same frame/geometry as the RC500 and also has good reviews.