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Help me choose my first road bike please


krepunk

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I currently ride a MTB but I'm looking to expand my riding to include more on-road cycling. I am also signed up for my 2nd 947 this year (I did my first on a MTB) so would really like to have something that will feel OK for the 4hrs I may spend on the bike????

Since this is my first road bike, I don't want to spend a heap of cash and want to get the most bike for my budget which I unofficially pegged at R15k-R20k. With this in mind and after a bit of research, I thought the second hand market would be best and I have been keeping an eye on the classifieds but nothing has caught my attention yet but I have seen the following two bikes at BikeMarket which are in budget, the right size (I think) with very similar specs:

  1. KTM Revelator 3500
  2. Merida Scultura 4000

So my questions to the knowledgable people of Bikehub are:

  • Are these two good options for a road newbie? Or would it be better to look at a non-carbon frame with better groupset?
  • Which of the two bikes is a better buy? Or have I maybe missed a better deal elsewhere?
  • Which has the best potential for value if I choose to sell in a few months due to disinterest or upgrade?
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1 hour ago, HenryS said:

I'm no expert in road bikes, but you can get newer bikes with disc brakes, wider tyres maybe even tubeless ready etc. in the same price range. While this may not be your size, here is a good example of one. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/road-bikes/503237/fuji-gran-fondo-25-full-carbon-road-bike.

Don't buy a road bike with cable disk brakes.

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3 hours ago, HenryS said:

I'm no expert in road bikes, but you can get newer bikes with disc brakes, wider tyres maybe even tubeless ready etc. in the same price range. While this may not be your size, here is a good example of one. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/road-bikes/503237/fuji-gran-fondo-25-full-carbon-road-bike.

Too big for me - but yeah, exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for... seems like some patience could get me a better deal

45 minutes ago, Pure Savage said:

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/road-bikes/475717/cannondale-evo-super-six-swop-for-mtb-or-gravel

 

Bless this bra's photos, the bike is lekker, will serve you well.

23 minutes ago, Sid the Sloth said:

+1 for the supersix. 

Thanks for the heads up... going to message the seller now. Bike looks good despite the need for a good wash ????

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Hi TNT, just out of curiosity - I hear a  few people making that comment. Can you maybe elaborate why?

I can agree cable activated disc brakes is not on the standard of hydraulic brakes but cant see why it would be worse than rim brakes? I mean the working surface of rim brakes gets close to the ground and water of so makes your brakes basically non-existent.

Is there some problems with it some people has experienced which is not as predictable?

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6 minutes ago, Gerhard765 said:

Hi TNT, just out of curiosity - I hear a  few people making that comment. Can you maybe elaborate why?

I can agree cable activated disc brakes is not on the standard of hydraulic brakes but cant see why it would be worse than rim brakes? I mean the working surface of rim brakes gets close to the ground and water of so makes your brakes basically non-existent.

Is there some problems with it some people has experienced which is not as predictable?

One disadvantage of mechanical disc brakes is the weight. (It is heavy)

The brake performance of mechanical disc brake is – it requires more force and also it is less efficient.

And if it's traditional cable discs, it will be single piston, which results in uneven pad wear, and it slightly bends the rotor with each use, so setting them up is a nightmare.

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My only gripe with cable discs are the brake fade.  With time your pads wear down and so does the engagement point. You will have to constantly adjust cable tension to have a higher bite point. 

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+1 on avoiding mechanical disc brakes. I agree that they are heavy and i also think outright performance is worse than rim brakes...and they are harder to setup right...

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Thanks TNT.

1 I cant understand ( he says with his cup of coffee balanced on his boepens). Am a bit on the heavier side so having a slightly heavier bike is not an issue as I have quite a bit more weight to lose. I see it as motivation even if it doesn't help.

2 - Can agree

3. Understandable.

Edited by Gerhard765
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Also depends what mechanical discs they are, i have some avid bb7 on my one bike, initially I wasn't that impressed with their performance, but just a little bit of fiddling and they are properly strong now, and they feel really good, setup is a little bit of a faff, but they work VERY well

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1 hour ago, krepunk said:

Too big for me - but yeah, exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for... seems like some patience could get me a better deal

Thanks for the heads up... going to message the seller now. Bike looks good despite the need for a good wash ????

Take R1000 off for need for a wash and Lube!

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42 minutes ago, TNT1 said:

One disadvantage of mechanical disc brakes is the weight. (It is heavy)

The brake performance of mechanical disc brake is – it requires more force and also it is less efficient.

And if it's traditional cable discs, it will be single piston, which results in uneven pad wear, and it slightly bends the rotor with each use, so setting them up is a nightmare.

I can agree with this, have cable disc brakes on gravel bike. Need to turn in the one pad with an allan key every now and then. But they cheap as chips and stuck on a steel bike and I have good life insurance

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