12 questions about buying a road bike
1. competition racer, aerobike, endurance or marathon bike, all-road bike, gravel bike?
The terms are confusing and the categories merge seamlessly into one another. What is essential is how wide the tyres can be that fit in the frame - the so-called tyre clearance; the worse the slope, the wider the tyres. If real terrain is to be covered, at least 45 millimetres are sensible. Many competition racers also take 32 mm tyres. The riding position should be right. Race bikes have short head tubes and therefore low handlebars. If you want to sit a little more upright, you need to keep an eye on the Stack+ dimension, which can be an exclusion criterion for race bikes. If you want comfort, you need wide tyres (at least 32, preferably 34 millimetres) and a suspension-friendly seat post. Many race bikes do not offer the latter. Endurance and all-road bikes are usually the better compromise overall if you are not looking for that last bit of speed through aerodynamics.
2. what is the minimum cost of a road bike?
Road bikes are available from around 1000 euros. However, these bikes can be significantly improved with a few targeted tuning measures. The surcharge for this: from 160 euros.
3. which material is the best for frames?
Carbon fibre. The lightest, most aerodynamic and most durable frames are made from carbon fibres. They are followed by aluminium, titanium and steel - in that order when it comes to the lightweight construction potential of the material. However, how good the construction is in individual cases is less a question of the material than of the workmanship. And it is not so much the mechanical properties that speak in favour of a material such as titanium as the optical properties.
Buying a road bike: How customised should the bike be?
4. from what price are customised frames available?
Customised frame construction starts at around 1000 euros for tubular steel frames. However, all the things that make customised bikes interesting cost extra: special paintwork, special details that go beyond the usual standards. Realistically, prices therefore tend to start at 1500 euros and - similar to industrial products - can reach almost five figures.
5 Where are standard wheels superior to customised wheels?
Maximum performance in the form of the best aerodynamics is only offered by frames and wheels that originate from the development departments of the best manufacturers. Top aerodynamics in particular have their price, especially when combined with minimal weight. However, this expense is not necessary for pure riding pleasure.
6. customised body or complete wheel: which is cheaper?
In the lower to medium price segment (up to around 4000 euros), complete wheels are more attractive in terms of price, as manufacturers can buy components more cheaply. However, the targeted upgrading of an inexpensive bike can be a way to achieve very good characteristics for relatively little money.
7. how much faster is a bike for 10,000 euros than one for 1000 euros?
A 10,000-euro bike is around 14 minutes faster than a 1000-euro bike (3:25 instead of 3:39 hours) on an undulating 90-kilometre route with 1300 metres of elevation gain. By changing the tyres, the lag of the cheaper bike can be roughly halved, and on flat terrain the bike gains around 1 km/h in speed. The advantage is noticeable and can be seen on the speedometer.
What tuning options are there?
8. what does it cost to make an inexpensive road bike faster?
Investing in a set of top tyres and TPU tubes will give a cheap bike a considerable boost. The price for this: around 160 euros. All other measures have a much weaker effect. Weight tuning brings much less in comparison.
9. how much can the ride feel of a bike be tuned?
Very clear. The feeling of comfort depends heavily on the tyres, the air pressure and the contact points saddle, handlebars and pedals (whereby the shoes are more important). Changing the seat post can also have a major impact on riding comfort. A lighter bike also feels better, but doesn't give you as much speed as the feeling suggests.
10. who needs handmade frames?
Actually, only very tall or very heavy people, very short people or those with very extreme proportions. They can sit much better on the bike with customised geometries. Customised geometries, however, make it possible to bring individual preferences into a visually coherent overall picture and can therefore be an aesthetic benefit.
Buying a road bike: Durability of road bikes
11. should I still buy a bike with rim brakes (new or used)?
This needs to be carefully considered. The restrictions on tyres and wheels speak against it. If you know exactly what you want and what you are doing, you can save weight this way. Rim brake wheels are also interesting for special purposes such as mountain time trialling because they are lighter.
12. how durable are racing bikes? And are used bikes a risk?
Well-made road bike frames have a very high life expectancy in the region of 50,000 kilometres and more. In fact, frames are more likely to break due to misuse, crashes and accidental damage than due to fatigue. If the bike is accident-free and not a professional machine with a few years of intensive use under its belt (which is mutually exclusive), the frame is probably not a risk. Components are wearing parts. Their condition depends on the number of kilometres ridden.
