Road bike recommendations

Guys looking for some advice as i'm new here! I had an 80s raleigh racer for 2 years or so and it got stolen recently, i didnt buy a new bike but now i'm moving to london in june and will be less than 10 miles from the office which has a bike shed and my flat has space for one so i'm looking at commuting

Would really like to go fixed gear as riding a friends charge plug was lovely, i have a budget of £350-500 max, i'm up for building one from an old frame if needs be, just not sure what i should start with?

^ This thread is all about road bikes with gears.

Have a look at the Off the Peg (OTP) thread. That will give you a start.

Guys looking for some advice as i'm new here! I had an 80s raleigh racer for 2 years or so and it got stolen recently, i didnt buy a new bike but now i'm moving to london in june and will be less than 10 miles from the office which has a bike shed and my flat has space for one so i'm looking at commuting

Would really like to go fixed gear as riding a friends charge plug was lovely, i have a budget of £350-500 max, i'm up for building one from an old frame if needs be, just not sure what i should start with?

This is the wrong thread to be honest.

Look to the OTP list thread.
http://www.lfgss.com/thread9085.html

Thanks guys!

Too slow!

Consider what you will use the bike for, how you would like it to fit and handle, and what you would like it to be made from.

I like road bike geometry, mudguards, and drop bars for road commuting. So I'd consider a Dawes.
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Dawes-Mono-2010-Road-Bike_33028.htm

Off budget though.

Jamis Sputnik 2012 Single Speed Road Bike | Evans Cycles

I got my Serotta all cleaned up yesterday as I had to put my car into service near Reigate and it was a good excuse to carry the bike down there, drop the car off, cycle back, have lunch, cycling back to Reigate, and then drive home.

Basically, any excuse to blast back and forth with no real reason (I could've and probably should've holed myself up in a cafe and got some work done).

Why I own any other bikes is beyond me.

My Serotta is perfect. It's sublime. It's never an effort, it's always a joy. Any back pain or knee pain vanishes, and how it handles continues to impress me. Now that it's clean it even looks fantastic, way better than the original photos I took of the bike.

I don't think there is much in the world that beats a light bespoke road bike. Not that I can recommend the price tag of a Serotta, but I want to whole-heartedly repeat my recommendation for Phil at Cycle Fit for creating this bike. More than Serotta who made it a reality, Phil was instrumental in understanding me better than I do and in translating that into the geometry of this bike. I've since owned 3 bikes with the same "fit" but not his geometry (trail, rake, etc), none of them compare.

If anyone is going custom, I wouldn't hesitate to bang the drum for Phil. Honestly, this bike is beyond perfect, and it really all comes down to the way it feels and handles.

Why I own any other bikes is beyond me.

You're not the only one who think that.

You're not the only one who think that.

"The first hint that fat-tired road bikes weren't for me was when I switched the Toei from 32 mm tires to 23 mm tires and noticed a measurable improvement in speed and handling."

Ha! I just copied that exact sentence to post it here. Good work, James.
Ed- so it seems we are going for similar results with our Oak cycles bikes, but from different sides. I'm going for a steel road frame with a slightly relaxed geometry but low trail to liven up handling and lowish bottom bracket for stability at speed. And you are going for a 650b french randonneur.

I still don't understand the 650b tyre approach.

like the rest of us who don't understand the innermost workings of the scoble mind

You should read "On Intelligence" then, it's a great book that goes quite far in explaining how the mind works.

You're not the only one who think that.

^ tl;dl? - all ed's bikes are wrong ;)

I still don't understand the 650b tyre approach.

I like "fast feeling" bikes, but I get it completely.

It's simple - the rim is smaller and wider than a 700c which gives you enough room to run a big tyre which brings the wheel back to almost the same size as a 700c. Plus you'll usually have room for mudguards as well.

Big tyres give more comfort and in 650b there are some light fast rolling ones. You could of course have a 700c with 40something slicks, but then you end up with a *really *big wheel and for a more road/tour orientated bike this means more frame complications. (or at least that's my understanding)

^ this is all obviously re road/audax/touring.

If I had the £s a 650b would definitely be in my stable. Especially as I'm not that tall, so I think it would make a nicely proportioned bike too.

Smaller wheels are stronger and allow for more relaxed angles without the bike becoming too long.

I'd go 26" personally. But then I'm tiny myself.

There's another good reason why I'm going for 650b.

A 53cm top tube (possibly 52cmwith the bar I want to use).

A 700c bicycle mean toe overlap and that before you add mudguard.

Personally I find 23c "feel" fast (as well as more vibration), bigger tyres cancelled the buzz feel giving it the illusion you're not pushing it.

...vibration.

Ha! I just copied that exact sentence to post it here. Good work, James.
Ed- so it seems we are going for similar results with our Oak cycles bikes, but from different sides. I'm going for a steel road frame with a slightly relaxed geometry but low trail to liven up handling and lowish bottom bracket for stability at speed. And you are going for a 650b french randonneur.

Sound like you're going for a traditional Brtish audax bike whether mine will be French.

Let pray Ryan dont confused our bikes and end up with a clusterfuck that look more akin to The Fly.

New research done by Continental would seem to suggest larger tyres roll faster due to the smaller contact patch...

Fatties FTW!

Narrow tire needs more air.

Very, very old research repeated by Continental would seem to suggest larger tyres roll faster

Genesis Volant entry levels road bike.

This is nice! Are these sort of prototypes usually end up as 2013 models? or will we see a similar/final design out this year

does that guy have to stand there all day?

It's a shame I can't wangle a Canyon on Cyclescheme, otherwise the Roadlite AL6 will be the clear winner I think.

For the money that package is really hard to beat!

You can wangle it. Just put more money towards it yourself.