Back on the road...

Although I haven’t been without a bike of some time since about the age of five, I haven’t had a road bike for well over 15 years. Although I currently have a full suspension XC mountain bike, I have been mulling over getting a road bike for a couple of years. Recently I made the decision to get one.

I started researching what sort of machine I could get second hand off eBay, and started watching bikes listed locally, or with a postage option. I could see that for anything from £200-£300, my budget, I could get an aluminium frame maybe with carbon forks and some other carbon components.

I missed out on a few machines going on eBay for various reasons, but while I was bidding on one, I thought I ought to pick the brains of the local bike shop proprietors, and see if they ever get trade-ins. The chap at one of the local shops (Westham cycles) was very informative, but did recommend to leave second hand bikes alone as they have a huge waiting list for second hand road bikes. He suggested that I save up for the new 2009 GT GTR series 4 that would be due in at the start of May. Save up? I wanted one there and then, he-he!

I went to the next shop, Cycle Life, expecting to hear pretty much the same thing about second hand bikes, but he suggested I take a look at a matte black beast of a bike in the front of the shop. I’d never heard of the make “Guess” before. I wondered if it stood for “Guess who really makes it?” This is something I have yet to find! He advised me that he was selling it for a friend who wanted £450 for it, this was quite a bit over my budget.

As I tried it for size, he told me a fair bit about it, including that it had up-rated Campagnolo Scirocco wheels. I have since found them listed new for about £250; half the price the bike would be if new. I asked if it would be a good base to start from, if I wanted to upgrade to better components later on. He suggested it would be, as it was a good frame and forks setup.

I went home to mull it over and discuss it with my girlfriend. I would have to put it on the credit card, but I had done a little website work, so was due some money in my account soon. She said do a bit of research first, but if after that I still want it, why not get it. After all, life is too short. I couldn’t find much about it on the web. Only that SuperCycles seem to be the only place that stocks it. I had read a couple of accounts from people who owned one, and all but one was positive. The negative one only complained about the standard wheels, and as this one had up-rated Campagnolos wheels already on it, I didn't need to worry about that.

I decided to go back to the shop and make an offer. The first was rejected but we came to agreement on the second offer. After the bike was given a good once over by the shop owner, I was now once more the owner of a road bike!

I'll detail and review the bike in a seperate article coming soon.

Cycle Shops

Cycle Life

28 Abbotsbury Rd,

Weymouth,

DT4 0AE

01305 781831

[Link to follow]

Westham Cycles

128 Abbotsbury Rd,
Weymouth,
DT4 0JS
01305 776977
http://www.westhamcycles.com/

Super Cycles

http://www.supercycles.co.uk/