Absolutely. Just one thing : amongst the above listed, the bike computer is the only one that is not an absolute necessity. Plus, you an get away with using a smartphone with a specific mount on your handlebars. Regarding clothes, I would argue padded cycling bibs are the most important.

A lot of people buying a first bike won't want to buy tools, special clothing, a computer, etc. They'll buy a helmet, a cage and bottle, and a set of flat pedals. That's exactly what I'd recommend they do, in case they discover the whole concept of cycling doesn't float their boat. Then, if they're still riding regularly after a year (to include bad weather seasons), it's time to start planning where they want to go. At that point, bibs and a clipless pedal system would be my recommendation.

Remember, cycling is an expensive hobby. If you want to dip yourself into cycling, its mandatory to get pre fit bike fit so you take out the guessing but also saves you money. Followed by safety equipment and tools to fix your bike in the event you get a flat etc. do not get hyped up with the marketing bs. It is also true that the more you pay the more the bike will be comfortable. They say buy once, cry once.

@@PhiyackYuh They also say, "There's a sucker born every minute." The term _expensive_ is relative, and to many people a bike that falls under their definition would be priced around $500. If we preach that "cycling is an expensive hobby," many potential new cyclists will be put off. We don't want to deceive them, but neither do we want to discourage them. Even in today's inflated market, a road worthy aluminum bike can be had second hand for less than $400 US. I disagree that a "pre fit bike fit" is mandatory. Nor is paying more going to guarantee a more comfortable bike. Get a bike whose standover height is an inch or so under one's inseam, and you can't go too wrong for a first bike. For the next bike, assuming one continues riding, the discussion opens up a lot.

In Netherlands no one buys helmets, bike shoes, bike computers, bottles, because those are completely useless.

What is exactly better about that frame?

Thanks! Not much from manufacturers no

@@bikotic I'm surprised - there's so much information on the site

Your bike’s weight is an important consideration, BUT: 98% of riders would be far better off focusing on their own weight, not their bike’s!

Its a good question. I should probably make a video about it. But the simple answer, and as ever this is just my opinion, 99.999% of the time when I get dropped it's going up hill. The less I have to carry up the hill the better my chances of holding on.....and yes, my beer belly represents a good few kg's of dead weight ....but it's Friday night!! ...(aero plays a huge role, but not so much in this category - you're going to spend a whole lot more money)

@@bikotic You have to understand most cyclists aren't that worried about getting dropped. A cycle could just be for commuting, basic transport. The lower the weight for performance may mean compromises elsewhere. CF forks with CF blades bonded to an aluminium steerer have been a huge source of safety recalls because of the bonding breaking over time. Decathlon bikes typically have lower weight limits than many other brands and have had many more recalls. Also in the UK Halfords are the biggest bike seller, they take 25p in every £ spent on cycling and this could equate to as much as 40% of bike sales. I feel this is more skewed towards mountain bikes rather than road but I believe their best selling road bike is the Carrera Virtuoso. Also they do a road bike with a full carbon fibre fork possibly the Vanquish and their Voodoo gravel bikes are big sellers too. They are a huge slice of the road bike market in the UK. I personally think the Carrera Zelos is a poor choice when the Virtuoso is a little bit more. Also Evans/Sports Direct have the very good value Pinnacle models and presumably Go Outdoors have a few models too. Mechanical disc brakes are great in my opinion, they may only perform similarly to rim brakes in the dry but still work very well in the wet and are very easy to maintain and adjust. Still a fantastic option on a road bike. As you go up in price I personally favour Giant and Merida because they are actual manufacturers, most brands you never know what factory will be used as they keep moving in order to improve their price. The factory to retailer direct model i.e. Halfords, Decathlon, Go Outdoors, Evans can provide great quality bikes under their own shop brands because of the simple logistics model. Ultimately if you choose based on weight it can be a compromise in other areas including safety, durability and lifespan. Really its all about perspective. Over 95% of bikes sold in the world are steel across Africa, Asia, South America and other parts of the world. The average price of a bike sold in the world is less than £100 and even in Europe if you exclude ebikes its probably less than £200 (with ebikes its about £380). Obviously if you are buying a road bike you want something a bit faster for sure.

My first really nice road bike which I purchased 30 years ago was around 21.5 lb.s or 9.75 kg s. This was sufficiently light enough to climb steep grades and generally haul ass when I wanted to. That is a very good weight to start at for an entry level sport/ competition bike. Anything lighter is icing on the cake. I just bought a retro style steel bike that is 9 kg or 20 lb.s. It has modern components on it and a compact Crankset/Chainset and an 11-34 cassette. I can climb most anything with it and it rides very quickly. A bike does not have to weigh sub 7 kg to be a good bike. Don't buy the marketing hype bike companies are selling in this area.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q79-ZsKqlbrac2w.htmlsi=vKM_L-zOuf-O1fMX

Everything is made in china or taiwan. If thats made in US you wont want to buy it due to “its too expensive” “its just a bike”. Labour costs expensive in western countries whilst in asia its sweet fack ol.

Even bikes assembled in Europe or the USA typically the frame, forks and most of the other components come from China. Decathlon bikes use imported frames mainly from China. There is also an issue that some of the other countries manufacturing frames and forks like Bangladesh are less advanced and inferior quality, they have less machinery and rely more on cheap labour. Those factories simply don't match the quality of the better mainland Chinese factories especially factories like Giant or Merida. So if you go for a Bangladesh bike like a Cube you may find inferior welds, inferior paint adhesion, poor frame symmetry, rough surface quality inside the seat tube which marks the saddle post etc. Many EU brands will use factories based in Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia because they don't have EU tariffs but you will sacrifice some quality. The best bike frames in the world are probably made in Taiwan but you get many bikes with a fake 'Made in Taiwan' sticker as they import bare frames and forks from other countries and finish the bike in Taiwan because 'Made in Taiwan' is a mark of bike quality nowadays and many brands want that but want bikes overall cheaper to buy. So much commercial manipulation which is why I try to focus on actual manufacturers like Giant and Merida. It's like Canyon and Trek CF bikes many of which come from Quest Composites which is a low grade CF factory and CF bikes from both brands have been roasted by Luescher Technik and Hambini for appalling quality frames yet people still buy those garbage CF bikes. Although Hambini benefits from it as for many owners the only solution is a custom made bottom bracket to correct the appalling frame tolerances and creaking of the bottom bracket area. The bike industry is often about selling a dream or lifestyle rather than a high quality product. It's about manipulating consumers into paying big money for tiny benefits with huge additional costs and ongoing maintenance costs. However saying that high end road bikes are an absolutely tiny part of the market. Halfords sells more bikes than the whole independent bike shop sector in the UK put together. Amazon, Argos, Ebay also have significant chunks of the marketplace. Decathlon are a growing force here too but there are no stores near me down in the south west of England. The UK has crippling debts and we are facing decades of lower living standards so its likely the higher end bikes will become even more niche in the future.