Starting Cycling In 2025? This Is What I’d Do

If you want to start cycling in 2025, then this is a great way to get quality kit without wasting money. We cover how to save money when buying a bike, how to make sure you get a bike that fits, what kit is worth the money and loads more.

Links
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Maurten/500ml-Water-Bottle/J12J
https://www.myprotein.com/p/sports-nutrition/100-maltodextrin-carbs/10530114/
https://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/calculator
https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/men/clothing/underwear+socks/socks/sports-socks/six-pack-white-cushioned-sports-crew-socks/p/20010505

GrandTour socks

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Rapha/Core-Short-Sleeve-Jersey/14QQN
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Specialized/Presta-Valve-48mm-700-x-28-38c-Inner-Tube/17Z9?s=1
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Topeak/Mini-9-Multi-Tool/13LF6
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Lezyne/Pocket-Drive-Mini-Pump/PDC6
https://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/bike-computers/elemnt-bolt-buy
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/cycling-cat-3-sunglasses-roadr-900-perf-white/_/R-p-350607
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/cycling-clothing/cycling-shoes/boardman-carbon-cycling-shoe-white-260819.html
https://the-bike-the-body.uk1.cliniko.com/bookings#service
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/women-s-road-cycling-summer-bib-shorts-racer-3-black/_/R-p-352462?mc=8867459&c=black
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/men-s-road-cycling-summer-shorts-rcr-4-grey/_/R-p-361030?mc=8926801&c=grey
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/aero-road-cycling-helmet-rcr-f-white/_/R-p-304962
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Shimano/RS500-SPD-SL-Road-Cycling-Pedals/OI41
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/LOOK/Keo-Classic-3-Pedals/EPNV
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/tcr-advanced-2
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/contend-2-2024

00:44 Bike
04:33 Bike Fit
05:12 Pedals
05:37 Shoes
06:22 Cycling Computer
07:05 Helmet
07:45 Sunnies
08:10 Kit
09:39 Nutrition
10:50 Spares

Oh, sorry. All right. If I was starting road cycling in 2025 from absolutely zero, this is what I’d do to have an incredible setup on what for cycling at least is quite a tight budget. Now, there is lots of marketing in the cycling industry, most of which is utter box. So, I’ve tried to pick products that kind of avoid that and give you good value. But cycling is still a pretty expensive sport to bite into, especially if you’re going to do it in one lump. So, I’ve set myself a budget of three grand, which I know is still an absolute heap of money. There are ways that you can spend significantly less, and I’ll cover those as we go through. Let’s jump in. And with that, let’s buy the first massive item that you kind of need to do cycling, which is obviously a bike. This is going to be your biggest investment, but the way I see it, you’ve got three options. one of which is a ton cheaper. First up, you can buy a bike outright with cold hard cash. This is by far the most expensive way to do it because prices have gone up a lot in recent years and there are few very real bargain bikes out there anymore, which I think is a shame. But I do think that you can get a much better bike at the more budget end of the scale than when I started out, which is a great thing. I have a main pick for you, and it is the Giant TCR Advance 2. At £2,149, this is an incredible starting point if you want a faster road bike. Maybe you’ve got an eye on some events like a Sportyve, maybe a bit of racing down the line, or a triathlon. This would be my pick. At the heart of this bike is a carbon frame and fork, so this is going to be light and stiff enough, and it has space for 33 mm tires, too. So, you can build in a whole load of comfort if you want. The build has Shimano’s sensational 105 group set, giving you hydraulic disc brakes and mechanical shifting. And I think this is a good time to touch on electronic shifting. It’s a nice to have, but totally unessential thing. I like it. I have it, but you don’t need it. The wheels are from Giant, and they’re a really solid starting point. They have a 22 mm internal rim width, which might not mean a lot to you right now, but that just means that they’ll be fine to use with 28 or 30 mm tires, which is the one gripe I do have with this bike. It comes with 25s, which is a touch narrow and won’t give you all of the comfort that you could have with this bike. Giant says they’re 28s effectively, but I don’t know. It’s a good wheel set to start with, though. and rim brakes. They might be an option, but they’ve been really phased out by the bike brands. Uh Giant, for example, still does the alloy contend to at 850 quid. If I was buying a bike in 2025, I think disc brakes would be the way that I would go just for that longevity. There is a way to save a bit of money on a new bike and spread the cost. If you’re in the UK, then check out the ride to work or cycles work scheme. This depends a little bit on your employer and how much you earn, but it could save you a decent chunk of money and it would spread the cost over 12 months, which might just help you out a bit. Just like look at this example. It takes a 5 grand bike down to about four, which is a massive saving. It’s definitely one to look at. The best way to save money, however, is to buy used. Now, jump onto Facebook Marketplace or eBay or whatever is good in your area, and you’ll have almost endless options. And if you’re on a limited budget, this is the way that I would go. Like that TCR I mentioned, you can get basically the same thing, albeit from 2022, for a grand. And that is a lot of savings. There are some serious things to consider though. Firstly, check as best that you can that you’re not buying a stolen bike. The age-old rule of if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. It applies here. You can’t get a 10 grand bike for a couple of hundred quid. So, just be careful. It’s also important to consider that used bikes often need more time spent on them and money after you buy them. This can be anything from a quick clean and making the gears work to a brake bleed and straightening the wheels, which I don’t really want to do. How much work you’re willing to take on is up to you. I personally learned to work on all of my bikes because I couldn’t afford to buy new or to even take my bike to a shop and get the work done there. So, it can be a fantastic way to kind of up your skills. If you’ve got some basic tools, YouTube, and a can do attitude, then used is the best way to save money here. So, you’ve found a new bike. Well, that’s great, but does it fit? I have no idea. And this is where, especially for a newer rider, I’d recommend spending some money on getting a preurchased bike fit. This is Brian. He does these fits for 150 quid. And it’s going to tell you so much. At minimum, you’re going to come away with a list of numbers like saddle height, bar width, and saddle position that you can use to set up your new bike absolutely perfectly. But it could also stop you from buying a bike that simply won’t fit you. And that’s something that we really want to avoid. It’s money well spent in my opinion. Amazingly, even a 15 grand road bike won’t usually come with pedals, which is like buying a house without a roof or something. Cycling industry, come on, sort it out. I have two options for you here and both are fantastic. Shimano do the RS500’s and look do the excellent Kio Classic. Both are great. I’ve always used Shimano and they’re a bit cheaper. So, those ones are going to go straight in my basket. Pedals are easy, but shoes are not. And I actually really struggled on this one. Pointing you in the direction of one pair is really hard because feet shapes are well, they vary quite a bit. But I do have one recommendation which I’d encourage you to go into a shop and actually try. Boardman’s carbon road shoes are a great deal for 90 quid. Two dials will give you a lot of adjustment and I think they actually look quite snazzy. There are generally loads of shoes also available in the sale section. So once you find something that fits nicely, maybe shop around a bit here. I don’t think you need to go and spend however much Remco’s shoes cost. Those are silly. I’m going to put this on your maybe pile because Straa’s phone app is a great way to record your ride and you might already have something like an Apple Watch. But if you want your ride data kind of right in front of your eyes, then oh maybe some directions as well, then a bike computer is quite useful. I personally like the Garmin Edge30 for the money and Wahoo’s Bolt is a good step up from that if you want it. To be honest though, I’d buy used when it comes to a bike computer. As with all tech, you’ll be able to find a great deal when you look away from the top end stuff, which honestly from both Wahoo, Garmin, Hammerhead, well, I don’t think it’s worth the money. I don’t think there is a better deal available right now than the Van Real RCRF helmet. This one is the one that AG2R use for races like the Tour to France. And I’ve been using it too for well over a year now. I think the big front vents suck loads of cooling air over your head. And I think it looks pretty smart, too. The only time I’ve found it a bit too hot was when I was climbing like a lot in uh Anacey. That’s where I was. It was 35° or something like that. This one comes in at under £100, which is fantastic for an Aero road helmet. And there is an option with MIPS 2 if you want that. It’s just a little bit more expensive. While you’re there, I’d suggest getting Van Resource Road R900 Sunnies, which are very badly named. Again, I’ve been using these and they’re just as good as anything that Oakley is putting out. Um, I think they look really good and they work well with that helmet. Uh, these are also pretty light on your face and come with two nose pieces so that you can adjust the fit to your face. For 60 quid, I think they’re great. Cycling kit is a whole world of just ridiculous prices, and I reckon you could drop a grand on Lyra, which is frankly terrifying. But don’t worry, we’re not going to do that today. Let’s just get a nice set of jersey bibs and socks that kind of work together. And before anyone says it in the comments, I’m not a fashionista, quite evidently, but I don’t think this stuff looks like it’s from like the bargain bin. The jersey I’m gonna suggest Rafer’s core jersey because the styling is lovely, the fit is excellent for a load of body shapes. It’s a jersey that will last you for years and there’s a great range of colors down at a relatively good price. For bibs, I’ve used the Van Reel Racer 4 shorts. They’re absolutely fantastic, especially for the money. And I love the look of these gray ones, but annoyingly they don’t seem to have a women’s version of that short. But there is at least the Racer 3 bibs which are even cheaper. I would though like to see par on style and colors though. Van Racel, come on. Socks is kind of a funny one. I’d just like to finish the outfit with some nice crisp white socks, but I think you’d all kill me in the comments if I suggested spending 20 quid on one set of socks that will probably turn gray after one rainy ride. So, get these from Galibia for 9 quid if you want something technical or get a six-pack of New Balance socks from TK for about 13 quid. Cycling nutrition is a bit of a sticky one for me, and that’s not because it’s mostly sugar. If you buy a mix from Morton or someone like that, it will be really good, but it’s insanely expensive. I think each serving is about three quid. Plus, there is the question of whether you need a complex carb mix for your ride. I’d suggest leaving the really high carb mixes for racing a massive days on the bike. That’s what I do. For the rest, I use my proteins malttodextrin powder, which is just pure carbs, and it’s really cheap. Mix in some squash if you want a bit of flavor and a bit of salt for hydration, and you’ve got a really cheap sports drink. You’ll need a couple of bottles, but they’re only a few quid each. And you can put them in Morton bottles and pretend that you’re all fancy. Then if you want food for on the bike, bananas are brilliant. Haribo are my elite option and flapjacks are a staple that you can make at home. Basically, there’s a load of normal foods that are perfectly edible when doing a bike ride. You probably don’t need the high carb stuff again until you go and do an event. And then don’t forget the allimportant cafe stop. It’s good for the soul. Okay, we are finishing with a boring one, but going out for a ride without some basic spares is a good way to get yourself into trouble. And I reckon you can put this little kit together for about 50 quid. We’ll probably need a mini pump, uh, two tubes to fit the tires that you have, um, a small multi-tool and a set of tire levers. You can put all of that in your pocket, but if I do that, I tend to forget something. So, a little saddle bag like this is super useful. Okay, I think that’s everything that you could possibly need to get you going. You might not need all of it, but how much have we spent? Well, it sort of depends whether you saved a ton of money on the bike through cycle to work or buying secondhand. But I’ll price up buying you because the other two are almost impossible to calculate. Okay, I can reveal with the magic of television that we’ve spent £2,980. So 20 quid under my imaginary 3 grand budget. I’ll leave links to everything that I featured in the comments so that if you need just even one thing, you can go and get it. Oh, and this is absolutely not sponsored in any way. None of the brands have paid to be in this. This is just generally stuff that Road CC or I personally rate highly. So it’s trusted advice at least. The last thing I want to say is if you disagree with any of my selections or maybe you just think there’s a better option out there, please leave a link in the comments below. It might help someone out and that’s what we generally want to do. Thank you very much for watching. If you would like to like this video, then it really helps us and subscribe if you want to see more of my face talking about bike stuff. See you in the next one. Thanks very much for watching. Goodbye. [Music] Let me do that again cuz I was like flapping like a bird. What’s happening with your Am I moving?