Buying your first road bike in Malaysia

Almost every first-time buyer asks about the groupset first. It is the wrong question. A bike that fits you badly with an expensive drivetrain is still a bike you will stop riding after a month.

Start with frame size. Stand over the top tube flat-footed, then sit on the saddle with a pedal at the bottom of the stroke. Your knee should keep a slight bend. If you are between two sizes, take the smaller frame and lengthen the stem rather than the other way round.

Next, tyre clearance. Malaysian roads are patched, gravelly at the edges and wet for half the year. A frame that clears 32mm tyres is far more useful day to day than one locked to 25mm race rubber. Wider tyres at lower pressure are faster on broken tarmac, not slower.

Then gearing. Our club rides climb, and a compact chainset with a wide-range cassette will keep you turning the pedals on gradients that would otherwise force you to walk. This is cheap to specify at purchase and expensive to change later.

Only after those three should you compare groupsets. And when you do, buy hydraulic disc brakes if the budget stretches. Braking in a downpour is a safety feature, not a luxury.

Come in with an hour to spare and we will measure you properly before you look at a single price tag.