When you first decide to buy a road bike the choice can be very daunting. From bikes in the local supermarket costing £150 to those in specialist shops costing up to £5000 or more, what is the difference and what should you look for?

If you haven't ridden a road bike before, or not for many years, it is not easy to 'test drive' bikes, because they will all feel 'wrong' at first. The saddle will seem uncomfortable and too high, your back might hurt, and you won't know how to change gears. Don't be deterred!

The most important thing when purchasing a bike is to get the bike frame size and setup right - otherwise you will find you ache on longer rides, and lose enthusiasm for cycling very quickly.

Riding the most expensive bike in the world will not be fun if it is the wrong size for you. As a quick starting point to getting your bike setup right:

In the 'olden days' cyclists wore shoes that simply rested on the pedals during cycling, and life was simple. Then someone had the bright idea of fitting toe clips to pedals, to stop the shoes sliding around so much. Slightly irritating to use, but more or less a good idea.

Then by the 1950's someone had the idea of also fitting something to the shoe that clipped around the back of the pedal. Used together with toe clips that worked pretty well, and it was still essentially possible to move your feet to the ground when necessary (for example stopping at a road junction) without major incident.

If you are looking for a good cheap bike there is a bewildering choice of bikes in the £350-600 price range, the typical starting point for a road bike, and it is difficult to know where to start. Virtually all mainstream bike manufacturers have entry bikes in this price range.

To confuse matters further, your bike supplier will often have last years models at reduced prices, and often available at extremely tempting prices. There is little benefit for the beginner in having the latest model - so if last years version of the same bike is available at 25% reduction it is likely to be a bargain.

Which are the best road bikes? It's a common question - after all everyone buying a bike wants the best one possible - but the question is one that is impossible to answer!

The answer depends on what you are looking for i.e. what you mean by 'best. First you need to consider which of the following is important to you':

• speed over comfort
• comfort over long distances
• a great looking bike
• cheap or at least great value
• easy to upgrade in the future eg frame that is good enough to merit much more expensive wheels in due course

We're talking here about correcting reasonably small variations in the straightness of a tyre, not the situation where the wheel has been driven over by a car!

You can check the straightness of your wheels quickly and easily - turn the bike upside down on a flat surface, and spin the wheel quite slowly.

While the wheel spins, watch closely the distance between the wheel rim and the brake block.

As hard as you may try, sooner or later you will get a puncture - typically when you are a long way from civilisation.

It is well worth practicing a couple of times at home, so that when you are caught out:

1. you can be sure of your abilities to mend the puncture quickly and efficiently
2. you will be confident that you have all the necessary tools in your bike bag.

Note: if you don't practice at home because you don't have the time - then all the more reason to practice! Changing the tube should only take a few minutes and if you expect it to take a long time you are doing something wrong...