Which beginner road bike to buy?!

If you do still want to go down the eBay route (and Boardmans usually get good reviews) look for Pinelands0 on eBay as a seller. He's an acquaintance of mine from Bushey who buys, does up and sells Cannondale bikes mostly. Doesn't seem to have anything on eBay at the moment though.

What nobody seems to have added that regardless of whether you buy new or second hand you'll probably have to budget for pedals. You could have a simple set of metal pedals fitted or start going down the rabbit hole of clipless pedals and cycling shoes...

My wife's got a Boardman MTB and is very happy with it despite a few places where the white paint has been chipped (she blames me for that though).

If it were me, I'd definitely consider a Boardman - they always seem to be excellent value even at full price.

If you want new the gooutdoors calibre lost lad, with Claris groupset and cable disc brakes is £360 with the online code.

Can you do cycle to work?

tax free bike and 0% interest for the year. That would raise your budget to nearer £500 which is a price you’d easily find a new decent road bike from a local shop. 

That way you get a bike that is the correct size and set up correctly for you.

If the Triban 500 isn't available this is the replacement bike - £20 over your budget but well-specced and once again a good basis for upgrades

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rc120-road-bike-grey-id_8554264.html

You'll probably be a 58cm frame or an XL in most modern geometry frames, particularly as you're new to cycling and so won't be riding in an aggressive head-down arse up position. 

If you've got a Decathlon close by definitely go and have a look. Their bike guys are probably the best other than a local bike shop (LBS) and will be able to advise you. They're also good for servicing and after-care. Unfortunately an LBS isn't likely to have anything in your price range unless they take trade-ins from people upgrading. 

Don't be tempted to go for a disc-brake bike - it will blow your budget.

Deca have still got Triban 500s in stock in XL - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-road-bike-red-id_8377759.html

That's a cracking versatile bike with scope for upgrades if you get bitten by the bug. 

I'd caution against buying on eBay unless you're willing to spend a bit of money/time on fettling. If you do budget £30 for a toolset and plenty of Youtube time. And £50 for replacement parts.

DIY bike maintenance isn't tricky as long as you've got the space and time. 

The problem with eBay is that usually you can't chuck a leg over it before buying so you need to know what size fits you and invest some time in understanding component levels.

All good points. Other considerations I may add are look for one that makes you smile - more chance you'll want to swing your leg over (easy).

Also, consider what you wish to do with it in the future. If you think road cycling will become a hobby and you may have a bigger budget in the future, perhaps look for a bike that can become your winter bike (bit more tyre clearance, ability to take mudguards etc.) then you can get a really quick one when budget goes up.

Also, as others have suggested, perhaps find a cycling buddy when looking through gumtree/eBay - a bargain may cost more in the long run if it needs new wheels or a bottom bracket etc.

Better still, give us a rough postcode and let people hunt for you!

I can't add any value to your post as I'm a newbie rider and also looking for a recommendation here and there. And that is the reason I registered in this forum today 

I found many good suggestions above and thinking to start with the resources that Simon has been mentioned in the first reply.

Another nod for eBay - got my wife a very nice road bike for a pittance - bought for a company charity sportive and then sat in garage since.

I got myself a hybrid for less than 1/2 RRP - bought on cycle to work scheme by someone who then changed jobs and stopped using it.

DO give it a thorough check before you hand over the cash - I had to walk away from an otherwise very nice bike when I found a crack in the bottom of the head tube. Check the wheel bearings are smooth and no play in the cranks - plenty of online guides on what to look for.

If you do go second hand, it's worth budgeting for replacing a few bits - tyre upgrade is an obvious one, but new brake/gear cables/bar tape could transform something that's been sat for a while.

I am also 6'2" and bought a Btwin Triban 500 for £350 from Decathlon. I bought the XL after sitting on a few in the shop, but after riding it for a few hundred miles I think I should have gone for the L as I feel too stretched out on it - I could possibly fix this with a shorter stem but this will make the steering sharper which could make it twitchy... I'm not sure what these sizes are in cm...

As for the bike itself, it could be a good buy for you if you get the right size - it has a slightly more relaxed geometery which while not aero, will be more comfortable over long distances. It has a triple chain ring which is not particularly cool anymore but gives a nice wide (and low) range of gears - very useful at the end of a long day, or long climb! The brakes are terrible so I'd budget for a decent set of pads if you go this route and the tyres are OK in the dry but have no grip in the wet - if you're looking at new tyres anyway go slightly wider for London-Paris to add a bit of comfort. However, the bike is already at the top of your budget and brake pads/tyres will blow this...

There are plenty of bargains on ebay/gumtree but if you're not in a rush, Decathlon is rebranding its bikes and dropping the Btwin name - so you may find a Btwin bike on offer...

Loads of Cannondale Caad 8, Cannondale Synapse, Specialized Allez, Boardman Road Teams, Giant Defys out there for £350 - probably with Tiagra gears, maybe 105 if you are lucky

Try and find one of them that fits you, or ask a mate who knows about bikes to help you spot one on Gumtree or the Local Facebook buy and sell pages.

My 2p worth.

I'm 6'5" and 90kg with a 35" inside leg.

Apologies for the mix of metric and imperial.

Last summer I bought a road bike off Ebay with a 61cm frame.

It was one of the biggest frames I could find on Ebay and my seat post still sticks out 7". This might be "aero" but it isn't comfortable as , even with a relatively horizontal top tube, the handlebars are still quite far below the saddle which means that I'm having to hold my head up to see where I'm going and my neck and shoulders begin to ache after a while. I might be able to reduce the pressure a bit by buying a handlebar stem with a greater angle but it ain't great. If I was in the position to have a frame made for me it'd be something like a 75cm one.

 I'm no expert but as far as I know you can't go wrong with Decathlon for the price but they are made to a price and if you are prepared to buy second hand you could do better for the same money.

When I was looking on Ebay I filtered for Road and Touring bikes, filtered for the largest frames and no size, filtered for location, filtered for frame material and then had a look at what was left.

 Some people don't know what they've got, which can be good as a buyer as you can find some diamonds in the rough. It's well worth checking out groupset buying guides from Evans or Chain Reaction so you know your Soras from your Tiagras. A rule of thumb, that isn't always true as manufacturers mix components to hit their desired price point, the nicer the groupset the nicer the bike. 

You'll probably see a lot of Specialized  Allez bikes for sale. To me they are the Ford Fiesta of road bikes - an ideal first road bike that people move on from after a couple of years. If you can find one with an XL frame it might be ideal. Basically keep looking until something you like comes along as people might start buying new bikes for the spring and selling off their old ones. And keep training on the hybrid. 

Good luck.

sizing is key.... I get asked all the time about it and often have to try and fit bikes to riders as they have brought one which their mate has told them is the correct size....

It's a conundrum as some like B'twin (decalthlon) size on the seat tube from the centre of the crank to the top of the seat tube....other brands size by the top tube from the centre of the seat tube to centre of the top tube..... I always say to folks, ignore the brand on the bottom tube and get a frame which fits......... I always look at the size the manufacturer suggests and also consider Inside leg mesurements..... as a guide...I'm 5ft 10 and have a 29.5" inside leg..... my B'twin is a 54cm..... I have 2 Bianchi bikes too.... and Bianchi say I should be a 55cm in their frames but with my inside leg I have 53cm and they are perfect.... the 53 is 535mm on the top tube measurement...and 50cm on the seat post....   Worth doing your homework to get a bike which "fits" from the start and just needs the odd tweak like saddle height etc....

Sizing varies because brands use the seat tube and that can vary depending on the slope of the top tube (and other factors). Also, the distance from the seat to the handlebars matters, though that's more easily adjusted by moving the saddle and swapping the stem (a 5 minute job). 54cm sounds a bit small for your height, even with a steeply angled top tube, I'd expect 56-58cm to be a better starting point.

Decathlon is a very good place to start. If you're lucky you might find a reduction on one of the better Carrera bikes at Halfords but spring is not a good time for deals and they're not great value at full RRP. It may be worth stretching your budget a little to get something that won't need parts upgrading.

You may find something secondhand locally, I'd try ebay  and sort by Nearest First. Click this link to go to the bikes section. Filter for price and under Item location select 25 miles from your postcode.  A surprising number of people buy a bike, ride it a handful of times then sell it.

If you use Facebook you could see if there is a local Buy & Sell group. Ask in local bike shops in case they have anything.

You may want SPD pedals and shoes if you're going down the clipless route, though this is not strictly necessary, while decent padded shorts are a must. Again, start with Decathlon and Road.cc's buyer's guide:

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/213693-11-best-cheap-cycling-shorts...

I'd nominate Lusso waist shorts as excellent value.

Here is a general bike buying guide:

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/207806-beginners-guide-how-choose-a...

and a 2018 guide to bikes under £500:

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/217632-10-best-2018-road-bike-barga...

In the meantime riding your hybrid will be good training; a heavier bike with sluggish tyres will not do your fitness any harm, quite the opposite.