Road Cycling Essentials

Streeteh · 27 Apr 2012 at 18:40

Oooooo, things just got interesting.

Halfords are now offering me a replacement bike of up to £1300, or less and a few accessories, considering i paid £1k for my Team CX i'm very, very tempted to endure their terrible customer service for a while longer. He also said they could arrange to order a bike from a supplier they don't usually stock.

What would people recommend in the £1200-1300 range for a road bike? I've decided against a CX bike as i'd rather get a cheap MTB for the rare times i go offroad.

Currently looking at the Allez Comp:

http://www.specializedconceptstore....lez/allez comp/WhiteaslashaRedaslashaBlack/54

Any other suggestions out there?

touch · 27 Apr 2012 at 18:47

Do you want to avoid boardman now?

The road team carbon is a good looking bike at a reasonable price.

George Hincapie · 27 Apr 2012 at 18:49

touch said:

Sex! Love it! Looks fast stood still!

George Hincapie · 27 Apr 2012 at 18:51

Rusty_Noob said:
Are the Durano S a good choice? They're 115g lighter per tyre to boot which is always an added bonus!

Yes, they are a decent tyre. I had them on my Cannondale Supersix.

George Hincapie · 27 Apr 2012 at 18:57

touch said:
Anyway, i got home and uploaded the log to strava and found that today's time up the hill was only 6 seconds slower than my best ever time on my old bike (on a long climb, over 9 mins total), so i guess it just feels slow...which i'm not sure is a good thing or not

LMAO - 9 mins is not a long climb. I'll be going up the Tourmalet in June and will be climbing for well over an hour. That's a lot for a lad that likes his cake

As regards your bike, initial impressions are one thing, but don't be too quick to make judgement. It's clearly different from your previous ride, so enjoy it for a few weeks and you'll be surprised how quickly the nuances become something you come to love.

Stunning bike mate.

clv101 · 27 Apr 2012 at 19:07

Streeteh said:
Halfords are now offering me a replacement bike of up to £1300...

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPRED/planet_x_pro_carbon_sram_red_road_bike

touch · 27 Apr 2012 at 19:12

George Hincapie said:
LMAO - 9 mins is not a long climb. I'll be going up the Tourmalet in June

I never told you how fast i was going

Streeteh · 27 Apr 2012 at 19:21

touch said:
Do you want to avoid boardman now?

The road team carbon is a good looking bike at a reasonable price.

I think i do to be honest, it's been a nightmare. I recognise that they're excellent value for money and I also accept that all of their other bikes are fine and i was unlucky... but it's just become a stigma for me.

clv101 said:
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPRED/planet_x_pro_carbon_sram_red_road_bike

This is relevant to my interests. Thanks.

Any other recommendations guys? I like pretty bikes if that helps.

George Hincapie · 27 Apr 2012 at 19:43

touch said:
I never told you how fast i was going

Excellent!

George Hincapie · 27 Apr 2012 at 19:44

Streeteh said:
Any other recommendations guys? I like pretty bikes if that helps.

Budget? Riding style? Prefer to be in an aggressive position or something more sedate?

6thElement · 27 Apr 2012 at 19:57

George Hincapie said:
LMAO - 9 mins is not a long climb. I'll be going up the Tourmalet in June and will be climbing for well over an hour. That's a lot for a lad that likes his cake

Just looked at my records and during a race the longest I've climbed for straight was 5 hours :eek:

Streeteh · 27 Apr 2012 at 21:03

George Hincapie said:
Budget? Riding style? Prefer to be in an aggressive position or something more sedate?

1.3k, sedate is probably more my speed. My previously stated allez frame is the sort of position I'm after

Jonny ///M · 27 Apr 2012 at 22:19

Streeteh said:
1.3k, sedate is probably more my speed. My previously stated allez frame is the sort of position I'm after

I'd be looking at a Caad 8 105 or if you could put up with a more aggressive position then the Caad 10 105(2cm lower front end compared to the caad 8).

Also take a look at the Felt F75 which is a lovely bike in the black/white colour scheme. 105 mechs/shifters/brakes but FSA chainset as it has BB30 which shimano don't use yet. Tapered fork on the front too keeping it up to date.

Carbon wise Felt do the Z6 which is a sportive style bike with the sloping top tub, you only get 10 speed tiagra though due to the carbon frame. Both Felts use CXP 22 rims, the F75 defo has eyelets but can't remember if the Z6 does). Heavy-ish but durable and would make a good training/winter wheelset if you upgraded at any point.

Streeteh · 27 Apr 2012 at 22:21

Incredibly detailed and helpful reply. Thanks man.

Jonny ///M · 27 Apr 2012 at 22:34

Streeteh said:
Incredibly detailed and helpful reply. Thanks man.

I ride a Cannondale btw, just a caad 8 sora. The only difference in the frame was the 105 model got BB30 on my 2011 model. As I say the steerer tube was 2cm taller than the Caad 10 and it has a good few spacers to work with.

The Caad 10 uses the same geometry as the super six so is lower at the front.

I'd say you would be fine on a Caad 8 or F75. I personally find the Felt Z range to just be that bit too high at the front.

There is too many brands out there really and people will say you could get a carbon bike for that money but I don't fancy carbon as i'm daft and can crash

my boss is on his 3rd F1 frame and 1 AR1 frame in just over 2 years through crashes.

Streeteh · 27 Apr 2012 at 22:46

Yeah, i'm pretty hesitant of carbon too. I'm not a racer by any means, i'd rather have something that can take a bit more of a beating on my commute.

[EDIT] Holy moly the CAAD 8 is a stunner of a bike!

clv101 · 27 Apr 2012 at 23:12

clv101 said:
Weight is over rated.

I'll post the figures tonight.

Extract from Bicycling Science:

Interest in lower bicycle weight is never ending, which makes bicycle weight a hugely effective marketing tool for sellers and satisfying bragging point for consumers. However, the value of the weight reduction in increasing speed seems to be overstated. Even on the steepest mountain roads, adding 1 kg of mass to a bicycle (say, a 1-2% increase in its overall mass) will only make a slight difference to the climbing time: say, 30 seconds or so out of an hour-long climb. This is rarely enough of a difference to catapult a typical contestant onto the winner's podium. And the expected speed difference on the level or lag developed in a sprint is just about unmeasurable. From this perspective, only those who are already good enough to place in the races have justification for weight shaving. The vast majority of us never even attempt long uphill rides and a conventional 12kg machine should serve well, even in most competition. Page 367.

George Hincapie · 27 Apr 2012 at 23:13

Yes, Cannondale make the best alu bikes for sure IMHO.

Streeteh · 27 Apr 2012 at 23:24

George Hincapie said:
Yes, Cannondale make the best alu bikes for sure IMHO.

That's two for Cannondale then. Thinking i'll ask for a CAAD8 105 and make them chuck in a new helmet and some Crud Roadracers to bring it up to the stated £1.3k.

I'm hoping that nothing should go wrong in the first year, meaning i won't have to go back to Halfords ever again once i've got my hands on the bike. Will get it serviced at my LBS.

Jonny ///M · 27 Apr 2012 at 23:26

clv101 said:
Extract from Bicycling Science:

I guess it's true it won't make a massive difference to most people overall. The bike will fell different though...sprinting on my bike feels meh but on a light bike with nice light wheels it will kick into gear in a better fashion.

Same for lighter/stiffer bars like the Pro Vibe kit no sign of flex at all making it feel better than my cannondale branded gear. Remind me I have a Deda Zero 100 post to fit on my bike

On Cannondales all I'd say is make sure the cranks are torqued up properly and try to keep the hubs serviced every so often. That seems to be the only drawback on those wheels. Basically don't pressure wash the **** out of the hubs or use degreaser around the cassette and you'll probably be fine.