£1000-1500 First road bike

Lethal`

Lethal`

Lethal`

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Joined
25 Oct 2006
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Still waiting after 6 weeks from ordering my cycle scheme voucher but I figure I should get some idea about what I want to buy.

At the moment I've got a Whyte Caledonian Hybrid, but I spend 95% of the time on the road. I borrowed a Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 for a weekend and loved it, although I was looking to spend a little less.

Current shortlist is:
- Giant Defy Advanced 2
- Giant TCR Advanced 1
- Cube Agree GTC Race

It seems like the major difference is the racier geometries of the Cube and TCR as well as Disc brakes on the Advanced. I do wonder if I would find the Racier geometries that much more uncomfortable or if it's negligible.

Canyon / Rose offerings looked very nice, although as far as I know there's no way to get them through Cycle Scheme. Ribble looks okay, although a family friend said the quality is terrible and aftersales support even worse.

Which other bikes should I be considering?
 
FrenchTart said:
Do you care about mudguards? That will limit your options somewhat.

Personally I love discs + drops but there are some that don't. Any disc-brake equipped bike is likely to have less racey geometry so there's also that to consider.
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Not fussed about mudguards. I don't opt to go out in bad conditions, and if it turns out to be bad while I'm out so be it.
 
Thomas. PLease. said:
What are you going to be doing on it? Racing at all? If not I would go with the more relaxed geometry of the Defy as a first road bike personally. Chances are you'll be much more comfortable straight away, which will mean you'll be more likely to want to ride it!
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Most of the time I go for a couple of hours 30-40 miles with the occasional weekend 60 miles. No racing planned as yet, although I do have a great tendency to try go as fast as possible...

JeffyB said:
Almost forgot Merida!, The 500 with Ultegra is fantastic value.

Merida Reacto 400 £1150

Merida Reacto 500 £1300
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What advantages/disadvantages am I going to see from the aero style?
 
arknor said:
I'd assume nothing and get bike fit before you make an expensive mistake and buy something that potentially going to cause you an injury.


At the very least measure yourself and use this as a rough guide
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp

Last thing you want is a £1,500 bike that gives you something like sciatica
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Assume was probably the wrong word... I just meant if I am a 56 then I'll be able to buy that, but I'd have to check that first.
 
Okay, I was wondering about that. How do I know if I am getting a good fit/the shop worker knows his stuff then? Presumably I can't normally take a bike away to have a professional fit before even purchasing it.
 
Roady said:
Ask around, there will be LBS' around you with a better rep than others.

Also £1500+ is a lot to spend on a bike without telling us what you're using it for! If you're commuting I would say mudguards are a MUST and discs would be ideal if you are riding in all weathers.

If you're looking for a first bike to ride out with friends and get some miles in then the more related geometry of the Defy range would suit you well (I ride a Defy 1 2015 for pleasure & commuting). If you already ride MTB and want something 'faster' then you're probably best looking at a CX frame - similar geometry to the Defy style bikes. If you're after a weekend bike for flat out speed and have fast friends then the TCR/Reacto/Cube/CAAD10 all fit that profile.

Are you needing any kit (helmet/pedals etc) then you can also get them as part of the C2W but of course they'd eat into your 'budget'...
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I answered that earlier.

Lethal` said:
Most of the time I go for a couple of hours 30-40 miles with the occasional weekend 60 miles. No racing planned as yet, although I do have a great tendency to try go as fast as possible...
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I'm not looking to go out in all conditions. 'If you're after a weekend bike for flat out speed and have fast friends then the TCR/Reacto/Cube/CAAD10 all fit that profile.' is probably closest out of your options for me :)

No kit required really, I have most of it apart from the bike!

I'm in West London near Twickenham if anyone has any suggestions for good LBS? Don't mind travelling into London either..
 
Calpol said:
http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/
Quite close to you
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I see their fitting is £200 and my guess is they try to sell you a load of the body geometry stuff on top. Is this a reasonable price or is there anything below £100 around?

I'm wondering with Canyon/Rose... would it be at all possible to get a bike shop to order it in so that I can use C2W scheme?

Still waiting for voucher ordered 6 weeks ago :(
 
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I visited Sigma Sport yesterday. I was recommended the following bikes based on requirements and they will do a proper sizing worth £35. Apparently it is basically left to aesthetics to decide between the lot.

Specialized Tarmac Sport
Cannondale SuperSix Evo 105 5
Trek Emonda S 5
Focus Cayo 7.0

By comparison I went into On Your Bike at London Bridge and they swung me over a 52cm Trek and said "looks about right". Wasn't particularly confident on their assessment!

So now I have the above to consider plus the TCR Advanced 1/2 and the Cube Agree GTC Race (haven't managed to test the GTC Race yet).

Tough decision!
 
And now to further confuse me I've been told I should consider bikes like the Roubaix unless I've been road riding a couple of years already. My concern there is having to upgrade relatively soon...
 
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