£1000-1500 First road bike

Caporegime
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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
 
Soldato
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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

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.
 
Soldato
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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.

Don't presume that because you are a certain height/inside leg that you are a certain bike size. Measurements vary a lot by manufacturer. Would definitely look to get a professional fit before dropping that much money, unless you're are very sure you know what you're looking at.
 
Caporegime
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and don't presume any bike shop is going to size you up and order the perfect bike because in my experience it's not going to happen

Going of my last purchase I would have ended up with a bike too big if I had listened to the shop worker who was mildly amused someone almost 6ft6 was ordering a 58cm frame cx bike as "I ride a 58cm and I'm a midget compared to you"

Most shops still use the archaic stand over height as a guide
 
Soldato
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and don't presume any bike shop is going to size you up and order the perfect bike because in my experience it's not going to happen

Going of my last purchase I would have ended up with a bike too big if I had listened to the shop worker who was mildly amused someone almost 6ft6 was ordering a 58cm frame cx bike as "I ride a 58cm and I'm a midget compared to you"

Most shops still use the archaic stand over height as a guide

Yeah, conventionally (I know TT bikes are different, usually smaller) I should be on a 52/54cm but ride a 58cm. Ride a 54cm road bike.
 
Soldato
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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.
 
Soldato
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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'...
 
Soldato
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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'...

I answered that earlier.

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...

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..
 
Caporegime
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well I'd imagine if you buy a bike fit from the same shop your planning on buying a bike from they can see what geometry you will need and make any adjustments required once they have the bike.
It's a bit OTT but when your blowing 1,500 quid you don't want to end up with a bike that feels to big or to small.

you should get all the measurements so in future you can just compare a frames geometry to what you need and not go through the same ordeal every time you buy a new bike
You have no come back if some sales assistant says a ** cm should be fine and then you find out it's not.

It's not like there's a standard 58cm frame everyone builds too and they are all the same dimensions.the 58cm is just the length of the seat tube
 
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Soldato
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I answered that earlier.



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..

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/
Quite close to you
 
Soldato
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I was close to buying a reacto myself, merida make frames for trek and specialaized but the sram red n2a was too tempting. I err on the side of slightly firmer/faster/racier than you first think, you get used to soft too quickly.
 
Associate
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Ribble quality is good but their service is terrible.

A number of folk here have and love their frames.

The quality of the frame/parts seems fine in my experience but build quality is very variable. My Evo Pro Carbon came with the gears in a completely unusable state but my R872 was perfectly set up. A mate got a special offer Evo pro Carbon tiagra last year that also needed quite a bit of adjustment but they quickly sorted it when he took it back.
 
Soldato
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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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Associate
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I had my fit done at Sigma. They didn't sell me anything but recommended frames from their range that would fit (and the fit fee was refundable from the cost of the bike if you get it from them).

They are an excellent shop.

They've done free emergency repairs for me too.

Other good shops near you are Pearson and Bicycle on Sheen Road. There are also a couple of decent shops in Putney.

If you just want a fit then most of my club go to Freespeed in Twickenham. Pricy but fantastic, apparently.
 
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