First road bike £500 - £1000

Egon

Egon

Egon

Soldato
Joined
9 Jan 2003
Posts
6,801
Location
Darlington
So I've read a few of the spec me threads and not seen anything really that helps answer this question. For my first road bike will I notice much difference between a £500 bike and a £1k bike?

If the difference is night and day then I'll opt for the more expensive option. What would you fellas suggest in that price range?
 
Hmm, none of those things really... Not yet anyway. I'm just getting in to cycling, I have a hybrid currently and have just completed the C2C on it. I thoroughly enjoyed the training and it made me want a road bike to enjoy the longer rides on and improve my times (strava can be addictive for that). Nothing more serious than that, I plan to keep it a casual hobby, riding a few times a week, rides varying from 15-50 miles I guess.
 
Thanks guys, I haven't decided what to do yet, but I hadn't realised that hydraulic disc brakes would make such a difference in price or be that hard to find at this price range, so I might just end up going with callipers.

I won't be doing anything until I get back from holidays anyway around mid August time, then I'll go try a few out.
 
So, I'm back from my hols and ready to buy.

I've abandoned the need for disc brakes on my road bike as cost was proving too high, so at the minute I've got my eye on the Giant Defy 0 which can be had for £750 from various online retailers. Sounds an amazing price... surely not much better can be had for that money?

How does that compare to the Cannondale 2015 CAAD8 105 which can also be had for the same money.

Edit: Nazca linked to the ALUR 700 ROAD BIKE for £499, that seems pretty well specced too.

My heart is on the Giant Defy 0, but at £250 cheaper would the Alur be a better buy?

The problem I have is that I don't have a decathlon or large bike shop near me that stocks these 3 different bikes, so I can't go try them out. I can try out the cannondale but that's about it.
 
Last edited:
OK, so if I rule out the ALUR, I just need to find a LBS that stocks the Giant then. I can test the Cannondale out from a shop in the town centre.... on a dry day, it's been bloody raining all day up here today!
 
Yeah the colour did put me off. I've been reading up on the different bike components and groupsets. I notice the defy 0 is a mix of 105 and Ultegra, but I also noticed the CAAD10 uses 105 5800 which is highly regarded when compared to the 5700.

My question is, does the defy 0 use Ultegra 6800 or 6700 and 105 5800 or 5700? I admit, I don't enough to know whether this question is even valid! :o
 
Well I just tested out a Giant Defy 1 in large, a Giant Dey 2 in med/lar and a Cannondale CAAD8 but only the Sora.

Out of the 2 Giant's the med/lar was definitely the right size for, but overall there was just something about the ride on the Cannondale I preferred. But my head still says Giant for some reason. Can't decide :(
 
Lol, good point. I preferred the Cannondale...

But that was on a 5 minute test ride, what about a 20-30 mile ride. Its frustrating, I don't want to end up regretting my purchase.

Edit: Am I thinking too much about this, isn't the likelihood that whatever I buy, I'll ride it, get used to it and it'll all be fine?
 
Last edited:
FrenchTart said:
To some degree, yes you are. You've already got things pretty much nailed down so now personally I'd go for the more expensive option (as above, 105 is a lot nicer than Sora) and start to worry about the frame size instead ;)
Click to expand...

Think you read my mind, I'm currently looking at a Cannondale size charts :p

Pretty sure I tried out a 54 today, charts suggest a 56 would be more suitable. Any Cannondale riders with similar measurements to me 5'11 and 32 inside leg?
 
DanF said:
CycleSurgery extra 10% off for bikes using code BIKEEXTRA10.

puts the kona zing at £585

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/ProductDetails.ice?ProductID=61647

meh, just blow your budget and get the new 2016 CAAD12 :p 25 podium points with this one will get you about £250 worth of kit making the bike more like £1k

http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/cannondale-caad12-105.html
Click to expand...

I'd love to get the 2016 but £1000 is my max as I'm purchasing on the C2W scheme. Plus the 2015 at £799 is such a good buy
 
DanF said:
The 54 might be slightly small for you. I'm 6" and 32/33 inside leg and currently riding a Cannondale Synapse in 56cm. It's almost perfect for me. The geometry is a bit different, Synapse default handlebar position is slightly up and back to make it more relaxed.
Click to expand...

After plenty of reading last night and speaking to the guy on the phone at wheelbase, a 56 definitely sounds like the better option.

What I've found really hard as a first time road bike buyer and someone who is relatively inexperienced anyway, is that I have no point of reference. When I sat on those bikes yesterday I thought to myself, yeah this feels different, but had no idea if it felt right!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom