Road bike help

Steve09 · 11 Aug 2015 at 21:51

Hi,
Been looking at getting a road bike for a couple of years now and only really now looking properly. Going to use the cycle to work scheme to get it discounted but have no idea what to get!

Been looking at bikes in Evans today but only really been going on price. I'd be looking at spending £800 before discount.

Saw this nice Fuji one http://m.evanscycles.com/products/fuji/roubaix-13-2015-road-bike-ec069089 but never heard of them.

Also looked at the Specialised Allez which was around £500 and some Trek 1 series 1.2 which was £650 odd which to me seemed decent.

Any help would be great, thanks.

PermaBanned · 11 Aug 2015 at 22:50

Is your bike to work scheme limited to one or two shops? A lot of places seem to do that, makes it a bit awkward. Fuji bikes are generally alright, they're more of a budget brand in the US. I can't recommend the base level Allez as it has aluminium forks, but any of the rest of the range should be fine. The Trek is nice but a bit overpriced for what it is. On Evans i would definitely suggest looking at some Cannondales, the CAAD8/Synapse ranges are quite highly recommended.

Are you going to be riding exclusively on roads/light trails? What do you want to do with the bike?

Steve09 · 12 Aug 2015 at 09:29

I'm not sure if the scheme is limited to a couple of shops, I don't think it is, but I'm going to sign up when I go back to work in a couple of weeks.

It'll be used just for road riding and keeping fit. Lengths of ride would be between 20 and 50 miles once I get my fitness up again.

Just had a look and there are so many different Cannondale CAAD8 and Synapse bikes...

booyaka · 12 Aug 2015 at 10:34

Had a CAAD8 for nearly 2 years now - great bike, solid, reliable and can't fault it.

Steve09 · 12 Aug 2015 at 11:01

Been looking around and seen some saying the Cannondale Synapse is better for casual riding over the CAAD8 due to its geometry (which I had/have no idea about) making it more comfortable.

I'd be using it for casual rides to keep fit, not actual racing. Saw this one, reviews seem good http://m.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/synapse-alloy-sora-2015-road-bike-ec071023

Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Jono · 12 Aug 2015 at 11:30

Yeah the Synapse is a lot more upright than the CAAD. I have a CAAD10 and it was quite uncomfortable at first, but now I really like it.
If I bought again I'd probably have bought a Synapse, but I still don't really regret my decision... it just took a bit of getting used to.

PermaBanned · 12 Aug 2015 at 12:45

It's definitely worth actually sitting on the bikes and seeing what you prefer. The only real differences in the range are the brakes and the groupset. That said, £700 is a lot for a bike with Sora. This is a much better deal, even if it is right on the bike to work limit:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/synapse-alloy-105-5-disc-2016-road-bike-ec120349

GSVBagpuss · 12 Aug 2015 at 13:47

The CAAD is certainly more sporty than my "relaxed" Scott but it's not a game changer for me - I notice it for the first 2 miles then forget it.

Steve09 · 27 Aug 2015 at 22:19

Pretty much set on this bike now...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/domane-23-2016road-bike-ec068734

Should be buying within the next couple of weeks.
It's not carbon, but aluminium will be fine, has a good group set and positive reviews. Also, it's suited for long distance, relaxed rides, which is what I wanted out of the bike.

Any other suggestions before I buy? Thanks for any replies.

Roady · 28 Aug 2015 at 14:46

Looks like a good safe choice, but a good bike for the money too! Enjoy it!