Sub £800 bike advice?

helpimcrap

helpimcrap

helpimcrap

Soldato
Joined
13 Jan 2004
Posts
12,738
Location
Leicestershire
I got knocked off my Defy 2 last year. I'm hopefully reaching being fit enough to ride 7 months on.... the bike frame is bent and wheels knackered but otherwise mostly ok I think. Although being stuck in a freezing garage for 7 months might not have done it any good...

What bike would people recommend? Or should I get a frame and forks, use my old Defy 2 wheels and transfer stuff if my existing tiagra kit and brakes are ok?

Budget of about £800. Ideally cheaper than that as 2014 Boardman carbon bikes are £750.
 
saitrix said:
What type of riding do you do or what do you want from a bike? Were you happy with the Defy in the way it rode?
Click to expand...

Yeah it rode ok.

But I haven't ever owned another road bike except a Planet X TT bike so nothing to compare it to.

I could do sub 30 min 10m TT's on the Defy or cycle up mountains in the alps or cycle London-Paris.

It was jack-of-all-trades as it was my commuter as well.
 
I'm actually pretty familiar with the wheels they use on the Defy range. They do the job but they're nothing special. For that money you're probably better off going new. Either a road bike or a cross bike, but if you're thinking about doing TTs or races and stick mainly to roads or light trails when out riding then probably a road bike.

Canyon bikes are certainly good for the money, but they have been having a few issues with supply lately. Not a deal breaker, but you'd have to be prepared to wait a while to get it. In a similar vein, there's this Rose bike. Tiagra vs 105 but it is a bit cheaper and new Tiagra is a huge step up from the previous generation. Although there is a Tiagra version of that Canyon.

https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/rose-pro-sl-1000-bike-now-856002

Otherwise, you can look more locally for pretty much any big name alu framed, carbon forked road bike with new tiagra or above. Cannondale, Giant again, Specialised, Trek etc. It really depends on your uses. What you want from a bike for commuting isn't generally the same as what you want from a bike for racing, or for TTs, or for long recreational rides. You could absolutely spend a bit less and get something comparable but with a less "prestigious" frame. Or you could look for an aero bike or a carbon bike or a steel bike.
 
What size are you? I am just under 6ft and I have 2 road bikes so can go out on them if you want to try it for your back? I'm just in Loughborough.

Edit - Also what is wrong with your back? I also thought I wouldn't get back on a road bike after I had spinal fusion of the T12-L2 but now I ride a Giant Propel which is pretty aggressive geometry!
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the offer. I have a couple of people close who have said I can try their bikes out. I got hit by a car and it badly bruised my sacrum, just above the coccyx on the back. It's easing off week by week but it's bloody slow going!

Until the last week or two I was unable to sit on an exercise bike without much pain.
 
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