Bike recommendations please!!!!!

Zendog1

The 2007 bike sales are just getting started. Evans are not the best for discounts but they go early here http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70071 is their standard deal on an Allez. You should be able to get one for £400 in the next couple of weeks - try Dales Cycles. Other bikes to google at your budget are Trek 1000 or Giant OCR2.

Zendog1

I do not know the bike but Raleigh are not (how shall I say this) generally well known for good road bikes. This is probably a reason Evans still have the 2006 model in stock.

edit - The sizes they have are tiny. Have you checked your size?

felt-up

The only recommendation I'd make is to visit a few shops with your shortlist of bikes and have a go on each. See how you feel on each - a bike's a very personal choice so I'd always be reluctant to say buy X over Y.

Like most sports there can be a bit of brand snobbery kicking about, so take recommendations with a pinch of salt. Put that out of your mind and remember that you'll be happiest on a bike that you feel comfortable on. The bikes you mention are all in the same ball-park so there aren't going to be substantial differences in frame and component quality.

Whatever you choose, enjoy!!

Rich Hcp

I'd recomend a Specialized Allez

DC Ayr

I do not know the bike but Raleigh are not (how shall I say this) generally well known for good road bikes

Yikes - has anyone told Nicole Cooke?

acorn_user

"Thanks for that - Raleigh = pants!!! "

That's not what he said (wags finger). What he meant was that most roadies are honour bound to either look like Eddie (Italian) or Lance (yet more Treks). Raleigh and the other domestics mostly concentrated on mtbs and hybrids for a long time, but their road bikes are pretty good, just mostly low to mid range. If you like the Raleigh, buy it. There's little to choose between most bikes at this price range. Look into the Dawes Giro series too. These give you mudguard eyelets, which enables you to ride AFTER it has rained; you wouldn't believe how long it takes for the roads to dry.

Finbar

Giant SCR2 / Trek 1000 / Specialised Allez are the usual suspects at this price point. Try them all, make your choice.

Zendog1

Jesus H Christ the fucking Americans are telling me what I think about bikes now.

Shit - do not bomb Norwich, I do not live there.

Zendog1

[Yikes - has anyone told Nicole Cooke? [/quote]

and if you think she rides anything other than a decent bike with a few stickers think again.

acorn_user

Zendog1 wrote:

Jesus H Christ the ******* Americans are telling me what I think about bikes now.

shoot - do not bomb Norwich, I do not live there.

Yeah, that's charming. But I assure you, my heritage is impeccable. Walsall born and bred.

If you meant to say Raleigh bikes are pants, you should have said it. Worse things have been said on the internet!

Anyway, any bombs should fall on the Metro Centre and Slough.

ninjaslim

Amazing useful UK/ US bitching for the new rider looking for some sensible advice.

My advice would be to try a few different bikes as soemone has said before and consider second hand. You don't say what you're riding now but If I were you I'd consider riding it for another 6 months while saving hard, adding some christmas present money perhaps to buy something a little lighter and faster.
You really do get what you pay for. I've been unlucky with writing off 2 bikes in racing crashes, but this has meant that I've upgraded slightly each time and now ride what one magazine described as the Ferrari of bikes, I paid £2K for it but it retails for over 3. It really is in a whole different league to the £2K it replaced.

I bought my wife a Specialised Allez to get my Giant TCR training bike back and she loves it.

good luck

Zendog1

If you meant to say Raleigh bikes are pants, you should have said it.

What I said was Raliegh bikes are not rated as road bikes. If you had looked at the spec on link the OP posted you might agree. They all buy the same frames and groupsets but Raleigh / Claud Bulter are never going to compete at the £500 mark given the low volumes they sell against Specialized et al.

passout

Trek 1000 in the sales should be within range - try Evans.

Nice bike - does nothing badly!

inchcape

depending what frame size you require www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk still have the giant scr3.0 for £350.

12volt

despite having my shiny all carbon planet-x i went out in the sun for 2 hrs on
my specialized allez 05 got it for under 400 and it rides great
try one you wont be disapointed !!!!

acorn_user

Well, remember that you are buying the shop too. You don't want to have to deal with a rotten dealer... Remember you could probably pick up a nice second hand bike for the money, probably one with very few miles to boot!

grantus

I got a year old Schwinn Fastback Sport on ebay for £160 - it's great.

I have found the Sora shifters to be perfectly fine.

If looking on ebay I always think well known brands tend to go for well over the odds compared to what you can pay new for them online if you shop around - especially Treks and Specializeds.

I got a good deal on the Schwinn because it isn't seen as a 'fashionable' brand.

Have a look at Halfords Carrera road bikes as well. I had a Carrera hardtail mtb and it really was the dug's bawz.

As far as online retailers go:

I bought my Commencal full susser from Bonthrone Bikes in Fulham 18 months ago and found them excellent to deal with. They have since gone out of business and re-opened so I don't know if there will be any changes on that score.

Before I bought the Schwinn I was looking at buying brand new online and e-mailed various retailers with queries.

By far and away the most helpful was Holcros Cycles (who have some great prices on Schwinn bikes as well as Claud Butler and BH) so in future I would definitely use them.

Ribble have some good deals on their bikes but I have heard some people have issues with delivery times from them.