First Road Bike...

zwoooosh

Afer several years of commuting on hybrids, I've decided that I want to buy a road bike for longer (faster) rides on the weekend. Willing to spend up to 1,000 pounds to get a better frame and spec, rather than go for the cheapest option.

My shortlist at the moment are the following:

Bianchi 1885 (the most expensive, but loved the ride -- and the colour!)
Trek 1.7 (a bit cheaper than the Bianchi and seems well speced)
Giant SCR 1 (yet to ride, but the Giant's seem to be recommended a lot)
Specialised Allez Sport (ride wasn't very thrilling... but should I consider it)

Have been out at a variety of shops test riding a variety of bikes but was wondering what your thoughts were. Any feedback on these? Are there any bikes I ought to consider? Any other comments/reactions...

Thanks!

DavidTQ

zwoooosh wrote:

Afer several years of commuting on hybrids, I've decided that I want to buy a road bike for longer (faster) rides on the weekend. Willing to spend up to 1,000 pounds to get a better frame and spec, rather than go for the cheapest option.

My shortlist at the moment are the following:

Bianchi 1885 (the most expensive, but loved the ride -- and the colour!)
Trek 1.7 (a bit cheaper than the Bianchi and seems well speced)
Giant SCR 1 (yet to ride, but the Giant's seem to be recommended a lot)
Specialised Allez Sport (ride wasn't very thrilling... but should I consider it)

Have been out at a variety of shops test riding a variety of bikes but was wondering what your thoughts were. Any feedback on these? Are there any bikes I ought to consider? Any other comments/reactions...

Thanks!

Depends on what you're looking for, I didnt find the trek overly comfortable, the giant SCR fitted me like a glove and Ive not looked back since.

Have you considered the planet x Carbon bike for that sort of budget they do a carbon framed bike with 105 groupset that is well respected by many, Ive not ridden it to know what its like.

The SCR1 is a great bike and if you poke around you can find some big savings at times, Ive seen people get them for around £500, I paid £600 for mine. I think the thing thats always impressed me with the giant is its comfort levels, I find it more comfortable than my hybrid, the way the bike flies up hills is nice as well made far lighter work of my commute and took loads off the time. Maybe if you can find a SCR cheap you could blow some of the spare budget on a really decent set of wheels, the sort of wheels you wont find as standard on a bike on your budget?

redddraggon

Why get a giant, when you can get a Bianchi that impressed you visually and by the ride?


Without a doubt get a Bianchi.

Ruari

Get the Bianchi. It's always got a good rep for a great ride (and the '07 design was updated to improve this!) and the colour is easily the most recognisable anywhere.
My Bianchi 1885 is an absolute joy,wouldn't change it for anything other than a higher spec Bianchi!

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

If the ride is what you're after then get an Orbea. They're better than all the others in my book!

Seriously though. Best thing to do is to make sure you test ride as many bikes as you can. Go with the 'feel' as the paper spec tells you very little on its own...

azzerb

Planet X or Focus Cayo (best value, though at the top of your limit)

However, value isn't everything, if you love the look of the Bianchi get that. I think that Bianchi's are lovely, it was the new Carbon C2C which set me off at looking at bikes, even though i was perfectly happy with an entry level bike (Giant SCR 3, picked up for cheap last year).

Anonymous

Love the bianchis but for the spec for the price, the Focus Cayo's look fantastic. My only reservation is the internet only aspect of the Focus' (focii?), there's something very reassuring about buying your bike from a shop and having somewhere to go back to if there are any problems. Most shops will do a check on the bike after a few weeks to see if anything needs adjusting etc, and will ensure a proper fit...

I know what I'd do...

zwoooosh

Thanks for all your thoughts... very helpful! I am intrigued that no one has a word to say about the Trek or Specialized....

Point taken on the Focus/Planet X/Orbea but am reluctant to buy my first road bike off the internet, prefering instead to head into a shop to try it and tweak it. Beeline in Oxford have been great and they are going to build up a Bianchi, Trek, and Specialized in my size so I can test them all together later this week.

My heart is with the Bianchi but my wallet is wondering if the Trek/Specialized are a better deal. Or a Giant if I can fine a test ride!

Cheers and see you out on the road...

il_principe

Pick the one that fits you best/feels the most comfortable. There's no point in saving a few quid at the expense of your own comfort, you'll only end up spending the savings on tweaking the fit i.e longer stem etc etc.

Lagavulin

zwoooosh wrote:

I am intrigued that no one has a word to say about the Trek or Specialized...

If I found a nicer riding more aesthetic bike that was in my budget I wouldn't buy something I'd tried and found to be dull.

For what it's worth though I've got an Allez Sport from 2006. Not sure what wheels it comes with nowadays but the Alexrims on Spesh hubs that mine came with were poor.
Other than that it is a fine bike. While there's clearly going to be more involving rides out there I'd say the ride was comfortable without being flat. I've never nodded off it yet.

You can probably do better for the same money than the Tiagra/105 mix on the Allez (I think you get full 105 groupset on the Trek you're considering).

graham_g

You've got to base it on ride first with looks a close second. That's why you want the Bianchi

Although, it may mean colour coordinating your cycling wardrobe! LOL.

HungryCol

Go with your heart. You'll regret it otherwise. It's a very very nice bike and would be my choice given your list.

Knowing what I know now I would have a serious looks at Planet X and Focus bikes. You get good bang for your buck and the Cycling Plus office seem to drool over the Focus like pack of hungry dogs.

antooony

I agree with what others are saying about the Focus. Ive had an Expert 2008 for 3 weeks and love it. Compared to anything else value for money wise its way ahead in both terms of equipment, ride and looks. I dithered and delayed buying one wondering if I was doing the right thing but after trying out the usual suspects first then riding a Focus I know I haven't made a mistake.

Sure you cant take it back to the shop if you have a problem but lets face it, if your buying bikes at this level I presume you, like the vast majority of buyers, have a certain degree of inteligence when it comes to the workings of a bike so the majority of minor niggles shouldn't be an issue. Any major problem just send it back. Simple really.