Ribble Audax advice - mirage 9s or 10s?
prevailrob
Posts: 13
Hi all,
I am just about to buy my first road bike, up till now ive been riding a borrowed bike, as since i switched from commuting on a mountain bike and getting into road riding, recently getting married (and having twins on the way! ) has made a little strapped for cash to say the least.
Over recent months ive poured over manufacturer websites , retailers and tested many a bike trying and ended up narrowing it down to a Giant SCR 2, which last years model was available for less than 500 quid. This has established itself as my absolute budget.
Anyway, to cut a long story short this bike ended up getting sold in my size so i had to have a rethink. Id never really contemplated the Ribbles, hearing mixed reviews on their delivery times and customer service, but i did know for a fact they did a very reasonable priced bike.
Anyhow, I took a look at their special edition bikes and immediatly fancied the idea of the 400 quid audax with mirage 9s. Then noticed the 500 quid mirage 10s, which with it being this years groupset, lets you specify crankset and cassete ratio, and has a carbon seatpost (one upgrade that would have been made sooner rather than later). The 100 pound cheaper 9s is , as they discribe it, a mixture of 2006 mirage and veloce.
So, im at a bit of a lose end. can anyone tell me if there is a real benefit in spending 100 quid more to have a newer groupset, being able to customize my cassette and crankset. The carbon seatpost im not too worried about now because the one they provide isnt exactly an expensive one, so having 100 pound to spare would buy me a better one.
Thanks in advance for any advice, sorry if the post was a little on the long side!.
Cheers,
Rob
PS I live and ride in Norfolk, so not exactly hilly. Compact vs Double would also be an equation, i might not have a problem locally, but might want to ride in other parts of the country. On the 9s i think they just provide a double, no choice.
I am just about to buy my first road bike, up till now ive been riding a borrowed bike, as since i switched from commuting on a mountain bike and getting into road riding, recently getting married (and having twins on the way! ) has made a little strapped for cash to say the least.
Over recent months ive poured over manufacturer websites , retailers and tested many a bike trying and ended up narrowing it down to a Giant SCR 2, which last years model was available for less than 500 quid. This has established itself as my absolute budget.
Anyway, to cut a long story short this bike ended up getting sold in my size so i had to have a rethink. Id never really contemplated the Ribbles, hearing mixed reviews on their delivery times and customer service, but i did know for a fact they did a very reasonable priced bike.
Anyhow, I took a look at their special edition bikes and immediatly fancied the idea of the 400 quid audax with mirage 9s. Then noticed the 500 quid mirage 10s, which with it being this years groupset, lets you specify crankset and cassete ratio, and has a carbon seatpost (one upgrade that would have been made sooner rather than later). The 100 pound cheaper 9s is , as they discribe it, a mixture of 2006 mirage and veloce.
So, im at a bit of a lose end. can anyone tell me if there is a real benefit in spending 100 quid more to have a newer groupset, being able to customize my cassette and crankset. The carbon seatpost im not too worried about now because the one they provide isnt exactly an expensive one, so having 100 pound to spare would buy me a better one.
Thanks in advance for any advice, sorry if the post was a little on the long side!.
Cheers,
Rob
PS I live and ride in Norfolk, so not exactly hilly. Compact vs Double would also be an equation, i might not have a problem locally, but might want to ride in other parts of the country. On the 9s i think they just provide a double, no choice.
0
Comments
-
Think you've answered your question - if you want the choice and all matching components, then go for the more expensive one !0
-
Mirage 9: cheaper, works well, some Veloce parts. But has plastic brake levers which work ok but aren't as confidence inspiring as alloy levers. Cheap, durable chains.
Mirage 10: newer, alloy brake levers. Black finish is a bit dull looking. Chains less durable and more expensive.0 -
Cheers,
This is the sort of thing that Im interested in hearing. Considering all campag parts are 10s now, would it still be safe to say I can still find upgrades for things like brake levers and the such?.
Im not sure what parts they are mixing and matching, maybe the levers will be veloce, dunno...0 -
After much deliberation I think im going to go with the 10 speed, mainly based on the fact that I think it would be wiser to go for a compact and then choose an adequate cassette, maybe a 12-25 or 11-23.0
