What Road Bike?

Xherdan

compo wrote:

I'm looking for a road bike, perhaps in the region of less than £300.

Pretty new to this game so has anyone any suggestions?

Cheers

I got a Raleigh Airlite 100 which has been good for me and has good reviews (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 0-11-41657 and http://m.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bi ... -11-43790/). It's only 330 and postage is free if you buy from their ebay account. Ideal for me and my student budget...

Edit: Forgot to include link to seller: http://www.rutlandcycling.com/42347/Ral ... n=pid42347

negativelycra

willow71uk wrote:

Well what a shite forum this is nobody is even bothered answering peoples questions.

lmao, how to make friends and influence people.

ShutUpLegs

Negativelycra wrote:

willow71uk wrote:

Well what a shite forum this is nobody is even bothered answering peoples questions.

lmao, how to make friends and influence people.

Has anyone suggested the UTFS :?:

klb2040

Hello

Was torn between 2013 Specialised Tarmac SL4 and 2013 Giant TCR Composite 0. Both have Ultegra, but went for the Giant as it had Di2 and a bit cheaper, but when arrived after a months wait the Di2 cable from the shifters was stuck to the downtube and chain stay using insulating tape, which was already peeling away. The front derailleur cable was wrapped around the bottom bracket and rubbing on the rear tyre when the wheel is spun (looks pretty crap too). Supplier says it's supposed to be like that - photo on website and manual do not show this side of the bike!. Nothing about external Di2 on Giant website or manual. Anyone else bought a Giant with Di2 who can advise?

Have sent it back and now unsure what to do. Tempted to cancel and go to Tarmac (currently have Allez Elite, which has been superb as a first bike) or goto TCR Advanced without Di2.

Any advice appreciated. Looking to spend 2500ish.

janieoc

Hi,
I am relatively new to road cycling, though had been commuting to work 10K away for a couple of years a couple of times a week. Which of these below is would you advise me to go for and why? It's an insurance replacement so I am tied to taking one from the list.

Thanks for any advice that you can give,

Cheers
J

Giant TCR Composite 2 2013 Road Bike
Giant Defy Composite 2 2013 Road Bike
Specialized Amira Sport Womens 2013 Road Bike
Specialized Ruby Sport Womens 2013 Road Bike
Cannondale CaadX Disc Ultegra 2013 Cyclocross Bike
Specialized Crux Elite Disc 201

neeb

janieoc wrote:

Hi,
I am relatively new to road cycling, though had been commuting to work 10K away for a couple of years a couple of times a week. Which of these below is would you advise me to go for and why? It's an insurance replacement so I am tied to taking one from the list.

Thanks for any advice that you can give,

Cheers
J

Giant TCR Composite 2 2013 Road Bike
Giant Defy Composite 2 2013 Road Bike
Specialized Amira Sport Womens 2013 Road Bike
Specialized Ruby Sport Womens 2013 Road Bike
Cannondale CaadX Disc Ultegra 2013 Cyclocross Bike
Specialized Crux Elite Disc 201

The last two are cyclocross bikes rather than 100% road bikes, so I would avoid them unless you want the bike for 'cross OR you intend to use it mainly for year-round commuting rather than pure road cycling, in which case the disk brakes, clearance for mudguards etc might be useful. I suppose it depends on whether you see the main use of the bike as being for practical commuting (in which case a 'cross bike is well-suited) or if you want to pursue road cycling as a sport and/or want something lighter and sleeker.

Whether or not you need a women's specific model mostly depends on your height and proportions - many women will be fine on a standard/men's bike, but if you are relatively short and/or don't want to be too stretched out you might benefit from the smaller sizes, sometimes shorter cranks and shorter reach of female-specific models.

Others will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the main difference between the first two is that the Defy has a slightly more "relaxed" geometry, so again might be better if you don't want to be quite so stretched-out and head down.

What was the bike it is replacing, and how did you get on with it?

mallott

klb2040 wrote:

Hello

Was torn between 2013 Specialised Tarmac SL4 and 2013 Giant TCR Composite 0. Both have Ultegra, but went for the Giant as it had Di2 and a bit cheaper, but when arrived after a months wait the Di2 cable from the shifters was stuck to the downtube and chain stay using insulating tape, which was already peeling away. The front derailleur cable was wrapped around the bottom bracket and rubbing on the rear tyre when the wheel is spun (looks pretty crap too). Supplier says it's supposed to be like that - photo on website and manual do not show this side of the bike!. Nothing about external Di2 on Giant website or manual. Anyone else bought a Giant with Di2 who can advise?

Have sent it back and now unsure what to do. Tempted to cancel and go to Tarmac (currently have Allez Elite, which has been superb as a first bike) or goto TCR Advanced without Di2.

Any advice appreciated. Looking to spend 2500ish.

How about a Cinelli Saetta, a de Rosa or Wilier?

boogi11

Hi , I would like some pointers please, I'm thinking of spending a max of 2300 on a Caron summer road bike

I have found a few But am welcome to suggestions, I do like something a little different so anything odd is welcome, I know I'm sacrificing other components, but i do feel the urged di2

So fair have , and I know it's not di2

http://www.cyclelane.co.uk/m4b122s6p594 ... S_GB/20138

Or

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/focus-cayo-evo- ... -di2-2012/

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/focus-cayo-evo- ... -di2-2012/. Any thoughts welcome

displacedaussie

Well under budget, and not Di2 either, but this:

https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3085

Or the aluminium version with Di2 for a little bit more (but still under budget):

https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3081

Neither are particularly common _yet_, although I expect we'll start seeing more and more soon because they're great value.

boogi11

displacedaussie wrote:

Well under budget, and not Di2 either, but this:

https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3085

Or the aluminium version with Di2 for a little bit more (but still under budget):

https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3081

Neither are particularly common _yet_, although I expect we'll start seeing more and more soon because they're great value.

I like that, wanted carbon really, but that bike gets a good review, Food for thought

Sant cugat

Hi Team,

I'm looking for some help. I'm in the super fun process of buying a new bike. I'm 41 years old about 82kg who rides approx 150-200kms per week on a mix of climbs and flats. I don't race, but love climbing (thought would never say I'm good at it). My last bike was a Ridley Excalibur and I'm looking to upgrade. The two bikes I've liked best are the Cannondale super six evo with Sram fit out and the Pinarello Paris with Ultegra DI. Different bikes I know especially in weight and I guess I like them for different reasons with the Cannondale feeling ultra fast and the Paris feeling super smooth. Any advice or thoughts would be most appreciated

j.higson

hey there guys,

i do about 25 miles a day and so am upgrading from a mountain bike that i have converted to a more road friendly bike. this has resulted in me hating my current bike and wanting a road bike to give me a better ride to uni.

im looking at the 500 pound mark bikes on evans cycles and they all seem to have 16 gears, is this a normal ratio of gears or is it worth looking for something with more gears? as i say im upgrading to a road bike as i am sick of slogging my nuts off and having a road cyclist just breeze past me.

thanks for the help guys and gals!

Druidor

Not cycled for a number of years & due to the lard build up around the mid section, its time to get back into it.

Will only be road use with little stopping so going Clipless

Looking into the cycle to work scheme & have decided upon the Scott Speedster 40 but cannot decide on the pedals Any views on what is a good starting out set ?

Time RXS Carbon Road or Shimano Ultegra PD-6700 Carbon SPD-SL Road are what I am currently thinking of.

tcat

Help with

Having done my 9 mile each way London commute for a few years, I want to upgrade to a road rather than hybrid, budget 850-1000 quid. The high street chain bikes leave me cold, I like a little style with my cycle.

Though I'd dearly love a Planet X carbon; I mustn't forget the miles, the muds, the panniers, the potholes and chaining up to lamp posts.
So, Planet X alloy and carbon ruled out for lack of fixings, and the Uncle John doesn't seem to be the best use of my cash. Ribble Reynolds 525 Steel looked like a go-er until I saw all the negative customer service comments online and realised that, like P-X, I would have to go up north to test drive.
Pearsons don't have road bike in my price bracket, so Condor looking tops at the moment.

So, calling all bike geeks- I want cool, I want sexy, I want to be checked out at the lights. A company that I like and who'll help with a bit of a build/fit, if not in London then within easy reach.

A hot bike is what I need, and I need your help.

Camcycle1974

Tcat,

Go to Triathlon Zone in St Albans. They do all the Planet-X bikes. Going on Tuesday for a look at the RT-57 and Pro Carbon. The new RT-58 could be just what I am after, being a more relaxed version of the RT-57. Going to have to wait until April for it though.

willy14

hi everyone, im new to cycling and thinking of buying a road bike(my old moutain bike is too slow going up hills) i know you get asked this question a lot but what would you say is the best road for a beginner under £400,i ve looked everywhere online and im really confused with all the tech jargon and was wondering if someone could help me ,i ve been looking at the viking range of bikes( but i dont know if they are any good but they seem reasonbly priced)so any help would be a great helo
thanks neil

powerranger520

This post is very usefull to me. i want to buy a road bike. thanks your share

N0rthernM0nkey

I entered a couple of sportives last year and joined a cycling club as well. I’ve been using a Cotic Roadrat for commuting and getting out on the weekends.

I would like some advice on buying my first “proper” road bike for some more events/training. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Rough criteria;
1. Available for test ride and on cyclescheme/0 % finance
2. Less than £900
3. Fairly relaxed geometry so it’s easy on my back/shoulders
4. Triple chainset to help with starting hill training
5. Paddle shifters which can be reached from the drops

The two below are the ones I’m considering getting a test ride at Evans booked in for, both weigh about the same. The Jamis doesn’t have as good kit/wheels, but is cheaper and has an external headset. Any ideas on which would be a better choice, I wasn’t sure whether integrated headsets are actually any good?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec040966
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jam ... e-ec041513

southdownswolf

Dont be fooled into thinking that the triple will necessarily make the hills easier. A bike with compact 34-30 gearing is almost exactly the same as the lowest 30-27 gear on the triple.

Look here for calculating gear ratios http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

If you can get a bike with Tiagra groupset rather than the Sora on the Spesh, then it may well be worthwhile going with that as it would be easier to upgrade in the future.

As for the bikes, best thing is to try them out. The Spesh doesn't get great reviews, but then it is more of a relaxed ride. So it might be perfect for your needs. Also have a look at the Giant Defy2. Although it is 34/28 gearing, you may be able to change cassette to a 30 which would give you the same gearing as the Spesh.

If you are having trouble with you back/shoulders, it may be that the bike you are riding is not the correct frame size. If you are over reaching, then it will put more pressure onto your back/shoulders/arms.

N0rthernM0nkey

southdownswolf wrote:

Dont be fooled into thinking that the triple will necessarily make the hills easier. A bike with compact 34-30 gearing is almost exactly the same as the lowest 30-27 gear on the triple.

.

Apologies, should have said I was looking to swap the cassette on either of them for a spare new 11-32 I've already got. I have a 48/36/26 chainset with a 11-32 cassette on my Roadrat, if I'm carrying a lot of stuff or going up an 18% ish hill at the end of a club run then lower gears really come in handy.

I know that compacts are the option preferred by most, but I can't afford the conversion costs of going from a double to a triple if I don't get on with it.

Just curious how Tiagra is more upgradeable than Sora?

southdownswolf wrote:

If you are having trouble with you back/shoulders, it may be that the bike you are riding is not the correct frame size. If you are over reaching, then it will put more pressure onto your back/shoulders/arms.

I agree that bike fit is really important, especially if like me you are always between sizes! I'm not experiencing any discomfort even after 70-80 miles on my Roadrat, with a 130mm long stem and fairly low/stretched position.

My back/shoulders aren't that great from too much judo/wrestling when I was younger, so I need to be careful about not loading my hands up too much when on long rides.

You might be right about the spesh being more "relaxed" than some people would want, but I'm not ever going to be racing on it. What I'm interested in is somewhere between a tourer/racer which can be used for a bit of everything.

Tea1023

hi guys I'm new here and looking for a bit of advice on getting into cycling.

I'm on a tight budget, ideally don't want to spend more than £400 unless it's really worth the extra.

will buy new or second hand, based near Manchester, 5'11" and around 95kg if that makes a difference?

I'd appreciate any advice, even just brands to look out for. thanks so much!

zx6man

Standard reply

triban 3 from decathlon, with plenty cash left to kit yourself out.

KQR

I am replacing my old Klein Quantum Race. My local bike shop has 2 nice framesets in my size. Price is the same. They are not assembled yet and therefor I cannot test them.

1. Specialized Tarmac Pro SL (2010)



2. Beone Raw (2012)



Anyone familiar with these bikes? Comfort or speed? Quality? The Beone is lighter but I am unfamiliar with the brand. Hope you guys/girls can give me some advice.

willy14

hi
I m about to start cycling and I m looking to purchase a new bike ,just seen a Viking Roubaix bike reduced from £1200 to 400 ,need a bit of advice ,is this a good bike for starting out, I v seen reviews on Viking bikes and they r not too good ,the other bike I was looking at is the triban 3 ,any advice would be great thanks

carrock

KQR wrote:

I am replacing my old Klein Quantum Race. My local bike shop has 2 nice framesets in my size. Price is the same. They are not assembled yet and therefor I cannot test them.

1. Specialized Tarmac Pro SL (2010)



2. Beone Raw (2012)



Anyone familiar with these bikes? Comfort or speed? Quality? The Beone is lighter but I am unfamiliar with the brand. Hope you guys/girls can give me some advice.

Tarmac pro sl was £4000 as a complete bike. The frame is 10r carbon and is close to pro level, and has quite a tall head tube for a racer. I am frankly astonished if the beone is lighter as the tarmac pro frame was only 100g lighter than a £2500 s works frame.

cosmaboy

Canyon ULTIMATE CF SLX 7.0 DI2

Hi, Has anyone had experience buying direct from Canyon?

What was the service like and what are the road bikes like?

I'm looking at the above bike along with a few different makes, just not convinced with buying a bike before trying...

Thanks
Mat

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3090

IrishMac

Druidor wrote:

Not cycled for a number of years & due to the lard build up around the mid section, its time to get back into it.

Will only be road use with little stopping so going Clipless

Looking into the cycle to work scheme & have decided upon the Scott Speedster 40 but cannot decide on the pedals Any views on what is a good starting out set ?

Time RXS Carbon Road or Shimano Ultegra PD-6700 Carbon SPD-SL Road are what I am currently thinking of.

I wouldn't bother with those pedals mate, especially if you're cycling for fitness. Leave them dearer pedals to those wanting to win races and need marginal gains and all that malarky.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5369 these are a good set, use them myself, all the functionality of shimano's dearer models at more than half the price Plus you can change the spring tension on them immensely, making it super easy for those starting off with clipless pedals. Start at the easiest setting and give them a half or full turn a month to up the tension until you are familiar and happy with them.

hope it helps,
C

Druidor

TY for pedal advice, just going for some standard Shimano's R540s as a starter

But the big question is

OK got my cycle to work scheme voucher went for the £1000, time for a new bicycle after so many years of muddling by on the clapped out old MB.

At odds over the Scott Speedster 40 or a Specialized Allez Sport, both look to be nice bikes anyone got these and have any feedback that they may have ?.

Scott Using Tigra Set and Specialized using Sora will have to do some trying of these shifters.

wayneh

Hi all, after lurking around for a while I thought I'd register and ask for some advice.
My work is doing a cycle to work scheme and after years of riding a hybrid I thought I'd get myself a new road bike but I haven't a clue what to look for and haven't ridden a road bike since I was a young teen when the gear shifters were on the down tube!!!
My work has picked Evans Cycles as their provider so I'm stuck with them as to where I buy my bike and I'm looking at spending between £700-£900. So far I like the look of either the Specialized Sectuer Sport Triple or the Allez Elite.
I've also seen a Pinnacle Evaporite One which at £900 for full carbon seems very cheap!? There are a couple of Claud Butler and Cannondales as well both of which have good reputations as companies that build bikes.
So what should I be looking out for? Is there a huge difference between Sora STi and Tiagras? I've seen people comment about gear changing is impossible in the drops with Sora but I believe this may have been sorted in the 2013 version? I have an external BB on my hybrid is this the norm for road bikes as well?
Sorry for so many questions and any advice that anyone can offer is much appreciated.
It be easy if I could test ride one but my nearest Evans is 120 miles away where the company head office is located

wingnuts77

Hi,

New here but need advise.

Ali or steel frame for a road bike to commute via the C2W scheme around £1000.

A friend at work suggests steel but I have no idea, so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Wingnuts