What Road Bike?

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Comments

  • caw35slr
    caw35slr Posts: 439
    The end-of-season sales will be upon us soon. Can I ask the Bike radar team to ditch this old list (it's from May 2008) and come up with a 2009 list?

    I'm in the market for a women's bike for my wife so a recommendation for entry-level women's bikes would be welcome.
  • CarpetFitter
    CarpetFitter Posts: 23
    caw35slr wrote:
    The end-of-season sales will be upon us soon. Can I ask the Bike radar team to ditch this old list (it's from May 2008) and come up with a 2009 list?

    I'm in the market for a women's bike for my wife so a recommendation for entry-level women's bikes would be welcome.

    On that note - when roughly do the end-of-season sales start?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    About now...
  • SgtFinaldo
    SgtFinaldo Posts: 54
    I started cycling about four months on a Ridley Eos, and since, with spells of laziness, have clocked up 1700km. Its been a good bike, no defects or problems. Having spent near €400 on it with FSA carbon stem and seatpost along with Mavic Aksiums, I wont be selling as I have a soft spot for its heavy robust look. And the Tiagra groupset worked in all conditions, which is amazing as I only cleaned it about 3 times!

    So now I'm looking for a lighter steed. Something that can help me slash the lap times around my area and beast the routes I have laid out in my head.
    And not having a credit card, and not trusting the banks, I find myself in a tricky position in regards to not getting ripped off.
    I was a bit lucky with the Ridley. €750 for the lot, and they threw in the parts I mentioned for a fantastic €350. But times are tight right now. They have upped the prices in their store, and every one knows just how expensive things are over here in Ireland.

    And Ribble have stated on their site they take cheque/bankdraft. Which is a godsend if you ask me.
    So having built a very lightweight bike for just over £1600, I'm wondering should i go with Ribble, or the reliability and the reviews of Focus.

    The specs are:-

    -Ribble Deda EM2 Blacktail (Alu frame with carbon rear) 950g (White)
    -Deda Black wave Carbon forks 340g
    -Shimano Ultegra Ice SL 1788g
    -Shimano Ultegra SL 6600 Clincher Wheels 1687g
    -Deda 215 Anatomical road bars 215g
    -Newton 26 Handlebar Stem 125g (100mm)
    -Selle Italia C2 Gelflow Saddle 245g (Blue)
    -USE Alien Aluminium Cyclops Seatpillar 166g (Silver)
    -Michelin Speedium 2 Folding Tyre 285g (Blue/Black)
    -Deda Blue hadlebar tape (Blue).

    Total weight: 6086g (so far)
    Cost £1614
    Thats with no pedals, no computer, no bottle cage, headset weight unknown, brake and gear wiring weight to be added on etc.,

    Am I mad??
    Must go faster.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    The Ultegra is quite a bit heavier than that... (2345g)

    Plus there is rim tape, skewers and inner tube.

    Headsets are about 100g.

    It will still be light though. Whether it rides well or not, I've not a clue!
  • SgtFinaldo
    SgtFinaldo Posts: 54
    keep getting my kg mixed up with lb.......
    For the spec tho i think its a bargain.

    But have also been looking at the Trek Madone 4.5......
    Must go faster.
  • andyr6
    andyr6 Posts: 1
    Anyone know anything about the Kona Zing? Reviews of it are pretty scarce...

    My beloved old GT ZR 2 road bike was stolen so I need a replacement and the Kona looks good for the money (currently £800 in Evans). I'm a marathon runner so bike is used for breaking up the monotony of training, occasional bi-athlons, just going fast etc. I'm not fussed about spec, make or the latest materials but had 105 on my old bike.

    I had a short ride on the Kona (alu frame, carbon forks, 105) and it fitted me ok and seemed light, responsive and stable when booting it out of corners and more compliant / less painful than my old GT over bumps in the road. I didn't get set up properly before the ride but was happy enough with the fit and the short drops suit my runnerly inflexibility.

    Is it worth spending more for a full or part carbon frame - I'm a bit worried about long ride comfort?

    Any views on CycloCross bikes? They seem heavy from a brief throw about in the shops, and I realise they're not designed for long days out, but I can see the benefits of them.

    Views and opinions welcome, thanks!
  • JayD77
    JayD77 Posts: 11
    >>Is it worth spending more for a full or part carbon frame - I'm a bit worried about long ride comfort?

    I'm on my first proper road bike, a Bianchi Via Nirone 7. Ride comfort is very good in my experience. As long as you can accept that the frame is not as stiff as one would probably like to have if racing, you'll be happy. The main construction is ALU with carbon rear and front forks. Bianchi claim their C2C class of bikes are meant for long ride comfort. Depending on the groupset one pairs with the frame one can move the price point to one's liking. I've been happy with my purchase so far.

    And to completely answer your question, yes, I think it is worth the extra money to at least get a part carbon frame.
  • desperate73
    desperate73 Posts: 135
    If anyone's looking I've bought a 2009 Claud Butler Milano for £479 from my lbs all made up and fully warranted (Jul'09)
    Account requested to be deleted
  • SgtFinaldo
    SgtFinaldo Posts: 54
    I thought part carbon frames have a quite a bit of flex due to the way they handle the rider and the road.
    And that they dont last as long as full carbon or full alu frames....
    Must go faster.
  • salj
    salj Posts: 9
    just saw in a bike shop a NEW litespeed siena full dura ace, king headset--marked down from $5,900 to $3,900. (not incl. pedals)

    i've been riding a litespeed tuscany and love it. but it's a friends and they don't make them anymore.

    this is obviously a lot of money so am wanting to be sure i am making the right choice.

    is it a good price?
    is there anything I need to be asking them, checking on?
    is this a good bike?

    anyone any thoughts? (I"m new on the forum so forgive me if I've posted this in the wrong place)

    Thanks for your advice!
  • madden13
    madden13 Posts: 1
    I'm new to the sport and want to get an entry level bike for triathlaons and road riding on the weekends. I'm willing to spend a little extra money to get a good bike with some decent components. I've visited many bike shops and have it narrowed down to 3 bikes. I need some advice from here. I'm torn between the 2010 Trek 2.3 (shimano 105, bontragger race wheels, alum frame.) the 2010 Specialized Allez Elite (shimano 105, alum. frame) and the 2010 Cannondale CAAD9 4 (SRAM, shimano RD10 wheels, alum frame). All of these bikes are in my price range.
  • tonyeynon
    tonyeynon Posts: 114
    [quote="
    £1000
    At this price, you should be looking at a carbon frame (light and strong), probably with a 10sp cassette on the back. The bikes most often recommended on the Forum are the Focus or Planet X.

    o Focus Cayo (£999): has garnered very good reviews (C+ bike of the year 2007; best bike under £1k in Cycling Weekly: ‘It's very hard not to recommend the Cayo. It's a good ride, has a near perfect choice of components and thanks to the quality of the frame it's worthy of upgrade at a later date. Despite the specification, this is not actually an £1800 bike. Frankly we have never seen such a well appointed bike at such a low price.’). German-made (‘nuff said??), and sold solely through Wiggle – so the downside is that you can’t try it out in the shop first. But then, that’s true of both Planet X and Ribble as well… Road Cycling gave it 10/10 and said: ‘Remove the price tag and you'd be convinced you're looking at a bike with a price far nearer that of £2000. After a fair amount of riding the Cayo, we've struggled to find anything really wrong with. Don't let the price tag convince you this is a bike aimed at beginners, while it's perfect for those new to road riding, those with a few more miles under their bums should take a serious look at the Cayo.’
    o Planet X SL Pro Carbon (£942): a lot of bike for the money, and highly rated by many on the forum.[/quote]

    Are these two still the best options for around a grand? The reviews are a couple of years old now so I was just wondering if they were still the best options? I could got to £1.5k if mad much difference? Thanks :)
    There is nothing more unequal, than the equal treatment of unequals!
  • STEFANOS4784
    STEFANOS4784 Posts: 4,109
    At the mo the Planet x Ultegra build is regarded as pretty darn good:
    http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/
    winter beast: http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff016.jpg
    Summer beast; http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff015.jpg
  • glasgowbhoy
    glasgowbhoy Posts: 1,341
    madden13 wrote:
    I'm new to the sport and want to get an entry level bike for triathlaons and road riding on the weekends. I'm willing to spend a little extra money to get a good bike with some decent components. I've visited many bike shops and have it narrowed down to 3 bikes. I need some advice from here. I'm torn between the 2010 Trek 2.3 (shimano 105, bontragger race wheels, alum frame.) the 2010 Specialized Allez Elite (shimano 105, alum. frame) and the 2010 Cannondale CAAD9 4 (SRAM, shimano RD10 wheels, alum frame). All of these bikes are in my price range.

    All very similar. I'd go for the one that feels the best on the demo ride, that looks the nicest to you and from the shop where you feel comfortable buying from.

    That said if I had to choose one of the 3 I'd go for the Cannondale, only because I don't see as many of them.
  • Speed_King
    Speed_King Posts: 510
    edited December 2009
    All of these comments are very good and basically say the same thing which is buy either focus or planet X i like both but am very put off by the fact tht both have no workshops to look them over and visit therefore you have to find a LBS you trust to service it providing they are familiar with the bike!!
    Secondly you got to travel a long way for a Ribble or a planet X if you wanna try b4 you buy or trust tht the bike will be flawless when you get it and any rider worth their brains will want to look at the bike in person before spending all their dosh they saved or be seriously disapointed???

    Now tht has been said i want an opinion on two i have shortlisted got a budget of £1600 (insurance compensation) The Trek 2010 2.5 with full ultegra, or the Boardman Pro Carbon with full Sram Force inc carbon cranks and kitted out with Ritchey WCS trim inc rims? Which would you choose andwhy? Can you post only PM replies please so i dont have to filter all my mail ta!
    G.H.Allum
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Speed_King wrote:
    Secondly you got to travel a long way for a Ribble

    Meh, it's not that far, could cycle there.
    I like bikes...

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  • Speed_King
    Speed_King Posts: 510
    Not when i live in Aylesbury and they are up north some where lol
    G.H.Allum
  • Squillinossett
    Squillinossett Posts: 1,678
    Speed_King wrote:
    All of these comments are very good and basically say the same thing which is buy either focus or planet X i like both but am very put off by the fact tht both have no workshops to look them over and visit therefore you have to find a LBS you trust to service it providing they are familiar with the bike!!
    Secondly you got to travel a long way for a Ribble or a planet X if you wanna try b4 you buy or trust tht the bike will be flawless when you get it and any rider worth their brains will want to look at the bike in person before spending all their dosh they saved or be seriously disapointed???

    Now tht has been said i want an opinion on two i have shortlisted got a budget of £1600 (insurance compensation) The Trek 2010 2.5 with full ultegra, or the Boardman Pro Carbon with full Sram Force inc carbon cranks and kitted out with Ritchey WCS trim inc rims? Which would you choose andwhy? Can you post only PM replies please so i dont have to filter all my mail ta!

    Boardman.

    I have a Trek 1.5 and Boardman Team Carbon on order. IMHO after riding both, Boardman wins hands down
  • Speed_King
    Speed_King Posts: 510
    Also want to add to the mix the exceptionally great priced planet X ex team riders specced sl pro carbon at £899

    Check it out http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/aca ... ARA18.html
    G.H.Allum
  • ketsbaia
    ketsbaia Posts: 1,718
    *dips toe in water*

    Afternoon all.

    I'm looking to buy something that will make it marginally easier to haul myself over the cols of the Marmotte this July and have a budget of around £2.5k. Been looking into either a Planet X with Dura Ace on it or a Focus Izalco Pro 2 (like everyone else on this forum, it seems :lol:).

    I'd kind of come down on the side of the Focus (although the Fulcrum 5 wheels put me off a bit), but then a wild card came along in the shape of Ribble's Sportive Racing. I specced up their frame with the lovely Campag Super Record 11 groupset and some light if fairly boring Mavic Ksyrium Elite 09 wheels and, from what I can work out, the weight comes in at just under 6kg, which is ludicrously light for a bike that comes in at just over my budget.

    Anything I should be particularly aware of about any of the above choices? The obvious drawback with all of them is that I can't just go and try them out, but the flipside is I don't really want to go and buy an off the peg model I can try that will be a good couple of kilos heavier or with less impressive spec. Or both.

    Or is it simply just a case of sticking the names in a hat? :lol:
    One more gear

    Strava profile
  • TimoH
    TimoH Posts: 120
    ketsbaia wrote:
    *
    I'm looking to buy something that will make it marginally easier to haul myself over the cols of the Marmotte this July and have a budget of around £2.5k. Been looking into either a Planet X with Dura Ace on it or a Focus Izalco Pro 2 (like everyone else on this forum, it seems :lol:).

    With that budget, I would be tempted to go for a Planet X Ti Pro Road (or Sportive, if you prefer shorter top tube) with Ultegra groupset and Fulcrum Racing Zero wheels. Good wheels get you closer to Nirvana than top-of-the-line groupset.

    http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/aca ... _1649.html

    If you buy by tomorrow (Wed) midnight, the price would be a tad below 2k. After hat, it's 20% more expensive.
    Or is it simply just a case of sticking the names in a hat? :lol:

    That's a valid method as well...
  • gillcycles
    gillcycles Posts: 1
    I wouldn't bother with a Ribble .. they used to be well made .. they aren't now (IMHO )
    Planet X is better (but not many dealers and where is your backup?)
    Trek and Specialized do fantastic Sportive bikes (Madone and Roubaix respectively)
    Cube are coming on the scene with their Agree GTC .. that's worth a look too.

    Get good frame and good wheels above all else ! .. other kit you can upgrade.
    Consider your gearing options .. too many people walking up hills they could ride if they had a triple :D

    Get your bike sized correctly for you, especially if you want to ride 100+ miles !
  • Clockworkali
    Clockworkali Posts: 113
    I would go for the Focus as the frame is so much better made and finished than the Planet X.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Hi
    Has anyone looked at the Valdora road bikes on bikesales4u.com . Full carbon aero frame with 5 year warranty and three bike build options ?
  • FZ6_Jones
    FZ6_Jones Posts: 3
    hi
    Firstly have a trek ex8 mtb so im not looking for a half road half off road bike.But I have a shitty £100 raleigh bike that has died a death that I used on the roads .
    soo i now have a budget of around £500 and want a road bike.
    Buuut I live in the country so theres a fair few pot holes always some gravel on steep downhill bends where i don't fancy loosing the front end and the occaisional bumpy bit where they tried to fix the pot holes but made them into mole hills oh and it rains too surprisingly.
    sorry this is a bit of an essay is it worth geting a hybrid like the trek7500( or another bike with a very short travel fork on) since it has a tiny shock built into the headset I believe to take some bumps away and not perfectly slick tyres .
    Or would just a road bike with fatter more rouged tyres be worth it and just man up for the bumps?
    thanks
    wyn
  • FZ6_Jones
    FZ6_Jones Posts: 3
    oh yeah and i fancy trying to commute to work maybe 2/3 times a week if i can be arsed 10 miles each way. tiny miles compared to some of you here
  • speedyspud
    speedyspud Posts: 3
    I have just bought, second hand, a Mercur 90 road bike. I cannot find anything about them. Can anybody help?
    Many thanks,
    Speedyspud
  • Paulb157
    Paulb157 Posts: 1
    What would people suggest as the better bike for sportives - Giant Defy 3 Advanced or Boardman Pro Carbon?
  • skellator3
    skellator3 Posts: 200
    i just ordered my new road bike i know some of you will laugh but its stunning, light and great value

    its a
    Raleigh Avanti Team
    Full dura ace, rs80 wheels
    only 6.9 kilos

    http://www.cyclelife.com/ProductDetail. ... 14&pg=4902
    dont only ride a bike

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