What Road Bike?

mini99

Where in Oz?

Adelaide .... 8)

Monty Zoncolan

I wonder if I might hop on this thread. I'm usually a frequenter of the Pro Race section but am about to buy a new road bike under the cycle to work scheme, now I've finished paying off the last one (MTB).

Basically, my choice looks like coming down to:

Pinarello FP1 (Shimano Tiagra)

Cannondale Synapse (Shimano 105)

Specialized Secteur Elite (SRAM Apex)

Wilier Lavaredo (Campagnolo Veloce)

Each comes in at £999 apart from the Wilier which is £899.

Naturally I'll be checking them out in person, but in addition to that, does anyone have any experience or views generally on any of these bikes, or even the components that they each have?

Many thanks.

cyberknight

I was in a similar position , looking for a bike and everyone told me go with the sram bike as apex allows you to run a 32 tooth rear cassette for those real granny ring hills.

the_spooks

Rather than starting the inevitable new what bike thread thought I would use the sticky.
Been cycling for 6 months now on a MTB ( now fitted with semi slicks) commuting on this @40 + miles twice weekly weather dependant and cycling for fun at the weekends mainly on cycle tracks but don't mind the road. In total done just under a 1000 miles so feel that a road bike should be next in my arsenal.
As I say I have a Rev traid MTB and have an ole Peugeot that is gonna become my commuter when I get time , have a v small budget for a road bike of perhaps up to £300-400 so looking at 3-4 year old ebay specials. Im not looking for miracles or a TDF winner but something that when you point it at a hill wont let you down or kill you trying to climb with. I know very little about bikes if im honest so any information would be appreciated.
Meant to say say some Treks1200, Specialised Allez and items such as this for around the kinda budget I have, although me being a short arse ( 5' 6"ish) is not helping in finding a second hand bike.

the_spooks

Completely disregard that previous post, just bought a Cube Attempt yesterday and after a 38 mile test on it, I'll admit that I cant use clip in pedals, I loved it.
First road bike so cant compare it to anything but what a difference to my MTB and ole commuter.
Only thing im annoyed about is my inability to clip in, fell twice as a result. With a C2C coming up on Thursday I will fit my MTB flats and have a blast before I try and master the art of clipping in.
S

CakeyPirate

Just adding my question to the bottom of the list, hope someone can offer me a bit of advice or an alternative

Im looking for a new road bike, having had an accident on my old bike (and now planning to retire it to a single speed commuting tool). Im planning to spend up to around £2500.

The sort of riding I'll be doing on this bike is evening / weekend pleasure jaunts, I average 19 - 21mph dependant on conditions and do ~100 miles a week (always looking to challenge myself and get further faster but not really interested in racing others).

My choice of bike would be a Pinarello FP Quattro (kinda heavy wheels, ultegra groupset, racy frame, great service from a great LBS on this option)

Alternatives might be:
Storck Scenero (great reviews, anyone ridden one?)
Kuota Kharma (Ultegra group and reynolds assault wheels)
Look 566 (Rival group / ksyrium elite)
Moda Stretto (Ultegra, Am Classic 420 Aero 3 wheels)

Id like to visit a shop to buy the bike, rather than getting something sized / specced over the web, as I trust pros to set up my bike more than I do my own judgement (I can be a bit dumb at times...)

Many thanks for any help!

moorw003

Hi. I've got a mountain bike but am now looking to purchase a road bike instead as I've moved and am now doing communiting on roads which are flatter and of much better quality.

My budget is around £500, and whilst I'm not a complete novice when it comes to searching around, I'd like a little advice. This bike is interesting me atm...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0580741724

Would anyone here like to give me a rundown on whether it seems like a good purchase. Cheers

woodbloke

What are views on the Cannondale Super Six?...seems to constantly get good reviews - Rob

pmannion9

Just bought a SuperSix 3 weeks ago.
Beautiful bike. Love it....
Very light - great lcimber and not bad on flat either...
Have had weird problem with a bit of creaking from BB30. Think it is just a bedding in issue - hopefully...

timboo

hi i have £2000 to spend on a bike so far I have founds a jamis xenith pro 2011
as below
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jam ... e-ec025751

the only other bikes that seem to be standing out to me are the ribble build your own.


any advice would be great prior to me deciding

timboo

hi i have £2000 to spend on a bike so far I have founds a jamis xenith pro 2011
as below
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jam ... e-ec025751

the only other bikes that seem to be standing out to me are the ribble build your own.


any advice would be great prior to me deciding

timboo

apologies if my thread sounded abrupt it wasn't meant to be lol. I can still not find much info on jamis other than the sl model that gets good reviews however that bike is 3.5K.

I have bought a couple of mags now and am edgin towards a ribble bike and equipping it with SRAM force or ultegra not decided yet.
Again if anyone could help with their suggestions or alternatives I'd be very greatful

timboo

done some further research whilst waiting for any responses and found an even better alternative now

I have found a rose pro carbon rs4400 will full sram force groupset and the addition of an sram red crank, the bike also comes with mavic cosmic carbone sl rims.



all other parts such as stem, seat post and handlebars will be fsa, the seat post carbon the rest ali.



Just waiting for the site to confirm the bottom bracket and chain to confirm they are all sram force.



bike will come in at just under 7kg and cost £2047.80

timboo

after much more research I think I'm going to opt for a kuota road bike. The company were very helpful and have a quick turn around for build/delivery.

I would like to thank this forum for so much help in assisting me make my decision. Bike radar is a very good source for reviews on pretty much all cycling specs/componants however unfortunately I didn't receive any response from the forum side of things to my disappointment.

Nik Cube

I am considering buying a look 586 fitted with SRAM force (if I buy it I might change the group set to ultgera - shimano is righ SRAM so not so)

Any thoughts

It's a new build and only 3700 with fulcrum zeros

speedygonecrossy

Hi Everyone
New here and new to road cycling. I have been cycling on my Boardman Hybrid Comp for the last 4 months and I have got the bug and I am looking around at the mine field that is Road Bikes. Can anyone please recomend me one? Below are some bikes that I have been looking into and like, can you give me any info on them and point me towards some other makes/bikes aswell?

Trek Mandane 3.1 2012 Model £1500.00
Giant TCR Composite 3 £1300.00
Giant TCR Composite 2 £1500.00
SPECIALIZED TARMAC ELITE SL2 £1300

Thanks for your help.

jonbristol

ummm....felt f85 (10 speed shimano, tapered head tube, carbon seat post, proper carbon fork)-£799 or felt z85 (10 speed 105, proper carbon fork, carbon seatpost) - £899

dont just read and believe what forum contributors say - get to a local bike shop and try some out.

born2jive

Would anyone be able to offer advice on the bike below. I'm seriously considering it as it's within my budget but am not sure on the merits of the various parts etc.

http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/light-lapie ... nt_5392059

Any help is much appreciated!

noiseboyfeetman

timboo wrote:

I would like to thank this forum for so much help in assisting me make my decision. Bike radar is a very good source for reviews on pretty much all cycling specs/componants however unfortunately I didn't receive any response from the forum side of things to my disappointment.

Well I have to say asking about specific bikes in this thread is a complete waste of time, your better off just starting a new thread, although you'd think asking in a specific dedicated thread would be the logical thing to do!

The forum is generally a very helpful place so don't let the lack of response put you off.

Bouncypete

I know to some this might be a little off-topic but hopefully someone can offer me some advice.

I'm in the market for an new bike in the £500 bracket.

I've always had Mountain bikes as I used to prefer to ride off road but just lately I've started to enjoy riding quite roads, lanes and Sustrans National Cycle Routes.

I'm 47 now and deep down I fancy doing what for me, is a decent long distance ride of a few hundred miles and taking three days to do it. As a result I'm likely to need to ride a few NCR's. However my overall plan is to use the bike for 80%-90% normal road use and the remainder riding NCR's.

I've used road tyres on my full suspension mountain bike when riding on the road but I want something that will cover far greater distances or a faster average speed than I can achieve on my mountain bike.

I'd buy a full road bike but I'm not sure it would be right. I wouldn't be looking to ride anything rougher than a National cycleway but could it take it? Could I use a normal road bike with cyclocross tyres when using NCR's and switch back to normal road tyres when I'm not?

If not, what sort of bike should I buy?

1 Road bike/sportive road bike.
2 Flat bar racer.
3 Cyclocross
4 Hybrid.

Versailles

stronginthesun wrote:

spend a grand and it will be good , no matter what make ect . only you can make yourself go faster ,

I agree but components to play a big role, and sadly the good stuff is very expensive.

jbone

Im new to road biking and have got slightly under £1000 to get a bike I am looking at:

-Focus Cayo 105 (£880) (following the merits of this post) - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/focus-cayo-105-ltd-2011/

-Ribble Sportive Bianco (£942) http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/specialed ... ERC&bike=1

-Specialized allez comp 2011 (£875) http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/speciali ... 62083.html

-Ribble 7005 Ultralite Race (with 105 Groupset £845) - http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/specialed ... ERC&bike=1

Any thoughts or advice, is the extra money getting me anything comparing the Sportive Bianco and Cayo 105?

If it makes any difference selecting between carbon and Al, I weigh about 80kg and am 6ft. I spoke to a few people in LBS and they all recommended staying away from Carbon at this price point as it is a lower grade and flexes too much...I'm a bit lost, so much conflicting advice!

snakes77

I brought my first road bike back in 2010 i went for the Fuji roubauix 3 £549 and i love this bike , !! does everything you'd want it to, it' sbecome my winter bike proper now, got hooked some much so i went full carbon in 2011.. even if i had a dogma id still be riding my fuji i just love it

August104

Need advise on a bike my local bike shop can get me. It is a 2010 Felt FC with 2012 Ultegra components that I can get for 2,100, I like the 2011 F-series model better but for my price range the highest component package I would be able to afford would be Shimano 105. So I either get a very good frame with lower grade components or get get a older frame with higher grade components. I am currently riding a trek 1.2 so whatever I get it will be a large improvement, and it will be my race bike.

elshiftos

Hi,
I have long legs, a short reach, don't like loud colours, hate steep sloping top tubes and think massively long seatposts look daft.

As a very casual rider who doesn't want to spend over £500, would I be considered a lost cause? :-)

El

Achamore

Thinking of going for a Jamis Quest - like the look of it and its got good old fashioned steel to soak up the bumps. Anyone had any experience with these?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jam ... e-ec031758

ByersVictory

Im looking for a decent road bike at a budget !
Ive seen this at Winstanley is it any good ?

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2010

i do about 60 miles per week, and live in Saddleworth regularly riding some hills in and around the area.
But plan on a weekend ride once a year - That obviously not such a major factor.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated, I can maintain my bike but i know next to nowt about buying one ! By that I mean whats a good buy with good components.

Thanks in advance.

ps Although I want a bike I dont have much cash to buy one, budget £800 and im pushing it really.

JordanMB

Where are people finding the Giant SCR4 for £350? I cant find it for this price BUT i would absolutely love to buy it for my first road bike, it looks really nice with a good spec.


Sorry I only just realized that the thread was created in 2008 so I probably wont find that bike anymore, hmm, I really don't know what to buy now I have been looking for about 2-3 hours every day the past week and I still cant decide, there's too many to decide upon and too many factors. Anyone know a solid £300-400 entry level road bike that wont disappoint me? my only experience of road cycling is an old Peugeot 1980s/1990s Steel frame bike that actually was quiet nice surprisingly

cheese string

Monty Zoncolan wrote:

I wonder if I might hop on this thread. I'm usually a frequenter of the Pro Race section but am about to buy a new road bike under the cycle to work scheme, now I've finished paying off the last one (MTB).

Basically, my choice looks like coming down to:

Pinarello FP1 (Shimano Tiagra)

Cannondale Synapse (Shimano 105)

Specialized Secteur Elite (SRAM Apex)

Wilier Lavaredo (Campagnolo Veloce)

Each comes in at £999 apart from the Wilier which is £899.

Naturally I'll be checking them out in person, but in addition to that, does anyone have any experience or views generally on any of these bikes, or even the components that they each have?

Many thanks.

I dont know anyone who owns one yet but the Mekk Poggio 2 at £999 certainly delivers some quality components and a carbon frame.Might be worth considering along with the others. Might be tempted myself... anyone got any thoughts on the Mekk offering :?

the_fuggler

JordanMB wrote:

Where are people finding the Giant SCR4 for £350? I cant find it for this price BUT i would absolutely love to buy it for my first road bike, it looks really nice with a good spec.


Sorry I only just realized that the thread was created in 2008 so I probably wont find that bike anymore, hmm, I really don't know what to buy now I have been looking for about 2-3 hours every day the past week and I still cant decide, there's too many to decide upon and too many factors. Anyone know a solid £300-400 entry level road bike that wont disappoint me? my only experience of road cycling is an old Peugeot 1980s/1990s Steel frame bike that actually was quiet nice surprisingly

Do you have a branch of Decathlon near you? Might be worth looking at the Triban 3 (300 quid) or Triban 5 (500 quid):

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-id_8167038.html