Old question- which bike

markmod

Hi I have looking for carbon bike in the sub £2000 price area. I will be using it for training, everday commuting to work (countryside 15 miles), distance trips with a cycle club (when i'm fitter) and some sporty stuff hopefully. I currently ride a mountain bike on the road which is heavy and hard work!

I'm a big guy 6ft 2" and 15 stone...

I have narrowed it down to a couple of bikes that I have road tested and like the 'feel' of the ride.

1 is the Scott cr1 pro...which ticks all the boxes, fast, sporty, right price. not bad looks, and good spec and light to ride.

2 is a Viner frame (2007/ 2008) which is apparently hand made and will be built to my own spec. Either Ultegra SL or Campag Centaur (more on this later)

I will buy a couple of everyday work horse wheel tyres for everyday comute (fulcrum 7s)

I can't make up my mind on a couple of points...which is he one to go for...

The Scott CR1 is a proven bike...although massed produced, it's one fine light bike (880 gms?)...perhps too light for me...'harsh' sporty 'f1 style' ride feels very racy and eager... but it doesnt have the WOW factor for me...it looks good but so do many other bikes? I'm also concerned that its perhaps too light for me? (breakages and pot holes? etc)

I reckon it feels very different to what I am used to which is a good thing...as remember i do want to get 'sporty' with what ever I buy later....

the other option is the Viner based on the 2007/ 2008 carbon frame (a handbuilt rework of a Dedacciai frame http://www.dedacciai.com/home_eng.html -different seat stays/ triangle and then handbuilt at the Italian Viner factory)

This is a leap of faith...a name not known to many (not sure how that will effect resale when I want to upgrade/ sell?) but they appear to heave good reputation indeed.

see here http://www.velocitybikes.co.uk/info/vinerroad.htm

The bike is different to ride... more comfortable and is heavier 1100 gm but would be a better mile eater I believe and easier for the commute. It has more of the WOW factor than the Scott and is 'something different' being rarer. but is this the safe option as regards the ride, will I live to regret buying the one wit the not so light and sporty feel, and am I taking the chance on an Italian unknown?

I also have a decision to make on groupset ...the Scott CR1 is ultegra and the Viner is campag Centaur...I rode both the Shimano felt smooth and was easy to use the Campag felt different and was harder to use with the hood thumb shift feeling slightly awkward and out the way of my thumbs....

So another choice do i go Scott or go Viner...If I go Viner do I go Ultegra SL or stick with the Capag Centaur (this look lovely and the best of the two with its Carbon brake levers etc) and just get used to the thumb hood levers over time (as I sure I will) Which is best for commuting longevity, an is it sacrilige (spelling?) to fit an Italian bike with non italian groupset?

Any help/ opinions/ thoughts on the above would be great...thanks.

vintage

If I wanted an exclusive boutique bike I would get the viner. Personally I prefer campag over shimano ( i have had bikes with 105, dura ace and carbon chorus). The braking is more responsive as too is the gear shifting, it feels more direct (I like the clunk). Also, if flandira bikes is to be belived, centaur is also lighter than standard ultegra (a suprise to me - centaur 2474g, ultegra 2579g). I do believe that ultegra sl is 100g lighter than standard ultegra though.

The Cr1 is based around a frame using older carbon technology, although it was admittedly ahead of its time. Secondly you see loads of them on the roads. They are a racers bike so if out and out performance is your thing the scott will make a great bike. The frame has also been used by pro tour teams over long distance events and should be comfortable enough over distance with the right fit and build.

Personally I would go for the Viner based on its aesthetics, and kudos. But I am a bit of a bike snob. Alternatively head over to Planet X bikes and pick up one of their carbon frames and pimp it up with a great build.

Al_38

So basically it comes down to choosing between a harsher stiffer ride and one that is smoother.
Unless you are a real weight weenie personally I wouldn't get too hung up on the frame weight (although I have a sub 900g frame...) the quoted weights might be for a small or a medium or whatever and so for your size (large or a 58 I'd guess) the actual difference in frame weight might be different to what you expect. Also the difference in weight of the frame could be counter-acted by taking a big poo before you go out...
With regards to the ride it is a trade off between that racy feel you want and longer ride comfort. Have you had a chance to ride both on a longer ride? When you say sportier stuff do you mean racing and sportives? Would you be happy on the scott or the viner for those longer periods of time?
Both frames should be up to taking your weight fine I should expect, so that probably wouldn't be an issue. I'm sure there are lots of people who have a cr1 and have no issues at all in that area.
Viner, while not as well known as scott are still a well known brand in cycling I would say, people always seem to find less well known brands to bid for on ebay. The average reader of most cycling magazines will almost certainly know who viner are too.
Personally, I have a habit of buying slightly obscure brands simply because I like having something that little bit different to the majority of people, I feel it makes the bike that little bit more special.

As for groupests, I like campag more although it did take a while to get used to the shifting compared to my other shimano bike. Both these groupsets work well, so the main deciding factor should be on the shifter design IMO, which has the comfier hoods for you and the better shifting mechanism. If you custom build the viner you could also use SRAM, which is different again.
I'm definetly with you on the campag having the sex appeal with carbon cranks and shifters.
Shimano is definetly the most common out of the 3 and you would find it the most easy to get spares for as most LBS carry shimano but would probably have to order campag/sram bits.
Some people might say that you shouldn't put non italian kit on an italian frame, they are just being bike snobs especially when you consider how few "italian" frames are 100% made in italy.

Hope this helps
Al

Chip \'oyler

As I own a Carbon Viner I would say go for it with Campag Centaur.

You won't regret it.