Opinions please - which bike is best

Jims Mowing

I'm looking at spending £1500 to possibly £2000 on a new bike. The aim is to be using this machine for a granfondo or cyclosportive next year so will need to be comfortable to ride for long periods...

What do you think are my best options?

Any thoughts on the following:

A Trek Madone of some description
Specialized Roubaix
Bianchi 928

Ta.

Justpush

I 've tried the Bianchi and the Specy.

Know one call tell you which is better, you really need to test ride them all.
I can recommend epic cycles, they only stock the bianchi. But they do spend a lot of time getting the fit of the bike exactly right for you
I went to a Specy megastore pretty unimpressed with their service. However they do let you have a demo bike for several days so you could take it with you to Epic and get a better comparison.

I loved the Bianchi BTW, but as I said that's just my opinion.

6288

there are loads of bikes to choose from in the £1500 - £2k range ... willier, cannondale, pinarello (if u look about) ...

look for a 2008 bargain tho ... might be even cheaper come january ... you'll get a £2K-£2.25K bike for around £1500

and save £500 to buy a decent set of wheels ... bikes never come with wheels to match these days ... usually you get £100 shimanos or aksiums on most <£2k bikes ... they work, but won't do you or the bike justice ...

my advice ... but a cervelo soloist frame and build it with centaur and nice wheels, stem & bars ...deffo. doable for <£2k and you can get exactly what you want

morrisje

Don't forget titanium. Planet X and Sabbath Cycles seem the leading contenders. Both do Sportive specific bikes for your price range

thedaffodilfish

The one that fits you best and you're comfortable riding.

dombo6

6288 wrote:

there are loads of bikes to choose from in the £1500 - £2k range ... willier, cannondale, pinarello (if u look about) ...

look for a 2008 bargain tho ... might be even cheaper come january ... you'll get a £2K-£2.25K bike for around £1500

and save £500 to buy a decent set of wheels ... bikes never come with wheels to match these days ... usually you get £100 shimanos or aksiums on most <£2k bikes ... they work, but won't do you or the bike justice ...

my advice ... but a cervelo soloist frame and build it with centaur and nice wheels, stem & bars ...deffo. doable for <£2k and you can get exactly what you want

Second that re the wheels. My Lemond Buenos Aires came with Bontrager Race wheels that rrp at £160 (10% of the bike rrp). Upgraded to Easton EA90 SLX and made a huge difference.

turkeytickler

bianchi

always

wilwil

Jims Mowing wrote:

I'm looking at spending £1500 to possibly £2000 on a new bike. The aim is to be using this machine for a granfondo or cyclosportive next year so will need to be comfortable to ride for long periods...

What do you think are my best options?

Any thoughts on the following:

A Trek Madone of some description
Specialized Roubaix
Bianchi 928

Ta.

I have Wilier Izoard and I would like to replace it with a Cervelo RS and I want to ride sportives. When I bought the Izoard i didn't think I would end up riding long distances. Having ridden the Cervelo for a weekend I realised I bought the wrong bike. You can get good deals on 08 models at Stonehenge Cycles. However they say the Roubaix is just as comfy.

If that's the Bianchi with the bent down tube, I just couldn't stand to look at it.

Chicago Dave

it's not the bike,it's how well it fits.
sooo many riders tool around on ill fitting rides.
get fitted.

wilwil

Chicago Dave wrote:

it's not the bike,it's how well it fits.
sooo many riders tool around on ill fitting rides.
get fitted.

My bike fits me perfectly, thanks.

rockmount

For that money I'd be tempted by an Orbea Onix TDF :-)

chriskempton

Chicago Dave wrote:

it's not the bike,it's how well it fits.
sooo many riders tool around on ill fitting rides.
get fitted.

You can 'get fitted' to just about any bike as long as you buy the right size. I find adjusting the saddle height and fore/aft, then getting the stem length and height sorted helpful.

Excuse my sarcasm, but the post is about what bike to choose, and there's no need to do that based on fit.

wildmoustache

the problem with the madone is the rear hanger has to be replaced by Trek ... it is part of the bike and can only be done by then.

they are very nice apart from that.

i don't like the look of the roubaix which would be enough to rule it out for me.

perhaps throw the net a bit wider?

Jims Mowing

Hadn't considered the Orbea but I will do now.

The reason I was including the Roubaix was that it is supposed to be comfortable and quite a durable bike.

brit66

Cervelo S1?

It's has a professional race proven frame, and is highly regarded from what I've read.

I'll certainly be test riding one soon.

giant_man

Why go for the predictable makes? The three you have mentioned I wouldn't touch with a barge pole, not individual enough for me, but everyone is different and choice is a personal thing. Why not something in ti or steel for long distance comfort.

markos1963

Jims Mowing wrote:

Hadn't considered the Orbea but I will do now.

The reason I was including the Roubaix was that it is supposed to be comfortable and quite a durable bike.

As an owner of an Onix I can certainly recommend it, I have had a great season on it this year. For your money you could get quite a good build on it as there are some bargains around at the moment. But as the others have said fit is the most important consideration.

Andrew_J

Just taken the plunge on a Bianchi 928 and am loving it so far but as i have only managed to get out on it once since Purchase last Friday (Ice and Man Flue) i am probably not the best to comment, lovely bike & great detail, can't wait to get out on it again.