Whats the perfect Sportive Bike ?

Ingle Pingle
Ingle Pingle Posts: 27
edited January 2009 in Workshop
As Title, whats the best sportive bike, and what features should a good Sportive bike have ?

Comments

  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    a comfortable riding position and tyres which aren't going to puncture every 15 miles. Apart from that, the world's yer oyster....
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    this one:
    08062008120.jpg

    love it - all-day comfort, great riding postion, weighs bugger all, looks the biz
  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    One that fits, and is in budget.
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • bazbadger
    bazbadger Posts: 553
    one with a compact chainset!

    After doing the Exmoor beast on a 53/39 I can say it would have been much easier with a compact
    Mens agitat molem
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    Spesh Roubaix. And no, I don't have one :(
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    You have quite a choice available. Some people say steel, some say titanium, and of course for comfort you have carbon. Almost any frame with a longer head tube and 'sportive or audax capabilities will fit the bill.

    Of the ti examples you have the Planet X sportive and the Enigma Etape:

    http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/?page_id=1113

    http://www.enigmabikes.com/index.php?_a ... oductId=12

    And of steel

    http://www.enigmabikes.com/index.php?_a ... oductId=21

    But really, in carbon imo, mudguards or not, any half decent frame will do a sportive, most of them comfortably with the right geometry.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    Grifter
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • Ingle Pingle
    Ingle Pingle Posts: 27
    ok, thanks.
    To be more specific - is Shimano or Campag prefered? Compact or triple chainset?
    (i am quite heavy so help when the terrain goes up is welcome)

    that Specialized looks nice Gkerr4 - what model is it and can you fit mudguards/rack?
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    Ingle Pingle wrote:
    ok, thanks.
    To be more specific - is Shimano or Campag prefered? Compact or triple chainset?
    (i am quite heavy so help when the terrain goes up is welcome)

    that Specialized looks nice Gkerr4 - what model is it and can you fit mudguards/rack?

    it's a (well documented on here!) 2008 S-Works Roubaix build up by myself with Campag Centaur Carbon groupset and campag Eurus Wheels.

    For this year it has (or will) receive a couple of updates - a set of 2008 campag record ergo shifters, a set of vittoria open corsa evo tyres, a set of cinelli Neo Morphe ergo handlebars with the new specialized 'roubaix' bar tape and since I am a bike tart it has another campag centaur carbon bottle cage!

    shimano / campag is a bit of a personal preference point really - not much odds for sportives other than "what are you hands most comfortable with?" - since they are going to be attached to the hoods / bars for a lot of hours they need to be comfy!

    again - triple v compact - personal preference really - triple is slightly heavier but not ebough to matter much - I have changed from triple to compact with this bike and it seems fine - as wide a gear ratio as the triple, but obviously with a bigger jump between chainrings!
  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    Ingle Pingle wrote:
    what features should a good Sportive bike have ?

    Amongst other things, Light-rimmed wheels - compared to a basic set of Aksiums (for example) you'll appreciate a 1300-1500g set of wheels on a Sportive (if money's no object). Obviously, you can quite happily ride a Sportive on a heavier set - if you're on a budget, Planet X Model B's or Kore Gradients might fit the bill.

    And if you're quite heavy, and possibly a newer rider, serious consider a Triple. As is always the case, on fresh legs, getting up a 15-20 % hill is easy - problem comes, when you have to face the same after 80 hilly miles in your legs.
  • colint
    colint Posts: 1,707
    Trek Madone won sportive bike of the year this year, beating the spesh
    Planet X N2A
    Trek Cobia 29er
  • GyatsoLa
    GyatsoLa Posts: 667
    The other vital thing that nobody mentions are couplings of some sort. With airline and bus restrictions these days, to be able to pack the bike down into a compact box will make it much easier for you to go do your sportifs and grand fondos.... so I'd say something like a Seven Axiom with S&S couplings or a Ritchey Breakaway (ti or steel) are ideal.
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    GyatsoLa wrote:
    The other vital thing that nobody mentions are couplings of some sort.

    not really 'vital' for the Tour of Pembrokeshire though, is it..??
  • GyatsoLa
    GyatsoLa Posts: 667
    softlad wrote:
    GyatsoLa wrote:
    The other vital thing that nobody mentions are couplings of some sort.

    not really 'vital' for the Tour of Pembrokeshire though, is it..??

    It is if you live in Ireland and want to fly or get a bus to take part in it.
  • Richard_D
    Richard_D Posts: 320
    How would these compare with my tricross. I am looking for something a bit faster than the tricross but am not after anything particularly radical as I am not that interested in racing.
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    your tricross is pretty comfy - the same geometry as an allez so less radical than a tarmac but less laid back than a roubaix

    however - the tricross isn't light as it is beefed up for cyclo-cross

    nor is it particularly aero as it has chunky forks and sticky-out brake caliper things

    that said - it would probably make a decent long distance ride because of it;s geometry (as long as it fits you)
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    The tricross doesn't have the same geometry as the allez, different frames and dimensions as the tricross is for cx. You were thinking of the langster which does have the allez frame.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    you are right - sorry - I stand corrected - they are actually very different!

    Size for size - the tricross and allez have a similar effective top tube length but the tricross has a taller seattube to give a closer-to-horizontal TT frame - it has a much longer wheelbase but a shorter headtube (but then it will have a higher fork crown for tyre clearance so bar height is possibly fairly similar..

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