Advice on a bike around £500-£700

trevtherev

I have been so thrilled at the handling and sheer exhilaration of riding my defy 01 that I am now considering selling off my genesis day 01 as here



and picking up a seond commuting bike ( the idea being to keep the defy 01 for good days and have the second bike for the bad weather etc )
I find it impossible to ride the genesis day 01 after riding the defy, the handling is awful and i much prefer the positioning and acceleration that comes with a road bike ( pity I didn't realize this some 3 years ago when I bought the genesis)

So with this in mind I have short listed the following 3....what do you think
Kona Honky Tonk, I love the idea of steel and the real retro look to this bike
Bianchi Via Nirone 7 To own a Bianchi would be a dream...
Specialized Allez Sport a great alternative to a giant defy

Now I am not being greedy here I just find it impossible to ride the genesis after the defy...I think the defy 1 is unbelievable and would prefer a second road bike....

Out of the 3 I lean towards the Kona Honky Tonk with its retro look and the down levers which reminds me of being a kid again
What are your thoughts and recommendations

Barkiesnake

If you love the Defy 1 so much why not look at the defy 2.5. It falls neatly into your price range and although slightly lower spec than the defy 1 it shares the same handling characteristics and is a mighty fine bike.

STEFANOS4784

I would use the defy through the summer whilst saving up and then by an uber nice bike later. Otherwise you'll end up with a hankering for some carbon 8)

gkerr4

STEFANOS4784 wrote:

I would use the defy through the summer whilst saving up and then by an uber nice bike later. Otherwise you'll end up with a hankering for some carbon 8)

agreed!

seek to save up for a posh bike and relagate the defy to winter use.

the yearnings for "even posher" bikes will come - oh yes, they will.

AndyOgy

I love these forums. Whenever anyone asks - Should I do A, B or C?, the answers are always D,E or F.

I've got the Allez and I love it. I initially got it for commuting 22 miles a day but then I lost my job. I'm now discovering the joys of 50 mile road rides in the countryside on weekday mornings when the roads are nice and quiet.

From what I've read on these forums, it is generally the most recommended road bike in it's price range.

rally200

OP you've followed the same path as most of the rest of us. if you've got space keep the Genesis , you wont get a lot for it -its great to have the old hybrid (since written off as a mistaken purchase) to hate. use it when the weather's really cr@p & never clean it, leave it somewhere dodgy, lend it to drunk mates - ha, that'll show it

trevtherev

i like the look of the ribble winter trainer looks great value and would take guards and racks...anyone got one?

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/SpecialEditionBikes.asp

ian_s

I too would be interested in how the Ribble winter compares with the DEFY, both with a view to potential winter/year round use.