I have~ £3000 to spend, where do I start...

andy.dennis@ubs.com

Hi,

a newbie to the forum so please be kind:-)

I have a TCR that is about 5 years old, a s a birthday present to myself I am looking to upgrade to a new machine, with some savings in the bank I have around 3K to blow and more importantly I have the go ahead from the wife to do so:-) ( I know she will make me pay for it in the long run)

I find the TCR very unstable at speed (over 35mph she speed wobbles like hell), which I would really like to come away from

I mainly do distance rides, not competitions and would like to have any recommendations you may have to help me narrow the field down

rgds Andy

The Mechanic

Give it to me, I'll take care of it for you

markos1963

Welcome to the forum Andy.
Well with £3k to spend you're going to get a lot of personal favourites recommended on here.

I think your problems with speed wobble on the TCR are probably not related to the frame, more likely wheels or tyres out of balance, 35 mph isn't a high speed on a race orinated bike so something wrong there.

As for a bike I would say find a frame that suits and then go for a custom build using parts that you want. If its long rides and no competition then if it were me I would go for a titanium frame, Ultegra SL or Chorus groupset and a handbuilt wheelset using Chris King hubs with Open Pro rims.

Nuggs

Heaps to choose from with that budget. How about an Orca, Colnago CLX, Cervelo R3 (use your current wheels to (try to) come in on budget, Time Speeder, Tarmac, Roubaix or Storck Scenario?

andy.dennis@ubs.com - really a good idea to put your work email address as your username?

Best regards,
Nuggs@pimponthefulhamroad.com

meagain

At that money and as non-competition.....titanium I reckon.

andy.dennis@ubs.com

thanks for the advice so far, seems the choice is endless, but not a bad position to be in I guess

Like the look of the cervelo and the colnago

I have tried other wheels on t he TCR and that makes no difference, eliminating teh tyres and wheels, I have checked the headset for play and nothing seems wrong there.
very frigtening when it kicks off :-(

inseine

I'm in exactly the same position except I love my 5 year old TCR and will probably get the new Advanced. As far as the speed wobble goes, well I've never had problems with mine and I've done dozens of road races, crits and mountain sportives on it. It's not the most rigid frame, I agree and maybe your a lot stronger than me but have you tried other bikes for comparison?

Anonymous

I'd also go for Ti...

AyrshireBacon

Are you sure you have the agreement of your wife. Apparently this is sometimes not all it seems...



Wouldn't want you to get this bit wrong

andy.dennis@ubs.com

lol, I will never understand the workings of a woman:-)

Mettan

andy.dennis@ubs.com wrote:

Hi,

a newbie to the forum so please be kind:-)

I have a TCR that is about 5 years old, a s a birthday present to myself I am looking to upgrade to a new machine, with some savings in the bank I have around 3K to blow and more importantly I have the go ahead from the wife to do so:-) ( I know she will make me pay for it in the long run)

I find the TCR very unstable at speed (over 35mph she speed wobbles like hell), which I would really like to come away from

I mainly do distance rides, not competitions and would like to have any recommendations you may have to help me narrow the field down

rgds Andy

If it was me personally with 3K, I wouldn't waste it all on 1 bike - I'd get a "modest" priced Road bike and say a cheap QuintanaRoo TT bike (ie 2 bikes) and some nice Wheels - ie sell both original sets and get 2 new sets (ie training and racing) - since you don't currently compete, how about a reasonably good Road bike and 2 sets of Wheels ? - One set could be your general "leisure/every day" wheels (Shamal Ultras, Kysrium SL's, 7850's) and the other some Deep carbon Aero wheels - obviously, you dont need two sets of wheels, but with 3K, and for the "fun factor" it might be nice doing a flat 50 miler or whatever with your Deep carbon Aero wheels on a summer's day etc.

Just some fun ideas given that you've got a good wodge of cash there. You might end up very bored if you blow it all on one thing, so eek out as much as possible with it. Make sure you get insurance aswell.

Monty Dog

You've got a huge choice with an infinite number of options. Contrary to what OPs have said about TCRs, speed wobble was quite prevalent a few years ago but fortunately by all accounts the latest Giants don't suffer from the same problems.
Your first choice will probably whether you want to go for carbon, titanium or even steel. If you're planning to keep the bike for a while and looking for something that's timeless then titanium or the latest 953 or XCR stainless tubesets might be worth considering - also if you plan on taking your bike on a plane for durability.
If you have the need for speed, then a carbon frame will probably feel more direct and responsive and you have a huge choice.
I'd try and test ride a few bikes and read plenty of reviews to narrow down your choice plus it might be worth getting a bit fit done as it may help to refine your search for a geometry that suits you.

FSR_XC

What an enviable position to be in.

As Mettan says, I would not buy one bike and if I were getting just one, I wouldn't spend that much. With so many very good bikes around the £2k mark, I would find it hard (even with the cash in hand) to justify anything better.

Personally I would have both MTB & road bike, but that's not for everyone.

sandbag

paying 1500+ you can get a competition bike that be fast but very comfortable on long rides. paying around 2500 you get the best gearset and better wheels that be comfy still. you can get good craftmanship for that price on a custom bike.

get this awesome bike with just enough left for some good accessories.

2009 model

The Columbus SLX monocoque frame with stiffening ribs along with the tubing delivers a superb mix of performance, comfort and lightness with a great value for money.

http://www.cinelli.it/scripts/prodotti. ... IdBici=497

sandbag

Orbrea bikes are great, desirable. fast, comfortable. check out the Orbea Orca.

http://www.epic-cycles.co.uk/orbea.htm

sandbag

what is your winters like?

get 2 bikes. 2K will get you a top decent bike. use in summer so as not to get wet as much. with cash left over get another bike for winter. you have 2 good bikes.

hotspur

Note to self.

Got to get me a job at UBS.

APIII

Personally I'd rather have 1 nice £3k bike than two average ones. As has already been said, pick a few that you like the look of (it's unlikely you'll find a bad bike for £3k), read the reviews, get measured to see if any have geometries that 'fit' you better i.e. some bikes might require a lot of spacers to get the handlebar height right, which isn't very attractive and is more flexy. I'd focus on the frame and wheels, as I've never really noticed much of a difference in the various levels of groupset. The Orbea orca is a real looker. You might get a better deal buying a complete bike 'off the peg' but probably more satisfying to get a custom build with your frame of choice

Monty Dog

I'd stick to one bike for £3k - particularly if you're planning on keeping it as the quality of finish on higher groupsets is better, the feel better, need less fettling and last longer. My experience of £1k bikes is that whilst they're good when new, but too many corners are cut e.g. cheaper wheels, brakes and other comonents. My choice would be a Chorus groupset and some decent, robust wheels like Shamals, Ksyriums or DTs.

on-yer-bike

andy.dennis@ubs.com wrote:

Hi,

a newbie to the forum so please be kind:-)

I have a TCR that is about 5 years old, a s a birthday present to myself I am looking to upgrade to a new machine, with some savings in the bank I have around 3K to blow and more importantly I have the go ahead from the wife to do so:-) ( I know she will make me pay for it in the long run)

I find the TCR very unstable at speed (over 35mph she speed wobbles like hell), which I would really like to come away from

I mainly do distance rides, not competitions and would like to have any recommendations you may have to help me narrow the field down

rgds Andy

Get the correct geometry for what you want to do on it and how flexible you are. Cervelo RS for long distance riding and comfort (although still fast) an R3 if you are more flexible and want a racier position. An R3 or equivalent will be silly with 40 mm of spacers and an upturned stem.
Titanium is probably just as delicate as carbon, the tubes are wafer thin in the middle, as I have witnessed on a friend's Litespeed. Cervelo frames have a lifetime warranty.
I have an RS and I bought a Specialized Allez off ebay for £280.00 for bad weather riding.

dbg

Get yourself to a really good specialist roadie shop (Epic Cycles Tenbury Wells cannot be recommended highly enough) they have loads of choice at that price and excellent advice

andy.dennis@ubs.com

some really good advice coming through, I knew this was a good place to come to:-)

Loving the Cervelo, specialised roubiax, Orbea suggestions so far...

gavintc

If you have £3000, I would propose that you spec the bike yourself. choose and buy and good carbon frame. By doing this you are not left with a sub-standard set of wheels or a pig iron heavy stem and bar. It will cost you a little bit more, but you know every bit and more importantly, you know where the corners have been cut with that compromise.

edeverett

Someones got to say it: have you thought about having a getting something custom from your local frame builder?

If this is going to be a special bike that will last you for a while it's something you should seriously consider. The whole process of going and getting fitted and discussing you needs over a cup of tea and then having something hand built for you will make the bike (in your eyes) exponentially lovelier than anyone else's bike.

I'd go for something like a Brian Rouke 953 frame (with disk brakes!?), some hand built wheels on lovely hubs and whatever group set I could get with the leftovers. (I already have a ti frame from Justin Burls so would like to try steel)

swissj

The roubaix is a good idea and I know you dont compete just like me, but I bought a roubaix and felt limited by its top end speed.

as a result that is now a long distance summer bike and I spent £2400 on an aero Felt AR4 for those days I wanna go really quick, and boy does it fly!

So what I'm trying to say is, look at what you want from your new machine and make sure you tick all your boxes. Don't compromise cos you don't have to with your budget.

By the way, make sure pick one that looks sweeeeet. I had to get 'permission' to spend my money on a new bike too as my missus has no interest in cycling.

However, when she saw it her first words were, niiiiice bike. She's a shallow creature and the good thing is she's never complained about it since just 'cos it looks nice!

Me:1 Missus:0