Best bike for £1000 budget?

prideofcheshire

Hi, i know this has probably been done to death but i'm just looking for some opinions.

I have a £1000 budget. The two bikes i've picked out are the Wilier La Triestina and the Pinarello FP1.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

skinson

Boardman? Focus cayo? focus culbero? kiron? Ribble? There are plenty of bikes for £1K.
Why just look at 2?
regards
dave

Mothyman

I am a beginner as well.......lots of ideas at that price on previous forums...my friend bought the Pinnacle carbon from Evans and loves it....but the purists would be suggesting more 'name' bikes like the Bianci,...Orbea gets a good report. Another mate paid 1000 for a cannondale

try to get the shimano 105 , at least carbon forks and seatpost

cheers

andy162

Hi,

I had a Focus Cayo, £1 less than a grand & was a trusty steed until I crashed it into a tree & snapped the rear triangle...ooops!

Mine had a mostly Ultegra group on & came with Aksiums. I believe that £1k buys one with 105 now due to price increases etc, but I'm sure it would still be a cracking buy for the dosh. Wiggle were ( & still are ) great to deal with too.

They ride great, look the part & are good value. That said the Boardmans do well in the roadtests & have SRAM kit for the same money(??)....tough choice.

My only gripe was the saddle, the San Marco it came with was an uncomfortable perch so that was junked in favour of a Specialized Alias.

Cheers,

Andy.

gsk82

bought a cayo 105 a couple of months ago and i think its spot on. plus wiggle give you a 7 day test ride, you dont get that at your local shop.

rhoward1978

Hi

I can pass comment on 3 bikes for you (as that’s how many I’ve ridden so far, a year on each).

Specialized Allez Elite £970 - Comfy bike but I think you can get better. The Zertz inserts certainly make the ride a bit more comfy. Comes with the usual £1k features like carbon forks and 105’s but did feel slightly heavier than it should be to me. Got it from Evans, they are really helpful I thought. A solid bike for £1k with decent components too.

Cannondale CAAD9 105 compact £1,150 (sale £949) - Near identical spec to the Allez Elite, Aluminium frame and carbon forks, 105’s etc. I actually had a problem with the shifters (nothing to do with the bike as loads of bikes have 105’s) where it got stuck in the big chain ring. The shifter had broken inside when I went to change down. Evans were very good tho, they held onto it for a month and when they couldn’t get the 105 replacement from the suppliers (Madison I think) they installed Ultegra’s free of charge! Anyway back to the bike (I don’t work for Evans!) the CAAD 9 has a very stiff frame, every single bump in the road is quite jarring so if you have a bumpy commute, and I ride from East London to Hyde Park everyday and it can get bumpy, then I wouldn’t suggest it. If you want to go up hills quickly and along flats then it is great, really responsive with such a stiff frame. The Allez seemed less harsh but softer when accelerating, like some of my energy was lost in the softness of the frame. Oh and saddle was awful! Was a Fizik thing and a pain in the proverbial! Damn good bike but just keep it off the bumps and it flies.

Felt F75 (on sale for £899 down from £1,200) - Current bike, and after the CAAD9 it feels silky smooth! At full price it’s a bit more expensive than the 2 bikes above and I think that is because it has Carbon seat stays (bits of the frame that go from the seat to the rear tyre) which makes the ride very nice over the bumps and also I think the bike is noticeably lighter. Was a little wary as haven’t heard too much about Felt (although Bradley Wiggins rides one, go Wiggo!) but the specs looked really good for the price, 105’s, carbon fork, seatstays etc. It is quicker than the other 2 I reckon purely because of the weight and definitely more comfortable than the CAAD9. In 2 weeks I’ve done about 300 miles and I love it actually, surprised myself as I really liked the cannondale but I reckon if you can get a deal on this the rear carbon seatstay is a godsend!

The other option I nearly went for which has a similar setup in the Cannondale Six as it has a whole carbon rear section. I think this would be a good bike. Never ridden full carbon but from my experience even a little bit is good, so if you can get a carbon frame then go for it i.e. Focus Cayo or Boardman or Planet X the usual suspects and let us know how it goes.

Anyway good luck buying!

Rich

rhoward1978

Oh and I reckon that with the Willier and the Pinarello you are paying over the odds for the name and sacrificing maybe a component level and frame quality, although I haven't ridden either! Just my opinion could be wrong.

Cheers

Rich

jswba

Kinesis anyone?

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

sjeffer

Planet - X, the SL Pro Carbon build for £999!

wombler

I am also looking to buy a road bike in the price range. Evans currently have the Scott Speedster S30 Ultegra on sale at GBP 999 - as the name suggests the components have been upgraded to Ultegra, which seems very good value at this price.

Anyone have any views on this bike versus Felt F75 or Focus Cayo? Lack of test ride on the Cayo seems a drawback but the reviews sound very good.

Any help gratefully received...

rhoward1978

Hello

I currently ride a Felt F75 2009. I can say I am very pleased with it having previously owned a Cannondale Caad9 (less comfortable but still very nice) and a Specialized Allez Elite (bit heavy but still a great bike).

Think they are very fine margins with bikes around this level and you wont be dissapointed with any of them. If you can find a good sale bike then grab a bargain I reckon, make sure they have your size tho sometimes this choice can be quite limited.

People rave about the Cayo, never ridden one myself and as you order it over the net it would be a hassle to order, ride and send back. I can say the F75 feels better quality (carbon seatstays and hidden cables, lighter than other aluminium bikes at this range) than the others I have owned but can't speak for carbon.

Sure you'd be haoppy with any of these, the S30 is a triple tho so got to bear that in mind. Felt has compact chainset so good on hills. And wiggins rides one, hurrah!

Cheers, sure that was no help but good luck!
Rich

cswebbo

Well there is certainly a lot of good bikes there for £1000 !!!
A mate of mine has had the Focus Cayo for 3 years and rides it all year round.
So this seems reliable and a good buy.
Pity you can only get it from one source.

The Boardman's look good too.

aarw

seen the boardman the other day that goes for £1k.

Top bike, some value.

I'd give it the once over before taking it on the road though...

passout

I went for a Ribble Nero Corsa (made by Deda) with Ultegra and Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels. It was a grand a year or so ago and I think its about 1100 now. I'm been very impressed by it - it rides well. Bike Radar did a review of the Dura Ace version - same frame and finishing kit - worth a look, as they really liked it. I got measured up in the Ribble shop in Preston and got got service there. The warehouse took a little time to build it up but overall there were no problems. The Boardman, Planet X and Focus look good value to me too. In fact none of the bikes mentioned are poor choices. When you look into it and try a few, I think that sizing, availability & spec should be your criteria.

bikerZA

The Felt F75 looks good..

I'd be inclined to stay away from Pinarello and brands like that, only worth going for when you've got a packet to spend..

wombler

Thanks for all the feedback. Doesn't seem to be an awful lot in it. Time to get off the fence and get on some bikes!

Woodchip

Likely to get linched for this, but I got a Scott Speedster S30 with Ultegra upgrade from Wheelies Direct (*spit*) from £899. Bargain in my opinion.

rhoward1978

I got my Felt F75 from Evans for £899.99. They are selling it for that at cyclelane.co.uk but Evans is way more convenient for me and they do a price matching thing where they wont be undersold. I took a printout from the web in and they did it straight away, result! Just a suggestion.

Oh and that Wheelies deal for an S30, just looked and it says £999, am I looking in the right place?

Rich

Woodchip

rhoward1978 wrote:

I got my Felt F75 from Evans for £899.99. They are selling it for that at cyclelane.co.uk but Evans is way more convenient for me and they do a price matching thing where they wont be undersold. I took a printout from the web in and they did it straight away, result! Just a suggestion.

Oh and that Wheelies deal for an S30, just looked and it says £999, am I looking in the right place?

Rich

Think you may be right at £999. It's on the ride to work scheme. I was eyeing up a Cannondale at £899 so geting confused.

wombler

Just back from Evans, test ride on Scott S30 (Ultegra Triple) and Felt F75. The two were surprisingly different. Felt F75 won it for me, with more racy riding position (Scott is more Sportive style) and slightly shorter seat-to-bars distance (I have long legs and short body, so it suited me). Also the Felt felt a bit more responsive all round and the 105 brakes definitely felt better than the Scott own-brand.

rhoward1978

Cool, buy it buy it buy it!

Woodchip

I'd agree on Scott's own brand brakes being as good at stopping you as throwing cow dung at the wheel. I think (after tyres) that's gonna be my next upgrade.

Caligari_uk

HI guys - I started a similar thread (noob alert!) before being directed to this one.

I've been using a hybrid for the last few years, but I've decided that it's time to 'upgrade' to a semi-decent racer.

I've been told (on a different forum) that the Trek 1.7 is a decent bike, but I've been looking around on this forum for the last few hours and I've read quite a few nasty things about the Trek's wheels.

The only other bike that looks interesting to me is the Focus Cayo 105 - but that's simply because it has 30+ positive reviews on Wiggle.

I''d be really grateful for any advice.

phreak

I've got a Cayo 105 and it's been superb so far. I don't really have anything to compare it against but it's been a fine bike for me thus far.

Caligari_uk

Thanks for the info, Phreak.

I was very close to ordering one from Wiggle last night - but then I started to read about this whole 'paying extra for Ultrega' malarky.

What exactly IS Ultrega, and is it worth the extra £250 that Wiggle are asking for the Ultrega Cayo (in comparison to the 105).

I'm 6' 2" and weigh quite a bit (around 13 stone - ahem). Will a cheaper carbon frame support me without warping terribly - or would I be better off on an Alu frame with carbon forks (the Trek 1.7 being a good example). Would the Cayo wheels also be strong enough, or would I have to think about upgrading?

Sorry for all the question, guys. :shock:

screebs

I'm looking for a £1k road bike through the CTW but restricted to Halfords so that rules out a few bikes.

I had hoped to look at the Orbea Onix vuelta and the Planet - X carbon bikes that come in at £999 but neither would be available from Halfords.

So, it looks like the Boardman Carbon at £999 or the Viner Gladius at £999.

Any thoughts on these? (apart from the usual Halfords moans as my current CTW bike is from there, so i know the drill!)

Any other suggestions that are Halford's friendly?

SCREEBS

rhoward1978

Caligari_uk

I weigh 13 stone and have had no probs with aluminium frames and I doubt you would warp a carbon one such as a cayo or even get close to it. As for the wheels I don't ride on any upgraded wheels and never have, just your normal Mavic CXP22 and the like on a £1000 bike and no probs at all so I wouldn't worry, I have a bumpy ride too.

Oh and Wiggle are selling the Felt F75 2009 for £805! Only sizes 54, 56 and 58!! Bugger, I paid £900 3 weeks ago for a 58. Why do I keep looking at the prices, do I think they'll go up?!?!

On Ultegra, I had a shifter problem with my 105's and a pair cost £200 and the Ultegra alternative cost £205. I don't think there is much in it as I got Ultegra and I noticed nothing. Spend extra on a frame I reckon the only diference you are paying for is the SLIGHT weight advantage probably equivalent to a full or empty water bottle!

Thanks

Rich

screebs

screebs wrote:

I'm looking for a £1k road bike through the CTW but restricted to Halfords so that rules out a few bikes.

I had hoped to look at the Orbea Onix vuelta and the Planet - X carbon bikes that come in at £999 but neither would be available from Halfords.

So, it looks like the Boardman Carbon at £999 or the Viner Gladius at £999.

Any thoughts on these? (apart from the usual Halfords moans as my current CTW bike is from there, so i know the drill!)

Any other suggestions that are Halford's friendly?

SCREEBS

anyone help?

Radixmatrix

My company is on the Halfords C2W Scheme, but Leisure Lakes and Condor also take the LOC voucher, so worth checking. Next weekend I should be collecting a Wilier La Triestina Veloce in black, which will be a change after about 18 years of mountain biking!

marklocke1974

screebs wrote:

screebs wrote:

I'm looking for a £1k road bike through the CTW but restricted to Halfords so that rules out a few bikes.

I had hoped to look at the Orbea Onix vuelta and the Planet - X carbon bikes that come in at £999 but neither would be available from Halfords.

So, it looks like the Boardman Carbon at £999 or the Viner Gladius at £999.

Any thoughts on these? (apart from the usual Halfords moans as my current CTW bike is from there, so i know the drill!)

Any other suggestions that are Halford's friendly?

SCREEBS

anyone help?

Halfords will order you in any bike you want, you will just pay RRP on it.

wombler

rhoward1978 - you said Wiggle have the Felt F75 for GBP 805. I can't find it on their site. Do you need to call them up, or is it somewhere that's not obvious?