Today I went to Epic Cycles and I.......

londonlivvy

Certainly planning to make the most of Epic's advice and shall be asking plenty of questions, both stupid and otherwise - that's why I'm going after all - but always interesting to have other people's opinions beforehand.

Personally I think the Orbea's are by far the best looking bikes they stock, but I know it's not all about looks! The Look bikes are also interesting though - anyone got one?

il_principe

londonlivvy wrote:

oh, and yes of course LiT, I'll say hi from you.

I'm hoping to try out a few, certainly! Any other recommendations in the under 2.5k bracket?

Very excited...

Pinarello. Kinda like a Vine, but better.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Il Principe wrote:

Cervelo. Kinda like a Pinarello, but better.

Fixed that right up for ya!

Who's going to do the next version

itboffin

Greg66 wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Cervelo. Kinda like a Pinarello, but better.

Fixed that right up for ya!

Who's going to do the next version

Hybrids, kinda like a road bike, but better

stuaff

Il Principe wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

oh, and yes of course LiT, I'll say hi from you.

I'm hoping to try out a few, certainly! Any other recommendations in the under 2.5k bracket?

Very excited...

Pinarello. Kinda like a Vine, but better.

Well, I've never tried riding a vine, but I imagine it would be a bit uncomfortable. And slow.

lost_in_thought

Greg66 wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Campagnolo. Kinda like Shimano, but better.

Fixed that right up for ya!

Who's going to do the next version

Better. Closer. Warmer.

gabriel959

In the 2.5k bracket I would have a look at the following

Orbea Opal
Argon Gallium
Look 566
Scott Addict

il_principe

Pinarello FP3'd be worth a look.

londonlivvy

Thanks for all the thoughts, folk. I loved Epic cycles - such nice people. Helpful and informative without being overpowering/intimidating.

Also loved the Orca. Responsive, fast, exciting.
Tried the viner magnifica - sorry LiT but not remotely a fan. I thought it was rather like driving a volvo. Comfy, nice, reassuring, sure. But exciting, not so much.

Pretty much 99.5% certain I want the Orca but feel I should probably try more bikes before I cough up the large amounts of ££ but can't face another day trip up there via bike/train/bike - totally battered now. Can anyone recommend a nice bike shop in London who have exciting bikes please? Oh, and who let you road test them, obv, I'm not spending that much money purely on the basis of looks!

gabriel959

londonlivvy wrote:

Thanks for all the thoughts, folk. I loved Epic cycles - such nice people. Helpful and informative without being overpowering/intimidating.

Also loved the Orca. Responsive, fast, exciting.
Tried the viner magnifica - sorry LiT but not remotely a fan. I thought it was rather like driving a volvo. Comfy, nice, reassuring, sure. But exciting, not so much.

Pretty much 99.5% certain I want the Orca but feel I should probably try more bikes before I cough up the large amounts of ££ but can't face another day trip up there via bike/train/bike - totally battered now. Can anyone recommend a nice bike shop in London who have exciting bikes please? Oh, and who let you road test them, obv, I'm not spending that much money purely on the basis of looks!

Doesn't surprise me that you prefer the Orca but the Magnifica is an entry frame carbon frame so not really a like for like comparison. If you like the Orca you will probably also like the BH G5 and may be even the Scott Addict in that price band.

jonginge

londonlivvy wrote:

Thanks for all the thoughts, folk. I loved Epic cycles - such nice people. Helpful and informative without being overpowering/intimidating.

Also loved the Orca. Responsive, fast, exciting.
Tried the viner magnifica - sorry LiT but not remotely a fan. I thought it was rather like driving a volvo. Comfy, nice, reassuring, sure. But exciting, not so much.

Pretty much 99.5% certain I want the Orca but feel I should probably try more bikes before I cough up the large amounts of ££ but can't face another day trip up there via bike/train/bike - totally battered now. Can anyone recommend a nice bike shop in London who have exciting bikes please? Oh, and who let you road test them, obv, I'm not spending that much money purely on the basis of looks!

mmm Orca

You could try Prologue in sheen. They have plenty much bike pr0n and are pretty decent guys. They've got Scott/Giant/Colnago/Cube. Pretty sure I saw a Ridley Noah in there one time too...

greg66_tri_v2.0

londonlivvy wrote:

Can anyone recommend a nice bike shop in London who have exciting bikes please? Oh, and who let you road test them, obv, I'm not spending that much money purely on the basis of looks!

Hmm. GB Cycles in Croydon. Sigma in Kingston. Condor in Holborn. De Ver in Streatham.

GB & De Ver I'd say are nice. Sigma & Condor can be pretty intimidating; depends which member of staff you get.

Not sure which ones would let you test ride.

Do you know what frame size you're after, or want to step into the murky water and post your dimensions online? And would you consider buying a frameset, gruppo, wheels & other stuff separately?

cjcp

Livvy - +1 what Greg said about Sigma. Was in there today and they can appear aloof.

If you can't road test them, don't buy from them. And you'll need more than a trip round the block. You need to get a feel for position etc. In truth, you can only get used to a bike after a couple of hours IME, but you still need to test ride it.

stuaff

londonlivvy wrote:

Thanks for all the thoughts, folk. I loved Epic cycles - such nice people. Helpful and informative without being overpowering/intimidating.

Also loved the Orca. Responsive, fast, exciting.
Tried the viner magnifica - sorry LiT but not remotely a fan. I thought it was rather like driving a volvo. Comfy, nice, reassuring, sure. But exciting, not so much.

Pretty much 99.5% certain I want the Orca but feel I should probably try more bikes before I cough up the large amounts of ££ but can't face another day trip up there via bike/train/bike - totally battered now. Can anyone recommend a nice bike shop in London who have exciting bikes please? Oh, and who let you road test them, obv, I'm not spending that much money purely on the basis of looks!

Volvo? I'm somewhat bemused by that description. If it was a Volvo, it'd have to be one of the loony ones (T5 etc). Yes it's comfy, but quick too (even with me on it). I may be an old fart but I'm not ready for a Pashley armchair just yet!! Really good at mile-munching. Apart from SCR Wales, so far been round the IOW, three FNRttCs (London to Whitstable, Southend, Brighton), regular 30-40 milers at weekends...takes it all in its stride. Agreed though, it's fairly low end, the Orca's a top-end frame, it is after all good enough for pro teams, certainly wouldn't say no myself....Magnifica's probably more of a Spesh Roubaix-type 'comfort bike', Orca more of a pure racer. And you can't get an Orca for £1200 (like the Magnifica special Epic have at the mo). From the Viner range, the Volata (renamed 09 Perfecta frame) or the new Perfecta would be a better match I think, similar price to the Orca Classic, for the Volata at least. Both available with custom frame sizing at no extra charge.
Another rather shorter train trip is my LBS, Velocity. Orbea & Felt dealers (and Viner, should you fancy trying my suggestions).

londonlivvy

Gabriel you're right that it's not entirely a fair comparison between the Orca and the Viner - and Stuaff I wasn't implying they can't go fast (LiT is evidence of that, frankly), more that it didn't inspire me to put my foot down. I think the Viner (in my short and rather basic opinion) would be brilliant if I was going to do a lands end to john o groats type thing of days in the saddle. But I'm not. I'm mostly thinking of one-day sportives - which is why I'm leaning more towards the Orca.

I am v.aware that I'm not that knowledgeable about set ups etc, which is why the prospect of buying from Epic appeals - they take the time to set you up on a bike, put you on a turbo, watch you ride, make adjustments accordingly etc. So I'd be as damn sure as I could be that I was set up to make the most of whichever bike I got.

Most bike shops in london wouldn't have the space or the time to do that, I'd think. Am I wrong?

I like GB cycles - they've always been friendly to me. But where would you test ride from GB? It's in the midst of Croydon as I recall. Prologue are near RP at least, if they'll let you test ride. Do they do proper set ups? I Maybe I'll head up to Epic again in January just to make sure. I liked the look of the Argon ones but didn't get a chance to test ride it as it was getting dark. I'm not a fan of scott bikes particularly - rented a carbon one in the Alps for three days and had no desire to keep it afterwards which I think is a fairly long road test as these go!

Frame size I'm looking at a 54 - I've a long torso and (very) short legs.
Height - 176 (inside leg a massive 77!)
bottom bracket to seat : 69.5
diagonal from edge of handlebars to seat : 80
not sure what the other measurements are - very happy to confess if it'll help with advice!
thoughts/ smart remarks welcome!

lost_in_thought

londonlivvy wrote:

Thanks for all the thoughts, folk. I loved Epic cycles - such nice people. Helpful and informative without being overpowering/intimidating.

Also loved the Orca. Responsive, fast, exciting.
Tried the viner magnifica - sorry LiT but not remotely a fan. I thought it was rather like driving a volvo. Comfy, nice, reassuring, sure. But exciting, not so much.

Pretty much 99.5% certain I want the Orca but feel I should probably try more bikes before I cough up the large amounts of ££ but can't face another day trip up there via bike/train/bike - totally battered now. Can anyone recommend a nice bike shop in London who have exciting bikes please? Oh, and who let you road test them, obv, I'm not spending that much money purely on the basis of looks!

Oh, don't worry, I wasn't a huge fan of the one I tried in-store (can't remember which it was), I agree it was rather spongy, I felt like the back tyre was flat for the entire ride. The maxima, otoh, is a very different beast...

They're great up there, aren't they?

I have to say, if you're anything like me you're going to get the Orca and are just trying other bikes to ease your conscience, knowing they won't measure up. Why waste time? :P

Anyway, Mosquito and Bespoke Cycles are both high-end stockists who'll let you ride bikes - Bespoke offered me a week's test. Bespoke is run by a fellow called Barry Scott (who must just love Cillit Bang ads) - info@bespokecycling.com but I can't find the details for Mosquito. Greg66 may have them.

NGale

Il Principe wrote:

Pinarello FP3'd be worth a look.

Ooooooooh pink! me wants!

londonlivvy

lost_in_thought wrote:

I have to say, if you're anything like me you're going to get the Orca and are just trying other bikes to ease your conscience, knowing they won't measure up. Why waste time? :P
.

umn. yeah. you might be on to something there, LiT. But it feels like SUCH a lot of money and given that I've never bought a high end bike before (Hybrid at £450 was previous most expensive bike, current race bike a 9 year old Monoc, bought second hand off a mate), I feel I should research the market etc.

Bespoke sound frightfully intimidatingly technical. Are you sure they wouldn't just laugh at me and tell me to go to Evans?

lost_in_thought

londonlivvy wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

I have to say, if you're anything like me you're going to get the Orca and are just trying other bikes to ease your conscience, knowing they won't measure up. Why waste time? :P
.

umn. yeah. you might be on to something there, LiT. But it feels like SUCH a lot of money and given that I've never bought a high end bike before (Hybrid at £450 was previous most expensive bike, current race bike a 9 year old Monoc, bought second hand off a mate), I feel I should research the market etc.

Bespoke sound frightfully intimidatingly technical. Are you sure they wouldn't just laugh at me and tell me to go to Evans?

Teeheehee! I knew it... The most expensive bike I'd bought before the Maxima was £225 - my fixie - so I totally know where you're coming from.

Bespoke are very high-end, no doubt about it, but the guy is absolutely lovely, not snobby at all. He made me a tea and carried my handbag for me - I was on crutches when I went there, and his office/showroom is down some stairs! Mosquito are very nearby, but I didn't make it over there at the time.

jonginge

I think you're going for the Orca. The following is just FYI

londonlivvy wrote:

Prologue are near RP at least, if they'll let you test ride. Do they do proper set ups?

According to their blurb they do: http://www.prologuebikes.com/women_p.asp I've also seen them measuring with customers sat on a turbo.

I'd be very surprised if they didn't allow a thorough road test. They lent me a bike bag for the Wales SCR trip when the one I ordered didn't arrive in time. Good people but that doesn't matter if they don't have the bike you want...

stuaff

londonlivvy wrote:

Gabriel you're right that it's not entirely a fair comparison between the Orca and the Viner - and Stuaff I wasn't implying they can't go fast (LiT is evidence of that, frankly), more that it didn't inspire me to put my foot down. I think the Viner (in my short and rather basic opinion) would be brilliant if I was going to do a lands end to john o groats type thing of days in the saddle. But I'm not. I'm mostly thinking of one-day sportives - which is why I'm leaning more towards the Orca.

I am v.aware that I'm not that knowledgeable about set ups etc, which is why the prospect of buying from Epic appeals - they take the time to set you up on a bike, put you on a turbo, watch you ride, make adjustments accordingly etc. So I'd be as damn sure as I could be that I was set up to make the most of whichever bike I got.

Most bike shops in london wouldn't have the space or the time to do that, I'd think. Am I wrong?

I like GB cycles - they've always been friendly to me. But where would you test ride from GB? It's in the midst of Croydon as I recall. Prologue are near RP at least, if they'll let you test ride. Do they do proper set ups? I Maybe I'll head up to Epic again in January just to make sure. I liked the look of the Argon ones but didn't get a chance to test ride it as it was getting dark. I'm not a fan of scott bikes particularly - rented a carbon one in the Alps for three days and had no desire to keep it afterwards which I think is a fairly long road test as these go!

Frame size I'm looking at a 54 - I've a long torso and (very) short legs.
Height - 176 (inside leg a massive 77!)
bottom bracket to seat : 69.5
diagonal from edge of handlebars to seat : 80
not sure what the other measurements are - very happy to confess if it'll help with advice!
thoughts/ smart remarks welcome!

You and LiT (if it was indeed a Magnifica she tested) seem to have ridden a completely different bike from me. Admittedly, I'm no expert either- last road bike I had before it was an old Peugeot a decade ago, absolutely rock hard that was- but I've never found it spongy. I have no doubt the Maxima is better in so many tangible and intangible ways, of course (for a start, LiT's must be at least a kilo lighter, with the better frame, Record instead of Veloce, carbon post, flash wheels..), but your remarks, and the BR review of the Magnifica, seem to me to imply that the bike didn't quite fit either of you two ladies right, just like Cycling + using the wrong tester. I got the right size, happily enough, and once Velocity did a fit it was bang on. But of course, even with all that in mind, the Orca would almost certainly be better for you- better quality frame, etc....As I said, I'm pretty sure I'd be happy with one!
If you're an unusual size, you might want to reconsider the Viner options....better to have a bike made to fit than one that happens to, possibly...Volata frameset is £1650, Perfecta £2k, both made-to-measure. Was it the Orca 2010 or the Classic you tried, btw?

londonlivvy

Thanks JonGinge. I'll pop into Prologue this week for a chat if poss as they're near my work and see whether they're friendly / scary whatever. As mentioned, I think I want the Orca Classic but as I've never really ridden anything else in that market, feel like I should research more (the words of my father ringing in my subconscious, no doubt).

Stuaff, of course bikes are individual things and will suit some people's riding styles and not others - which is not to say that the Magnifica's rubbish, far from it, it just didn't excite me. And I want a bike that does. Taste (in terms of looks) is also a highly personal thing and I happen to find the Orca a thing of loveliness.

stuaff

londonlivvy wrote:

Stuaff, of course bikes are individual things and will suit some people's riding styles and not others - which is not to say that the Magnifica's rubbish, far from it, it just didn't excite me. And I want a bike that does. Taste (in terms of looks) is also a highly personal thing and I happen to find the Orca a thing of loveliness.

Wouldn't argue with that- you want something a bit racier, I'm definitely glad I got something a little softer (to some). Though I find it exciting enough (perhaps it's my age! Planning to do the British Legion's London to Paris ride this year, and definitely wouldn't want something too stiff for that.....
I like the Orca's looks myself- certainly I'd look at one if I was in the market for a new bike at that sort of money. Memo to self: do not ask for a test ride next time I'm in Velocity

gabriel959

The Orca's are lovely - when I have the money, if I ever do I am planning to get an Orca myself!

greg66_tri_v2.0

LL - I'd be interested to see what you make of an R3. It would bust yer budget, as the 09 framesets still floating around are 1750 or so, and then you're looking at 2-300 for wheels and maybe 600 for a gruppo. Plus saddle (kinda essential), stem, bars and sundries.

If you're interested, I'm not likely to use Bike 2 much over Xmas, so you could have it on an extended test. It's a 56, so not ideally sized, but would give you a pretty good idea of what the frame is like.

itboffin

When I was working in Boston earlier this year I came across an R3 with full top of the range Sram for $4500 okay so it's n ot 2 to the pound anymore but it's still much cheaper and you get a holiday thrown in

Great snow in Boston over winter

londonlivvy

Stuaff, you're right - the Orca is not a bike I'd want to ride to Paris on, but I did that last year and no intention of doing it again, so fortunately I don't need to include that in my thinking.

Greg66, that's an incredibly generous offer - thank you - but am going to be down in deepest darkest Cornwall over xmas/ny and I find the lanes too scary to ride bikes on (barely one car width, with walls either side and drivers who drive like their wife is about to give birth any moment now).

Itboffin, as it happens I have a friend who's just moved to New England and who has a rather large house in which to welcome visitors... But wouldt customs require you to pay tax on it? or only if it looked new (and I'm sure it could be dirty after riding round the hills round there for a few days).

gabriel959

StuAff wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

Stuaff, of course bikes are individual things and will suit some people's riding styles and not others - which is not to say that the Magnifica's rubbish, far from it, it just didn't excite me. And I want a bike that does. Taste (in terms of looks) is also a highly personal thing and I happen to find the Orca a thing of loveliness.

Wouldn't argue with that- you want something a bit racier, I'm definitely glad I got something a little softer (to some). Though I find it exciting enough (perhaps it's my age! Planning to do the British Legion's London to Paris ride this year, and definitely wouldn't want something too stiff for that.....
I like the Orca's looks myself- certainly I'd look at one if I was in the market for a new bike at that sort of money. Memo to self: do not ask for a test ride next time I'm in Velocity

Pro riders have completed the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España using the Orca. Those are 3000km tours in 3 weeks...

londonlivvy

gabriel959 wrote:

Pro riders have completed the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España using the Orca. Those are 3000km tours in 3 weeks...

True. But those cyclists are a) very hard b) good and c) professional. I am none of the above...

stuaff

[/quote]
Pro riders have completed the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España using the Orca. Those are 3000km tours in 3 weeks...[/quote]
Indeed so. Comfort is of course an important factor for those guys too...