Looks good value

nigeve

After hearing you guys talking so positively about wiggle I thought I’d have butchers myself. I was actually after a Gore-Tex jacket and I spotted this… Thought it looked rather good value for money, if I can get over the name…

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Ralei ... 360045523/



The trouble is, if one stretches the boat out a little further you find stuff like this…

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Batta ... 360045660/

:shock:

DonDaddyD

If you're spending £1000+ on a road bike, from wiggle and it has to be carbon (or not),

Get a Focus Cayo - with the spec that meets your price range.

gabriel959

The thing is if you go over £1200-£1300 then there are plenty of good options. Planet-X, Ribble, Orbea, Scott, Focus …

I reckon for a grand that Raleigh looks good, 105 full groupset and nice finishing kit from FSA and a Prologo saddle. The wheels are probably not great but hey you could keep them as training wheels and get yourself some nice ones if you feel the need.

DonDaddyD

I read a review of the raleigh came up a little short in the quality department, I remember the review saying Raleigh is on it's way back but not this year and that makes me think you can get better bike for your money...

nigeve

I have to be honest and say for an extra couple of hundred I'd be so tempted to by a Ribble... Although I still don’t know enough about all the manufacturers...
One of the reasons I bought a Rocky Mountain was because I liked the idea of them making their frames in Canada. Are there any road bike manufacturers who don’t use frames from Taiwan..?

rolf_f

nigeve wrote:

Are there any road bike manufacturers who don’t use frames from Taiwan..?

This is handmade in Italy - £1199. All Italian componentry too.

nigeve

Rolf, looks tip top to me... I'll investigate... Thanks :-)

rolf_f

nigeve wrote:

Rolf, looks tip top to me... I'll investigate... Thanks :-)

Forgot to mention - the frame is made to measure on that one too 8)

gabriel959

It is not full carbon though and the componentry is a bit iffy if you don’t mind me saying.

If you are going to spend over 1k on an Alu frame, get a Cannondale CAAD9

rolf_f

gabriel959 wrote:

It is not full carbon though and the componentry is a bit iffy if you don’t mind me saying.

If you are going to spend over 1k on an Alu frame, get a Cannondale CAAD9

Miche have been going for longer than Campag and Shimano as far as I know and the Viner Racing team apparently use Miche kit. True - it isn't full carbon(but it does have a carbon rear triangle unlike the Cannondale) but it is made in Europe and it is made to fit which I doubt the Cannondale is (though I think it is at least made in the US if a US bike is what you want). Depends if you want to spend your money on the componentry which you may upgrade later anyway or on a rather more exclusive, bespoke frame. You always get more kit for your money when you buy ready made but it just isn't the same as bespoke!

If you are going to spend over 1k on an Alu frame, get a Viner
(or get anything you like because they are all probably pretty good......)

gabriel959

Who cares where the bike is made as long as it is good?

Cannondale make arguably the BEST aluminium frames in the world - and the CAAD9 is their flagship. It has got amazing reviews everywhere with people swapping their carbon fiber bikes for them - I really don't think this Viner compares to be honest but I have only ridden the CAAD9 so can't really do a fair comparison! Miche components have got average reviews if you have a look around ...

I wouldn't get to worried about custom sizing - Cannondale do 9 or 10 sizes for the record and 90% of the male population don't need custom sizing anyway.

UndercoverElephant

Cannondale are all made in Taiwan now, like most bikes. I've never ridden one, but from the long-time bike tarts I know, I always got the impression that the Cannondale of today is a poor shadow of the Cannondale pre-bankruptcy,

gabriel959

I think that it’s just an impression. Over in the Road side of BikeRadars forums they are hailed as the greatest alu frame alongside the Cervelo Soloist, same if you go to places like Weightweenies…

Best frame manufacturers in the world are in Taiwan nowadays anyway!

MonkeyMonster

Blimey... I've a CAAD2 ha ha - yeah its quite old. 8)

UndercoverElephant

gabriel959 wrote:

Best frame manufacturers in the world are in Taiwan nowadays anyway!

Quite right! My BeOne was handmade in Taiwan and it's great. I'm sure that the latest Cannondales are back to great, but I certainly got the impression that there some rocky times.

rolf_f

gabriel959 wrote:

Who cares where the bike is made as long as it is good?

I do, the OP appears to. Lots of people like the idea of buying a bike that, if it doesn't support local industry, at least supports localish industry. I have nowt against Taiwanese frames - my MTB has one but if I can support a small company of craftsmen handbuilding a bike to my spec and dimensions (I don't seem to fit modern bikes too well) then I'd rather do that than buy something mass produced in Taiwan. Certainly I value that over equipment spec. The great thing is that the Viner Celer lets you do that at a surprisingly cheap price.

And 9 or 10 sizes is no use whatsoever if the proportions are all the same. I need a frame with a relatively short top tube. It isn't the overall size that is the issue (I wonder if 9 or 10 sizes is a bit excessive) but the relative proportions of top tube, seat tube etc and the mass produced Taiwanese frames seem unvaried there.

I'm sure the Cannondale is great - but I'd rather let my heart make the decision and not my head!

spasypaddy

the Cannondale CAAD9 is the best alu frame on the market by a long long way. its as simple as that.

ive test ridden it and alot of other alu frames (not the viner though) and i would buy one tomorrow if i had the money. Its as comfortable as many carbon bikes ive test ridden.