Commuting Road bike advice needed
Bergkamp
Posts: 27
Dear all,
I am looking for a bike which I can commute to work on and so will be using mud guards and pannier etc. However I wouold also like something that is exciting to handle and quite nippy once the mudguards etc. are removed. The Racelight T by kinesis seems to be ideally suited to this. However, having seen the spec and price of all in packages such as the Chris Boardman Team Comp or Specialised Allez it seems that you get more for your money by buying something fully set up?
My question is this, are these bikes comparable or are they completely different in nature? The racelight T seems aimed at the winter frame market whilst I presume that the other set ups mentioned above are aimed at the more racy end of the spectrum and am unsure if they can take guards etc ?
As a fairly novice cyclist with a limited knowledge of frames etc. I could do with some advice on this as I like all the bikes mentioned above but am unsure as to which is the most suitable.
Cheers,
James.
I am looking for a bike which I can commute to work on and so will be using mud guards and pannier etc. However I wouold also like something that is exciting to handle and quite nippy once the mudguards etc. are removed. The Racelight T by kinesis seems to be ideally suited to this. However, having seen the spec and price of all in packages such as the Chris Boardman Team Comp or Specialised Allez it seems that you get more for your money by buying something fully set up?
My question is this, are these bikes comparable or are they completely different in nature? The racelight T seems aimed at the winter frame market whilst I presume that the other set ups mentioned above are aimed at the more racy end of the spectrum and am unsure if they can take guards etc ?
As a fairly novice cyclist with a limited knowledge of frames etc. I could do with some advice on this as I like all the bikes mentioned above but am unsure as to which is the most suitable.
Cheers,
James.
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Comments
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You will get more for your money by buying a complete bike but make sure it's a bike that does what you want. Don't be seduced by the shiny carbon frames if you need a workhorse bike to carry panniers every day. There are a number of road bikes that will take mudguards but very few that will take panniers. The Racelight T gets good reviews and is probably as close as you'll get to a full on race bike with mudguard and pannier capacity. You could also consider the Planet-X Kaffenback if your preference is steel. I love mine and often prefer it to my race bike.0
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I got the racelight Tk because I wanted an all year round bike with the ability to take full mudguards, but still be an engaging ride. Loving it!
Fatbirds have the new Tk2 with Tiagra for £900 atm.0 -
Cheers guys,
Would you say that the Boardman and Specialised Allez would be unsuitable for what I need?0 -
Doubt you could fit proper guards to either. For a commuter that would be a priority for me.
Might get away with the new crud road ones??0 -
Thanks Keef66 !
Do you find the Racelight TK an exciting ride? I would like something that could convert to a reasonably sporty summer bike with good handling, when the guards are taken off!0 -
Certainly do! I'd race on it if I was 30 years younger.0
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Kinesis are good frames Bergkamp, for more money you could go for their scandium bike the Gran Fondo, but for vfm the T or the TK are excellent. New colours for next year as well now.0
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Keef, Good to hear that you find the Racelight T an exciting ride - don't let age be a barrier!
Giant chers for the tip. I have to admit that the Gran Fondo looks like my ideal bike but it may be slightly out of my price range? I think it may be worth contacting fat birds to see if they can do a deal for a complete Gran Fondo package.
Bergkamp.0 -
+ 1 fpr Racelight Tk. Proof that a bike can have mudguard clearence and rack mounts and still give an exciting fast ride.0
