What bike to get for £1000????

andy8red

Hi All

Just recentley got into cycling and have signed up with cycle scheme to get a road bike for a 1000 quid. Please can you advise on what to get. The bikes im considering are;

Planet X SL Carbon - Good Reviews but looks a bit plain and ugly
Ribble Sportive - Good reviews but heard ribble are terrible to deal with plus also bike again not great in the looks dept.
Boardman Team Carbon - Seems a great bike but just dont trust halfords

The above are the carbon options but not really struck with any of them, do you people who know more about road bikes than me think I am crazy if I was to go for an aluminium option like

Trek 2.1, Scott S20 or Wilier Laverdo. They just seem such better looking bikes with really good components.

Is a 1000 quid carbon framed bike really that much better than an ally one?

All help greatly appreciated!

EKIMIKE

Just because a bike is made of Alu doesn't make it bad, equally as a bike made out of carbon isn't always good/better than Alu. The current fashion/consumer perceptions make carbon bikes more desirable as a product. I'm sure Alu bikes were once the carbon equivalent when it was Steel vs. Alu. Interesting how steel is now very fashionable for it's 'retroness '. A good bike is a good bike regardless of the materials.

As for the functional merits of Carbon and Alu as frame materials, a search would bring up better explanations than I could ever give. There is no definitive answer in any case.

The three carbon bikes you mentioned all have very good reputations. If you want carbon, get carbon.

Scrumple

same advice as th zillions of other threads on this.
search £1000

Buckled_Rims

For a £1k there's a huge range. Best to ask 2 questions for yourself:

1. What type of bike, Sportive, Race, Cyclocross, etc
2. What gears your want: Compag, Shimano Tiagra, 105 etc, SRAM

That'll still leave hundreds to choose from

Anonymous

CAAD9

Slow Downcp

NapoleonD wrote:

CAAD9

+1

MattJohnson

I'm in the same possision as you my friend, i'm looking to spend a grand on a new bike but finding it hard to decide.

I think the Boardman Team Carbon is the best bike you can get for a grand, look at the spec + weight, its a similar spec of other bikes costing a lot more.

I agree with Buckled_Rims though, it all depends what you want it for.

morrisje

There was a review in Cycling Plus a couple of months ago of bikes at £1000.

The Planet X did well and was ackowledged as great value for money. However the top bike was the Cannondale Caad9. This was despite the Planet X having Ultegra and the Cannondale Tiagra. They reckoned the frame was spot on.

The others were Focus and Fuji that didn't do as well.

morrisje

Here's the review of the Caad9

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 0-uk-35778

gregster10217

It will also depend which cycle scheme your company is with. If it's one other than the Halfords one, you can scrub the Boardman off your list. If it is the Halfords one, you can scrub the Planet X off your list.
Better to check which scheme you have and then narrow it down, but it will be said time and time again, only you can decide which bike is right for you and that may not be the one that gets the most recommendations on here.

FWIW I got the Ltd Ed Boardman Team Carbon and I love it, and cannot recommend it highly enough. Fast, stiff and very responsive and well spec'd. Looked at lots and asked the same questions as you, but eventually got to test ride it and it just felt right for me and I've not been disappointed since.

Good luck.

oscarbudgie

NapoleonD wrote:

CAAD9

+2

itchieritchie

All good advice. I was a first time buyer like you with a similar budget and lucky enough to get a Focus Izalco Expert at 50% off.

All carbon frame, Mavic Ksyrium Elites, Chorus gruppo. Carbon Truvativ Rouleur crankset. SLR titanium saddle. FSA bars. The BEST £850 I have ever spent by a country mile.

Search for a review on the bike here on BikeRadar if you like, but you can't get it anymore. You can still get something similar off Wiggle though if you're prepared to wait for a good deal, i.e. a Cayo. Buying something you've tried physically is obviously ideal, but don't necessarily be put off anything online. Wiggle in particular are excellent about returns.

One thing I WOULD say is that whatever brand or material you choose, place more than proportional emphasis on the frame. It's the single most important thing in my opinion. Everything else can be upgraded, in fact it's almost a rite of passage to do so. But the frame sticks with you.

Good luck.

andy8red

Thanks for all your help so far. Just checked and its cycle scheme I am with so that includes lots of independant retailers but not halfords so that discounts the Boardman.

It really is difficult when there is such a huge choice at this price range. I think your right when you say place most emphasis on the frame which pushes me more towards the carbon options. I think that the Focus Cayo is also a great contender here but I dont think wiggle operate cycle scheme. AARGH, feel like my heads gonna explode.

JohnBoyUK

Andy, yes - to confirm Cycle Scheme dont do either the Boardman's or the Focus bikes, which is a damn shame. I'm in exactly the same position as you too, I feel your pain!

macondo01

+3 CAAD9 - the frame is so good that it justifies other upgrades wheels etc as and when. As with any bike you are interested in, try before you buy.

STEFANOS4784

If in your position i'd get a CAAD9, although only through what i've read on here :? :roll:

macondo01

You'd think we're on commission :shock:

STEFANOS4784

lol, yes i know. What a bunch of muppets :oops:

amyabcd

I have just bought the Planet X and it was a toss up between this and the ribble. Think about what type of riding you want to do, the Ribble sportive looks a little more forgiving in position than the planet x ( from memory) because of the taller head tube. They will all be slightly different.

Buy the bike YOU want. If you don't like it you wont ride it. Go out and try as many as possilble too as one you may like the look of may feel awful. What feels awful to you may be awsome to the next man. Its not mad to buy and aluminium bike at that price point, and you will have lots of options if you are not carbon obsesed like the masses (me included).

The cannondale does get good reviews but was too big for me.

ghunter

Hi, I'm very much like the original poster here. I've recently (in the last year) started cycling again, after a good ten years away. Currently I'm just commuting to work (as much as the weather allows!) on my flat bar hybrid, an Orbea Anayet.

I'd like to take part (complete, not compete) in some sportives though, and wonder what everyone else thinks would be a good sportive bike in this price range? I've seen the recent Cycling Plus and Cycling Actives articles about £1000 bikes, and they all look like nice machines, particulary the Planet X and Boardman. But what does everyone else think? Or should I save my money and use my hybrid?!

MattJohnson

morrisje wrote:

There was a review in Cycling Plus a couple of months ago of bikes at £1000.

The Planet X did well and was ackowledged as great value for money. However the top bike was the Cannondale Caad9. This was despite the Planet X having Ultegra and the Cannondale Tiagra. They reckoned the frame was spot on.

The others were Focus and Fuji that didn't do as well.

Does anyone know which issue this was?

Thanks

jugglingphil

February 2010
Best spotive bike under £1000

Cannondale CAAD9 9
Planet X Pro Carbon 8
Fuji Roubaix 1.0 7
Focus Variado Expert 6

macondo01

That's the scores out of ten ^^^

MattJohnson

jugglingphil wrote:

February 2010
Best spotive bike under £1000

Cannondale CAAD9 9
Planet X Pro Carbon 8
Fuji Roubaix 1.0 7
Focus Variado Expert 6

They gave the Boardman Team Carbon a 10/10 in a previous issue and its £999

Im in the same boat really, my budet can stretch to £1500 - i like the look of the Specialized Tarmac Elite from the Specialized Concep Store. They currently have an offer on where you get 10% of the bike sale price in free equipment

Im also looking at the Colnago Primavera 105 2009 and the CAAD9

p9uma

MattJohnson wrote:

morrisje wrote:

There was a review in Cycling Plus a couple of months ago of bikes at £1000.

The Planet X did well and was ackowledged as great value for money. However the top bike was the Cannondale Caad9. This was despite the Planet X having Ultegra and the Cannondale Tiagra. They reckoned the frame was spot on.

The others were Focus and Fuji that didn't do as well.

Does anyone know which issue this was?

Thanks

I've got a copy of it if you want it.

jugglingphil

I'm also in the same boat (along with many others).
I'm limited to buying from Evans as that's who my company scheme is with, so I'm looking at:
CAAD9
Trek 2.1
Spesh Secteur elite

Basically, enjoy this process, how often do you get to buy a new bike?!
There is no wrong answer, just make sure when you leave the shop you have a smile on your face and a bike that fits.

redddraggon

jugglingphil wrote:

I'm also in the same boat (along with many others).
I'm limited to buying from Evans as that's who my company scheme is with, so I'm looking at:
CAAD9
Trek 2.1
Spesh Secteur elite

Basically, enjoy this process, how often do you get to buy a new bike?!
There is no wrong answer, just make sure when you leave the shop you have a smile on your face and a bike that fits.

There's two wrong answers there, CAAD9 is the right answer.

simon_e

ghunter wrote:

I'd like to take part (complete, not compete) in some sportives though, and wonder what everyone else thinks would be a good sportive bike in this price range?

I don't think anyone can answer this for you. As has already been said, there is a bewildering choice up to £1k. Visit some shops, enjoy narrowing it down a bit, and hopefully you'll find a bike you love riding.

And bear in mind that you don't need to hit the C2W limit to get a perfectly good bike. Someone I know is training to do the Marmotte on his commuter - a Surly LHT with full-length mudguards, cantis, rack etc. Not exactly first choice for a sportive bike, admittedly. He's already packing in the miles in the Welsh border hills, even in this weather! I don't know if he's going to upgrade it before then, I should find out.

kingrollo

MattJohnson wrote:

jugglingphil wrote:

February 2010
Best spotive bike under £1000

Cannondale CAAD9 9
Planet X Pro Carbon 8
Fuji Roubaix 1.0 7
Focus Variado Expert 6

They gave the Boardman Team Carbon a 10/10 in a previous issue and its £999

Im in the same boat really, my budet can stretch to £1500 - i like the look of the Specialized Tarmac Elite from the Specialized Concep Store. They currently have an offer on where you get 10% of the bike sale price in free equipment

Im also looking at the Colnago Primavera 105 2009 and the CAAD9

if you can stretch to £1500 - have you thought about a Kouta Kharma - ? - That was the bike I brought last year, after weighing up similar options to yourself. I m biased of course because I brought a kuota - might be worth a look.