New Bike!

Headhuunter

I know everyone hates these threads so I'll keep it succinct. Am buying a new road bike to commute on and possibly to use as a winter bike in club rides (to replace the Apollo which was destroyed in my crash). Am thinking around the £600-650 mark on bike to work. Have narrowed it down to:

Specialized Allez Sport 18
Giant Defy 3
Trek 1.2
Cannondale CAAD 8 Sora

Alternatively I have been thinking about a Tiagra equipped Ribble 7005 Road Bike, like this:
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikebuild ... BRA&bike=1

Or possibly a Sora equipped Ribble 7005SL Road Bike like this:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikebuild ... BRA&bike=1

Anyone got any experience of any of these? Have I missed anything else worth considering?

lost_in_thought

[broken record]

I would seriously get yourself down to a bike shop and ride as many bikes as possible, whether they're in your price range or not, to get an idea of what you like and what you don't as regards geometry. Almost anything else can be changed, you see. Or of course you get into the 'I've had this broom for 30 years...' situation.

[/broken record]

Also shop around the sales, might well be some bargains out there as shops try to clear stuff out for the summer.

Headhuunter

lost_in_thought wrote:

[broken record]

I would seriously get yourself down to a bike shop and ride as many bikes as possible, whether they're in your price range or not, to get an idea of what you like and what you don't as regards geometry. Almost anything else can be changed, you see. Or of course you get into the 'I've had this broom for 30 years...' situation.

[/broken record]

Also shop around the sales, might well be some bargains out there as shops try to clear stuff out for the summer.

Yeah true. I've now been to a few bike shops but they never seem to have my size in stock for me to try, or they only have the Trek, or only the Specialized or whatever. I wish someone would just wheel them all round to my flat for me to try 1 by 1...!

I really like the idea of the Ribble bikes (as suggested by IT Boffin) but of course it's not possible to try one out as they're up north somewhere....

As for bargains, most shops won't do sale prices on bike 2 work/cyclescheme IME.

lost_in_thought

What about one of the Evans summer sportive thingies? I'm sure you can try bikes out at that... or take yourself over to somewhere like cyclefit to get an idea of what you need.

Big Wib

given a choice between a Sora or Tiagra equipped bike I would always chose the Tiagra as there's a big jump in quality between the two.

Other than that I can't help because it's such an individual thing

DonDaddyD

I have a 8 speed Tiagra rear mech attached to Sora shifters. I shift and a small island in the Pacific feels the tremors. This, before I realised what Ultegra smooth shifting was like as a comparrison.

Basshunter, aren't you at a level where you should be building a bike or amassed enough parts to justify a build?

£250 for Tiagra full groupset, £150 for cheap commuting wheels. You should have by now a spare seatpost, saddle bar and stem. Buy a frame - DeVer offered me a alu-TCR frame (in gunmetal looked the nuts) for £350. Put it together or pay someone.

Bobs your Uncle - you spent nearly a grand. But it's yours in that special way, like a female.

cjcp

Do Planet X or GB Cycles do C2W? What about the Boardmans?

itboffin

@HH I know how to get new 10 speed campy xenon for £150 b4 anyone asks it's not stolen

planet-x c wheels £100

Add to that a ribble frame, carbon forks, seatpost & saddle oh and trim bingo a very handy commuter way under your budget, simples!!!

Headhuunter

Thanks for the ideas. I was aiming for a ready built bike rather than trying to source bits coz it's just quicker and simpler and near enough half price on cyclescheme. Also I have no idea how to put a bike together - knowing my luck it would fall apart on its inaugural ride! I suppose I could pay someone. I just want to keep the budget down for the commuting bike.

I couldn't see anything on Planet X website ready made in the £650 budget area. Can't do Boardman as Halfords is not in Cyclescheme.

So how do I get the Campy Xenon kit (not stolen) for £150?

coopster_the_1st

If you can stretch to a Giant Defy 2, I have just brought one and it is a great bike. Much prefer Tiagra to Sora shifters so that assisted in narrowing down the bikes I was looking at.

Also, I went to Bike and Run in North London who told me they sent all there CAAD8's back as they were no where near as good as the CAAD9

bigmat

Ribble seem to sell a lot of "winter" bikes, so I'm guessing they probably represent the best value. I wouldn't worry too much about geometry, you seem like a fairly standard shape. As long as you get the right size (which you should be able to work out from previous bikes / spec sheet for frames) you can modify saddle height, stem length, bar width etc for little or no expense and get a bike that fits perfectly without too much trouble. Main thing I'd watch for would be head tube height - if you like that fairly low avoid a sportive geometry, if you like it high then you can always add spacers, but they don't look too pretty....

Fireblade96

If you're buying on bike to work, you're morally obliged to use the maximum possible within your scheme - normally £1k. As you'll just pay half of that, it's easily within your budget.

Self-build is great but not so readily achievable within bike 2 work - much simpler to buy something complete.

Were I buying a commuter that I could get for half its list price, I'd get a Genesis Equilibrium. Steel fame, takes 'guards, looks gorgeous.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/equilibrium-10-36088

Headhuunter

Thanks for tips. Yes I was definitely going to hit or go over the £1k mark, but I was intending to buy a bike for about £650 all in and then a pair of wheels for my Focus Cayo - someone mentioned Fulcrum ones being a good bet for about £400 or so? Don't worry I'll easily max out the budget!

DonDaddyD

Let me know how the Fulcrum ones are, next summer that's all me. I hope!