which £1500ish Race Bike?

TheBikeBoy

Hi guys

1st post, wish me luck

I've been thinking about which bike (for racing so weight is an issue) to get in this sort of price range and i've narrowed it down to these bikes:

Ribble Scuro RS Ultegra (-£130 for 105) (only draw back is that integral seatpost :? )
£1,669.99

Ribble Nero RC Ultegra
£1,349.99

Planet X Pro Carbon SRAM Red
£1,499.00

Boardman Pro Carbon SRAM Force
£1,599.99

Cube Agree GTC Pro Ultegra
£1598.99

these seem to be the best value for money bikes on the market, does anyone have any experience of these bikes?

i was thinking shimano or sram, but any other bikes you guys know of that have decent campag groups won't be ignored, i'm open to other suggestions as well but 1600 is pretty much my budget (preferably something cheaper).

Thanks

oh and btw, i hav nothing against campag (my current bike is campag) but shimano is tempting after trying it out on a friends cervelo (that was dura ace though )

kingrollo

Cube or the Ribble for me. - is the Ribble Scuro in stock ? - there didn't seem to be any the whole of last summer.!

Rhods

I've seen a cube in the flesh and it looks very nice. Can't fault the kit and it's very competitive at that price. I'm told the frame is very good. The only reason I didn't buy it was because I'd tried a mate's TCR and loved it so didn't want to take a risk on anything else. Got a lesser groupset on it.

Can't comment on the others.

Slimtim

Buy the 999gbp Boardman Carbon Pro (?) from Halfords.

Use ride to work voucher if poss.

Then buy the best wheels and tyres you can afford.

Wheels and tyres make the biggest upgrade to a bike so focus there.

You will also get some good cash from the sale of the original wheels!

After that, train, train and train. Also, lose weight if you have to.

The choice of bike is less relevant!

Stevo_666

Slimtim wrote:

Buy the 999gbp Boardman Carbon Pro (?) from Halfords.

Use ride to work voucher if poss.

Then buy the best wheels and tyres you can afford.

Wheels and tyres make the biggest upgrade to a bike so focus there.

You will also get some good cash from the sale of the original wheels!

After that, train, train and train. Also, lose weight if you have to.

The choice of bike is less relevant!

The Team Carbon is the £999 version, the Pro Carbon is £1,599. Specs here:
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/index.html

Agree with the rest of the above....

TheBikeBoy

thanks for the replies,

i was drawn towards the pro carbon mainly because of the force groupset, but also the frame is a lighter carbon (i think) and so is more worth upgrading (i you know what i mean)

its interesting no one mentioned the planet-x because it seems to be the best value of the lot, but it does hav a pretty uninspiring paint job

akkers

You might also want to read this.....

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/r ... 2009-21018

Banfy26

Just got the CUBE after deliberating for some time.

The bike looks amazing in the flesh and doesn't fall short on spec. The frame for 2010 is supposed to be based on last years litening which was double the price. It is very light and super stiff but I have also found it a comfortable ride.

After a few rides, I would definately recommend the CUBE - I think it beats the more established (in the UK) brands hands down on spec and looks. I also believe they have the quality that some doubt with the Boardman for example. They are Germany's largest bike brand.

When CUBE become more established in the UK against the likes of Specialized, Trek, Giant I can see the prices creeping up.

boondog

all nice bikes, that's a hard decision to make !
I had a PX pro carbon , great bike and groupset. I bought mine with Ultegra, and still have that groupset on a different PX frame. I used it for commuting, training and racing for 2 1/2 years, and can't recommend it enough.

Stevo_666

There are no 'duffers' in your hit list. You'll need to delve a bit deeper into the detailsof each and see what suits you best

chrisba

I'm looking with a similar budget, probably won't be racing much, more likely Sportives and similar.

Banfy26, what do you reckon on the Cube for non-racers ? Is it too extreme for long distance stuff ? I'm a lightweight weakling, who likes hills.

I'm also attracted to the Focus Cayo, Cannondale Six or Synapse and the Felt Z5. The Cube seems to offer better wheels and gears than the competition, and as this is to be a "big birthday" present, it's a one-off opportunity to spend money ( future upgrades would be hard to justify, so probably won't happen )

Also, do any of Cube's dealers carry enough stock to offer test rides ? Spending that sort of cash without trying it out is a bit risky,

Banfy26

Chris, I am not a racer, and I have found the CUBE to be very comfortable. But, I am pretty new to road biking so I dont have a lot to compare too.

I am using the bike to supplement my training (shorter, hilly, fast paced) and for longer weekend rides.

All in all, I would highly recommend the bike - it has good kit, an excellent frame and looks awesome. I know the Agree GTC range is proving very popular and is short stocked - I was just lucky that they had a 60" unbuilt in the shop.

I considered a Boardman, Trek, Specialized and Cannondale Six - in the end I just felt that the CUBE would make me the happiest. And you are looking at £2.5k for an equivalant bike with these brands.

TheBikeBoy

out of interest - how tall are you Banfy26? (i assume you mean you bought a 60cm)

Banfy26

Yeh 60cm.

I am nearly 6'2.

Stellite

Have you considered titanium
Ive just got e PBK titanium road frame with Ritchey Wcs forks, and have built it up with SRAM Force.

Nice bike like

handsome devil

Tested both Cube Agree GTC Race & 2009 Spesh Tarmac Expert two weeks ago. Both excellent bikes in their own right but opted for the Tarmac as it seems more compliant on our varied road surfaces!

The Cube does look awsome though but the Spesh won the day after several hours of riding and deliberation.

Happy hunting!!

otlawrence

are most of the cube cycles similar in ridability? im debating between the cube peloton and a giant defy 2.

im very new to this game, going for my first bike, the cube bikes have that something extra to the eye in my view....and you have got to enjoy the look of your bike havent you?!!

handsome devil

I only rode the Agree GTC Race (£1800) and was very impressed and it also looks stunning. Cube are very much up and coming in the UK so prices are sure to rise when they really take off over here. I also have a Giant SCR Ltd (Defy 2 is pretty much the latest version) and it is a great first bike, rides extremely well and fantastic value for money,

As anyone on here worth listening to will advise, ride as many as you interested in and then make your choice.

Can`t think of a better way to spend a half/full day really

TheBikeBoy

for racing is the feel of the bike as important as how light it is? for example, the boardman is seriously light for the price (and has great upgrade potential) , but i hear the thin seat stays on the cube make it comfortable for longer rides.

Stellite - i never considered titanium just because it seemed out of my budget. how much did your build set you back?

leech

So what have you gone for?

I've also been thinking about going for the Cube Agreee GTC Race or Ribble Nero, but I also saw a Kuota Kebel yesterday that I quite liked. I wonder whether the Kuota may be a bit extreme for my needs though.

mike ives

What about a Planet X Nano Light?

TheBikeBoy

mike ives wrote:

What about a Planet X Nano Light?

Ummm... have you seen the Cycling+ review of that?

its super flexy so i'll pass on that...

having checked out the 'your road bikes' section, i was shocked to find a guy with a cervelo s1 with sram force which he finished for under 1700, as i've always wanted an S1 i think i'm going to go for one of those, i also fancy building my own bike

I also have a 'contact' who can get me a cervelo s1 for about £700 and i can get trade price shimano dura ace wheels so i think i'm sorted. I appreaciate all your feed back though, as my cousin has been looking at a bike in the same price bracket as me and all the information has been invaluable to him, cheers

bazbadger

TheBikeBoy wrote:

mike ives wrote:

What about a Planet X Nano Light?

Ummm... have you seen the Cycling+ review of that?

its super flexy so i'll pass on that...

Just because C+ says so? I'm waiting with interest for some owner feedback on here before believing that one. C+ reviews are inconsistent at times.

TheBikeBoy

maybe but at the end of the day - planet x or cervelo? its a no-brainer, surely?

guilliano

Just get a Giant TCR in large! Can't go wrong

STEFANOS4784

There's a couple of quite nice bikes in the classifieds at the mo. If the're the right size of course