Comfy but sporty carbon - which of these?

careful

Looking for something up to £2.5k. Must be comfy for longish rides but without compromising performance too much. Not keen on Specialised. Anyone got any experience of any of these?:
Bianchi 928 C2C Infinito
Scott CR1 Pro
Pinarello FP3
Orbea Orca Classic
Willier Mortirollo

Slow Downcp

If you're spending £2.5k I'd test ride bikes and just go for the one that rides/fits best.

giant_man

Slow Downcp wrote:

If you're spending £2.5k I'd test ride bikes and just go for the one that rides/fits best.

+1, nothing else really matters at this price point ...

stokepa31

I ride the CR1 and its stunning. I went for the comp and have now upgraded to ultegra and dura ace and it it superb. Not sure if there is a difference in frame weights with the comp and pro but mine now weighs 16.9lb. still got to fit lighter seatpost, saddle, carbon spacers and skewers and maybe go titanium bolts throughout.

markos1963

You've to ride all of them at this price point and indeed you should insist on a ride as its a serious amount of money. If it was me then it would be the Orca but that's just me being brand loyal and the fact i love the wau it looks

Wheelspinner

I love Pinarellos, and would recommend them any time,BUT... the Wilier is damned pretty.

What about Cervelo RS? Does that fit in your budget over there??

Dodger747

Wilier Izoard at that price?

ALaPlage

The test ride advice is important but I guess you would ensure you had tried the bikes before deciding on parting with your cash. I've test ridden the Bianchi and ridden a friends Pinarello and like both but cannot give you any long term ownership feedback which is what I guess you really are looking for. I almost went for the Bianchi Infinito Ultegra but at the time there was going to be a delay of several weeks to get hold of one.

My other choice was a Trek Madone 4.9 and I preferred the ride and fit of the Trek. In the end I went and bought a second hand Madone 5.9. Owned it for three months now and absolutely love it. Inspires me to ride almost every day and weekend rides now topping 80 mile with a 100 mile run planned this coming Monday.

So if you have not considered it yet I would add Trek Madone to your list and at least give it a ride see. Comfortable and sporty - ultra light and my buddy on his Pinarello cannot keep pace wth me when I kick down and accelerate - The Trek is so responsive to putting the power down.

careful

Good advice everyone. I will be testing all of them plus the Look 566 and the Willier Izoard. On paper the Bianchi has a lot going for it at the moment. Wiggle have 25% off the Pinarello (very tempting) but I would prefer Ultegra to Campag if poss and the riding position looks a bit more race oriented than I would like. The Bianchi, Scott, Orbea and Look all have the slightly shoter top tube and longer head tube which is what I want. As you say, only way is to try them all. Life is just hell!!

rjh299

Bianchi would be my choice out of those for your criteria, but the Orca is too good looking not to consider

a_n_t

wilier for me obviously!

Lillywhite

ALaPlage wrote:

and my buddy on his Pinarello cannot keep pace wth me when I kick down and accelerate - The Trek is so responsive to putting the power down.

That may not be down to the choice of bike but the fact that you are a quicker cyclist than your mate.

However, I'm a big fan of Trek bikes.

Rushie

I am in the same situation as you at the moment. I tried some stock options - Dale 6, Scott CR1 and Bianchi, and I seemed to be between sizes. So I got myself fitted and I consider it money well spent. You will find you can usually get the fitting money off a new bike if you buy from that shop, or you can take the numbers and plug them in to something you buy online or from another shop. I am now looking at a Pearson Palace, a Storck Scenario 1.1 and a Argon 18 Gallium. I will have to go for 105 or Rival to stay within budget but as another poster said, at this price it really is all about the fit.

Donnic

+1 on trying them out, what fits one person perfectly may be a different story for another.

Personally, I've got an 08 CR1 and I love it, frame is very light and feels very sturdy (for my 60kg so not a real test) whilst still being very comfortable; and they've made more effort on the comfort side with the new models so can only think its gotten better.

noodleman

Just bought the Bianchi with campag chorus. Test rode the Orca, which was the one i had set my heart on. Unfortunately the Orca didnt fit but I'm so glad i test rode them both because the Bianchi looked so much better and was much more comfortable than the Orca.
Still waiting for delivery of My Bianchi as i made some upgrades to the wheels and groupset so delayed delivery a bit.
I guess it's a personal thing so you will just have to test ride them and see which you like best. Actually, forget all that and just get the Bianchi

guilliano

I'm surprised the Trek Madone 4.9 hasn't been mentioned as a £2.5k option....... comfy frame, great spek and really pretty. Could even go for a 5.2 project one if you downspec a little.

sampras38

Another Scott CR1 Pro owner here and I have the black and yellow 07 version with Ultegra. Awesome piece of kit and I can't recommend it enough. Although as already said at that price range they are all nice, you just need to test drive a few to see which one you prefer.

ajb72

+1 for investigating the Cervelo RS, if you can find a deal on one to fit your budget. It ticks your boxes of comfy but sporty and looks good too.

gupta-patel

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/rid ... gn=froogle

and spend the change on drugs and prostitutes.

akcc05

No one has mentioned the Ridley Excalibur? I really like the 2010 model, beautiful frame and paint. Full Ultegra 6700 and Fulcrum Racing 5, within your budget too.

markmod

+1 for CR1 ... Mines an 09 pro on chorus 11... 2010 version is designed to be more comfortable than my version, with a set up for sportifs.

I would agree with other posters, test rides are the way to go, you wouldn't buy a new car without a test drive to see if it suits your requirments/ feel (bearing in mind a good bike shop like Epic cycles will set each bike up with same size, hieght, reach etc if they can do to ensure similar riding position on each, geometry not withstanding - great thing is to once they have your measurements, buying a another new bike from them in the future is like having a prescription made up!)

Don't buy on recommendation, just hone/ or add to your shortlist.

JAGGY

What about a Cannondale SIX Carbon 105 and upgrade it with some Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL's. Should bring you up to the 2.5k mark nicely.

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/bikes- ... -21076.htm


http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/wheels ... -21154.htm

Total= £2464

Cheers

AndyD2574

None of them...................get a Cervelo RS.

brit66

BMC Pro Machine for a little more exclusivity:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bmc/pro-machine-slc01-2009-road-bike-ec020516