New, but determined - advice please!

Thorpe

Hello all,

I had my 15 year old Cannondale non-suspension MTB stolen a couple of weeks back - a sad loss and I hope the thieving g*t gets caught soon. It did me well as a younger fitter singleton, but got a bit stuck in the shed as a married man and did nothing more adventurous lately than take me to the newsagent to buy the paper.

Onto more positive things. I’m going to replace the bike with the insurance, plus add on some of my own money, this time with a road bike. The theft has given me an opportunity I'd never thought of before. I’m 44 and about 10kgs overweight, so a first priority is fitness and weight loss. I can’t stand gyms - I’d rather be in the open air.

Looking around the internet, it seems that Sportives are becoming very popular, and I love setting myself challenges. Realistically, I’d be looking at the shorter 20-30 mile routes for a few before going for a 50 maybe next year. After that, who knows? I know myself - once I get stuck into something I give it max licks, so I’m confident I’ll be biking for a few years yet. The Mrs is fully supportive of seeing a bit less of me - weight-wise that is!

I’m currently borrowing my neighbour’s “winter bike” - a Trek with Shimano Sora bits. I managed 8.11 miles in 29 minutes today on a local loop, but he ran away from me on the final modest hill. He told me I was in too high a gear and that I should concentrate first on pedal rpm rather than speed. So I’ve learnt something already!

My local bike shop reckon I should look at a Specialized Secteur, and the one in the showroom looked fine to me. Then the question I had not expected: would I upgrade the bike over time? Given that I’ve never upgraded a bike, I said “why?” The shopowner said he believes that it is a false economy to buy a low end bike and then keep upgrading bits and pieces - better to go for a quality bike and stick with it for 5 or so years.

I can understand his argument, but as a newcomer to road bikes I cannot put a value on the price difference from £700 (Shimano Tiagra bits) to £999 (Shimano 105 bits). I think the wheels are also better on the more expensive bike.

I’m lucky in that I can afford the £300 difference, but I’m not rich enough that I want to throw my money around. Am I being given good advice, or am I being oversold?

Final thought - I loved my Cannondale bike - is there an equivalent to the Specialized Secteur in that brand?

Thanks for reading, and any advice gratefully received.

moffmcewan

i am relatively new to road bikes as i've only owned my first road bike now for about 8 weeks, i joined the cycle to work scheme and im loving every mile so far. as for spec i got quite hung up on this and eventually went for tiagra after a few test rides from my local shop. the decision to go tiagra was purely based on my preference in changing gears as i didnt like the sora as couldnt reach it on my drops. since buying though ive found i rarely use the drops. my mate also bought a bike at the exact same time with sora he bought the specialized allez and apart from weight of the bike overall we find they are much a much really. the main thing is really that for example to change to the new shimano 105 set up is roughly £420 approx so if you are going to upgrade then buying it already on will save you money now. as for makes of bike i rode loads, sprecialized, trek, giant, felt, bianchi and merida (all tiagra models) and went for the merida purely on more for my money and i liked the look of it. found with the big brands i got less for more money but again its prefrence. hope my novice advice helps and good luck

Schobiedoo

Earlier in the year I had the same thoughts. I didn't want to waste money on parts that I didn't need and I couldn't work out what the price difference actually bought you.

I ended up with a Cannondale CAAD8 which is probably in the same league as the Secteur, you may want to look at this bike if you like the Cannondale brand. I can certainly recommend it as a bike as I'm very happy with mine, although I have had to re-build one of the wheels on it after a poor initial build which led to broken spokes and then a disagreement with the LBS who wanted me to buy a new wheel. I ended up going for the Tiagra groupset as I felt that you get what you pay for and preferred the shifting options of the Tiagra over the Sora (and I do use the drops a lot so it makes a difference). The only other thing to say is that I've put 1600 miles on the bike and it is still shifting like a dream - I don't think it's missed a gear shift yet and has not needed any tweaks, but this may be due to how it was set up rather than the more expensive gears.

johncp

Probably comes down to 9 vs 10 speed - there's some quality/weight differences between tiagra and 105, but used tiagra for about 4 years without a problem and only upgraded (to ultegra 2nd hand from ebay) so that I can have 10 speed on good bike and winter bike (i wanted to be able to swap wheels) . Current tiagra is probably "better" than my 4 year old version. So if you think you will be happy with 9 speed go tiagra but 10 speed does give you a slightly wider more even spread of ratios. And if you are one of those people who is going to read the magazines and start lusting after better kit (and if you are getting into cycling you will be ) go for 105, or maybe you could stretch to ultegra....... :shock:

thisischris

Hi Thorpe,
Whenever I have brought a bike (and Ive brought quite a few as I live in the crime capital of the UK) I have pushed my budget as far as I can. It works out considerably cheaper to purchase decent components on a bike than separately.

For example, I need a new chain guard for my MTB and their around £100 to buy alone whereas I can buy a bike with one for £900!! Their will be some variance in quality but hopefully you get my point.

The other comment I'll add which is slightly contradictory, is that a well looked after bike will perform superbly. I have had a used £300 racer from 'TriandRun' which has completed thousands of miles on my commute without skipping a beat. I clean it regularly, keep it oiled and ensure the components are running smoothly. On the weekend rides I never have any problem keeping up with expensive racers.

Cheers

keef66

Did you do any upgrading on your MTB? My rigid MTB is 12 yrs old, and all I ever replaced was a shifter that broke.

If you're of a similar disposition then I'd say the Secteur with Tiagra will last you for years. It's a perfect recommendation for someone in your position with the goal of doing some Sportives. All 105 would give you is an extra cog, shave a couple of grammes off the weight of the bike, and add a bit of posing value. Shaving grammes off the rider is much more cost-effective.

I'd suggest you then spend the cash you have saved on decent clipless pedals / shoes, PADDED BIBSHORTS, helmet, mitts, water bottles, seat pack, multi-tool, puncture kit, spare tubes, chain lube, track pump, computer, sunglasses, HRM, jacket, jersey, mudguards, toolkit, lock, lights, work-stand etc etc.


Did I mention the bibshorts?

ian_s

I reckon the Secteur with Tiagra is a good bet. I would struggle to justify paying nearly 50% more for 105.

The Cannondale CAAD8 and 9 are probably a bit more racey geometry, and less suitable to Sportive type riding. But I also have a Cannondale and love it too.

For value I think you would struggle to beat the Focus bikes at Wiggle at the moment.

Thorpe

Thanks for the replies!

On balance, I'm veering to the Secteur I first saw rather than the model above.

But I think I need to ride a few other bikes, based on your feedback. The shop I went to does not allow people to ride bikes - TBH it's only a small shop and they probably don't want to have a stock of trial bikes.

Does anyone know of a shop in the Peterborough / Huntingdon / Cambridge area where I could trial a few bikes? I'm quite happy to put down a big deposit and trial a few back to back, but I don't particularly want to travel around lots of shops if each has only a limited selection. I saw that Wiggle have a 30 day return policy which could also be useful, except they don't seem to stock makes that I'm interested in?

Thanks!

zn533

Check you out with your awesome new hobby! Good choice!

I recommend the Cannondale CAAD8 here. There are plenty of whispers about Cannondale making the best Aluminium frames in the business, and I would say there is a little more exclusivity over the Specialized brand. However, I've just received a CAAD9 (and it's great) so am a little far from impartial!

The difference between Tiagra and 105 isn't huge at first glance, but I would personally plump for 105 in this case because anecdotal evidence suggests the groupset will last forever if looked after properly, it's 10 speed, and from a personal perspective it feels better. However, Tiagra is probably just as reliable and actually performs perfectly... and now I'm not so sure if you really ever need anything more... hmm.

I can't help you on your quest for a cycle shop, but isn't cycling super popular in Cambridge? Unless I'm mistaken here, there should be plenty of cycle shops around.

Finally, keef66 makes a good point about all the accessories you will soon need to really get the most out of your bike. Clipless pedals and shoes are a must, as are a helmet, sunglasses, water bottle, pump, a few tools and spares, jacket, and padded shorts. And that's just the essentials - other gear like a jersey and a computer are also desirable. Your bank account will take a big hit here!

I hope I've been helpful. Good luck!

Thorpe

zn533 wrote:

I can't help you on your quest for a cycle shop, but isn't cycling super popular in Cambridge? Unless I'm mistaken here, there should be plenty of cycle shops around.

Thanks zn533. Cambridge is a funny place - we first rented a house in the city when we moved up here, and I had a job in one of the technology companies here. We've moved out about 20 miles since then, and my company relocated, so we don't go into the city more than a couple of times a year.

Student cyclists..... There's about a million 5th hand bikes, and up to a dozen are ridden within the law most of the time. My eldest daughter was once in a pram that was knocked over by a speed merchant riding along the pavement - I couldn't keep up the pursuit on foot, and luckily she was unharmed, but boy was I angry. I'm glad for my own sake I didn't catch him! Still, we're not here to bemoan the minority of cyclists who screw it up for everyone else.

Good point about the Cambridge bike shops though. There are a few, but the ones I remember were fairly small and I'm not sure they'll be more willing to allow testing than the shop in Huntingdon. I'll do some ringing around this W/E. You never know!

unixnerd

I fanced a Secteur until I saw one in the flesh. The welding on the frame is clumsy and nowhere near up to Cannondale standards. It also felt a bit heavier than I'd expected.

Stick to Cannondale if you like them :-)

Maybe this:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... 3#16371523
Look at the the tube joints on the frame, you can't even see a weld. That's a quality job, compare it to most other brands and you'll see what I mean. I have an almost identical one. I paid 400 for it last year, it cost 1200ish new. The guy had done 100 miles on it then gone off cycling, left it lying the garage. Loads like that on ebay or gumtree, just keep your wits about you.

If you want a new one look for the CAAD8 or 9. A 105 groupset is what you want, but Tiagra will do if you're on a budget. They also do a model called the Synapse, it has a more relaxed geometry like the Secteur. I find my CAAD5 is fine long very long rides and I'm the wrong side of 40. But I do have the stem flipped upwards, regarded as a crime by the younger racier generation :-)

keef66

If you're persuaded to go for a Cannondale, and I do agree they are lovely, I suspect as Unixnerd says the Synapse would suit you better than a CAAD. More relaxed geometry for the sportive rider. I very nearly bought one myself 2 years ago; perfect fit for me and a comfy ride, but in the end I went for something with mudguard and rack mounts for more versatility.

I too had difficulty getting sensible test rides locally; ended up buying from Epic in Tenbury Wells! (long story)

You could try Fat Birds up at Hunstanton; I believe they take fitting / test rides seriously. Or I have a colleague who got a carbon Bianchi (he is Italian after all) from somewhere in Peterborough (he also lives in Huntingdon). I'll ask him which shop. If you like I'll ask him if he wants a riding buddy