How good is Sora and carbon in the cold

Stormtrooper

Right then i'm going to check out the sales tomorrow and am thinking of a defy 2 with sora groupset is it any good?
Another thing is i used to keep my bikes in the house, but things change and will have to keep the new bike out in the shed has, does the cold weather effect the carbon in anyway?

d70ar9

Personally i wouldn't go anywhere near a Giant Defy with Sora unless it was obscenely cheap. There must be some better speced bargains around?

With regards carbon and cold, given that i have a titanium bike and aluminium touring bike they only carbon bits i have are the forks. I keep my bikes in a garage and it is pretty much like a fridge. I have had no problems with the carbon forks being affected by the temperature.

Stormtrooper

well its a 2011 bike and with discount its aroung the £650 give or take a a few £ anygood? or could any one point me in the dirrection of anything better my maximum is £750

sungod

650 seems a lot for that bike/spec

at random...

this one is mostly 105, 650 quid...

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec021919

or...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-kilmeston/ is just on your limit

mostly sram rival, way better than sora, even includes mudguards, you can take them off, but in this weather they come in handy

chrishd883

The Guess RB1 won a Cycling + award a few years ago (were being sold for around £450) - sora equipped - bu thard to find now!

For your budget you can easily get a Cannondale Sora CAAD 8, maybe even a Tiagra CAAD 8. Evans have discounted these from £799 to £739. Cannondale may not be to everybody's taste, but I think they are great. Fantastic frames, worth upgrading if warranted later on.

Alternatively, and I know its 'Halfords' but check out the Boardman range of bikes. Never ridden one but they do get good reviews

For your budget I'd be hoping to get a Tiagra specce'd biike. Both will work but the Tiagra will last longer. Depands upon how many miles you are hoping to do, and the conditions - winter? summer only?

Wth £750 there are options!
Just make sure you buy a bike you like. After all it is you that has to live with it and ride it!

simon_e

d70ar9 wrote:

Personally i wouldn't go anywhere near a Giant Defy with Sora unless it was obscenely cheap. There must be some better speced bargains around?

Maybe there are (though you didn't suggest any) but the OP might be very happy with Sora. It's what you're likely to find at this price point and Giant bikes are as well made as any. Evans' road bike category is a good place to get a feel for what's available.

It will be typically Shimano - great build quality and it will do the job perfectly for many miles without any fuss. What do you expect for £700?

I think whether a bike fits right, feels and looks right to the owner is most important. In the end, if you're happy with it then it's worth buying. If you're keeping it in a shed I'd suggest some decent security measures (and check your insurance covers it when kept in the shed).

Stormtrooper

The Boardman comp is one bike that is on my list due to the spec.but the only thing putting me off is the 2 year frame warranty but on the other hand how manr people actually keep a bike for more than 2 years.

chrishd883

With regard to Sungod's comment....

Sentinal are kind of Evans 'bottom of the range' brand. So if you compare with other big name brands you should get higher spec kit on the frame. The argument for Cannondale is that whilst you may get lower spec kit, it's a better frame. Swings and roundabouts?

Not read any reviews of Sentinal bikes but 105 kit is good - although there have been questions asked about the LH 105 lever. I had one break at the 1,000 mile mark. Thankfully replaced under warranty by Hargroves (and a great internet service by the way)

Having said that all my bikes wear 105 shimano kit. Although just about to build up a Six13 with campag! First time for everything....

Not checked recently, but I believe Ribble have some good offerrings at times. May be worth checking out.

chrishd883

2 year frame warranty? I wouldn't worry about that.
If it's OK after 2 years, then I'd expect it to last as long as any other frame

A friend has a Boardman, bought it as a 'second bike' to his Focus. I think it's around 18 months now, no probs'

As for keeping bikes.... maybe I'm not the right person to answer. After deciding upon a Cannondale as a first road bike, it took me about 3 years to actually buy it. Spending £1,000 on a bike took a while to get my head around. Now!?!?!? But hey, that was back in 2004. Still got the bike - R800 Caad 8 105. Still got it, and despite adding a further 2 Cannondales since it's still my favourite bike. Kept for summer use only, it's up to 8.500 miles at the moment.

For the record, one Canondale was a SH M800 (from around 1997), for winter riding and a 2009 carbon synapse. Nice but prefer the aluminium Cannondale's. This summer might get to try my Six13 frame out!!

Not sure now, but the R800 came with a lifetime warranty - but only for the original owner. But what is it worth? Don't know. t was the bike I wanted in the colour I wanted at a price I was willing to pay. Love it, wouldn't change it. If it had come with 2 year warranty, I still would have bought it.

simon_e

Stormtrooper wrote:

The Boardman comp is one bike that is on my list due to the spec.but the only thing putting me off is the 2 year frame warranty but on the other hand how manr people actually keep a bike for more than 2 years.

Lots. Warranty is only a guarantee period covering manufacturing faults, not a estimated product lifetime. Most household appliances are 12 months but you don't expect to replace your TV, washing machine, kettle etc after a year. If a bike hasn't broken due to weakness or poor construction in 2 years it's not likely to after 3.

I can't recall reading a poor review of a Boardman, though seen some choice comments re. the competence of some Halfrauds mechanics. New models due out in January, I believe, though Halfrauds website shows Comp (Tiagra compact) available at £559 online £699 in-store. Would be top of my list if I was buying now.

d70ar9

sungod wrote:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-kilmeston/ is just on your limit

mostly sram rival, way better than sora, even includes mudguards, you can take them off, but in this weather they come in handy

+1

Verenti Kilmeston is untouchable in this price bracket nothing can come close. Also is the perfect entry bike as it is set up to do anything you might want to try (light touring, communing, sportives etc)

Simon E wrote:

d70ar9 wrote:
Personally i wouldn't go anywhere near a Giant Defy with Sora unless it was obscenely cheap. There must be some better speced bargains around?

Maybe there are (though you didn't suggest any) but the OP might be very happy with Sora. It's what you're likely to find at this price point

What i meant is that at £750 Sora is a complete rip off - i had it on my first bike (which i picked up nice and cheap) yes it is functional but the OP can get so much more for his money

Stormtrooper

Thanks for all the help Guys just went on the Halfords site it let me reserve for pick up a Boardman comp at £559 and its in stock, a 10 minute drive away.
Happy days

marin_maniac

Stormtrooper wrote:

Thanks for all the help Guys just went on the Halfords site it let me reserve for pick up a Boardman comp at £559 and its in stock, a 10 minute drive away.
Happy days

I had a comp as my first road bike and I loved it. For the dosh it can't be beat.

Get an experienced mechanic to set it up properly and don't look back!

marin_maniac

Stormtrooper wrote:

Thanks for all the help Guys just went on the Halfords site it let me reserve for pick up a Boardman comp at £559 and its in stock, a 10 minute drive away.
Happy days

I had a comp as my first road bike and I loved it. For the dosh it can't be beat.

Get an experienced mechanic to set it up properly and don't look back!

simon_e

d70ar9 wrote:

What i meant is that at £750 Sora is a complete rip off - i had it on my first bike (which i picked up nice and cheap) yes it is functional but the OP can get so much more for his money

Fair point, though I'd argue poor value at that price point isn't the same as a ripoff - and it's a 2011 bike. I think I read that the 9 speed Sora is an improvement over the old 8 speed version (is that a fact or marketing BS?), and at least it's compatible with Tiagra shifters... Prices have risen sharply in the last 2 years as well.

Don't know much about the Kilmeston (originally £900) but would jump at the Boardman at the price Halfrauds currently have on their website.

dabber

If you want the Giant Defy 2 wouldn't you be better getting the 2010 model (if still available) which is mainly Tiagra. It looks like the 2011 model has been downgraded unless I'm misunderstanding the specs. Also, not much carbon on these to worry about... just the fork?

2010
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 861/38959/

2011
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 842/45447/

dombo6

Stormtrooper wrote:

The Boardman comp is one bike that is on my list due to the spec.but the only thing putting me off is the 2 year frame warranty but on the other hand how manr people actually keep a bike for more than 2 years.

Thank you Stormtrooper! I salute you.
May I quote you to Mrs Dombo6 when arguing that my 3 1/2 yr old road steed is now obsolete and needs replacement?