Best bike for Sportives? At around the £600 mark.

gmanbaker
gmanbaker Posts: 21
edited March 2011 in Road beginners
Hi all, Currently have a Boardman Comp Hybrid, but have become very interested in entering sportives. What make/model do you suggest? Have a budget of around £600.

Comments

  • mrbrightside
    mrbrightside Posts: 214
    Whats wrong with the bike you've got?

    i've done 2 x 100m+ rides with a guy with the same bike. For £600 you'll find it hard to find anything better spec'd then the boardman.
  • datpat64
    datpat64 Posts: 85
    I agree with Mr brightside.

    If you've £600 spare, maybe some uograded wheels for your Boardman because you won't find a better machine for that price !

    Dave
  • EarlyGo
    EarlyGo Posts: 281
    gman,

    If you must have a road bike, how about a Specialized Secteur? £600 for this years model and some places still have 2010 models reduced to £450. Sportive friendly geometry and a well made reliable machine. However, I suspect the spec is lower than your Boardman!!

    Regards, EarlyGo
  • gmanbaker
    gmanbaker Posts: 21
    Cheers guys but forgive me for sounding stupid,I am fairly new to all this, but My Boardman HYBRID is better specced than any Road Bike at Entry level? i.e. around £600 :?
  • bakerstreet
    bakerstreet Posts: 108
    something from the Giant Defy range?

    Maybe the 3 or the 3.5?
    2010 Giant Defy 2 running SRAM Force and Shimano RS80/C24s with Continental 4 Seasons
    1999 Carrera Integer MTB
    2014 Planet X SLX
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    The hybrid is probably better specc'ed than an entry level road bike although the straight bars and frame geometry may not be ideal for a sportive, hybrids are generally more sit upright for traffic awareness during the commute. What about the Ribble Audax bike? Last time I looked they were around £600 for full Tiagra group...
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • Initial_W
    Initial_W Posts: 1
    1st post, just experience this situation with my friend.

    My friend recently just bought a 2010 boardman road bike comp, for 550 pounds.
    The bike comes with Shimano 105/Tiagra groupset so it be very hard to find anything for that price with these components.

    The only thing though, is you would have to spend a bit of money to rebuild the bike or tuned by a specialist as the bike is not well built. I have had 2 friends buying a boardman before and both had to have them rebuilt from a LBS as the guys at *Big chain bike shop with orange sign* did not take much care building them in the first place.

    Also not all of the stores will have the bike anymore so online will probably be your safest bet.

    Great bike but rubbish staff.
  • EarlyGo
    EarlyGo Posts: 281
    gman,

    A reputable brand road bike for £600 will generally have a lighter frame than a hybrid. This lightness costs more dosh! The wheels will also be lighter than a hybrid, again lightness costs money. Your gears etc on the Boardman will be of comparable (possibly higher) quality than a £600 road bike. I suspect that your brakes will provide far more stopping power than an entry level road bike. Hope that clarifies things a bit?!

    Regards, EarlyGo
  • Wheelie Bin
    Wheelie Bin Posts: 162
    MrBrightside wrote:
    Whats wrong with the bike you've got?

    It's a Boardman... lol
    I'm at that difficult age... somewhere between birth and death.
  • Wheelie Bin
    Wheelie Bin Posts: 162
    MrBrightside wrote:
    Whats wrong with the bike you've got?

    I'd have thought that was obvious... it's a Boardman... :mrgreen:
    I'm at that difficult age... somewhere between birth and death.
  • Garz
    Garz Posts: 1,155
    So funny he cracked the joke twice in different sentences!

    On a serious note, your probably best selling the hybrid and buying a new machine for £600 + Boardman sale and get the road bike that suits you after a few test rides.
  • pawlo
    pawlo Posts: 22
    Wheelie Bin wrote:
    MrBrightside wrote:
    Whats wrong with the bike you've got?

    I'd have thought that was obvious... it's a Boardman... :mrgreen:


    Whats wrong with Boardman ? My missus has the Comp Fi and she loves it, Tiaga/105 components for £ 600-00.
    Compare that with say the Specialized dolce or Trek for the same money and the Boardman trances them both.
  • griffsters
    griffsters Posts: 490
    I ordered a boardman online (they didnt have my size in the local Halfords) and it came fully built, except for pedals and straightening bars. It was spot on, cant compalin at all. I wonder if the techs that build online orders are likely to be a bit more savvy than a random employee from Halfords?

    Not quite the romance of an Italian thoroughbred but for me the bang for buck is difficult to beat. Its a great bike!

    Edit: Just to add, I ordered the Road Comp but would have no qualms at all considering a higher spec Boardman as my next purchase..but by then the whole emotional and romantic side of cycling may have hit home and I'll be thinking a bit more with my heart than my head. Who knows.

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