Need help choosing a new bike - we can help?

noiseboyfeetman

starbuck wrote:

I'm looking to get a bike on my company's bike to work scheme. I've got a budget of £1000 and looking for a bike which will be good/comfortable for sportives/all day rides, and I'll be riding it year round.

I've been looking at the Giant defy 1, and also seen that Merlin have a Sensa Trentino SL Pro 2013 within my budget as well. I think the defy comes with either 105 or tiagra spec. The sensa has ultegra shifters and front/rear mech which for just under a £1000 seems great (haven't seen any other bikes at this price with ultegra).

I've also seen a Planet X Pro Carbon within my budget, which is supposed to be a good bike but I don't know what carbon quality at £1k is like.

Any comments on the above 3 bikes? I know the giant is highly rated but I haven't heard what the sensa's are like.

Are there any other bikes I should be looking at for around this price (or lower priced?).

I already have helmet, spd shoes, and other cycle clothing you normally have so I can afford to spend the entire budget on the bike if it's worthwhile (if I get a cheaper bike, I can always get more cycle gear/accessories).

I don't know about the 3 bikes above, although as you say the Defy range always get good reviews. The Sensa Romagna from Merlin got a good review on here http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-sensa--romagna-special-12-46600 which would leave you plenty to spend on more accessories clothes etc.. there's always more that you can have.

alfablue

Got my Planet-X SL Pro 4 years ago on the scheme, the quality is great, and the bike is 7.6kg - unbeatable at the price. Done many miles on all sorts of roads, never missed a beat apart from a broken mech hanger from clumsy handling when putting it in the boot. PX service is great too.

Buckie2k5

hi there looking for some opinions on new purchase.

Cannondale caad8 tiagra 2012
Giant defy 2 2012

What would you choose and why? Any other bike you might throw into the mix in the same price range with atleast tiagra.

Thanks.

kennygiddings

hi guys, recently i had the opertunity to join a bike to work scheme. Deciding to opt for the Carrera Gryphon hybrid, i was ultra impressed! thou someone else has since wanted it more and theived it from my garden! Through the insurance, i've opted to go for an uber cheap road bike as im hoping it'll help training for tough mudder 2013. I'm looking at the Carrera Zelos ltd ed. 2012... Can anyone give me any advise as to if its worth it? (£329.99)... Many thanks for reading.

davies_1980

Hi

I am new to the forum and to road biking so I apologise in advance for the little intelligence shown on this subject.

In summary I am looking to spend £1000 on a new road bike on the cycle to work and dont know what to buy.

I had set my heart on a Boardman Team Carbon (once it comes on offer) but reading reviews it is too short for me at 6ft 4????????????????????

What do I buy and what frame size am I roughly looking for? The money is purely for a bike as I already have kit. All of my mates have the bees knees of a road bike so I want the best for my money and fit in, whether it be a 2013 model or a better 2012 model thats on offer.

Help please!

Cool4catz

Hi, I'm looking to upgrade from my Allez Sport to a lighter better spec bike. I've done a few sportives this year and my first ton under 7.30 hours, plan more next year so looking for a compact that's comfortable. I was thinking about the Madone 3.5 but like the look of the Cannondale supersix 105. Budget £1800 tops, the Trek seems to top all the reviews but interested in alternatives. I have a Dalesman Tourer for winter and will be hitting 50 in a couple of years time.

Jamie23

Hello folks! Firts time on this forum, so please be gentle!

I started road cycling in September after my friend gave me his old Coppi road bike (its about 10 years old) now I'm looking to buy a new road bike. Problem is I cant make up my mind which one to go for. Since I'm so new I struggle to understand much of the jargon and don't really understand what is good spec and what is bad :?: .
Anyway, I'm looking for a bike under £1000 and my question is - which of the following would you recommend?

*Mekk poggio 2G (This is the one my LBS is trying to flog to me)

*Giant Defy 1

*Giant TCR Composite 3

Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

1981miked

I'm definitely buying a road bike in the next couple of weeks, have looked at all sorts but this is the short list:

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/b ... -bike.html

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/giant-tcr-1-compact-2012/

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bmc ... e-ec031069

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=75442

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=67805.

Bike is for fitness rides, commuting and hopefully a sportive next year. I had a road bike previously so I have a knowledge for fit and TT length, I'm a keen mountain biker so not new to bikes at all. Been to the local shops but nothing that catches the eye and Certainally no deals on the go.. And I'm just going round in circles..

macleod113

I have £1000 to spend on the Cyclescheme, i am looking at the 2013 Trek 2.1, Cube Peleton Pro Compact 2013 or the Sensa Trentino SL Pro 2013.
i am 6'2" and heavy. i'll be mainly commuting 16 miles a day and the odd 30-40 miler.
i'd appreciate your thoughts?
cheers
Paul

alfablue

kennygiddings wrote:

hi guys, recently i had the opertunity to join a bike to work scheme. Deciding to opt for the Carrera Gryphon hybrid, i was ultra impressed! thou someone else has since wanted it more and theived it from my garden! Through the insurance, i've opted to go for an uber cheap road bike as im hoping it'll help training for tough mudder 2013. I'm looking at the Carrera Zelos ltd ed. 2012... Can anyone give me any advise as to if its worth it? (£329.99)... Many thanks for reading.

At £329 it looks like good value, but the Carera TDF is £299 and has 8 speed rather than 7 speed gears, so would be a better choice IMHO (and is probably unbeatable for the price).

Sneillm69

I currently own an entry level Merida Road bike and since march have been cycling 200 miles per week to and from work and also undertaken my first couple of 70mile plus sportives. I have seriously been bitten by the cycling bug but unfortunately three weeks ago suffered a head injury when I had an unpredicted argument with the tarmac.

I will be off the bike for a minimum of three months so decided that it is only fair to treat myself to an upgrade as a reward for the unavoidable episodes of cabin fever and frustration that will ensue over the weeks ahead.

I have trawled through dozens of reviews and the two bikes that meet my price scale and overall specs are the Trek Madone 3.5 and the Focus Izalco Pro 3.0. The problem is I just can't split them for preference so was hoping to gain some insider information from the valued Radar Forum.

If it helps I live in the Scottish Borders and cycle mostly country roads many of dubious quality. The terrain is hilly and the average trip I take is 3+ hours. My cycle to work is a 44 mile round trip that living in Scotland can often be done in particularly wet weather. I am a member of my local cycling club but keen sportive rider is where my aspirations end. I love speed but will not be turning pro anytime soon. I am also a keen upgrader so being able to add and higher spec gear onto the bike is a hobby of mine.

Please help.

Sneillm69

Aggerdoo

Hi

I have been looking at getting a compact road bike from £700 - £1500 (or a more expensive one if I can get it second hand).
I've looked at bikes like the Cube Peloton, Cube Agree GTC Pro, Giant Defy series, Trek 1.5, Bianchi Via Nirone 7, Boardman team (and team carbon).

This will be my first road bike but have mountain biked on and off road for many years so don't want a very basic entry level bike. Am happy to spend a bit on a bike as I'll most likely keep it for a fair few years so I'm not looking to replace it in 1 or 2 years time.

Cheers

Aggerdoo

... Oh and also I've been told that Giant frame sizes seem to come up large so a 56 is more like a 58. is this the case and is this a similar issue with other bike companies?

cyclingDoc

Hi.
I am currently riding an older alu-frame with carbon fork and 105 group.
This summer (2013) I am entering a few races, mostly around 100 km, but also a 180 and 230 km race, so I want to upgrade to a bit better bike. I like the thought of very little maintenance with the Di2, so will probably get a Di2 bike.
Prices on 2012 bikes are now very good as dealers are making room for 2013 bikes, so I guess this would be a good time to buy.
I currently have 3 bikes I'm considering, so I wondered if you have some input?

The alternatives are
A new 2012 Cannondale supersix ultegra Di2 for £2200,
A new 2012 Storck Scentron Ultegra Di2 for £2500
a used Storck Fenomalist Dura-Ace Di2 in very good condition for £2500.


Any thoughts?

Plastic Scotsman

I am looking to buy a carbon Road bike as my Boardman Cyclo X is just not up to doing a Sportive, lesson learn't recently at Cumbria Cracker.

I'm 5'10" and want something that will mainly be used for summer riding and a few sportives in the lake district, not including the Fred Whitton.................yet.

I've a budget up to £1500 for the very very right bike and am not after an out and out racer. Would be more than happy with last years model as I do like value for money.


Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Plastic

alfablue

Cube gtc race; end of!

Yellow Peril

Thinking of an upgrade, I've seen some Orbea Opal frames at a reasonable price. Orbea's largest size is a 60cm and I am 6'5". On their sizing chart they say up to 6'2" anyone got any experience of Orbea bike fit opr whether I will get away with a 60cm?

scrumpymonkey

Thinking of going for one of these;

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/raleigh-airlite-300-tiagra-2012/

or one of these;

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/raleigh-airlite-400-105-2012/

Two questions please. Is it worth the extra £75 for the 105 kit and which size frame do I need? I'm 171cm (5'7" and a bit in old money) and an inside leg of 79cm (31").

Any replies would be greatly appreciated

ck101

The extra is worth it for the colour alone. While the latest Tiagra is excellent it's a small price to pay for the upgrade to 105.

chrisbrook

Hi, i'm getting back into road cycling after 10 year stint away on family mtb rides ..... Now i've got the finances for a new road bike either through C2W or personally bought.... the bikes I like are FELT Z85 2013 (local shop) or RIBBLE SPORTIVE BIANCO (mail order) .... have a £1200 max budget. got shoes, hat etc

Don't mind if tiagra or 105 but 105 would be nice. At the moment i'm 111kg and 6' 1, can carbon frames take weight ?

Any other ideas on bikes in budget ?

cheers
chris

anglais49

Budget road bike vs decent mtb

Hey y'all,

I'm considering buying an interim road bike, but not sure if it would be any better than the mtb I have already. If anyone could provide a bit of versus context, it would be much appreciated.

So later this year I'm going to splash out £1300+ on a full carbon Giant (TCR) or Trek (Madone), to do everything from a daily commute to 50/100-mile events, to a week's climbing tour of the Alps. But I need something until I get round to that...

Right now, my only bike is a Specialised Rockhopper. It's a 2010 model and was around £900 new. I use it mainly off road, but also have a pair of slick tyres for it since it's also the only on-road bike I've got. It's almost worth buying a cheap road bike just to save me having to keep swapping nobblies to slicks!

But since a road bike now would be interim, I don't want to waste more than £200 on something I know will be surplus in a few months. I've spotted a Muddyfox Pace on the Sports Direct site for £180. Supposedly reduced from RRP of £340, but I can't imagine anyone would pay that for one. Now I know it's pretty basic spec-wise, as you'd expect for £180, but here come my question...

Is it going to be so low spec that I would actually be better off just riding the Rockhopper on the road? Or will a road bike, even a budget one, always be better on the road than a mtb. I've no idea how a poorly spec'd road bike compares to a reasonably decent spec'd MTB for road riding... Any ideas?

Thank you!

PS, I know I could up the spec of a budget road bike by going up to something like a Triban 3, but at the end of the day that's just wasting a bit more money on a bike I'm not going to ride for long. Cheaper the better. Can't imagine there's a whole world of difference between the two anyway.

Captain Slackbladder

ok, ok i'll admit i've got the road bike bug.

Rode many a hardtail and hybrid commuters over the last few years. Not sure what way to go?

2nd hand model or straight for a new one......budgets around £600 mark?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec040963

or

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... -defy-4-13

Tempted to get the Giant Defy as i've already got a Roam Hybrid for commuting.

rdouglas66

Hi all,

I've not riden a bike (except for twice this week) in years, I'm afraid to say that I am very unfit and overweight. The company I work for is looking to enter a team in a 45 mile charity ride in september and I want to take part in the hope that the training will help shed the pounds.

I'm posting in this forum as my bike was stolen last night and if I am to do this I will need another. The bike was not insured and house insurance excess is £200 so not really worth claiming on a £300 bike when you consider increased premiums for the next few years.

I would probably be looking at around £250-300 again. Last bike was a Carera Subway which seemed ok, just wanted to check with the experts whether this was the right type of bike given my scenario. Given my current state I would err on the side of comfort over a really sporty geometry. If I do get the bug during this training then when finance permits I would like to get a sportier bike.

Thanks Guys!

cpstoddart

Hi,

I am looking to upgrade from my 2009 Trek 1.7. I would like a carbon frame and have a budget of around £2000. I am torn between a Trek 4.7 Madone - perhaps the safe option?, Focus Izalco Pro 3.0, Giant TCR advanced 3.0 and the Canyon Ultimate CF 9.0 ES. I'd be very grateful for peoples thoughts!

Thanks

Pete

cycleclinic

Have you tried any of these yet. Try them and buy the one that fits the best and you like the most when you ride it.