Starter Road Bike Questions

wjhw

Hello there -

I'm about to make my first purchase in the world of road bikes. I'm very much a beginner - having ridden only mountain bikes before - and realise that I don't need anything special to get me going. That aside, I'm very much in the dark when it comes to road bikes. My local bike shop has the full range of Specialized Allez models and I'm probably leaning towards one of these.

As a beginner, do I need anything better than the standard Allez 16? As far as I can tell the main difference between this bike and the next model up the ladder - the Sport - is the 2300 groupset (rather than Sora). Both bikes have Carbon forks and - from what I can tell - the same frame. Is the Sora significantly better that it warrants the extra £100 over the 2300? The saving could cover a helmet and a few accessories, but I'd be willing to splash out for the Sport if the consensus was that it was worth the money!

Having a look at the Trek 1.2 tomorrow as well before I make my decision. Does anyone have experience of one of these? And would it get anyone's vote over the Allez?

Cheers,

Will

ollyridesfirst

all great bikes for a starter....if it was me, i'd go with the Trek

night_porter

As you are not a complete novice you should be able to understand the difference in the groupsets by using your mtb experience.

Does your mtb have basic level components like Alivio or do you ride with XTR, Saint or XT?

If you are happy with Alivio then 2300 is just fine if you simply must have XT then look for 105, there is a straight correlation of component level aimed specifically to maximize Shimano's revenues for every level of biker.

optimisticbiker

The main issue with Sora (and below) shifters is you can't shift from the drops... you have to move your hand up to the hoods to use the thumb lever.

You have to move up to Tiagra or above if you want full shifting from the drops, otherwise there's not a huge lot to choose between 2300 and Sora but the Sora is the better part...

RedRyd3R

I just picked up the trek 1.5. compact. I test rode the allez to for me I prefered the trek. My adice is. To go for the the best groupset u can afford. . I got a second hand helmet and a 4.99 pump. All I know is every time I shift gears I am glad I spend more on groupset, even if my helmet is bright red :-)

El Selb

I had a trek 1.2 for a few months and loved it....till it got nicked last week That was my first road bike though and nothing to compare it too.

Now looking at the allez (although everyone seems to have them and appears to be the ford escort of the bike world!), then carrera vanquish or the kona honky tonk. Any opinions would be appreciated(sorry not wanting to hijack the thread!).

So.....what's all this groupset business about? sounds like it's something i should really know....

Roobsa

Last week I bought my first ever road bike and was originally looking at the Trek 1.2 until I learnt about each groupset. My LBS had £125 off the Trek 1.5 (I think Trek may have a summer sale on) which coupled with the Tiagra groupset, had me sold pretty quickly. My +1 goes to the 1.5 if you can stretch a little extra on your budget.

Duffer65

I have Sora on my bike, and although I am aware that it is not the best and the issue of not being able to change from the drops is annoying for some people, I think it's fine...for now. It's very likely that whichever bike you buy you will want to buy another in a year or less, so go with the one that feels the most suited to you. Enjoy.

jon1993

just out of intrest have you had a look at the boardman range i have a 2010 model full carbon team with sram rival kit weighs higher end of 8kg on an xl frame unbelivable for the money i love it with a passion and i only paid £700 in the box for mine you could get a just used one for that money easy on ebay like i did and the beauty is there halfords own bikes so the "special people" at halfords will replace any broken parts ect on warranty :P tried and tested haha

SLX01

jon1993 wrote:

just out of intrest have you had a look at the boardman range i have a 2010 model full carbon team with sram rival kit weighs higher end of 8kg on an xl frame unbelivable for the money i love it with a passion and i only paid £700 in the box for mine you could get a just used one for that money easy on ebay like i did and the beauty is there halfords own bikes so the "special people" at halfords will replace any broken parts ect on warranty :P tried and tested haha

They are not Halfords 'own' bikes Halfords is the Uk distributer for them.

ALaPlage

My advice is to get a test ride if you can to see what bike suits. Both the Specialized Allez range and the Trek 1.x series are great road bikes to get you started however the geometries are subtly different between manufacturers.

In terms of groupset then that is down to preference and how much you are prepared to pay. Shimano Sora and 2300 are more than adequate for the job however as already mentioned it doesnt suit everyone in terms of gear shifting. Tiagra, 105, Ultegra and Dura Ace are the groupsets going up the range. 105 and above generally have 10 gear cassettes whereas Tiagra and below are 9 and then 8 gear cassettes.

Tiagra and above have brake lever shifting for going up and down the range which is easier to operate.

Test out to find out what bike fits you best within your budget and if you can afford it I would recommend you stretch to at least Tiagra however if you can push to 105 then you will have the benefit of 10 gears on the rear (20 or 30 with a double, compact or triple crank)

ALaPlage

El Selb wrote:

I had a trek 1.2 for a few months and loved it....till it got nicked last week That was my first road bike though and nothing to compare it too.

Now looking at the allez (although everyone seems to have them and appears to be the ford escort of the bike world!), then carrera vanquish or the kona honky tonk. Any opinions would be appreciated(sorry not wanting to hijack the thread!).

So.....what's all this groupset business about? sounds like it's something i should really know....

A full groupset refers to the drivetrain and braking set up and groupset on its own is often referred to for the drivetrain (cranks, rear cassette, shifters). Three "main" manufacturers being Shimano, Campagnola and SRAM. They have a range of groupsets each and at different price points.

Generally the more you pay the lighter and more efficient the equipment. In the Shimano range 105, Ultegra and Dura Ace are the most popular I imagine amongst keen/serious cyclists as they have 10 gear cassettes on the rear giving more range and the shifting mechanism all built onto the brake lever. They also have 2 electronic shifting groupsets in Ultegra Di2 and Dura Ace Di2 - serious money! Campagnola offer an 11 gear rear sprocket on their top two groupsets.

Hope that helps.