Clueless about a winter bike but wanting to pull the trigger

greeny1
greeny1 Posts: 106
edited September 2011 in Road buying advice
Right guys I finally have the money to buy myself a second bike. I have been mulling it over for a bit. I have narrowed it down to three choices; Scott Speedster s35 (supposedly designed for the british winter, or so they say), Cannodale CaadX Tiagra (cyclocross) or wait and see what build planet X do with the Kaffenback; I’ve emailed them and they say it will be up on the site soon but were coy on what the build option would be. I’m thinking maybe the cyclocross bike would be a good idea with slightly wider tyres, although how will these perform on the road, will I notice the difference in pace and do they offer any better grip? Or shall I just go for a road bike and fit 28’s? Will these offer better grip and protection in the winter? I dare say all my usage would be on the road. I want it as a winter trainer/commuter bike. I was hoping to find a bargain on ebay but that hasn’t worked out so if any one has any of the above bikes or any useful information it would much be appreciated. Cheers

Comments

  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Does the Cross bike have bottle braze ons ? Some dont.

    You need it to be :

    Not too expensive - stuff wears more in winter and its slippier too.
    Capable of fitting full guards/
    Capable of handling wider tyres inside those guards
    Nice to ride
    Something you like

    I have a cheap fixed wheel that i like for winter. Less to maintain.
    I do like the Kaffenback idea though.
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    I commute 38 miles a day. And have just pressed buy on a Genesis Day One Cross from Evans, £399. Singlespeed. Changed out to a 16t at the back and stuck full guards on with 28C marathon plus tyres.

    It will be harder to ride. It will take more effort.

    It will also offer much more peace of mind in terms of breaking, puncturing etc.

    And I am far more likely to "pop up the garage" on it instead of taking the car.

    However, when I get my next B2W bike (January) it will be either the Genesis Vapour Disc or the Caad X cyclocross
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
    https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
    Facebook? No. Just say no.
  • greeny1
    greeny1 Posts: 106
    my cycle2work starts in december but I just dont know whether it is such a good deal when you can get an 2011 bike in the sale the saving seems to be about the same. Thought of singlespeed but im not tough enough :)

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