Advice appreciated on £1,000 choice

rawcas

I know it's probably an oft asked question, but having always ridden mountain bikes I'm thinking of taking the plunge and getting a road orientated machine which will be used for a daily commute and to supplement my pool training (I'm a swimmer by trade) with some extended road riding at the weekends and the potential to move into beginner triathlons within the next year. I also have access to a couple of very good woodland trails, mostly compacted shale so CX options are a possibility. Basically I need a solid all rounder.

I have a budget of £1,000....I have taken the first steps by going and having a chat with my nearest, and trusted, independent dealer (appreciating brand bias etc. will come into play depending on their chosen manufacturers) and going over my requirements and what I will be mostly using the bike for.

So far it looks as though a CX option would suit due to the robust nature of the frame and components, required for the daily commute and all year round riding (in all weathers!), and the flexibility to upgrade wheelset, tyres and groupset set in the future if I do decide to use the bike for Triathlons. I appreciate that there will be a little more weight than an all out road machine but coming from an old steel frame MTB as my current commuter anything will be nimble in comparison

I've had a look at a few bikes, the one that has been stand out so far is the 2012 Specialized CRUX Elite which felt incredibly comfortable on a quick test run in comparison to a Giant TCX 2 I also looked at.

To confuse matters I also tried a Specialised Secteur Elite, obviously more road orientated but it felt equally comfortable and very responsive.

So, do I go for durability of CX, or, do I go for all out road ability and accept the potential fragility that comes with that?

All suggestions, opinions and thoughts appreciated, I'm totally open to brand suggestions (the Specialized machines just happen to be the first I've tried), and I'm particularly keen to hear what people think of the choice between CX and Road...if it helps with suggestions I'm 6' 2" and the spesh was a perfect fit in 58cm for both the CRUX and the Secteur.

Cheers in advance.

rawcas

...Any opinions anyone ?

alihisgreat

Road bikes are durable... there isn't really a need to get a CX bike unless you plan to take it off road.

You might want to sacrifice a bit of speed/weight and get some more puncture resistance tyres for commuting, but apart from that a road bike will be fine.

I'd be looking at:

http://road.cc/content/review/15437-genesis-equilibrium - Genesis Equilibrum
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-giant-defy-1-12-45849 - Giant Defy 1


I've got the Defy 1 and its amazing, although I don't use mine for communting -> Giant make their own full mudguards and rack which is convenient.

rawcas

Cheers for that.

I thought that I might get some feedback on the whole fragility side of things in regards to the road bike....I will go back and have a chat with the LBS about the options...they have the Defy 1 in as well so perhaps a quick test might be in order.

cooper.michael1

A Cross bike is a really good idea, as it is a versatile first good bike for you. I own two cross bikes, I sold my road bike and MTB, as once you have a good cross bike you don't really need them for 90% of conditions. The main flexibility a cross bike gives you is not really anything to do with durability or strength, its tyre size. A modern road bike will usually take a maximum 25mm tyre, whereas with a cross bike you can run a 25mm tyre on the road, or a 35mm tyre off road - you have complete flexibility.

One thing I would say is that the main manufacturers tend to overprice cross bikes, and sometimes over build them with MTB components. The Specialized Crux, whilst a lovely bike this year is RRP £1000 and the specification level of Shimano Sora is not great for that price.

To expand your choice take a look at the following for four British companies plus Cannondale with good cross options:

http://www.dolan-bikes.com/cyclo-cross/ ... uct_id=467

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... rival_bike

http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/bikes/x/weekday/

http://www.epic-cycles.co.uk/kinesis5T.html

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec027482

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/can ... e-ec031484

I own both the Planet X and the Cotic, and whilst both are good bikes I'd have to say the Planet X is a quicker more road orientated bike, whereas the Cotic is a more relaxed ride. The Planet X with good road tyres is just as quick as the Pinarello road bike it replaced.

cooper.michael1

Just come across that Kinesis £200 cheaper - http://www.probikekit.com/uk/bikes-fram ... -bike.html

rawcas

Cheers for that, some interesting stuff to consider there, especially the move you made on to the CX bikes from your road and MTB.

I'm eagerly awaiting Saturday now so I can spend some time going to a few LBS's and having a look at a few alternatives, I reckon I may be able to track down the 'dale and I have an Evans nearby so the Pinacle might be available as well.

The Specialized CRUX does look a little down on component spec I have to admit, but the frame has a fantastic finish and the fit was good as well...interesting that I have been reading other forum posts about some people finding the latest Specialized road based bikes a bit too large in 58cm...I'm interested to see how some of the others compare.

arlowood

Sorry to muddy the water but have you considered the Genesis Croix de Fer.

Available for a smidgen over your £1K budget but i reckon you could haggle it down to sub £1k.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Genesis-Croix-D ... =Froogle02

It has the advantage of disc brakes which will be of benefit if you plan to do a fair bit of off-roading.

Plenty of scope for mudguards and fatter tyres but should also run well on normal roads with slimmer tyres fitted.

Came out well in at least one review:-

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/gear/bikes/ ... de-fer.htm

rawcas

Muddy away

I have had a quick look at the Genesis, nice bike, however, for simplicity I will probably shy away from disc's as the majority of the work done will be road, the off road will not be on anything too more demanding than compacted shale and cinder tracks around local woodlands, even in the depths of winter the tracks do not disintegrate badly enough to warrant the disc's, my current mtb hack runs canti's and I haven't had a problem on said trails as of yet.

Plus I'm all for keeping it simple to adjust and maintain, disc's cloud the waters a bit I think....plus they are mechanical rather than hydraulic as well and from experience they are not that brilliant to use.

Cheers for the input though