Is £1100 expensive for an aluminium road bike?

Gabbo

Evans are selling the BMC Streetracer SR01 105 for £1100

Is this good value for money? Now I understand that the Shimano 105 groupset bumps the price up by an extra £200 (taking into consideration that the same framed bike with Tiagra groupset is £900) but just how good is the frame? I've always thought of aluminium framed bikes as either entry level or yesterdays news, but I will admit - it rode very well!

Specialized are releasing the 2013 tarmac carbon frame with the Sora groupset (9-speed) for £1200.

My concerns are is that for instant gratification, the BMC Streetracer with the 105 groupset would tick those boxes. It is £100 cheaper with a much better groupset and wouldn't really need upgrading. The Specialized, in contrast, sounds like a bike with an awesome frame but a groupset that doesn't do it justice. However, the groupset can be upgraded so would I be right in purchasing the Tarmac 2013 as a longer term investment opposed to the aluminium BMC Streetracer?

I don't want to "run before I can walk," but I do eventually want to start racing.

Sorry about the long post. And by the way, I am new to this forum :-)

ben16v

you can get a nice carbon cube with 105 for £1100 - best of both worlds?

Gabbo

ben16v wrote:

you can get a nice carbon cube with 105 for £1100 - best of both worlds?

I know absolutely nothing about Cube. That is rather cheap, where from?

ugo.santalucia

There is nothing wrong in an alloy frame... some do develop fatigue cracks after 5-6 years, some never do. Both alloy and carbon are very hard to repair in case of impact damage.
If I was in your position I would get the bike with 105... it's a good groupset, while Sora is really entry level.

Gabbo

ugo.santalucia wrote:

There is nothing wrong in an alloy frame... some do develop fatigue cracks after 5-6 years, some never do. Both alloy and carbon are very hard to repair in case of impact damage.
If I was in your position I would get the bike with 105... it's a good groupset, while Sora is really entry level.

Thanks for your advice. Would the BMC Streetracer be any good for club cycling/racing though? I was told that the Specialized Tarmac 2013 with Sora Groupset would climb hills faster with less effort than the BMC. How much truth is in that statement?

snoopsmydogg

Gabbo wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

There is nothing wrong in an alloy frame... some do develop fatigue cracks after 5-6 years, some never do. Both alloy and carbon are very hard to repair in case of impact damage.
If I was in your position I would get the bike with 105... it's a good groupset, while Sora is really entry level.

Thanks for your advice. Would the BMC Streetracer be any good for club cycling/racing though? I was told that the Specialized Tarmac 2013 with Sora Groupset would climb hills faster with less effort than the BMC. How much truth is in that statement?

were you told this by a specialized dealer by any chance? comparing those bikes i would say it's more about the engine (you) than the bike itself. If there was a big difference in weight ie 5kg+ then you may notice but personally I would go for 105 over Sora as well.

The BMC would be fine for what you want to do with it and although I have never ridden one I asked about these a while back and they did seem to get good feedback.

Oh and if you think £1100 is expensive for an alloy bike take a look at this http://road.cc/content/review/33974-principia-rex

ugo.santalucia

Somebody will get outraged, but bikes climb all at the same speed regardless of the frame...
Moderate Weight saving can give you 5 seconds over 1 Km of clibmbing... it's not that much... if you struggle you will struggle with any bike

BelgianBeerGeek

Sora is fine, as is 105. However, Sora is still 9-speed. To upgrade even to Tiagra (next up) will cost more as everything upwards from then is 10-speed, so things like shifters will need replacing.
105 is probably all the groupset you need, and will certainly be a good place to start. The BMC looks like a good buy. Don't be put off by the aluminium/carbon debate as both materials can be made into good frames (or not so good).

smidsy

£1100 for a decent Alu bike is about right - I would argue that it is cheap, I mean plastic ones can cost far more ;-)

Cannodale CAAD 10 can go as high as £1500 with Dura Ace on it.

bungalballs

Some shops are offering a Giant Defy 0 with mostly Ultegra kit and some 105 for £1100. I bought one as my first road bike, love it.

graham_g

Judge by the ride/fit - ignore the spec sheet and materials. I've got an old Principia alu framed bike from c.2000, it readily shits on many a more modern bike, regardless of material, just because they absolutely nailed the geometry/handling for a race/fast-fun bike.

Gabbo

Another question. Are BMC frames typically larger than say Specialized frames? For example, would a 57cm BMC frame come up larger than a 57cm Specialized frame? Apparently BMC have odd framing sizes. Only what I heard.

But thanks for all your responses. Really appreciate it!

Gabbo

snoopsmydogg wrote:

Gabbo wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

There is nothing wrong in an alloy frame... some do develop fatigue cracks after 5-6 years, some never do. Both alloy and carbon are very hard to repair in case of impact damage.
If I was in your position I would get the bike with 105... it's a good groupset, while Sora is really entry level.

Thanks for your advice. Would the BMC Streetracer be any good for club cycling/racing though? I was told that the Specialized Tarmac 2013 with Sora Groupset would climb hills faster with less effort than the BMC. How much truth is in that statement?

were you told this by a specialized dealer by any chance?

Not a Specialized dealer, but they did sell a good range of Specialized road bikes and not one BMC. I think it's only Evans who distribute BMC in the UK? He was telling me that the £1200 was worth it for the frame itself and despite it having Sora 9 speed group set, it would be a better climber than the BMC. He didn't a bad word to say about the BMC, though.

ben16v

Gabbo wrote:

ben16v wrote:

you can get a nice carbon cube with 105 for £1100 - best of both worlds?

I know absolutely nothing about Cube. That is rather cheap, where from?

my mate just bought one from evolution bikes in bangor gwynedd - i have a cube aerial with sora/tiagra and cant fault it

snoopsmydogg

Gabbo wrote:

Not a Specialized dealer, but they did sell a good range of Specialized road bikes and not one BMC. I think it's only Evans who distribute BMC in the UK? He was telling me that the £1200 was worth it for the frame itself and despite it having Sora 9 speed group set, it would be a better climber than the BMC. He didn't a bad word to say about the BMC, though.

Cant see how a carbon bike will climb any better than a good alloy bike unless there was a huge difference in weight/components.

Best thing to do would be try the spesh and see how it fits, same with the BMC if possible.

Gabbo

snoopsmydogg wrote:

Gabbo wrote:

Not a Specialized dealer, but they did sell a good range of Specialized road bikes and not one BMC. I think it's only Evans who distribute BMC in the UK? He was telling me that the £1200 was worth it for the frame itself and despite it having Sora 9 speed group set, it would be a better climber than the BMC. He didn't a bad word to say about the BMC, though.

Cant see how a carbon bike will climb any better than a good alloy bike unless there was a huge difference in weight/components.

Best thing to do would be try the spesh and see how it fits, same with the BMC if possible.

Try before you buy... makes perfect sense doesn't it?

After reading hours and hours of reviews, I'm beginning to lean towards the Cannondale CAAD10 105. Why is beyond me...

Maybe because the BMC Streetracer is quite ugly? I don't like the look of the frame, it looks like its a very cheap version of the BMC Teammachine. Don't want any cheap knock offs (I'm probably talking absolute nonsense now).

If anyone has any recommendations then please state them! Budget around £1000 but can't be pushed beyond £1200 (unless it's £50, of course).

spasypaddy

Get a cannondale CAAD10. take no other options.

smidsy

spasypaddy wrote:

Get a cannondale CAAD10. take no other options.

This _ which is what I should have said in the first place

spasypaddy

smidsy wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

Get a cannondale CAAD10. take no other options.

This _ which is what I should have said in the first place

far and away the 2nd best aluminium frame around (behind the CAAD9 as it was the last handbuilt in the US frame and i own one...)

snoopsmydogg

Gabbo wrote:

snoopsmydogg wrote:

Gabbo wrote:

Not a Specialized dealer, but they did sell a good range of Specialized road bikes and not one BMC. I think it's only Evans who distribute BMC in the UK? He was telling me that the £1200 was worth it for the frame itself and despite it having Sora 9 speed group set, it would be a better climber than the BMC. He didn't a bad word to say about the BMC, though.

Cant see how a carbon bike will climb any better than a good alloy bike unless there was a huge difference in weight/components.

Best thing to do would be try the spesh and see how it fits, same with the BMC if possible.

Try before you buy... makes perfect sense doesn't it?

After reading hours and hours of reviews, I'm beginning to lean towards the Cannondale CAAD10 105. Why is beyond me...

Maybe because the BMC Streetracer is quite ugly? I don't like the look of the frame, it looks like its a very cheap version of the BMC Teammachine. Don't want any cheap knock offs (I'm probably talking absolute nonsense now).

If anyone has any recommendations then please state them! Budget around £1000 but can't be pushed beyond £1200 (unless it's £50, of course).

westbrooks in stokesley were selling 105 CAAD10's for £999 recently (liquigas colours only) but could be worth a call to them to see if there is any stock left

philbar72

for those that are knocking the look or the quality of the streetracer, i've tried it against a few comparable bikes (similar price and slightly above and below). i'm not going to say it blew them away but as a good overall package it is a sensible buy. bear in mind i was at evans cycles when i looked at it and tried it out. I also had a go on an allez elite and my perception was that whilst you get a few good bits its still a bit of a rip off... (just my opinion). also the 105 running gear is really quite a bit better than the sora and the tiagra stuff i tried.

I'd say go for it. the frame sizes are 51 /54/ 57 cm so you might be a betweeny size if you see what i mean....

richh

Yes definitely try it.

I've got the Streetfire (effectivley the same as the streetracer but with different paint), and when I bought it I was road testing it alongside the CAAD9, Allez Elite, Colnago Prima and I had every intention of walking away that day with the CAAD9 based on reviews I'd read. It was only from a road test were differences apparent and the BMC was simply the better bike to ride for me. My least favorite was the Allez - nothing wrong with it but no sparkle either, the CAAD9 was pretty good but both the colnago and the BMC felt nicer to me. Splitting them was a tough choice but in the end the BMC appealed more, mainly because of the better group set that made gear changes so much smoother.

I can't say that the extra weight was ever really a consideration. I knew that on paper there was a difference but I couldn't feel it. The BMC did feel more solid, which is probably a combination of a bit of extra weight and the more solid groupset, but for me that inspired more confidence to ride harder so I really doubt that any weight penalty would have resulted in a slower bike. More likely the opposite.

I should add that I've now had the bike for what must be three years and I still absolutely love riding it. yes the bar tape was pathetic and needed changing but other than that cheap upgrade I've not felt compelled to change anything else (although I am now considering a new set of wheels, but that's as a treat to myself more than anything else) .

Definitely go and give it a go rather than being put off by people that haven't ridden them. that's the only way you'll know for sure.

Gabbo

Just another post this time regarding the Specialized Roubaix Compact 2012. The price is £1400 reduced from £1600 and it's a full carbon frame with a Tiagra groupset. Not sure whether that is good value for money but it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Is anyone a big fan of Specialized here? Sure, they do some really nice stuff but they come across as overpriced. The £2200 Tarmac with Ultergra is a really nice bike but they've priced themselves out of the market for me.

Cornish-J

you can get a canyon with full ultegra electronic gearshift for 1500 quid...spending 1100 on an alloy bike with 105 these days is madness!

Sesquepidilian

Cornish-J wrote:

you can get a canyon with full ultegra electronic gearshift for 1500 quid...spending 1100 on an alloy bike with 105 these days is madness!

what, too much ? I've been mulling over alloy w/snazzy gear vs carbon frames with cheaper gearsets myself recently, with a similar budget to the o/p.

A carbon Specialised Tarmac with full Tiagra 'gear is advertised at my LBS for £1400; looks pretty good even though I don't fancy a Specialised.

DF33

spasypaddy wrote:

smidsy wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

Get a cannondale CAAD10. take no other options.

This _ which is what I should have said in the first place

far and away the 2nd best aluminium frame around (behind the CAAD9 as it was the last handbuilt in the US frame and i own one...)

Me too, Late 2010 model, last handbuilt, I like it so much I decided to keep it as a 'classic' and am just putting a new Ultegra groupset on to it.

Gabbo

Sesquepidilian wrote:

Cornish-J wrote:

you can get a canyon with full ultegra electronic gearshift for 1500 quid...spending 1100 on an alloy bike with 105 these days is madness!

what, too much ? I've been mulling over alloy w/snazzy gear vs carbon frames with cheaper gearsets myself recently, with a similar budget to the o/p.

A carbon Specialised Tarmac with full Tiagra 'gear is advertised at my LBS for £1400; looks pretty good even though I don't fancy a Specialised.

What LBS is this? Still Tiagra however. For that money I'd expect a 105 group set at least.. or am I being too wishful?

bails1310

Cornish-J wrote:

you can get a canyon with full ultegra electronic gearshift for 1500 quid...spending 1100 on an alloy bike with 105 these days is madness!

Where from?

ShutUpLegs

bails1310 wrote:

Cornish-J wrote:

you can get a canyon with full ultegra electronic gearshift for 1500 quid...spending 1100 on an alloy bike with 105 these days is madness!

Where from?

Canyon :?:

bails1310

Direct or which store?

ShutUpLegs

bails1310 wrote:

Direct or which store?

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2503

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2504

Personally the 2nd one would be better