First time road bike buying advise desperately wanted

the playing mantis

Hi, first time user and poster here after some much needed advice.

finally decided to take the plunge with a road bike after a year of hacking around on my mtb (with road tyres on occasion), and am considering the following 3 bikes. can anyone give me their opinions on them and what would be best for me? i mostly go on the flat with some small bits of hill climbing, and am 6ft 3 in height, 180lbs

BMC Streetracer SR01 Tiagra Compact 2012 @ £900

Cannondale CAAD8 7 SORA Compact 2012 @ £750

Cannondale Synapse 7 Sora Triple 2012 @ £750

i know fit is crucial, but my local bikeshops have very few road bikes in stock, so i would have to purchase the above online.

Any help greatly appreciated.

samsbike

I have no idea but cant you get to an Evans or something.

Personally I wouild be broading that range to look at some Boardmans, which may have better spec for less or the same money and the Genesis equilibrium 00 which is about that money in the sales

Gladiator

Almost certainly go for the BMC in that line up, thats assuming it has to be one of those three.

I would take the rule of thumb that the more you can afford the better, especially in terms of frame/gearing, so the BMC is a decent frame with better groupset over the Cannondales.

But if you have time then maybe look at Cube bikes as well, alng with Boardman you get more bike for the same money. Cannondales arent that great for the spec/price compared to other makes.

the playing mantis

thanks for the responses, problem i have is there are plenty of bikes in my price bracket, but im not sure of the quality, ie what the better makes are considered to be in the cycling world, in terms of build quality, value for money spec, etc, kind of thing.

Also it seems, especially for the large frame size i would need (im 192 cms tall without bike shoes), a lot of the stuff on evans, wiggle, halfords online, etc is listed as discontinued, probably awaitng the new stuff in 2013, but id prefer not to wait till the new stuff comes in and try and take advantage of potential sale bargains.

so it seems cannondale are not that value for money? im willing to spend 900 max, the BMC is reduced from a grand to 900 @ evans

Gladiator

I spoke to a couple of bike salesmen from various shops over the past few months and they virtually all said they sell less Cannondales now than they ever have, as Cndl upped the prices last year but not the specs. I personally wouldnt touch them as thats just me and ive heard other stories about the frames not being as good as they once were.

You just need to get as much bang for your buck. The BMC is a good frame, better gearing so you wont go wrong with it. Frame size you probably need a 58 imch minimum but more likely a 60 at your height.

the playing mantis

yes 60 by all accounts which i can get the bmc in. chain set is shimano tiagra, is that a triple set? specs are below

Frame:iSC aluminium, triple-buttedFork:BMC SE48Front Derailleur:Shimano TiagraRear Derailleur:Shimano TiagraNumber of Gears:20Shifters:Shimano TiagraChainset:Shimano TiagraChainrings:50-34 toothBottom Bracket:BSA 1.37x24 / 68mm widthCassette:Shimano Tiagra 12-28Chain:KMC X10LPedals:Not SuppliedFront Brake:Tektro Scor R-741Rear Brake:Tektro Scor R-741Handlebars:Easton EA30Stem:Easton EA30Rims:Shimano R-501Front Hub:Shimano R-501Rear Hub:Shimano R-501Front Tyre:Continental Ultra RaceRear Tyre:Continental Ultra RaceSaddle:Selle Royal SetaSeatpost:Easton EA30Weight:9.05kg

Gabbo

the playing mantis wrote:

yes 60 by all accounts which i can get the bmc in. chain set is shimano tiagra, is that a triple set? specs are below

Frame:iSC aluminium, triple-buttedFork:BMC SE48Front Derailleur:Shimano TiagraRear Derailleur:Shimano TiagraNumber of Gears:20Shifters:Shimano TiagraChainset:Shimano TiagraChainrings:50-34 toothBottom Bracket:BSA 1.37x24 / 68mm widthCassette:Shimano Tiagra 12-28Chain:KMC X10LPedals:Not SuppliedFront Brake:Tektro Scor R-741Rear Brake:Tektro Scor R-741Handlebars:Easton EA30Stem:Easton EA30Rims:Shimano R-501Front Hub:Shimano R-501Rear Hub:Shimano R-501Front Tyre:Continental Ultra RaceRear Tyre:Continental Ultra RaceSaddle:Selle Royal SetaSeatpost:Easton EA30Weight:9.05kg

9.05kg? Bit heavy isn't it?

the playing mantis

is that heavy then? whats the usaul for a road bike?

Gabbo

the playing mantis wrote:

is that heavy then? whats the usaul for a road bike?

Well it varies. Generally the more expensive a road bike, the lighter it'll become. 9.05kg just seems a little heavy to me for a road bike, and considering it's alloy framed then that's going to be the case. I'm sure the Cannondale or Rose are lighter in their top end of the alloy framed bikes. You can change components to reduce the weight but then that'll just cost you more money. So I hear, the streetracer is great on the flats but a bit of a struggle when it comes to climbing. Depends what you really want it for!

t4tomo

the playing mantis wrote:

is that heavy then? whats the usaul for a road bike?

Quoted weights are notiously unreliable. Heavier quoted weights tend to be from the more honest manufacturers! You may notice heavy wheels are rotational weight is more important, but general frame weight within reason you won't notice, especially once you put a water bottle on it plus most of us are carrying more than the odd kilo or 6 over our optimum weight.