New to Road Biking, which bike?
andrewcaley
Posts: 2
Hi,
I'm planning to get a new road bike, which I plan to use initially for getting fit, long days out and a couple of hours 2 -3 night per week. I then want to look at taking part in sportives and duathlons.
I've narrowed it down to the following 3
Trek Domane 4.3
Giant Defy Composite 1
Giant TCR Composite 2
The Trek looks best in my eyes, but is expensive considering its components, which are a mix of 105 and tiagra. With the IsoSpeed frame, I presume it will be most comfortable for long days, but not sure how much of an all rounder it would be.
The defy has the best spec - all Ultegra - but is the least attractive and most expensive. I think this would be good for long days and racing. Looks aren't everything and low in my priority, but still a factor
The TCR seems a good bet, as it has a mix of 105 and Ultegra components, looks good and is the cheapest by a few hundred quid. I wonder if it may be too aggressive and racey for long days though. Is it really that different from the defy?
As you can see, I've done a fair bit of research without actually riding one, but would like some advice as to which is best for my purposes.
I'm planning to get a new road bike, which I plan to use initially for getting fit, long days out and a couple of hours 2 -3 night per week. I then want to look at taking part in sportives and duathlons.
I've narrowed it down to the following 3
Trek Domane 4.3
Giant Defy Composite 1
Giant TCR Composite 2
The Trek looks best in my eyes, but is expensive considering its components, which are a mix of 105 and tiagra. With the IsoSpeed frame, I presume it will be most comfortable for long days, but not sure how much of an all rounder it would be.
The defy has the best spec - all Ultegra - but is the least attractive and most expensive. I think this would be good for long days and racing. Looks aren't everything and low in my priority, but still a factor
The TCR seems a good bet, as it has a mix of 105 and Ultegra components, looks good and is the cheapest by a few hundred quid. I wonder if it may be too aggressive and racey for long days though. Is it really that different from the defy?
As you can see, I've done a fair bit of research without actually riding one, but would like some advice as to which is best for my purposes.
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Comments
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Welcome!
I recently bought an aluminium Giant Defy, and it is a very comfortable ride, but still manages to handle neatly and rolls along really well. The carbon version should be even more so.
The LBS agreed that the Defy would be more comfortable and better suited to sportives, particularly for a new rider, and the TCR was more aggressive and less comfortable. At the end of the day, if you aren't comfortable on the bike, you won't want to ride it for a long distance. I didn't test the TCR though as it was well above my budget.
The Trek should (I think) be along the same lines as the Defy.
I wouldn't get too hung up on the groupset spec, they will all do a very good job of changing gears smoothly, hell there's nothing at all wrong with the Tiagra set on mine. A beginner will not appreciate the tiny differences anyway.
Since you are down to 3 bikes, there is only one more thing to do. Get out and test all three, you will soon know which one you like the best. Buy that one.
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