£1K (ish) to spend, carbon or not??

GT_Dave

Good Morning everyone,

I’ve had a look at the "what road bike" thread and I’m still a bit stuck!

I have a bit of a conundrum! The wife has given me a bit of motivation to shed a few pounds by agreeing to let me spend a grand from the savings to get a new bike if I shed a stone.

I am well on the way to my goal and have been looking at my local bike shops at some lovely carbon models from Lapierre, focus and Boardman around the £1200 mark.

I can’t decide whether to get a carbon bike for over a grand or a good aluminium bike for less and get some other new gear. (Computer/clothing/pedals etc)

I’m not Bradley Wiggins and never will be but I want the best I can get and I want it to last, I want to start riding longer distances (40 miles max so far) and I’m quite lucky as I can go out most lunch times with a couple of other riders so once the weather improves I should start clocking up the miles.

If you found yourself in my situation what would you buy? And why?

Thanks for looking,

Dave

GT_Dave

Forgot to add I currently ride a giant defy 3 with an XL frame that is way too big for me!

elderone

For that money I,d buy either a defy 1 if alu was prefered or a ribble carbon for the carbon option.either way make sure it fits.

GT_Dave

elderone wrote:

For that money I,d buy either a defy 1 if alu was prefered or a ribble carbon for the carbon option.either way make sure it fits.

Roger that, I bought my Giant second hand from t'internet without riding it and assumed as I’m 6 foot then I would need an XL frame, I wont be making that mistake again!

I’m keen to buy from my LBS and get some advice this time!!

stueys

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3076

ianbar

the new cycling+ has £1000 bike reviews this month so take a look at what they have to say but the defy 1 gets a good write up.

mabbo

Giant Defy would be the way to go for. Apart from anything else they are pretty bombproof reliability wise.

poynedexter

there are lots of sub 1k aluminium bikes around which are perfect for what you need. dont forget you will want to budget for nice pedals and shoes, gear for winter etc...... carbon isnt a must have at all

look at the cannondale cadd8 in various spec (i have a 2011 sora) or a triban 3 from decathlon. these will leave you with plenty of accessory budget.

Calpol

So many choices. I think aswell as picking a bike that gets good reviews you should also consider what you love the look of and are therefore going to be most in love with. Getting a good fit is paramount as you won't enjoy riding if you are uncomfortable but for me if you are spending that much then make sure its something that really excites you. From a personal point of view the Defy 1 didn't do it for me although it rode well and is acclaimed. I ended up with a 2nd hand Wilier which I adore. Also bear in mind that carbon at £1000 new might not feel that much of an upgrade on your Defy 3 if its got a low level drivetrain/wheels. Check out what the LBS have around you and if you can get past the Halford/Boardman brand snobbery then they seem to be great value for your money. Good luck

backo

you can pick up a cannondale super six apex for less than £1200 at the moment (rrp £1800)

super bike

dav3e

I was also looking to go 'carbon' for the summer, with the Lapierre Sensium 200. But have recently looked at a lesser known German make, Ghost. They have a non-carbon bike (Race 5000) with Shimano 105 kit, similar wheels/tyre combo to the Lapierre, is stated to be a similar weight (8.4kg) but is £100 cheaper. Both are nice looking bikes, but I am now debating which to choose. Has anybody had any experience with Ghost road bikes ?

GT_Dave

Calpol wrote:

So many choices. I think aswell as picking a bike that gets good reviews you should also consider what you love the look of and are therefore going to be most in love with. Getting a good fit is paramount as you won't enjoy riding if you are uncomfortable but for me if you are spending that much then make sure its something that really excites you. From a personal point of view the Defy 1 didn't do it for me although it rode well and is acclaimed. I ended up with a 2nd hand Wilier which I adore. Also bear in mind that carbon at £1000 new might not feel that much of an upgrade on your Defy 3 if its got a low level drivetrain/wheels. Check out what the LBS have around you and if you can get past the Halford/Boardman brand snobbery then they seem to be great value for your money. Good luck

I’m a big fan of Boardman, I have the Team FS MTB which is an awesome piece of kit, i did have some issues with the build quality of the bike and actually had to return 2 before I got this one, I wouldn’t be too confident with them building a £1k+ carbon bike though?

I’m thinking if I do go Carbon then the focus is a beautiful bike, it’s got 105 and upgraded wheels and is German which inspires my confidence!

The lapierre is also gorgeous and has internal cable routing which I love but had tiagra groupset (I think?) and the wheels aren’t as good.

Decisions decisions!!!!! (i still need to lose the rest of the weight though so I probably shouldn't get my hopes up yet!!)

skyblue337

I have Giant Defy alloy and it's great but I'd find it really hard to resist the new Lapierre Sensium 100 or 200 at 1199/1299 if I was in the market. They look great and have a bit of the rarity factor

smoggysteve

For around a grand, a top quality alu frame i.e Cannondale CAAD will always win out over a cheap carbon frame. A bike is more than the frame, its a collection of other bits that are also important to consider. How good is the groupset, wheels, etc? The more money that goes into the price of the frame, the less that goes into the rest of the bike.

turbo1191

If you like your defy you could get a large 2012 giant defy composite 1 with ultegra spec.. I had a similar scenario.. was going to spend 1K on the defy 1, but for an extra £400 i got the bike below.. so glad i made that decision!!

http://www.dalescycles.com/2012-giant-d ... -1-l-p2383

prawny

Just go for the one you fancy the most, I wanted a carbon bike, knowing full well an alu bike might be better for the money, so I got the carbon one. I know that if I hadn't I'd still be hankering after a bit of plastic.

At £1000 the simple fact is you won't get a pup, but it won't be the best in the world, get one that fits and you'll want to ride, then get another one, and another and another...

GT_Dave

Ive just had a look at the Lapierre Sensium 200 compact and I think I may be in love! Slightly over budget at £1300 but its bloody lovely!!

Just need to lose the weight now, try one for size and save some more pennies!!!

nochekmate

No need to spend £1000+ on carbon. Keep banging on about the value of this but it's a great price given the brand (much underrated) and groupset - reliable Shimano 105 5700 (although they have now sold out of mediums - no surprise!)

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ridley-orion-1105b-105/

passout

As above or planet X I'd say.

dyson1590

I have a Giant Defy 1 and it's the best grand I ever spent. I went on Pedalon.co.uk and used their podium points scheme to work out what free stuff I could get with that bike, then sent an email to my LBS asking them to match it, which they pretty much did.

Giant Defy 1
Cat eye light set
Cat eye cycling computer
Endura mitt gloves
4 additional Bontrager inner tubes
Free full fitting
6 week service

All for£1000.

dyson1590

dyson1590 wrote:

I have a Giant Defy 1 and it's the best grand I ever spent. I went on Pedalon.co.uk and used their podium points scheme to work out what free stuff I could get with that bike, then sent an email to my LBS asking them to match it, which they pretty much did.

Oh and I'm 6ft 1" and have the 2013 bike in a large...fits great