Road Newbie First Bike?

Mitchymitchell

Hello all,
Once again I have felt inspired by the Tour Down Under passing through Adelaide where I live.... after 3 years of wanting I feel ready to get the Lycra on and make my bike purchase.
I am currently toying with the Canonndale CAAD 10 105 (maybe Ultegra if I can get it past the missus) or the Scott Foil 40. Any thoughts? Carbon or Metal?
Anything else i should be considering?

ShutUpLegs

It would have to be a pretty good bike to be better than a CAAD10
The best bike you'll ever own is the one you want to ride all the time.

Anonymous

+1 on above

Come up with a budget ............ then add at least 50%
So many people seem to buy a first bike, then quickly wish they had spent more.

I would go carbon, BB30 and 105 (or equivalent) and above. Then get a good set of wheels/tyres when funds allow.

simon_masterson

I would offer you a few considerations...

Firstly, allow in your budgeting for paraphernalia; quite a lot of it.

Secondly, this won't be the last bike you ever buy. Even if you were were spending considerably more, unfortunately you may not get a choice in that matter. With that in mind, do you intend to keep the bike and relegate it later when you buy something else, or will you sell it on? In the former case, it matters as much as you are permitted by the boss to spend, and in the latter by the time you are choosing between 105 and Ultegra you are well into diminishing returns and buying something that will depreciate.

Thirdly, don't feel that you have to buy a carbon fibre bike. It isn't the wonder material that all bikes should be made of; steel, aluminium, titanium and carbon fibre all have their respective place. A good bike has a good frame, good wheels and good parts. If you aren't paying enough to account for all of those, you aren't getting them. It's perfectly possible to buy a good quality carbon fibre frame at that price point, but you will likely be getting the basic spec in wheels and parts (which admittedly you could upgrade later). There are cheap ones available, but reviews on these (and their durability) are mixed. I personally would opt for an aluminium bike with good wheels (first priority) and good quality parts (second priority) over a cheap carbon fibre bike for the same price.

Fourthly, buy the bike you like most out of those you can afford.

Mitchymitchell

Thanks for your replies and advice, greatly appreciated and have helped.. a lot.
I have looked a few different bikes since my first post and definitely learnt a lot more about what is available to me. I just need to remind myself of my budget when in these fancy stores!
I may have gotten carried away when i started looking at the Specialized Tarmac Ultegras, its easy to get sucked into the sales speak and the feeling of needing more than I actually do at this stage.
Simon raised some good points, which has returned me full circle to my initial choice of the Cannondale. Together with all the accessories i'll be needing (pedals, lid, shoes, etc) I think I'll be hitting the top of budget easily.
Roll on weekend... ;-)

zx6man

and of course there is always the issue of spending a grand and not liking it.

And try get a test ride as is always said. My very first check on bikes was between a specialised allez and the Cannondale CAAD8, the CAAD8 just didn't feel right at all while the allez felt perfect.

Happy Shopping :-)

Mitchymitchell

The deal is done! Well, kind of, it's on lay by at the minute, half paid, rest to follow... Quickly! Went for the Caad 10. Figured it was the sensible option with room for wheel upgrades if needed in time plus still need all the gear to get me started... That's a whole other headache! But one I am enjoying so far!
In the meantime I get to take the Kona hardtail out as much as I can... Thanks everyone for the thoughts and suggestions.