CP bike of the year 2013

woodnut

Now the shortlist is out http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/cycling-plus-bike-of-the-year-2013-36435/..anybody want to hazard a guess at the top 5 & winner?
I'm thinking, Canyon, Trek Domane, Giant TCR, Sensa Giulia and Cannondale Super Six as top 5, and, Giant to win...based on nowt but a wild guess

Ride hard

The Professor's bikes are also going to be up there or thereabout methinks.

iPete

Interested in seeing how the Cinelli Saetta holds up! Quite fancy something a little different.

raymondo60

Cannondales and Giants usually win those BOTY comps; must be a reason.

DonDaddyD

Yeah, I've lost interest in these reviews to be honest. Giant (I ride a Giant) have consistently scored highly won awards since as early as 2007.

Have you believe that Giant make the best bikes in the World.... The Peleton would have you think otherwise....

woodnut

DonDaddyD wrote:

Yeah, I've lost interest in these reviews to be honest. Giant (I ride a Giant) have consistently scored highly won awards since as early as 2007.

Have you believe that Giant make the best bikes in the World.... The peloton would have you think otherwise....

Sort of agree, but, having said all that, Focus won last year, and I think Storck the year before. So, maybe Kuota, or, yeah, Cinelli might surprise.
I do find it quite interesting, mainly because a lot of the bikes, I'll never even see, never mind ride.

DonDaddyD

I just don't know how impartial they are. Every Giant road bike seemingly has superb reviews and its only the really smal brands that I've seen them really slate.

MrSweary

I thought their bike reviews were procedurally generated by a big computer called Lance..

bigmat

The reviews are pretty meaningless to me. Most bikes in that price range are very good these days, the main differences are things like specification, geometry and looks! Sometimes they'll slate a bike for something like the tyres it comes with, which is prettymuch irrelevant, while raving about another bike because of the wide ratio cassette it comes with or something like that. Its all just far too arbitrary to make any sense of. The best deals out there tend to be pretty clear on forums like this - generally Ribble and Planet X, the German brands, Boardman (there may be others from time to time). Anything else you're either needing something very high end, or making an emotional decision (Italian heritage, the brand Cav rides, whatever it might be).

The Rookie

It's obvious that at that price point the bigger companies are going to score well, their buying power means they should be able to spec a bike better than a smaller company (if they can't, there is something wrong!) which will alwasy give them an edge, would be nice if they got Ribble and Planet X to enter a bike specced as that company wants to (as long as they can show a man on the street can do the same) as I think they could pop a surprise in. Also be nice to see the Decathlon Facet5 included, it's spec is very very good (carbon frame, forks, wheels, Ultegra) for £1600, but does it translate into a ride?

DonDaddyD

BigMat wrote:

The reviews are pretty meaningless to me. Most bikes in that price range are very good these days, the main differences are things like specification, geometry and looks! Sometimes they'll slate a bike for something like the tyres it comes with, which is prettymuch irrelevant, while raving about another bike because of the wide ratio cassette it comes with or something like that. Its all just far too arbitrary to make any sense of. The best deals out there tend to be pretty clear on forums like this - generally Ribble and Planet X, the German brands, Boardman (there may be others from time to time). Anything else you're either needing something very high end, or making an emotional decision (Italian heritage, the brand Cav rides, whatever it might be).

Couldn't have said it better. Well I didn't, actually, which only goes to show how well you said it.

The Beginner wrote:

It's obvious that at that price point the bigger companies are going to score well, their buying power means they should be able to spec a bike better than a smaller company (if they can't, there is something wrong!) which will alwasy give them an edge, would be nice if they got Ribble and Planet X to enter a bike specced as that company wants to (as long as they can show a man on the street can do the same) as I think they could pop a surprise in. Also be nice to see the Decathlon Facet5 included, it's spec is very very good (carbon frame, forks, wheels, Ultegra) for £1600, but does it translate into a ride?

Nonesense. Ribble was able to enter this:


For £1999 in 2009, and routinely like for like bikes from Dolan, Wiggle, Ribble and Planet X (for years they offered a carbon bike for £999 with 105 and Giants offering was £1500) are cheaper than offerings from Cannondale, Giant, Specialized who always score decently in these things - depsite the latter manufacturers saving on a component here and there.

DonDaddyD

DonDaddyD wrote:

I just don't know how impartial they are. Every Giant road bike seemingly has superb reviews and its only the really smal brands that I've seen them really slate.

AND the 2013 bike of the year is a......

Giant Defy Advance something or other.... :roll:

More importantly, £4.50 for the magazine? Four F*cking Pound Fifty!? I handed over a fiver expecting to have enough change to buy a ribena and I only got 50P back, What The Mega F*ck? It's more expensive than innertubes!

£4.50 for a magazine, for THAT? Honestly, how can they justify such a premium?

I'm growing tired of the over inflated prices within the cycling industry, time was cycling used to be - at the entry level - a cheap, very cheap, alternative to driving a car or public transport. Currently anything decent starts at a premium price and the term budget, entry level or even the f*cking word 'affordable' is as fictional as Lance Armstrong's seven tour wins.

The premum price for this magazine is indicative of the same over inflated bullsh*t exploitation of UK cycling's recent surge in popularity. It is the same bullsh*t you see when Shimano/Specialized start charging near £600 for an entry level Allez. Eventually the bubble will burst, you will price people out of the market. An extra fiver to the monthly shop, £70 becomes £75 for one f*cking magazine.

Stick Rapha on the front cover Bikeradar and you'll be able to charge £7.75.

Honestly, 'value for money' was run over in 2012.

Edit: Oh and the freebie was sh*t and all.

davis

A classy rant. I salute you...

And I agree with you. Why the hell do I need 11-speed cassettes? I never have before. 5-9 speed is plenty enough adjustability. It gives me a thicker longer-lasting chain too. Less finicky shifters. Why do I need a stiffer BB? I weigh 68 Kg and sometimes I ride a bike... who gives a damn about the torsional stiffness of the thing that holds my cranks in place? It really, really doesn't matter.

So, why? So manufacturers and distributors can continue to charge, and stick us on the continual upgrade and price increase escalator.

Yes, Mr. Customer, you need this MegaShinyThing. It'll make you 0.DickAll % faster. It must be better: it's new
The magazines are part of this.
We're all being sold at, and it's not to benefit us. Yep, all the current stock of bikes are great. They'll all do. Find one that fits you, you can afford, and you think it's pretty. That'll do.

DonDaddyD

I'm all for technological progression and trickle down technology that is useful for every day cycling fun, an electronic tiagra groupset would be silly for example, and fair play to people who can afford the premium stuff.

But honestly, are these new bikes really that much better to justify, in some cases, double the price of the previous frame? Sometimes the difference between frames is a chain/seat stay and paint job.

Also, a GIANT!? Really Bikeradar/Cycling Plus/Jeff Jones, really!?

How are those new TCR's working out for you and your team?

chadders81

Full of sh*t the pair of you.

You can now get a decent carbon bike - which let's face isn't any different from what the pros were riding four years ago - for what I take home after a tax a month.

Could the same be said for the average working man in the 1960s? No way. Despite what you think, cycling is probably as affordable as it ever has been.

£4.50 is the price of a pint or a glass of wine. A magazine is much better value.

Nobody is making you buy any of this are they? It's your choice between Rapha and DHB. If you give a toss what people think of what you're wearing, it's your problem.

DonDaddyD

Chadders81 wrote:

Full of sh*t the pair of you.

You can now get a decent carbon bike - which let's face isn't any different from what the pros were riding four years ago - for what I take home after a tax a month.

Ladies and gentlemen here is an example of a person who has buys the nonesense...

"Pay £1500 - £2000 for a bike that the pros rode four years ago, the wheels, tyres, finishing kit are different, likely less quality and heavier. Oh and the saddle wasn't made back then but theirs were custom and the groupset was similar but their's were dura-ace/Record and we were testing titanium and the next-gen stuff so ultimately better. But the bike is mostly the same! Except that if we manufactured that frame now it would probably be cheaper anyway... pay money."

Could the same be said for the average working man in the 1960s? No way. Despite what you think, cycling is probably as affordable as it ever has been.

Wasn't born then. But four years ago they said the same thing that my carbon bike was better than the what the pros were riding x-number of years ago. Shame I can't go up Balham Hill as fast as they can go up the Etape.... :roll:

£4.50 is the price of a pint or a glass of wine. A magazine is much better value.

£4.50 for a drink. Say that to yourself over and over again. A drink = £4.50 when a can of beer costs up to £1. Keep saying it until you understand that its not a sensible parallel because both are overpriced and ridiculously expensive, except that you could argue that alcohol is priced at a premium to deter people from excessive drinking. Is Cycling Plus trying to deter me from buying their magazine?

Nobody is making you buy any of this are they? It's your choice between Rapha and DHB. If you give a toss what people think of what you're wearing, it's your problem.

It's been well reported and acknowledged that I mostly buy from this webstie: http://www.cycle-clothing.co.uk/

However, as the price of the top end increases the prices of the bottom end also increase as well. I remember when you could cc-uk tops and padded shorts for £10 each. And the problem isn't so much that I'm being made to buy it, the problem is that with inflated prices I'm being priced out of buying things and my choice being limited.

I have two bikes - a Giant SCR3 with 8 speed Sora that I bought in 2007 for £350 and a Kharma Kuota bought in 2010 (I think) for £1850. My equivilent Giant is around £600 and the same Kuota, before they revised the frame, with the same everything was being sold at £2400. Now I understand inflation but things are getting silly.

daviesee

DonDaddyD wrote:

Wasn't born then. But four years ago they said the same thing that my carbon bike was better than the what the pros were riding x-number of years ago. Shame I can't go up Balham Hill as fast as they can go up the Etape.... :roll:

The bikes are improving, the riders aren't.
An example which stunned me*.
According to It's Not About The Bike, Lance's race bike in 1990 weighed 18 lbs and both wheels had 32 spokes.
*Assuming you can believe anything he has said.

The Rookie

The profits made (public data) by bike/component manufacturers and also by publishers doesn't bear out that we are being ripped off - simples.

Circa £500 bikes are very good value, they still use internal bearing cranksets and are better bikes and in real terms cheaper than they were ten years ago for the same parts.

UndercoverElephant

DonDaddyD wrote:

Have you believe that Giant make the best bikes in the World.... The peloton would have you think otherwise....

Except that in 2008, every bike on the podium of the Tour de France was made by Giant - rebadged by others, admittedly, but they came from the same factory.

vermin

@DDD/The Beginner

Good God men. Are you telling me that my last 40 years living in a communist utopia has all been a dream and I've woken up in a capitalist society? What am I going to do with all these bread vouchers now?

gtvlusso

UndercoverElephant wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Have you believe that Giant make the best bikes in the World.... The peloton would have you think otherwise....

Except that in 2008, every bike on the podium of the Tour de France was made by Giant - rebadged by others, admittedly, but they came from the same factory.

Okay, Giant own a massive factory and a huge amount of carbon 'know how'. However, frame design and specific detail is down to each brand.

Brand consistency and reliability has to be a factor here. I think that Giant, Trek and Specialized have innovated over the years to a greater degree, with reliability. I think it is unfair that the smaller manufacturers who now do not have the finances to complete as much research into their bikes are losing out, but are equally as innovative, but possibly suffer with reliability.

Lets also remember that a great percentage of the public will simply buy a bike based on brand.....

For my money; I would love to own a Look frame, I have lusted after the original 'Mondrian' frames that I saw on the TDF when I was a kid.

As for value; I am still using a 1980's 2 x 7 setup and have no issues with gearing or setup/shifting. In fact I would say that my 105 DT lever 14 speed is better, easier to maintain and more accurate at shifting than my 10 Speed SRAM setup on the Boardman. I have a Dura Ace DT 2 x 8 setup for summer months.

Magazines: tend to repeat the same thing in a seasonal rotation, same stories just written in a different way ....You only need 1 years worth of magazines to fulfill a lifetimes of cycling knowledge. Any news or product based reviews you can get from t'interweb.....

jonny_trousers

The Giant Defy gets my vote for dullest looking bike of the year.

davis

Yeah. I do recognise it's still possible to buy stuff sensibly. I just don't get why e.g. 11 speed is better than say 9 speed. Sure, it's more, but is it definitely better? Is 100 speed therefore even more better-er?

I was ranting 'cos I was drunk, and I was annoyed at the vicious cycle (DYSWIDT?) of consumerism and upgrades. My 2009 carbon thingy (when I was feverishly riding the upgrade train) still does me fine. It's got the supposedly rubbish 105 series shifters that explode on first use. It feels like I'm being marketed at by bike sellers, and it's not for my benefit.

Still, ride, buy, enjoy whatever you like. No reason for any of us to give two shiny hoots what some people on the internet think. I'm still going to get an Enigma XCR eventually, and I'll still probably kit it out with shiny bits that I can understand/fix/rebuild. That might be 11-speed electronic groupsets, for all I know at the moment.

walkingbootweather

Mrs WBW remains ahead of the pack - she has already got a Giant BOTY

DonDaddyD

DonDaddyD wrote:

Yeah, I've lost interest in these reviews to be honest. Giant (I ride a Giant) have consistently scored highly won awards since as early as 2007.

Have you believe that Giant make the best bikes in the World.... The peloton would have you think otherwise....

Yet another Giant bike and this one doesn't even look comfortable!

:roll: :roll: :roll:

The Rookie

Holy thread resurrection DDD!

I know you were away for a year but did you start with the last thread you looked at!

the_fuggler

I had a test ride on that Propel model. It's pretty impressive. Certainly quick. No idea how comfortable for a longer ride though...

gabriel959

DonDaddyD wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Yeah, I've lost interest in these reviews to be honest. Giant (I ride a Giant) have consistently scored highly won awards since as early as 2007.

Have you believe that Giant make the best bikes in the World.... The peloton would have you think otherwise....

Yet another Giant bike and this one doesn't even look comfortable!

:roll: :roll: :roll:

I thought this year the Cannondale SuperSix Evo had won the overall award? Giant won the Aero one...

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gallery/a ... w-40145/1/

LiveGiantly

**happily rides into this topic on his Giant **

**looks at the hate mob :shock: **

**rides back out of this topic on his Giant :arrow: **

(i'm still 8) though)

aberdeen_lune

UndercoverElephant wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

Have you believe that Giant make the best bikes in the World.... The peloton would have you think otherwise....

Except that in 2008, every bike on the podium of the Tour de France was made by Giant - rebadged by others, admittedly, but they came from the same factory.

Wow Giant make Cervelos and BMCs. I wasn't aware of that.