Uneducated fool needing advice
Comments
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My gut instinct is to go with the defy 3 I'm not looking to race just so it has comfort in its favour so I read lol, about the board an ill pop to my local halfords they had board mans in stock so ill have another lookCarbonator wrote:I think you are doing exactly the right thing. The Defy is very popular and a great bike.
I am trying to get a friend his first road bike so have gone down a similar path recently.
Best I saw for him (imo) was a Raleigh on sale on Wiggle lol. Would have been ideal and I nearly bought it myself for him to look at and then sell on ebay if he did not like it!
Reality is that you need to see a variety of bikes in the flesh for a first bike. My friend is starting to do that now and I would much rather he found one himself than went blindly with my recommendation.
For me the Boardman stands out (other than sale special that might pop up) on looks, spec, value and (not sure of a word for it but.....) brand placement.
None of the bikes mentioned are bad, just do some research (as you have), look at them all, and go with your gut instinct
If you cannot make a firm decision, buy the £300 Triban 3 from decathlon and ride it with a cycling club for 6 months.
Thanks for taking the time carbonator0 -
+5 on the don't get a Camelbak for road riding. Last night I was out for 90 minutes pedalling quite briskly. The only point I got sweaty was a tiny patch where I'd had a pack of spare batteries in my back pocket. I imagine I'd have been soaked if I'd been wearing something on my back.
Get frame mounted bottles and practice using them.0 -
Defy is good choice. My first was a defy 4 with 2300. Perfectly ok but sora if you can cos its better. Nice upright comfy bike with carbon fork as standard. Have done 2000 miles on mine. Have a spesh carbon but not an overwhelming difference in my opinion0
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NP xchudy, just get a bike and get riding lol.
I am not 100% convinced by the racing v comfort thing though. It seems a bit of a red herring a lot of the time imo.
There is a big gap between racing and riding with a club/on your own for enjoyment. I have never riden a 'comfy' bike but cannot imagine its as much like sitting on a sofa as the term implies.
I have never noticed a thread where someone has bought a standard road bike and said they wished they had got a comfy one.
As long as you do not get an out and out race geometry race bike, I would have thought it will be fine.
Is your carbon Specialized a comfy fit Mikey23?0 -
Well, the Defy is pretty comfortable, but with 23mm tyres at 110psi, you still feel the bumps
Interestingly there's a new review posted of the Giant TCR Advanced and they compare it to the Defy Advanced. The TCR is more race focussed and the ride is stiffer, so there is a difference.
The biggest things that will affect comfort on a bike are the saddle and your shorts. I got some Endura FS260 shorts for a sportive and they were brilliant, I wouldn't want to ride for 5 hours on my cheapy Altura Stream ones.0 -
Mikey41 wrote:
The biggest things that will affect comfort on a bike are the saddle and your shorts. I got some Endura FS260 shorts for a sportive and they were brilliant, I wouldn't want to ride for 5 hours on my cheapy Altura Stream ones.
So is your current bike a relaxed fit or standard road/sporty fit?
If its not comfy\relaxed like your original Defy, would you say the fact the Defy was comfy/relaxed made little or no difference?
The reason I ask is that it seems to affect what a lot of people buy as a first bike, but I have always felt it was not really that important.0 -
My current bike is the Defy. It's the first road bike I've ridden since I was 16. I used to have a Trek hybrid that ran on 32mm tyres and when I tried the Defy I was very surprised that it was just as comfortable as the hybrid.... but faster, more responsive and a lot lighter.
The standard riding position is not too extreme (though I could make it so by taking out spacers) and I think a beginner would be well advised to consider the "sportive" type frames first.
However, I found the best way to choose was to ride some bikes. When you find one you just love, buy it, doesn't matter what it is.0
