First road bike Triban 7 or Trek 1.5

pinchez

I currently have an old but in good condition 2004 Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc Pro MTB fitted with road tyres that I use for a 14 mile commute and the occasion road ride.

Since last year I've been really getting into cycling and have just about watched everything since the TDF to today's tour of Flanders! And have also managed to save up roughly £1000 and filled my head with as much knowledge as my tiny brain can cope with!

After much research I've decided I'd like a compact road bike with relaxed geometry lending more towards comfort than race, with at least carbon forks and tiagra. I'm 5ft 8" with 30" inside leg so I guess i should be looking at a 54cm frame. The bike and everything I need I.e. pedals, shoes, helmet and clothes will need to come from the £1000 budget. With some clever budget buying I'm hoping to have roughly £800 to spend on a road bike

These are the best options I have come up with and would really appreciate any advice or alternatives

Option 1
Buy a Trek 1.5 C H2 2013 For £850' it as the minimum requirements I'm after plus it is a known brand and will hold it's value better when I come to upgrade to a better bike in a couple of years. Would also keep my current MTB and use it for occasional treks in the peaks.

Option 2
Buy a B'TWIN Triban 7 Road Bike, Black for £600 which seems to be the same spec as the Trek if not a little better for £250 less. With this option I could sell my old MTB and add a bit extra and purchase a Rockrider 8.1 2012 Mountain Bike, Grey and enjoy the peaks on what seems to be a much better bike than my old hardrock! The negative with this option is the brand, I'm not a snob but I don't know if I would regret not owning something like a Trek etc.

Help my head hurts!

pride4ever

Imho neither.

night_porter

Nice helpful post there, what a pal!

I have never ridden the Triban but it does indeed look similar to the Trek. I have ridden the Trek and it is a very comfortable bike but what is comfortable for me may not be for you. Go along to a Trek dealer and a Decathlon and try them for size. If you go to the Trek dealer 1st it might be worth mentioning what other bike you are looking at as they may come up with some offers that tempt you towards the Trek (nothing ventured, nothing gained - as they say).

Tiagra is a very good groupset and as both bikes have it then the difference will be about feel. ?If they feel the same then choose the colour you like, if you like either then choose the cheapest or the best deal.

Enjoy the choosing and you WILL enjoy the bike.

Good luck

Anonymous

Where did you do your reserch to come up with those two bikes as the best way to spend a grand?
My head hurts now lol.

mbthegreat

Ride them both and see how you feel

pinchez

Carbonator wrote:

Where did you do your reserch to come up with those two bikes as the best way to spend a grand?
My head hurts now lol.

Well the Treks always seem to get recommended for comfort and well reviewd, they also come with mounts for mugards. On the other hand the triban comes with a similar spec and only costs £600 and the tribans also get allot of positive reviews. Other bikes in this price range I've looked at seem to offer sora.

I suppose with more bad weather forecast I could save an extra £75 which would give me enough for a Felt Z85 2013 which as 105 instead of tiagra. Looks a nice bike but not sure how comfortable it might be.

I'm open to alternative suggestions

stannie

If you can get a trial on these bikes than see which one feels right. They are both good bikes. Other people's reviews mean nothing. Sometimes it is best not to ask on here as there is always someone who thinks your bike is pants or thinks a particular brand is common or rubbish
There is no right or wrong answer. In my opinion it is better to get a good local bike shop than a particular brand. Get the bike that fits well and you know you will enjoy riding. And one that you can upgrade and improve as you get into the sport more.
Having said that, the Trek will probably hold its price well if you decide to upgrade the frame in a year or so.
Don't discount other models too - there might be something out there that you haven't thought of.
Good luck in your search.

Mikey41

singletrackanne wrote:

There is no right or wrong answer. In my opinion it is better to get a good local bike shop than a particular brand. Get the bike that fits well and you know you will enjoy riding.

^^ this basically. Test ride them both if you can, but Treks are regarded as a comfortable ride and Tribans are excellent value for money. The riders of Triban 3's weren't complaining about discomfort after a 50 mile Sportive route

As for other suggestions, without wanting to seem like a Giant fanboy, the Defy 2 is a comfortable ride, Tiagra equipped, has mudguard/rack mounts (or use Cruds) and £50 cheaper than the Trek. There are loads of bike brands around and it is pretty hard to go wrong as long as you can test-ride. Nothing tells you if you will like it other than riding it yourself.

Good luck!

pinchez

Thanks guys, might try and get to my LBS tomorrow. Last time I went they only had specialized and maybe a cube in budget the rest were well over, haven't been for a while though

Any thoughts on keeping or possibly upgrading the mountain bike? Another thought that crossed my mind is if I was to get a £900 bike would I really want to be using it in all weathers for commuting? I would have no qualms keeping such a bike for weekends and having a MTB for commuting although it would be nice to keep up with the other roadies on my way to work!

Buying a bike is one of the hardest buying decisions I've ever had to make :?

Mikey41

I commute on mine and you should have seen the state it ended up in on a ride a couple of weeks back. Roads were wet and part of the route I picked was absolutely coated in mud. My shoes looked like I'd been down a mountain trail and the wheel and drivetrain were caked in it (could have been a lot worse if I didn't have the mudguards on).

When I got back, it took about 10-15mins to hose off the bike and clean it up again, no ill effects at all, so as long as you keep things cleaned and lubed, you'll have no problems.

Or you could slap some slicks and mudguards on the MTB for commuting. How far do you have to go?

simon_masterson

I wouldn't worry about brand as such: If you want to look at it that way, Trek might be a reputable brand but because it is one of the major manufacturers the bikes are incredibly ubiquitous; common as muck, along with Spesh, Giant, etc. An entry level bike is an entry level bike; a big brand won't make any person that would look down on you [as if these people are as common as the internet would make out] think differently.

I second the 'try it' suggestions. You may not have all that much choice in spec - All of the popular entry-level aluminium bikes that I see around here are essentially different flavours of the same thing (cheap light aluminium frame, carbon fork, basic factory wheels, basic Shimano parts, etc) - but the variations can affect the ride quality substantially.

pinchez

Mikey41 wrote:

Or you could slap some slicks and mudguards on the MTB for commuting. How far do you have to go?

I'm doing 7 miles taking 30 mins each way on pot hole ridden roller coaster roads! I've had schwalbe speed cruisers on my MTB for the last couple of years and never had a puncture also already have MTB mudguards

My bike is pretty secure at work but I would worry about the possibility of damaging a new road bike where as a MTB would be less valuable and tougher plus it would give me and more importantly my wife an excuse to why I need two bikes

Mikey41

To be fair, the only reason I'm happy to commute on mine is that I can keep it inside the building. If I had to lock it up outside, I'd get a very cheap "expendable" hybrid/MTB to use (it's 4.5 miles through town).

If you're worried, keep using the MTB for commuting and use the road bike for longer leisure rides.

simon_masterson

Out of interest, what do you think is going to happen to your bike?

wellbeloved747

pride4ever wrote:

Imho neither.

I know this is vague but i agree, if you have £1000 to spend you ca get a very nice Boardman that will have 105 or Ultegra! and even a carbon frame i believe!

Carrera but it is a full carbon frame and has Shimano 105

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165710

Boardman alu frame and has Shimano 105 for an extra £150 you get a carbon frame!

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165710

Don't worry once you get a road bike the mountain bike will soon be left to rust

zoltansocrates

ive got a triban 7, was apprehensive about purchasing it, was looking to spend roughly twice what it rrp'd at but i couldnt look past the deal and the potential for extra toys and clothes
the fact is btwin are relatively new to the uk so the unknown element can put people off, the costs can also put some off as people seem to want to pay top dollar for everything where cycling is concerned, and of course the chainstore element
rides well, good comfortable position, tiagra works a treat and i think it looks pretty spanking
stuck a pair of aksiums on it and a set of 105 pedals and its coming in about 8.9kg (s:54), does for me

pinchez

Simon Masterson wrote:

Out of interest, what do you think is going to happen to your bike?

Well first thing that springs to mind are wheels and pot holes, then the risk of being knocked off and the road bike not standing up to it as well as a MTB and finally general wear and tear, I would like to keep it looking nice for as long as possible - am I being silly?

@ wellbeloved747
I have seen the Boardmans and at first thought they were great but after allot of watching cycling on TV and researching the on the internet they kind of look boring! I know it's daft and the spec is great but I just don't feel anything for them!

The Carrera looks very interesting, a Carbon bike with 105 and a decent paint job for £999 is great. But £999 on a Carrera Hmmm. and again it raises my budget.

Not dismissing the Carrera and Halfords is only up the road so may take a trip to Halfords, Leisure Lakes and Decathlon tomorrow (that should cheer the wife up!) If I sell a kidney I could possibly push to £1000 this would then bring in to play the Trek Madone 2.1 again Hmmm.

So far on my shortlist.

Trek 1.5 C H2 2013 £850
B'TWIN Triban 7 Road Bike £600
Felt Z85 2013 £925
Carrera Virago Carbon Road Bike 2012 £999
Trek Madone 2.1 H2 Compact 2013 £1000

simon_masterson

pinchez wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

Out of interest, what do you think is going to happen to your bike?

Well first thing that springs to mind are wheels and pot holes, then the risk of being knocked off and the road bike not standing up to it as well as a MTB and finally general wear and tear, I would like to keep it looking nice for as long as possible - am I being silly?

These are legitimate concerns, but honestly, I wouldn't worry. Somebody's going to post that video of Martyn Ashton doing tricks on a Sky Pinarello, but road wheels are much tougher than some people think, particularly cheap ones (which tend to be heavy) with plenty of spokes. That isn't at all to say that you should dive into every hole with gay abandon, but I personally have never damaged a wheel because I've hit one. As for keeping a bike looking nice, that's a matter of looking after it. Finish will obviously fade and parts won't stay as shiny, but the only way to stop that from happening is to leave it inside!

pinchez

Had a disappointing trip out to my LBS's today. Went to Halfords to look at the Carrera but they didn't have one and the Boardmans still don't appeal. Next was leisure lakes who had plenty of bikes over £1k and a handful under. The Trek 2.1 didn't look or feel as great as I imagined, Cube peloton didn't look as good as last years model and wasn't really interested in the specialized. To top it off the shop assistant couldn't be less helpfull, tried to get some advise but he really wasn't interest and just pointed over to the specialized bikes. Think telling him I was looking to spend under £1k didn't help. But one positive was the Cannondale Synapse, a lovely looking bike with tiagra which is now on my list

Also went to Decathlon to look at the triban 7, they had a 54cm I was able to sit on and it felt great but it was the plainest looking bike I've ever seen but still well worth £600. Would have loved to see a Felt z85 in the flesh as the spec and finish look amazing for £925.

Today I learnt my LBS is useless and would just buy off the Internet and The Trek isn't as nice as it looks on the web!

Despite the bland looks the Triban 7 is still a cracking spec for the money and is still a consideration. I'm going to give the cannondale a serious look as it really turned my head and I'm still very interested in the Felt. But ultimately I'm still undecided!

tomhowells

Have you considered the Moda Intro, at Evans? I was in the same boat as you a few months ago, looked at everything & my head was spinning. This wasn't even on my list, i went to Evans & tried four bikes, one of which was the Intro, only because they had it in my size. It just felt right - and had the spec I was looking for. Sometimes the ones you don't even consider can be the best fir for you, but only a test ride will tell.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/mod ... e-ec043962

pinchez

The Moda does look like a nice bike, think I might take a trip to evanscycles

Indeed my head is spinning and I'm getting on my wife's nerves, she just once me to stop looking/researching and buy one!

Just found another deal on a 2013 Cannondale Synapse Alloy 105 with free upgrade to Mavic Aksium WTS wheels for £1049. This is 105 and good wheels but is it worth an extra £150 over a Tiagra Synapse? I prefer the look of the Tiagra but the components on the 105 make it better.

Then there's still the Felt Z85 to consider lol

tomhowells

Lol, you can keep on adding £50 to the pot, but at the end of the day, you have to sh*t, or get off the pot. Get out and ride, then ride some more. Only then you will know what suits you best. Don't forget you need decent shorts, shoes and pedals. Plus helmet, lights and lock for your new steed. You can always upgrade later.

whitestar1

I can only say that I love my T7 (B'Twin Triban 7 to all you brand followers!). I was in your position too pinchez. I have been riding to work two years on Good Friday last - that's when I got my RockRider 8.0. Changed tires only once and that was August last year. One puncture too but then I ride only on the road (I do pay road tax!) and very careful too. I wanted a road bike badly I joined Wolverhampton Wheelers CC and rode my MTB to Iron Bridge with them on a classic ride - I was tail end charlie and didnt make it! So it had to be a road bike. Had a list very close to yours too - all the big names - Cannondale, Cube and Specialise. Value for money they could not match the Triban series. I looked around and the matching big to the Triban was always £200 and more! You have seen this too. Save the money for upgrades, get the Triban 7. I love mine, got the first one from the M6/J9 Decathlon store. The best one of the lot I will boldly say!!!! The team there now me well and they are the best support a noob like me can have and remember my ass only touched a saddle two years ago!! I will match my T7 the any bike same spec any day only not match the rider - still cranky in places! Get the T7 and join the Triban Owners Club

whitestar1

Oh my first upgrade will be the mavic aksium wheelset Decathlon has on sale for a £150 they are without the tires but the Hutchinson Equinox 2 are ok. I think the wheelset is the Decathlon brand but then you never keep the wheels that come with a bike below the £1000 range anyhow.

wellbeloved747

pinchez wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

Out of interest, what do you think is going to happen to your bike?

Well first thing that springs to mind are wheels and pot holes, then the risk of being knocked off and the road bike not standing up to it as well as a MTB and finally general wear and tear, I would like to keep it looking nice for as long as possible - am I being silly?

@ wellbeloved747
I have seen the Boardmans and at first thought they were great but after allot of watching cycling on TV and researching the on the internet they kind of look boring! I know it's daft and the spec is great but I just don't feel anything for them!

The Carrera looks very interesting, a Carbon bike with 105 and a decent paint job for £999 is great. But £999 on a Carrera Hmmm. and again it raises my budget.

Not dismissing the Carrera and Halfords is only up the road so may take a trip to Halfords, Leisure Lakes and Decathlon tomorrow (that should cheer the wife up!) If I sell a kidney I could possibly push to £1000 this would then bring in to play the Trek Madone 2.1 again Hmmm.

So far on my shortlist.

Trek 1.5 C H2 2013 £850
B'TWIN Triban 7 Road Bike £600
Felt Z85 2013 £925
Carrera Virago Carbon Road Bike 2012 £999
Trek Madone 2.1 H2 Compact 2013 £1000

If your worried about hitting potholes i would suggest half the budget goes on an eye test!

Haha the Boardman in my opinion looks good and to be honest i would ride the worst looking bike in the word if it meant i could win the tour de france or be the best rider on the road!!

pinchez

You both talk allot of sense and yeah I've noticed I keep upping my budget!!!

I'm not a brand snob as such but I just like nice looking things women, cars and now bikes! and while the Triban 7 is excellent (seen one and even sat on it) it just looks so bland and I am prone to buyers remorse. I worry if I take the very sensible option and buy a Triban 7 will I love it like I should or will I always be thinking of what could have been!

My latest find was the 2013 Cannondale Synapse Alloy 105 with free upgrade to Mavic Aksium WTS wheels for £1049
Now from what I've gathered most users upgrade their wheels pretty quick and these are I beleive £200 a pop which brings the bike down to £849 which is £250 more than the Triban 7 but it has 105 + Cannondale Frame, Finish and Brand. Is it worth it over the T7? I think it might be but then I'm new to road bikes hence why I'm here

pinchez

To add to my own confusion I've just spotted the Mekk 2G Poggio P2.0 105 at £839 for a full carbon bike and it get great reviews on wiggle, looks nice to

Any thoughts on this?

bobones

A quality alu frame like the Felt Z85 will probably ride better than a super low end carbon like the Mekk. Felts are great looking bikes too.

♠ChumBucket♠

If you want sex on wheels with an affordable price tag look here-

I've seen it in the flesh & it's stunning!

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/fc-3-road-bi ... 21749.html

simon_masterson

It's not a case of 'carbon = good, aluminium = bad'. Good bikes are good and bad bikes are bad.

pinchez

Ordered my new bike over the weekend and decided to go for the Canyon Roadlite AL 6.0. Seems like a great bike with great spec for the money