Newbie to Road, help please!

Freed84

I know there are lots of post like this one but I am really after some people's views on what bike I should buy in the £900 range? I've been looking at the following

Sensa Romagna Special
Sensa Trentino
Ribble Gran Fondo
Ribble Sportive Bianco
Cannondale CAAD8

Or am I better getting something the sale?

Also what other kit will I need? Pedals and shoes?

Thanks in advance!

mr_poll

Sensa's and Ribble's - are you north west based?

Above all get a bike that fits, if you are going to shell out close to a grand then you need to make sure you dont buy something you later regret. This is where a local bike shop comes in very handy. What is your budget?

Kit - you will need padded shorts - bib shorts are the best. I think wiggle sell some decent dhb ones for 50/60 quid. Helmet and a top. Shoes and pedals are down to you - if you are happy to be clipped in then great but some who are new to it prefer to have flat pedals for a bit before going down that route, down to you.

focuz

Ribble sportive seems good, cannondales and the grandfondos are a bit heavy. Others such as the planet x pro carbon gets good reviews for £999.

Freed84

Cheers for the quick replies!

Yep based in Manchester so should be able to get fitted for a Ribble or Sensa? Do they have a good reputation?

Are there Any other bike you can think of? May take a trip to Evans as they have a large range.

focuz

Under £1000 in evans your looking at alloy frames, which in my opinion are overpriced. Ribble and sensa are good value but just make sure you dont go with the stock wheels on ribble - which weigh a tonne, and get a decent groupset like 105

mr_poll

Unless Merlin have changed things then I wouldnt rely on them to get measured up - nice guys but I got my first bike from them (a merlin own road bike) and I knew more than they did on sizing and I didnt know a lot - bike and equipment were fine but always been a bit big for me.

Ribble will measure you and recommend stuff - not heard complaints about their bikes and offer great value for money however as they are so busy customer service can be a bit slow.

What side of Manc are you from?

Freed84

I'll have a chat with merlin and Ribble and see what they say.

I'm from Bramhall, Stockport, where abouts are you?

mr_poll

Have you looked at Sportive Nation - they arent far from you and not heard anything negative about them. How far are you from Romily? A guy there Allen runs Polocini Coffee Shop, a cyclists coffee shop - great guy, time for anyone and loads of knowledge about the local cycling scene. I currently live near Bolton but used to be based near Ormskirk, great LBS there but a bit of a trek for you.

Schoie81

Freed84 - have you tried Rick Green cycles at Handforth? Small independant shop but Paul Green (don't know where Rick is...?) who runs it had all the time in the world to talk and advise me about my first road bike when I bought it from him last month. The range he stocks might not be massive, but is good and he's just down the road from you. Worth popping in to see him. He doesn't use any 'pressure' sales tactics. He also gave me a discount on a bike for our little one as i'd bought my road bike off him.

Don't know if you're aware but you might be able to buy the bike through your employer, and RickGreencycles operate with that - if you're planning to spend sub £1000 you can do that, saves your employer a bit of money, saves you over 30% on the price of the bike and also lets you spread the payments over 12/18 months. You can buy some equipment through the same scheme too.

Andy Cope

Freed84 - I bought a Sensa Romagna Special, arrived approx 4 weeks ago. I've done approx 100miles on it so far and it's been spot on. I am a newbie getting back into road cycling. I did quite alot of research on different bikes around the £1k bracket. I was looking for a bike with 105 groupset. I used a bike sizing website to see what size frame, top tube etc I would need to fit. If you google "bike sizing" it should come up with options. I'm 6ft with a 35in inseam, so I ordered a 58cm frame, in black. I sent several emails to Merlin cycles about size etc. They suggested a 58cm. You might aswell drive over to Merlins in Chorley. If they don't have a Romagna, they say a Trestino has the same frame dimensions. Delivery of bike was approx 2 weeks. Came in hugh box, just needed to attach the handlebars. I went to my LBS and bought Shimano M520 pedals. I also do mountain biking, plus these pedals have an spd clip on both sides, so you don't have to keep looking down trying to get them in only on one side!! Bought Shimano road shoes, but I think I should have gone for a cross between MTB / road shoe. Make sure you get a decent set of bib shorts. I went for the Decathlon 7 shorts £43, been excellent. Overall the Sensa is a great bike. I dont think you will buy a better bike inc postage for £780 with Shimano 105. It's not the lightest at 9kg, but great value for money. Hope this helps?

Freed84

Thanks for all the help guys!

I think I'll visit some shops over the weekend and see what I find!

One more question, am I better getting a better frame with a Tiagra groupset or a cheaper frame with a 105 groupset?
Pondering the Sensa Trentino or BMC Streetracer SR01. Thoughts?