woman's road bike (around 3000 gbp)

aj265
aj265 Posts: 6
edited June 2013 in Road buying advice
Hi everyone,

I am relatively new to cycling but the time has come for my first proper road bike and so I need advice. I have a bike for commuting (specialized tricross) and so this bike will be for club rides, longer weekend rides, the occasional sportive and maybe some racing in the more distant future.
I've read what's available at this price point and I arrived at Bianchi Sepmre Pro with Athena group and wheels upgraded to Eurus. Does anyone have experiences with this bike? Would you recommend anything else? I was also considering Focus but then I don't like the thin seatstays (even when they claim that the frame is quite sturdy). The reason why I am opting for Bianchi is because I believe that they can make a decent carbon frame- they have been around for a long time and they sell a lot of bikes meaning they have to get it right. Also the Sepmre Pro frame was given to some racing teams by Bianchi so I it should be more than enough for my abilities. I could get some basic version of Pinarello (which I think is way overpriced) or Colnago (again I think the name raises the price) but I am not after brand names but a quality bike. I did test ride the Bianchi and it felt good but since I don't have a lot of comparison it's hard to judge.


thanks a lot!
aga

Comments

  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    3000 quid for an Athena equipped bike? That sounds extremely poor value. And I thought part of the "selling point" of the sempre was narrow seat stays too?

    If you want an all round bike, that includes racing, then I think you need a very different wheelset to the Eurus, basically no UK womens racing has hills of any real significance, they're almost all flat and the fields are small (or break up a lot) so you see a lot of wind - aero is what you want. And the Eurus really aren't beefy enough for club runs on UK roads, you'll need something beefier, or very repairable.

    I'd try out more bikes, ask around your club mates to ride more - and see what you like! At that price point 2nd hand will get you an awful lot of bike
    Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/
  • aj265
    aj265 Posts: 6
    Thanks for your reply!
    I think that pretty mych all bikes I saw at around 3000 have either Athena or Ultegra and personally I prefer the shifting in Campagnolo. Yes, the Sepmpre does have thinner seatstays since it's the current trend but they are not ridiculously thin as on some of the bikes I saw. Now as regards the wheels what would you recommend more specifically?
    I would rather avoid getting 2nd hand with a carbon frame since you don't really know whether the bike endured any knocks etc. and you won't be able to tell until it snaps.

    In terms of aero bikes I was looking at Scott Foil but I haven't had a chance to test ride it. There is also Specialized Venge.
    Most of my club mates have either custom made bikes or bikes out of my price limit leaving aside a few Specialized.
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    There's bikes like:
    http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/rose ... aid:630146
    Which have "Athena" for that money, but it's EPS Athena, not the regular stuff - I'm not suggesting that's necessary, I'm just suggesting that you're getting pretty poor value to only get Athena, and there are plenty of better options.

    What size are you looking for?
    Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/
  • aj265
    aj265 Posts: 6
    To be fair I don't want electronic shifting. I tried it (Shimano) and yes it is nice but I think once it breaks down it's too much hassle to repair it. People say it rarely breaks down but then everyone was fine for a long time without electronic shifting and I'm not such a pro to desperately need it. I would need size 55/ 57 in the Bianchi. I'm pretty tall i.e. 1.77m or 5'10. The bikes you suggested do look nice but it's the first time I've heard about them. I was considering FOCUS since it got Bike of the year award and I could get better specs for 3K than with the Bianchi (electronic shifting etc) but since I don't really want to go electronic and the pencil thin seatstays scare me off I opted for Bianchi. I just think that it's not always about what the bike has on paper in terms of specs.
  • blackhands
    blackhands Posts: 950
    Have a look at Dolan bikes. The Ares is an excellent carbon frame and you could get excellent spec for well under your budget - even allowing for a second pair of wheels. (I know that Bradley Wiggins' wife Cath rides and races (and wins)on one and I'm sure she could afford whatever she wants).
  • jibberjim
    jibberjim Posts: 2,810
    If you're convinced you want the bianchi (do you work for them?) then get the bianchi - why are you asking? It's very expensive for not much bike - you don't have to get electronic, you could get Record for your budget, it was just to illustrate the very poor value of Campag's lowest 11speed groupset on a 3K bike...
    Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    That's a lot of money for a bike for club runs.

    You can get a really decent bike for a third of that and then save the rest for the next bike.
    If you don't know what bike to buy - why spend so much on it. I'd play safe - buy a cheaper bike and consider your options for the next one a year or so down the road when you'll know precisely what you want.
  • aj265
    aj265 Posts: 6
    Cougie- I alrady have a so so bike for commuting etc. I want a faster bike so that I can actually train and enjoy my ride more.
    jibberjim- I don't work for Bianchi, unfortunately ;)

    Anyhow decision time. . . Thanks everyone for your advice! Seems like I might change my mind to something different.
  • poppit
    poppit Posts: 926
    How about, De Rosa, an R838 or Merak R5, both look good bikes and are Campag Athena.
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  • aj265
    aj265 Posts: 6
    Actually after talking to some more people I think I might go for a titanium enigma/ van nicholas/ lynksey if I like one of them. If not then I will stick to the Bianchi Sempre pro I think.