Stuck in so many ways

Eah Dunno

Hi guys

For a while I have been toying with the idea of resting up using my cheap (compared to most) MTB and giving a cheap road bike a go. I've never owned a road bike. I have done a lot of homework, mainly on this site to be fair, but due to a number of factors I thought it best to ask more experienced road bike users for their opinion.

Given my location and budget the only place I can afford a bike is Halfords :? (appreciate their name isn't the best but from what I can gather their reputation isn't as bad as it once was....??) I toyed with Decathlon but its over 100 miles there and Im not entirely comfortable ording on line, ordering the wrong size, buying something Ive not seen up close, possibly receiving damaged goods, hassle of returning etc etc etc

At the risk of being picky I would rather buy new so if something is wrong I have some sort of fallback.

The LBS price and product range doesnt fit suit soooooooooo

victim of circumstance Halfords is my only real option.

The bike is only for weekend use, perhaps the occassional night if I finish work early. This is another reason why along with the budget and the fact I have never owned a road bike I don't want to go daft (at least not yet!)

I live in quite a hilly region so I a good range of gears is desirable. So far as gearing combinations etc I havent a clue Im sorry to say. Given that this is an expensive toy for me I want to get as much feedback as possible.

With all that in mind I think I essentially have two options:

Carrera TDF Ltd
Carrera Virtuoso Road Bike 2011/2012

From what I can gather neither bike is anywhere near the rrp stated which is just as well given my tight budget. With my limited understanding the Virtuoso has the better speck although budget wise all I can say is "Dont tell the wife!!"

Now the questions!

For a first road bike is the Virtuoso the better of the two options given my circumstances above?
It the Virtuoso worth the pounds?
Would I notice a difference between the two?
Would the TDF leave me lacking/wanting more?
Is it worth holding out a little longer for the price to come down given Halfords pricing scheme?

All and every reply greatly appreciated.

ashleydwsmith

Fwiw I would got through decathlon. Get the triban, a great bike for the money. You can return it if you want to, reading their returns policy. Lifetime warranty as well.

The two halfords ones seem to be less bike for more money but im not an expert.

JUst my two pence worth.

P.s you will love it.

pease

Not ridden the triban from decathlon but it has a huge following on here and scored highly in many reviews. The 100 mile journey will be worth it but ring ahead to check they have your size in stock ready to take away.

elderone

Go for the Halfords virtuoso,for the money its a cracking bike and the gearing will suit you better than the tdf.
the triban is liked but doesn,t mean it is a better bike.

Schoie81

Just another thought that may help you. You mentioned finishing work early, so I assume you're employed. Have you looked at the tax-free schemes for buying bikes through your employer? If your employer isn't signed up already, maybe you could ask them to do so - it isn't onerous to sign up and it doesn't cost them anything, in fact, it will actually save them a little bit of money over the next year or so. If they aren't keen on signing up to a scheme, it is possible for them to offer you the scheme themselves - if their accountant/accounts department know what they're doing....

This way, you'll a) pay for the bike out of your income BEFORE you're taxed on it, so it means you could end up paying around 32% less for your bike. You also pay it back over a set period, 12 or 18months, so you don't have to find the lump sum now. If you're looking at spending £300-400 on a bike, it'll only cost you around £250 - over 18months thats a little over £13 a month, which you probably wont miss too much. Look at it another way, you could still spend £350 on it (around £20 a month) and increase your bike budget to £500!! And if you still feel Halfords is your only option - they are included in the scheme, so you could still buy from there. You can add other things you might need on too, so that you save on them - mudguards, helmet, lights, clothing etc.. I've bought myself two bikes in the last two years through the Cyclescheme and i've saved myself over £600!!

kingofthetailwind

If they have the red Triban 3 then it is a better bike than either from Halfords. Carbon fork, full Shimano 2300/Sora groupset, over a kilogram lighter. But your nearest Decathlon store might not have many of the red Tribans left. If they only have the new white Triban 3, which has a lower spec, then there isn't much difference between it and the TDF. (Presuming that the TDF is currently at its "reduced" £300 price)

Nothing wrong with buying Carrera/Halfords, the main issue with them is the quality of their mechanics, which varies greatly store to store. My experience of their Belfast staff is poor. If you post the name of your local Halfords then others might have used it.

djm501

Yes, what Schole81 said. Cycle2work schemes are excellent.

Gearwise, if you're in a hilly area you'll either want a triple or compact (typically 50-34) front chainset and the large sprocket at the back to be 28 or even 30. That low gearing will get you up nearly everything once you're fit - especially with a triple.

Bustacapp

Get the Carrera Virtuoso. It has a compact chainset which will suit the hills more than the TDF (unless it's the 2012 ltd edition).

Great bike.

gerroffandmilkit

Triban all the way!!!

Check 'em out below!

Eah Dunno

Guys

Thank you all so much for you opinions - all good points.

As far as Im aware my employer does not take part in the cycle to work scheme which by the sound of it is a shame.
However I am awaiting an official reply from the accounts/hr department but I wont hold my breath. I have my doubts if the accounts department will do me any favours if it means extra work for them but you never know. Fingers crossed.

Something I read but am still having trouble getting my head around - gearing. My limited understanding is that its not necessarily the number of gears the bike has but the range in which they move through. With that and the comments made by:

Bustacapp "Get the Carrera Virtuoso. It has a compact chainset which will suit the hills more than the TDF"

Elderone "Go for the Halfords virtuoso,for the money its a cracking bike and the gearing will suit you better than the tdf."

can anyone help me with the gearings?

Comparing the spec of both bikes they both have:

16 gears
Cassettes (ah?) 12/26T
and are both compact geomerty although Im not sure if this is to do with gearings?

The only difference I can see is the chainset which is 50/34T for the Virtuoso. The TDF does not have one listed. A convenient ommission?

I apologise if these are idiot questions - just want to get it straight in my head. :oops:

The cheapest I have seen the TDF is £300 so will wait until that price reappears before buying if thats the bike I end up going for. Can anyone tell me the cheapest they've seen the Virtuoso?

I have a choice of Halfords - Dundee or Arbroath.

As before my sincere thanks for your time and opinions

Fil6914

I got my virtuoso for the sum of 340 quid, it was on for 380 online, ordered it online to pick up at local halfords joined British cycling for 28 quid for the year and then got a further 10% off the online price, the good thing is you then get 10% off any other kit you need from halfords or upto 12% from Wiggle all year

Phil

Fil6914

Forgot to add if it still has the white walled tyres make sure you change them ASAP as they failed on mine, since that problem was sorted foc I may add (60quids worth of gatorskins ) thebikesbeen top notch for the price I paid and it looks great too

Phil

Eah Dunno

Hi Fil6914

Thanks for the heads up. Another vote for the Virtuoso. I do fancy this one more and the feedback between the two does seem good but Im just not sure if justifies the extra pennies.

In what way did the tyres fail? Was it punctures?

Cheers

Schoie81

Eah Dunno - I don't know what size company you work for (i'm lucky as I work for a small business so I can talk directly to the person I need to to get it sorted here - and it helps that he has bought bikes for himself through the scheme...) but if you can talk to them, you can assure them that it is not at all ardous to join the scheme. They'll need to sign the company up - thats done online and just a case of filling in the company details. Then you (the employee) have to get a quote for the bike, you enter all the details yourself and all they have to do is approve your application and pay for the bike. The scheme deals automatically with the legal agreements and works out the monthly re-payments which you then give to your accounts dept. and they just deduct that from your pay. It really is hardly any work for your employer. They do have to pay out for the bike, but you pay them back over time, and they save on employers PAYE contributions and they'll also be able to off-set the VAT on your bike (assuming they're VAT registered) - so its finacially beneficial to them too - they save money as well as you!

I was told by my LBS that you don't have to sign up to a scheme - so if they really are against doing that, you can still get a tax-free bike (if they agree), they'll just have to work out the re-payments themselves and deduct it from your pay - the scheme seems easier to me, but they may disagree.

Bustacapp

Eah Dunno wrote:

Guys

Thank you all so much for you opinions - all good points.

As far as Im aware my employer does not take part in the cycle to work scheme which by the sound of it is a shame.
However I am awaiting an official reply from the accounts/hr department but I wont hold my breath. I have my doubts if the accounts department will do me any favours if it means extra work for them but you never know. Fingers crossed.

Something I read but am still having trouble getting my head around - gearing. My limited understanding is that its not necessarily the number of gears the bike has but the range in which they move through. With that and the comments made by:

Bustacapp "Get the Carrera Virtuoso. It has a compact chainset which will suit the hills more than the TDF"

Elderone "Go for the Halfords virtuoso,for the money its a cracking bike and the gearing will suit you better than the tdf."

can anyone help me with the gearings?

Comparing the spec of both bikes they both have:

16 gears
Cassettes (ah?) 12/26T
and are both compact geomerty although Im not sure if this is to do with gearings?

The only difference I can see is the chainset which is 50/34T for the Virtuoso. The TDF does not have one listed. A convenient ommission?

I apologise if these are idiot questions - just want to get it straight in my head. :oops:

The cheapest I have seen the TDF is £300 so will wait until that price reappears before buying if thats the bike I end up going for. Can anyone tell me the cheapest they've seen the Virtuoso?

I have a choice of Halfords - Dundee or Arbroath.

As before my sincere thanks for your time and opinions

Basically, the easiest gear for hillclimbing means you need to have the smallest cog selected on the front and the largest cog on the back. The smaller the cog on the front (34 tooth on the Virtuoso as opposed to 39 teeth on the TDF) means that it is a 'compact' chainset.

If I had a smaller chainring on the front instead of my 39 toother, then I should notice it spinning quicker and easier going up the steep slopes (but actually travelling slower).

ghostly606

Hi,

I am facing the same choice as you (and am based between the Dundee and Arbroath Halfords stores) - what did you decide in the end, if anything?! I am looking to buy on the Cycle to Work scheme with a budget of £300 or so so thinking an entry level Carerra or something like the Triban. Nearest store in Edinburgh though...

Cheers,
Grant

Eah Dunno

Hi Ghostly606

Sorry for the delay in replying - not entirely sure where the time has gone since my last post.

I still havent bought anything yet but I suspect in the next few weeks I will go for the Carerra Virtuoso. Its in my price range and seems to edge the TDF. For convenience I recon the purchase will be made in Arbroath if nothing else for my convenience. Edinburgh or Glasgow is just to far away.

With Arbroath in mind dont expect a test ride from them though. I asked the other day and was advised that if it was a high end bike with the approval of the manager a spin around the car park could be done. Not entirely sure I follow the logic - if I was going to pinch a bike by riding away I think I would go for an upmarket number!. That said it wasnt the assistants fault. With that in mind a five minute ride isnt going to be comparable to a couple of hours usual use anyways.

The only other update was that my work did confirm that the Cycle to Work scheme wasnt an viable option for me - thanks a bunch.

Regards