£1k First Road Bike

DurhamishDC

Looking for a bit of advice before purchasing my first road bike, having no friends interested in cycling I am pretty much going at it alone.

I have done a bit of research online and in magazines but just wanted to get peoples opinions of the following few options, going to be used for a reasonable commute and long rides, with perhaps the odd triathlon too, so pretty much an all rounder needed. Not really looking to invest anything above a grand really and for that price would like to have nothing lower than 105/Veloce.

Baso Loso Veloce - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/basso-loto-veloce-2013/
- Bit unknown on this one as can't seem to find much information on this brand or the bike, from the little I have gathered they are supposed to be decent and apparently produce their own frames, and I personally think it looks great. Not entirely sure this was ever originally a £2k bike as Wiggle have advertised, seems to be some creative pricing and discounting, but for £1k it still looks like a lot of bike. But, I don't know whether it is better to go for a higher end aluminium bike over an entry level carbon, being 6'3", 13-14st.

Ribble Evo Pro Carbon 105 - http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/road- ... =conf_SERC
- Heard mixed reviews about Ribble, some say they are great value for money and the bikes are well built, others have had terrible customer service and that they use off the peg frames from China. Again unsure if I would be better to go for higher end aluminium over lower end carbon

Bianchi Impulso C2C 105 - http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;n ... ;orderby=2
- This one is the wildcard really just because it is so blooming beautiful, read reviews that performance wise aren't too great but not read a bad word said about them from an owner, especially once the wheels have been changed. If all the bikes performed the same then the Bianchi would win hands down. But at the same time the accountant in me does not want to waste money paying for a brand when there is better value to be had, no matter how good it looks.

Some reviews have pointed me in the direction of Scott Speedster 20, Trek Domane, Cannondale CAAD & Synapse, Boardman Team along with a few more I cannot remember off the top of my head but not really felt any draw to any of these bikes so far, although if anyone can recommend that any of these are far superior to the above three then of course I will take a second look.

Thanks in advance for any advice

chris_bass

i've just had the tracking number for my basso laguna 105 from wiggle! i know its not exactly the one you are looking at but if you give me a couple of days I can get back to you with how it is! I have high hopes though!

DurhamishDC

That would be a help, to give me an idea of the build quality and finishings as never seen one personally, my LBS is fairly limited to Trek, Cannondale and Specialized with Halfords being the only alternative, although I have one shop still to visit which stock a lot of rare and unusual brands that I got my MTB from.

I was looking at the Laguna too, but couldn't see anything really tangible enough for me to consider spending another £100. What made you go for the 105 over the Veloce, personal preference?

cavey76

If you have a gander at the Basso website i "think" it is a slightly higher grade of carbon used in the Laguna versus the Loto and it is slightly better finished. i.e internal cable routing.

I am using the C2W scheme so assuming you buggers don't buy all the right size between when i get my voucher and order i am planning on getting a Laguna 105 or Veloce.

Any comments on the differences between 105 and Veloce. I like to be a different so fancy some Campag but if it is inferior to Shimano i would rather just go with it. I have XT on my old school Explosif so not entirely Shimano-phobic.

cavey76

In fact with the above in mind...Basso's are pant's don't buy one! ;-)

DurhamishDC

I have just had an email back from my HR dept about the C2W scheme, they say they are looking into it but don't expect it to be implemented until the end of the year. Not looking to purchase until late August/September (got a wedding to get out of the way first!) so not sure whether to wait for this to kick in and put up with my MTB for the last few months of decent weather.

Did you consider anything else before the Laguna? Feel a little inferior going for the Loto now!

cavey76

I looked at the Cinelli Saetta which Wiggle were also doing at a huge discount

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cinelli-saetta- ... loce-2012/

but then some boogers went and bought all the larges. I looked at all the carbon framed bikes Wiggle are doing circa £1K aswell as the usual suspects from Planet-X and Ribble. Planet X and Ribble are a bit more awkward with the C2W scheme. Planet-X surcharge you the 10% that they get charged by the voucher middle men. Never got asa far as investigating Ribble tbh.

I had a look at a few LBS's but again less value to be had. I feel bad in that sense but as child of the internet i am used to buying from faceless corporations. We went round several LBS with a number of 10 people who would be spending their C2W vouchers in some cases topping up, in some cases a bit under the £1K but all in circa £10K of business and was told by nearly all that they couldn't do a discount. I thought this was poor for what amounts to £10K of business. The one shop that would offer us 10% was a Giant/Specialized dealer only and i am an admitted uninformed snob and want something a smidge more exotic, hence Wiggle it is!

DurhamishDC

I have no real qualms about ordering online, especially with Wiggle who I have had pretty good experience with wetsuits and other swim gear. Not seen any real value for £1k in shops themselves and I am the same in that I like something a little different to the usual. Being on the tall side I am finding it hit and miss especially on the reduced frames.

ricwilliams

Chris Bass wrote:

i've just had the tracking number for my basso laguna 105 from wiggle! i know its not exactly the one you are looking at but if you give me a couple of days I can get back to you with how it is! I have high hopes though!

pulled the trigger myself today but went for veloce. enjoy the bike

cavey76

Unless someone says to me, "Man you are insane get the 105!" I will prolly do the same in the next day or two.

Veloce versus 105 is there a huge difference?

DurhamishDC

Hope you all enjoy your Lagunas, seems like I wasn't the only one tempted by the Basso's!

ricwilliams

to be honest i was after the astra but for the price the laguna swayed me

DurhamishDC

The Astra is a beautiful looking bike, way out of my price range! You will have to report back on the Laguna, you have any other contenders?

ricwilliams

will do. looked at all kinds. cinelli saetta is rather nice also.

dg1973

Facing similar dilemma. Had caad8 and Scott speedster 20 at top of list until I saw this.

http://www.twenty3c.co.uk/5365898/produ ... -bike.aspx

Ultegra for a K !!

DurhamishDC

Yeah the more I look the more ideas I seem to end up with, quite like the look of this Ghost too which is Ultegra and a fairly light alum for the same price

http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;n ... ;orderby=2

The black and blue combo on that Focus is really nice. Looks are pretty important for me, why I keep looking at that Bianchi!

grim168

looked at the focus before i got the scott speedster. frame finish on the one i saw wasn't the best.

DurhamishDC

How are you enjoying the Speedster?

cedargreen

DurhamishDC wrote:

Yeah the more I look the more ideas I seem to end up with,

Hi,

Lots of similar posts on here with people looking at various price points, so this isn't aimed specifically at the OP, but I can't help feeling they are looking for a bike in the same way they would look for a fridge or a car or a phone- read lots of reviews, compare specifications and prices on the world wide web.

I don't really think this approach works for bikes, especially for a first bike. Firstly, there are loads of brands of bike, because unlike cars for example, bikes can be assembled from stock parts (eg Taiwan built frame) and then branded. At the £1000 price point for example there are probably dozens of bikes, many with similar spec, so which one do you choose?

The second problem is that unlike almost any other product, the bike is an extension of you so it has to fit you and it has to feel right. This renders most reviews almost useless since they are subjective- you and I could ride the same bike and have completely different opinions. And it renders all the usual questions such as 'is Veloce better than 105?' useless as well- both are good quality and it's really a question of which one feels better to you.

So where should you start? I would suggest instead of trawling the internet for bikes, start searching for a really good bike shop. A really good one may be hard to find, and you may have to travel but if you find a good shop it will be money well spent. The best shops will make sure you get a bike of the right size which suits your purposes. Get that right and you can stop worrying about how much better 105 is over Tiagra or whether you need carbon or aluminium.

Most bikes at £1000 will be pretty good and at that price you'd have to try really hard to buy a lemon. The key things are 1. fit - is the bike the right size? 2. feel- some bikes will have more aggressive race oriented position, and the feel of shimano/ campag/ Sram shifters is a personal thing. 3. gearing- do you want compact or triple? -lots of threads on this, personally I prefer a triple.

Don't get too hung up about spec- it's not as important as we're all led to believe by magazine reviews. The factor which is more important than most people care to admit is looks- you have to like the look of a bike.

Good luck with your search

DurhamishDC

Thanks for your input, and completely understand what you mean. It isn't an exact science and I am intending to try and get on as many bikes as I can before jumping in with both feet. Just trying to get a headstart really after being considering moving from MTB to the road for a while now

ricwilliams

good post by cedargreen. if you havent had a decent bikefit done you could end up with the wrong size.

get the one you love the most too so youll ride it more

grim168

speedster is great. I was looking at the giant defy one which is supposed to be the comfiest. I test rode the scott and found it fine so went with that. Can't seem to get excited about giants. I had a bike fit at Hewitts when i bought my tourer so had an idea about dimensions that would suit me. You really should try them if possible. My old road bike ( a ribble winter trainer ) is a lot more head down arse up.

Kerbdog

Hi fella,

This may or may not help but I have just bought my 1st road bike on C2W, having been on a Boardman MTB for the last few years, and ended up going with a Ribble Sportive 7005 equipped with Veloce. Been out for a 20 mileish ride on Sat and commuted to work on it today and yesterday and it is amazing. I have never been on a road bike before and have nothing to compare it to other than the MTB but it just feels so quick and the hills are almost effortless.

For what its worth i found Ribble to be fantastic. I managed to get over to their showroom where the guy couldnt have been more helpful. He got a few different sized bikes out for me to sit on and helped me find the right size bike/bars etc. Any subsequent e-mails were answered within a few hours.

Once the C2W voucher was sorted out and i paid the admin fee I had the bike delivered within the week. All in all i couldnt fault them, although from what i read before i ordered this may not always be the case.

Anyway I have the 58cm frame which is the largest they do so if you want a sit on it let me know as im in Durham too. My build including delivery and upgraded wheels/carbon seatpost came in at £830ish so very reasonable in comparison to the similar specced bike i was looking at.

Rob.

DurhamishDC

I may take you up on that offer as think I will need the same size frame, is their showroom worth a trip over the Pennines for? Going to go have a look into Richmond as there is a shop someone at work has recommended that do quite a lot of different brands so hopefully that will give me an idea of the fit I am looking for. People who seem to know what they are talking about all seem to say try before you buy which I applied before buying my last MTB (and saving a couple hundred quid going for a cheaper but better feeling ride) but the road seems to be a completely different beast with a lot more variables to consider.

Kerbdog

If you dont have the slightest idea what size bike you need a trip over could be worth it. I had never sat on a road bike till i went and i managed to combine my trip with a work outing (100 mile detour but beats sat in the office) so it was worth it for me. If i could have sat on a bike closer to home to get an idea of basic fit that would have been good enough to be honest. Im very much of the opinion that as long as the basic fit is correct someone new to a road bike will adapt to what they have. Go for what you think looks the best. Next time i buy a bike is when i will know what i want to change. This of course could be a very flawed outlook which i will regret when i am suffering extreme back pain in a few months!

DurhamishDC

If I bought the prettiest one is go get the Bianchi tomorrow! But going to have to sit on one first and don't know of they are value for money when I could get a carbon Basso or Ribble for the same price. Head over heart, but hopefully getting on some of them will clear that up

jonesy99

are they any good bike shops in the northeast?

ilovegrace

jonesy99 wrote:

are they any good bike shops in the northeast?

Peddlers of Redcar.
Good lads ,great craic.
Godleys of Nunthorpe.
Good range of bikes very good service
If you want good old fashioned charachter then visit Dr Crank at Whitby.
Decent bike shops in the North east indeed .............