Really struggling to choose a bike

utdminiman

Hi,

I am new to road cycling and I'm really struggling to choose a bike. I'm looking to get it on the bike 2 work scheme from somewhere like Wiggle or Evans Cycle. My budget is But, I find great bits in one bike then great bits in others but none of them really meet my needs. So, I decided to take to the forums and ask you guys what bike you think is best.

Here are some I have come up with:
GT GTR 3 2013 : http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gt-gtr-3-2013/
Fuji Sportif 1.5 Compact: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fuj ... 7#features
Trek 1.2 T h2 2013: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec040342
and
Pinnacle Dolomite 3 2013 : http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec044211

I am about 5ft 4" so would be looking for a 50-51CM frame size.

Thanks in advanced

sloppyschleckonds

Toss a coin

cornerblock

I'd say the GT. For that budget you should at least try to get the Tiagra groupset.

diamonddog

utdminiman wrote:

I am about 5ft 4" so would be looking for a 50-51CM frame size.

You need to look closer at geometry eg the GTR is xsmall, small, med, large etc. and you would probably need the xsmall with the effective top tube length of 525mm if you went for this one IME. Effective top tube length is a better guide than frame size as different brands have different ways of describing it.

Davidjohnb

I bought a Trek 1.2 for last Winter, it's been superb in every way.

negativelycra

I've got a gtr1 - it's been a really good bike for me.
Just watch the sizes - i was in between l and xl, and went the wrong way. Better now with longer stem and bendy post, and it's quick enough to not come lat in my club tt (even with crud roadracers on

Yslen

As a beginner myself they all look like fine choices.

What about the Dolomite 4? It's Tiagra equipped and £45 cheaper than the GT you're looking at.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... 2#features

That said, there's really nothing wrong with Sora. I'm still riding around on 2300 and other than the silly shifter design (Sora doesn't have this issue) I can't really fault it.

The new Allez C2 has Shimano's latest entry level shifters, which are supposed to be pretty good;
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... 6#features

Or there's the 2013 Allez at a very cheap price. It's 2300, but if not being able to shift from the drops doesn't bother you it's a lovely bike for that money.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... 3#features

Again, any of these will probably do fine, it might be best if you can find somewhere to try them out first and see if you have a preference? I picked my Allez because it looked nice, if I'm honest, and now that I know a bit more about bikes I've come to realise that any of the six or seven alternatives I considered would have been just as good!

If pushed, I'd say go for a Dolomite, as they do seem to be excellent value. If you can stretch to the Dolomite 5, which isn't much more than you're looking at, you'll get 105 goodies.

passout

Cornerblock wrote:

I'd say the GT. For that budget you should at least try to get the Tiagra groupset.

Yes I agree, although have a look at planet X and Merlin cycles too.

crankycrank

utdminiman wrote:

But, I find great bits in one bike then great bits in others but none of them really meet my needs. So, I decided to take to the forums and ask you guys what bike you think is best.

Tell us what your needs are. Your first priority after narrowing down to a few bikes should be to go for a test ride. You may find that you just hate the feel of some and really like some others that don't show up best on spec sheets and forum recommendations. It can be a very personal thing. All of the bikes you mentioned are good bikes so you can't go wrong there.