Help needed to choose £1k bike please

cr250noob

Hi all, am a keen MTB rider looking to dip my toes into the road scene. Have £1k budget through cycle scheme at work. I'm planning to try my hand at some Olympic length triathlons next year as well as using the bike on club rides and commuting in the fairer weather.

I've read a whole heap of similar posts from other undecided folk like myself and am still unable to decide. My lbs stocks Giant and Trek so can go along to have a look at those but I'm tempted by the mail order vale for money. Here is my list. All suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Giant defy 3 composite (2013)
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 832/56799/

Giant defy 0 compact (2013)
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-in/bik ... 560/56029/

Cannondale synapse carbon 6 (2013)
http://www.cannondale.com/2013/bikes/ro ... t-crankset

Planet X pro carbon (SRAM or Shimano)
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPRIV13/

Merlin malt cr carbon
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/b ... -2013.html

Trek Domane 2.0
http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/ro ... omane_2_0/

diamonddog

Can vouch for the Planet X although mine has Sram gearing, excellent vfm, very nice to ride and no problems except a wheel truing and well into it's second year on the road.

markhewitt1978

(There are lots of threads asking which is the best bike for £1,000)

For commuting I would say Domane 2.0, however you mention fairer weather only and club runs / triathlons I would err towards the Planet X as the spec is so much better.

zx6man

markhewitt1978 wrote:

(There are lots of threads asking which is the best bike for £1,000)

For commuting I would say Domane 2.0, however you mention fairer weather only and club runs / triathlons I would err towards the Planet X as the spec is so much better.

Said elsewhere :-) tiagra is horrid to look at , save 200 quid more, and go for a domane 2.3 as its the full 105 groupset (inc brakes)

markhewitt1978

I dunno like. 2.3 is a nice bike but still aluminium. Wheras the Planet X is full carbon.

Cupras

try the 2014 defy1
The defy0 2013 is a great bike.
Thats the best long distance bike for 1k anyway.

cr250noob

Hi all, just a quick update. Went to look at some bikes in my lbs. They run the cycle club I'm in and gave me some pretty sound advice I think. They suggested rather than shell out on a expensive bike straight away, get a cheaper bike to test the waters and can double as a winter bike. So that's what I've done and pulled the trigger on a felt f95 on wiggle which is reduced down to £400. If I find i me loving road riding then I still have the option to use the cycle scheme to buy something more later on. Thanks for all the advice.

markhewitt1978

Good advice and a a good choice for a first bike - enjoy!

zx6man

the felts are a great buy at that pirce.

mr_eddy

One that is not on your list which gets rave reviews and in terms of bang for buck is about as good as it gets is the Moda Rubato. Its designed in the UK and in my opinion beat all others hands down where it matters most - Frame & Wheels. The frame is a real gem , lightweight and strong in the right places, the wheels are £300 on there own which is un heard of for a sub £1k bike. Ask anyone on this forum about best place to upgrade they will almost all say the wheels so to get American Classic wheels on a bike this price is amazing.

Obviously check stockist as its always worth trying to get a test ride but by all accounts the Moda Rubato rides like a £2k bike, the gears are Microshift and are decently light too, in terms of shifting they are just as functional and effective as Shimano / Sram, they maybe a little harsher but as Microshift is Shimano compatible you can swap these bits for Shimano bits relatively cheaply if you want (although I personally would not bother as again Microshift gets good reviews).

Check out the Moda Rubato.

cr250noob

mr_eddy wrote:

One that is not on your list which gets rave reviews and in terms of bang for buck is about as good as it gets is the Moda Rubato. Its designed in the UK and in my opinion beat all others hands down where it matters most - Frame & Wheels. The frame is a real gem , lightweight and strong in the right places, the wheels are £300 on there own which is un heard of for a sub £1k bike. Ask anyone on this forum about best place to upgrade they will almost all say the wheels so to get American Classic wheels on a bike this price is amazing.

Obviously check stockist as its always worth trying to get a test ride but by all accounts the Moda Rubato rides like a £2k bike, the gears are Microshift and are decently light too, in terms of shifting they are just as functional and effective as Shimano / Sram, they maybe a little harsher but as Microshift is Shimano compatible you can swap these bits for Shimano bits relatively cheaply if you want (although I personally would not bother as again Microshift gets good reviews).

Check out the Moda Rubato.

Thanks for that, have to admit I hadn't even heard of it. I'll take a look at it.