Where to start the search for a £1500 bike...

charliew87

Have just clocked by 5000th mile on my Bianchi Via Nirone 7 which I got a couple of years ago as my first road bike.

It’s done me well, have replaced just about everything on it due to wear & tear and more importantly me not knowing anything about how to maintain and look after a road bike.

It fits me ok, but could be a lot better.

Anyway, I’m going to treat myself to a new machine in the spring, once I’ve got my Richmond Park lap time back under 21 minutes.

I’ve got around the £1400-£1600 mark set aside for this and have started the research phase this week.

Theres and unsurprisingly wide range of options out there. I got the Bianchi mainly because I thought it looked a lot better than it’s rivals round the £800 mark at the time. It’s got Sora gears and other budget elements which in hindsight I could have done better with for the money.

There are a few £1500 bikes out there with Di2 Dura Ace on them, and some on the more standard 105.

What’s the best place to start a search for such a machine? Frame weight, wheels, groupset? What should I prioritise?

Apologies for the completely open ended question!

supermurph09

£1500 with Dura Ace?

I always think a good place to start is the Cycling Plus bike of the year awards. http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/arti ... d-2-36592/ They are between £1500-£2000 so will be in your price range, some will have big discounts on them also. Should start you off with ideas. You can then start comparing models. I used the 2012 awards when purchasing my last bike, the 2013 Cube Agree GTC Race did pretty well and its served me very well over the last 10 months.

charliew87

Supermurph09 wrote:

£1500 with Dura Ace?

I always think a good place to start is the Cycling Plus bike of the year awards. http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/arti ... d-2-36592/ They are between £1500-£2000 so will be in your price range, some will have big discounts on them also. Should start you off with ideas. You can then start comparing models. I used the 2012 awards when purchasing my last bike, the 2013 Cube Agree GTC Race did pretty well and its served me very well over the last 10 months.

£1500 with Dura Ace:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-sense-dura-ace-2013/

supermurph09

Sorry I thought you meant full Dura Ace not "components from". Looks a good buy!

maddog 2

TCR Composite with 11spd Ultegra comes in at 1600. I'd put that on a shortlist.

Grill

Keep in mind that's 7970 so there is zero upgrade potential to 11 speed. It's fine for what it is, but dated (especially the frame).

trailflow

Its Dura Ace 7900. NOT Di2

kajjal

Have a think about the riding you do and how important speed is over comfort. I prefer some level of comfort and prefer to ride for a few hours so am looking at a Roubaix or similar. Speed while the reason I chose a road bike is not the be all and end all for me.

Also work out what spec and frame etc. are important to you how and where you ride. You may want to buy a good frame and upgrade the other parts as they wear out. Or you may want a 11 speed with certain gearing.
Some test rides will help you out a lot as buying purely on spec is not a good idea as you have to like the look of the bike and the way it rides as well it having a decent group, frame set etc. It is a balance.

defride

£1500, you'll not go far wrong. Lots of good bikes available with a choice of this or last seasons models. Buy online for the best deals and widest choice but if you're not so experienced with the in's and out's of bicycle maintainence find a dealer with a good range who can walk you through, let you try, fit you and then look after you.

brownbosh

Felt F4 ultegra on wiggle 1380 down from 2400. Sell the basic wheelset for 100 and have 320 left over for the wheel upgrade. Lots of class for the cash. Or even the F4 team edition which is still a little more at 1600 but has vibe 7s components?

M4VERICK

There's plenty of good deals on http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk in the sale... just looking through what they had made my mouth water...no cash at the mo!

If youve got a Bianchi I thoroughly recommend the Vertigo Veloce, which I have. Was £1500 but I got it on the cyclescheme. Is a great bike, very comfortable and again I think there are a few in the sales at the moment.
http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/produc ... tAp6fvwAV9

If you want to keep with Bianchi the 2014 Intenso looks to be a nice bike too

smoggysteve

Can get a 105 Sempre Pro for 1500

northpole

Are you dead set on a brand new bike?

I would definitely check out a few classifieds eg this forum and fleabay to see if there are any bargains to be had on well specced (and little used) bikes. Bikes are after all hopeless at retaining value once bought...

Peter

bagz3

https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3239

Cant be ignored

rickeverett

Rose....

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/rose-pr ... aid:668963



http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/rose-xe ... aid:669160


Can't beat that.

charliew87

Focus Cayo Evo 3.0 is currently leading the race...Saturday may be the day of purchase.

charliew87

charliew87 wrote:

Focus Cayo Evo 3.0 is currently leading the race...Saturday may be the day of purchase.

...Although a Canyon is VERY tempting and would be able to afford the €1599 model and then pay for a proper fit on top when it arrives in this country…

Any reviews for the Ultimate CF SL 7.0 online anywhere?

smidsy

Here
viewtopic.php?f=40090&t=12954909#p18692904

Over £3000 of bike for your budget.

galatzo

Ultegra or force 11 speed £5-600
Planet x n2a £800
Ultegra wheels £200
Cheapish finishing kit you can upgrade overtime
You get the idea though, play with budget for frame perhaps, maybe some better second hand wheels but create something specific you.
I built a swift carbon modulus with force 22, fulcrum 5.5 wheels for £1230 with all new parts !

charliew87

Galatzo wrote:

Ultegra or force 11 speed £5-600
Planet x n2a £800
Ultegra wheels £200
Cheapish finishing kit you can upgrade overtime
You get the idea though, play with budget for frame perhaps, maybe some better second hand wheels but create something specific you.
I built a swift carbon modulus with force 22, fulcrum 5.5 wheels for £1230 with all new parts !

May do similar if/when I next upgrade but for now don't have the confidence & knowledge to do something like that.

galatzo

I didn't actually build it myself.
Wouldn't be rideable if I had !

markhewitt1978

tbh I think for £1,500 the bike won't be much different to what you've got already.

ai_1

charliew87 wrote:

charliew87 wrote:

Focus Cayo Evo 3.0 is currently leading the race...Saturday may be the day of purchase.

...Although a Canyon is VERY tempting and would be able to afford the €1599 model and then pay for a proper fit on top when it arrives in this country…

Any reviews for the Ultimate CF SL 7.0 online anywhere?

There's not much in the way of reviews for the Canyon CF SL frame yet as it's just out a couple of months. It's the same frame design (apart from the carbon layup) as the more expensive CF SLX released a year ago. There are plenty of rave reviews for the SLX. The SL uses lower modulus carbon and so it's a bit heavier (940g versus 790g frame) and the handling and stiffness will presumably be a little different. However I'd be very surprised if it's not an excellent bike too. I ordered an Ultimate CF SL 9.0 myself a few days ago.
Rose is probably the main competition for a great frame with very high spec group and wheels for a good price. However it's harder to find info on Rose bikes and what I have found gives the impression that most Rose road bikes may be a bit too harsh for Irish/British roads.
I've done a few rides on a 2013 Cayo Evo 4 and I enjoyed it. I was considering one. The Cayo Evo 2.0 is the full Ultegra version. It's not far off the Canyon for price but a bit heavier, lower spec wheels and I think the Canyon frame will be more comfortable.
If you're looking at 2013 bikes that are on sale as well as 2014 bikes it's worth remembering that the new Ultegra 6800 has been released for 2014. This appears to be a significant step up from the previous 6700 version but the older one works fine too. This is one reason there's big reductions on 2013 Ultegra bikes.

Best of luck whichever way you go. Enjoy your new bike.

P.S.
What were you doing to your bike that you wore out all the parts in 5000 miles?
My current bike is 5 years old and has probably done about 20,000km. I upgraded the wheels at 15,000km (old ones are still fine), changed the cassette ratio (but the old one is still fine) and replaced the chain (just being cautious after about 12,000km - the old one seemed okay). I've done no major maintenance. I add a few drops of lube to the chain every couple of weeks and occasionally clean the chain (only every couple of months) and that's about it.
The only thing that's ever worn out is the brake pads plus I've broken 1 spoke.
I think my experience is about normal. If you're getting a new bike it would be worth figuring out if there's a reason for this premature wear you've experienced so it doesn't happen again!

dwanes

There is some good advice here.
Just make sure you get the best size frame for yourself otherwise it will be no better than what you already have.

As people have pointed out, you should be looking at ultegra level of components with that kind of money.

ai_1

Regarding the Canyon bikes again:
The 2014 CF SL frame with Ultegra is not in within your budget.
If you want Ultegra from Canyon you'll probably be looking at the Ultimate AL 9.0 for £1499. A very well regarded alloy frame with new Ultegra and great wheels for a 7.3kg bike weight.

However the CF SL frame is available as the CF SL 7.0 for £1399 with Shimano 105 (10 speed system - 2 steps up from Sora and just below Ultegra). There's also the CF SL 8.0 for £1699 with Campagnolo Athena (11 speed).

charliew87

Going to ignore Canyon now as their shipping dates aren't until March for the models I'm interested in which isn't worth it.

The main reason for liking the Focus was the service I got in the shop (Swift Cycles) when I went in and spoke about it, and they include a full Retul Fit in the price.

My Bianchi isn't dead to the world, but it's my first bike, doesn't fit very well and was only £800 new. I had it serviced recently and they wanted to do £400 of work on it which I declined, things like new headset, new chainrings etc.

It's done it's job and got me hooked, I can now either keep piling money into it or write it off, sell it for £300ish and put that towards a perfectly-fitting carbon dream machine.

I like the look of the Rose Bikes but quite hard to determine how they look and feel online and be 100% sure I get the right size without trying them out so will be buying on the high street.

dwanes

Buying from the high street is a good move if you are unsure of sizing.
Keep us informed of your choice, and post some photos when you get one.

ai_1

charliew87 wrote:

Going to ignore Canyon now as their shipping dates aren't until March for the models I'm interested in which isn't worth it.

Yeah, if you're in a hurry you won't want Canyon! I ordered a bike last week but I don;t expect to have it until late April/early May. Also the same applies as with Rose - you need to be sure of your sizing and won't have a chance to get a feel for the bike until it arrives.

charliew87 wrote:

My Bianchi isn't dead to the world, but it's my first bike, doesn't fit very well and was only £800 new. I had it serviced recently and they wanted to do £400 of work on it which I declined, things like new headset, new chainrings etc.
It's done it's job and got me hooked, I can now either keep piling money into it or write it off, sell it for £300ish and put that towards a perfectly-fitting carbon dream machine.

Again, it's worrying if your chainrings and headset need replacing after just 5000 miles. Are you sure these are really in bad shape and if so do you know why? You don't want the same thing happening to your new, more expensive bike.

oldbazza

How about this?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ridley-helium-1 ... tion-2013/

neilvx

If I had £1500 I quick fancy a Felt F5 next :-)

charliew87

Christ this is difficult. 95% sure I want the Focus, but can’t get the thought of a slightly lighter Canyon frame out my head, or a slightly cheaper Rose, or maybe a Ribble, or maybe a Giant.

There should be a formula out there to make decisions about buying a new bike rather than leave easily influence people like me to attempt to make the right decision about it!