New Road Bike - Purchase advice please!

Rico1983

Hello all, first time poster, so be gentle!

I'm looking at getting a road bike to commute on, and I'm looking to spend around around £600-£750. A few bikes have caught my eye, namely:

- Giant Defy 3
- Specialized Allez C2 2014
- Allez Sport C2 2014

I'll primarily be using the bike for commuting but also the occasional long ride and as a bit of cross training as I am a Medium distance runner. I'm just looking for some advice or opinions about the above bikes i guess!

Thanks in advance!

TheDizzle

There are loads of bikes out there in this price range and you'll find they're very similar in spec. The ones you've suggested are good bikes - some may say the Giant is the better of the 3 - and would easily cater for your needs. None of them are 'bad' bikes but I would avoid the base Allez as it doesn't have a carbon fork and comes with the basic Shimano groupset.

My advice would be to go to your local bike shop and see what they have in stock. Test ride as many as you can/want until you find something that feels right and you like the look of. Getting a good fitting bike is important - although the bikes may be similar in spec the geometry may be different.

Avoid reading too many reviews and getting too many opinions - you'll end up going round in circles!

Find something you like, buy it and ride the hell out of it!

ForumNewbie

If mainly for commuting in all weathers, I'd make sure the bike you get can take a rack and mudguards

Rico1983

Thanks for the advice chaps - I've been to my LBS and had a little test ride. Fell in love with the Allez Sport a little bit so have opted for that one!

markhewitt1978

ForumNewbie wrote:

If mainly for commuting in all weathers, I'd make sure the bike you get can take a rack and mudguards

This is what my first advice would be. Also check it can take wider tyres - perhaps 28c, as wider is better for winter commutes.

mpatts

ForumNewbie wrote:

If mainly for commuting in all weathers, I'd make sure the bike you get can take a rack and mudguards

This. It'll make your life so much nicer!

sparklehedgehog

Rico1983 wrote:

Thanks for the advice chaps - I've been to my LBS and had a little test ride. Fell in love with the Allez Sport a little bit so have opted for that one!

"SKS race blades long" fit on this fine and are excellent