First Road Bike

KDVI
KDVI Posts: 5
edited February 2014 in Road buying advice
Firstly, hi everyone i'm new on here and to road biking in general so hopefully this'll be a good place to learn the ropes :)

As the title says, I'm in need of a first road bike and it needs to be capable of taking me the 400 or so miles between Paris and Colchester for a charity ride. Having looked around and spoken to some people the two that got recommended quite highly were these:

Giant Defy 2: http://www.ashcycles.com/site/giant-defy-2-2013

Planet X RT-58 Alloy: http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT58AL ... -road-bike

The Defy 2 is the upper end of the budget (not including the cost for pedals and cleats). Which of these do you reckon is the better set up and would be more suitable for the longer ride?

Cheers and all the best :)

Comments

  • londoncommuter
    londoncommuter Posts: 1,550
    Unfortunately, you post on here and everyone just tries to confuse you with more options rather than helping you decide between the choices you've asked about. I may as well get in first.....

    How about one of these if you're after a cheapish Tiagra equipped bike:

    http://www.rutlandcycling.com/101193/pr ... -bike.aspx

    Good starter bike to see if you like cycling and to get your fit right before spending thousands on the carbon beauty you'll ultimately end up buying.
  • KDVI
    KDVI Posts: 5
    i've been sized up and need a 58 frame and unfortunately the modus only has much smaller sizes
  • rnarito
    rnarito Posts: 20
    Never ridden a Planet X, but the Giant Defy is an awfully good bike!
  • lc1981
    lc1981 Posts: 820
    KDVI wrote:
    i've been sized up and need a 58 frame...

    Different manufacturers size their bikes differently, so what size you require depends on what brand you opt for.
  • dj58
    dj58 Posts: 2,217
    I can't give you an opinion on the planet X bike as I don't own or have ridden one. I purchased an aluminium framed Defy recently and was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it was. After riding steel framed MTB's for a number of years I was worried that it could have been a harsh ride, however Giant seem to have this sorted with their frame design, the carbon fork and seatpost help, as do 25mm wide tyres. I think the Defy 2 would be fine for your 400 mile charity bike ride.

    Are you buying from a LBS or Internet? If it is your first road bike, ideally you would visit a shop to view/try the bikes in the metal so to speak, also important to be sized correctly and get a feel for whether you like the bike. If possible ask for a test ride.
  • KDVI
    KDVI Posts: 5
    will be buying from an LBS as the giant bike is from the 2013 range in the sale so i'll be going there

    i've been to the one where I live and tried out the Specialized Allez, was a nice bike but tbh i didn't feel you got a lot for the money you were spending considering I could spend 30 quid more and get a tiagra set up.

    the guy there sized me up for a 58 frame and was very helpful but a bit too set in his ways, couldn't look past the Allez and described the Giant bikes as bloody boring.
  • dj58
    dj58 Posts: 2,217
    Well everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I wouldn't describe my bike as boring, depends what he is comparing it to. I wouldn't let that put you off buying a Defy, it's your money and your choice. Their are plenty of people on this forum who ride or have ridden a Giant bike and like them, same with every other brand really, personal preference.

    Have you seen this review http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... -14-48012/
  • KDVI
    KDVI Posts: 5
    tbh i was a bit surprised he said it, he was comparing it to the Specialized Allez.

    especially having read online that the Defy is a good bike and a lot of people seem to like it

    i'll check out the review now cheers DJ
  • lc1981
    lc1981 Posts: 820
    KDVI wrote:
    the guy there sized me up for a 58 frame and was very helpful but a bit too set in his ways, couldn't look past the Allez and described the Giant bikes as bloody boring.

    I cannot emphasise enough that just because you would require a 58 cm Specialized, doesn't mean that a 58 by other manufacturers will necessarily be the right fit. Although if you're buying from a shop, this is hopefully less of an issue as they should size you up for the bike you settle on buying.
  • dj58
    dj58 Posts: 2,217
    KDVI Here is the Giant size info. scroll to the bottom of the page.
    http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/tec ... ctroad/57/

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