Bike recommendations under £2000

Puggirl

Hello there,

I am new to the forum and would like to seek your advice. I am looking to upgrade my first bike, a Trek Pilot 1.0, for something with a carbon frame. I am not by any means a fast cyclist but I am happy to cover a decent distance in Audax rides. I have spent weeks researching different bikes and landed in the Domane which was £1800 (cannot remember exact model) but the bike shop owner said the upgrade to the 4.7 at £2300 was worth it. This is a bit more than I wished to spend, and now I feel lost reading about the myriad of others available.

I guess I am asking if you had maximum £2k to spend, required a bike that was comfortable for hours in the saddle and had decent wheels and drivetrain, what would you get?

Thank you for your advice

desweller

If I had £2k and was looking to do chiefly long comfy rides I'd consider spending the bulk of my loot on a good steel frame (e.g. something by Enigma) and getting most of the bits from my old bike.

Anonymous

Did you like the Pilot 1.0 so much that you have to have another Trek?

What do you mean by decent wheels?

You cannot really buy a bike based on its wheels and they are never that great (what I would call half decent at best) on a stock bike.
I would avoid 'own brand' wheels.

If you want nice wheels, get a lower priced (sale?) bike (still not with own brand wheels) and a second set of wheels.

Also budget for a new saddle and very decent bib shorts.

Steel bike and a Brooks saddle (won't need the expensive shorts then) might be your best bet by the sounds of what you have said.

DKay

Cannondale Synapse 105 is an obvious recommendation. Spend the remainder on better wheels and tyres and you then have the origonal R501s for winter duties.

samsbike

I quite like the trak domane as long as you can get mudguards on especially for audaxs. To be honest I would get the one with carbon and 105. Sell the OEM wheels and get some hanbuilts. Hopefully that will keep you in budget.

In steel with that budget Condor could probably build you a nice fratello. Or off the peg will be a genesis equilibruim or pearson.

kevinr24

Plus one for the Cannondale 105. I've just got the Ultegra version and love it. Rapid but comfortable, stable but cushioned. There are some pics and a video on my blog - richardsonkevin.wordpress.com. The Domane is very good but I rode a couple briefly and found them heavier. If your money stretched a little further, there's the Felt Z4. That's pretty impressive too and in a sale, you'd get it and full Ultegra for under £2,000. There's also the Giant Defy Advanced at £1,800 with 105, which is also a great ride and was a bike of the year in 2013. Basically, test them, have a bike fit and pick the one you like the best at a price you're willing to pay.

Brava210

Funny how Boardman bikes are never recommended


http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165710

Miles253

Brava210 wrote:

Funny how Boardman bikes are never recommended


http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165710

Lovely looking bikes actually, bad press from Halfords doesn't help.

I would go: Cannondale Synapse, Trek Domane, Bianchi Sempre in that order.

anthonysjb

BMC SLR02. Bit racey geo but if you're fit enough and ride fast it's great.

Garry H

Brava210 wrote:

Funny how Boardman bikes are never recommended


http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165710

Their Elite range look superb value. Maybe one of the SLS models? Not sure which one falls within your price range though.

Philby

How about a Focus Cayo or Izalco Ergoride - both offering full Ultegra at £2k. Other alternatives could be a Wilier GTR or Bianchi Intenso for a bit of Italian design flair.

chanjy

This looks nice

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3241