Bikes under £1k

pedalbasher

My sister is starting to really enjoy road cycling and is looking to spend up to £1k (max) on an upgrade. She currently rides a heavy steel retro Carlton bike.

Medium length rides (up to 50 miles or so), plus she's signed up for a couple of triathlons.

Grateful for recommendations.

She has her eyes on this Colnago Strada but I think she could do significantly better for the money - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/colnago-strada- ... wwodP0gA8Q

Surely there must be some good 2013 bikes with (mostly) 105 components at a similar price-point? My concern with the Colnago is she'd be paying for the brand name but essentially a pretty average bike.

Canyon's Roadlite AL 6.0 looks excellent value at £899, 105 throughout and Aksium wheels, only 8.3kg - http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3191

She's not fussed about having a female-specific bike (unless someone can explain why it would be such a better idea).

Thanks in advance.

Doony

Rose are worth a look too, very similar to Canyon, in that they are German and mail order only, excellent value for money

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/rose-pr ... aid:668081

or Planet X Pro Carbon, full 6800 Ultegra for 1k

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPULT ... -road-bike

pedalbasher

Thanks. What's the catch with the Planet X?!

arran77

pedalbasher wrote:

Thanks. What's the catch with the Planet X?!

None particularly, you're just not paying for a fancy name like Colnago

Daz555

pedalbasher wrote:

She's not fussed about having a female-specific bike (unless someone can explain why it would be such a better idea).

Depending on her proportions a female specific bike may have more suitable geometry.

As for sub 1k bikes. Check out Sensa:

http://www.merlincycles.com/sensa-bikes ... rBrand=216

AK_jnr

I've said it before but I hired the Planet X in Mallorca and coming from a Supersix I expected it to be a bit softer, but blimey that is such a steal at that price!!
I got top 10 times on climbs and descents in Mallorca which shows its credentials!

lgcbiking

Rose have women specific versions of their bikes:

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/rose-pr ... aid:666623

Nearly all 105 + Aksiums too. The advantage vs canyon is you can change any component.

I don't think there is a catch with the planet-x given the positive reviews (I think the frame is an old one, but shouldn't matter), my guess though is that it's not necessarily a better frame than the Rose/Canyon aluminium, despite being carbon, so I wouldn't get it just based on that (see previous discussions on alu vs carbon, people get heated about the whoel topic).

mattv

Obvious disadvantages of all these bikes; you/ she doesn't know if a female geometry bike will fit better, therefore she needs to try one. Which you can't on any of these. Get down to a shop with her, try them out, see what fits well. Don't get caught up with mavic this and 11 speed that, it's all useless if the bike is wrong and uncomfortable.

pedalbasher

Thanks for the responses, all very helpful.

I think the Rose or the Canyon represent best value. I take on board the points made about not trying before buying, but sometimes I think people get a bit too hung up on this. Provided she orders the correct stock size (should be fairly clear cut), it's easy to make some fine tuning adjustments - I did this myself last year with a Canyon Ultimate SLX and it now fits like a dream. Worst case scenario, she sends it back - hassle, but for me (and probably her) it's worth it because the more likely outcome is that she ends up with a great fitting bike with about as much bang for buck as there is available on the market.

I'm going to take a closer look at the characteristics of a female-specific fit, though.

Does anyone have experience dealing with Rose and do they have a customer service centre / hotline in the UK?

Thanks again.

lgcbiking

I just ordered one (although not sent to the UK) and they've been pretty good with responses, both email and when calling them in germany. Just been shipped, ordered about a month ago.

I think they do have a representative in the UK, and you can even try some bikes out (not sure which ones he has). Finley something I think, should be able to find it on the website (or somebody else can chime in).

I also feel the try before you buy, although useful, is a bit overstated. A 2 minute ride in a car park is not going to tell you a great deal about long-distance comfort, and as you say, you do have the option to send it back if necessary (money back, or swap). A hassle compared to a bike shop, but still a safety net.