Bike advice... :-)
sanspoof
Posts: 111
Soooooo firstly, hello everyone, my first post here so hello all.....
I love cycling, used to mountain bike a lot, I have only been road cycling for 3 years and only on the btwin Triban 3 which has served me very well it must be said for how little it cost ( but with wheel upgrade )....I compete ( I use compete very very loosely ) in Triathlons and cycle about 80 - 120 miles a week.....I just did the Fred Whitton Challenge on it too :-)
I am in the fortunate position where I am able to upgrade, I have £1500 to spend ( not more really ) and I have all these gremlins in the back of my mind telling me what to do and I think I need some more knowledgeable advice if any of you have the time....
So the bikes I have been looking at are;
- BMC Grandfondo GF02 - 105 - £1400
- Canyon Edurace CF8.0 ( 2015 ) - 105 ( with new 11 speed 105 )
- Planet X Pro Carbon ( £999 to £1199 )
I know it might be a bad time to start looking at the new 2015 bikes will be coming available in a couple of months, or in the case of the Canyon edurace, about now..... in the case of the Planet X I doubt anything will change but maybe the BMC might be a little different in 2015 guise?
I suppose my questions are, and maybe where I need advice would be.....would you choose a cheaper carbon frame over a more expensive aluminium ( so planet x vs bmc )....weight wise they are both pretty much the same..... but i cannot help but think the planet x will not last me....??
The canyon looks like a no brainer but not really going to be able to sit on it and try it out but I reckon I can get close to my perfect fit by looking at the measurements....
I suppose what do you guys think?
I love cycling, used to mountain bike a lot, I have only been road cycling for 3 years and only on the btwin Triban 3 which has served me very well it must be said for how little it cost ( but with wheel upgrade )....I compete ( I use compete very very loosely ) in Triathlons and cycle about 80 - 120 miles a week.....I just did the Fred Whitton Challenge on it too :-)
I am in the fortunate position where I am able to upgrade, I have £1500 to spend ( not more really ) and I have all these gremlins in the back of my mind telling me what to do and I think I need some more knowledgeable advice if any of you have the time....
So the bikes I have been looking at are;
- BMC Grandfondo GF02 - 105 - £1400
- Canyon Edurace CF8.0 ( 2015 ) - 105 ( with new 11 speed 105 )
- Planet X Pro Carbon ( £999 to £1199 )
I know it might be a bad time to start looking at the new 2015 bikes will be coming available in a couple of months, or in the case of the Canyon edurace, about now..... in the case of the Planet X I doubt anything will change but maybe the BMC might be a little different in 2015 guise?
I suppose my questions are, and maybe where I need advice would be.....would you choose a cheaper carbon frame over a more expensive aluminium ( so planet x vs bmc )....weight wise they are both pretty much the same..... but i cannot help but think the planet x will not last me....??
The canyon looks like a no brainer but not really going to be able to sit on it and try it out but I reckon I can get close to my perfect fit by looking at the measurements....
I suppose what do you guys think?
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Well, given I've spent the last year or so procrastinating about what to get and then I got a Canyon Ultimate CF SL 9.0, you can guess what I would suggest!
The Canyon CF SL is a very nice bike for the money and I have no regrets about getting mine. I expect the Endurance will be very similar with just the slightly more upright geometry differentiating them. If you have had a look at the geometry and at satisfied you can get a good fit then that's what I'd get.0 -
Thanks for the response, Canyon bikes do seem like very good value for the money...I like that they are well specced from the outset too, such as the fizik saddle, the DT swiss wheels too..... you even get the VCLS seatpost...how have you found that btw?0
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Have a read through this thread that may enlighten you a bit more about the Canyon option
viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12964112
Seem to be a few comments about the VCLS seatpost slipping so maybe it's not all plain sailing with the Canyons0 -
It depends how keen you are. Last year I bought my new XC mountain bike in May and got a lot of use out of it. The same bike a few months later was 20% off but this didn't bother me as I got exactly the bike I wanted and enjoyed riding it a lot.
For my new road bike last year I waited for the sales in September and got the bike I wanted for a third off
£1,500 in the sales will get you a great bike but you will miss out on most of this summers riding.0 -
I got mine with the VCLS 2.0 seatpost upgrade. This has been the one thing that has caused me problems! It has slipped on me repeatedly despite careful installation. I e-mailed Canyon and got a very speedy reply accepting that there is a problem with the VCLS 2.0 post slipping for riders over about 80kg (I'm about 86kg). They've offered to send me a standard VCLS post and refund the difference. I'm not aware of anyone having problems with the standard post.sanspoof wrote:Thanks for the response, Canyon bikes do seem like very good value for the money...I like that they are well specced from the outset too, such as the fizik saddle, the DT swiss wheels too..... you even get the VCLS seatpost...how have you found that btw?
The VCLS 2.0 post was extremely comfortable and I'd be very happy to use it if it wasn't for the slippage issue. It definitely works well in terms of providing a smooth ride. However I used my CF SL for a 140km sportive on Saturday with a standard post from my old bike (while I wait for the VCLS to arrive - only contacted Canyon late last week) and the bike was still pretty comfortable so the comfort posts, though nice, are not essential.0 -
A friend of mine has the GF02 and loves it to bits- it's a light bike, very comfortable and he has no issues taking it to races either. In fact, he loves it so much he's bought the CX bike with the same frame but disk brake compatible.0
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Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated...
Wondering what people think over a low end carbon frame over a higher spec aluminium.....muhc like the planet x over the BMC grandfondo....??? I suppose the proof is in the pudding...
I've literally never ridden a carbon bike before ( apart from a track bike at the velodrome )....so don't know....0 -
Kajjal wrote:It depends how keen you are. Last year I bought my new XC mountain bike in May and got a lot of use out of it. The same bike a few months later was 20% off but this didn't bother me as I got exactly the bike I wanted and enjoyed riding it a lot.
For my new road bike last year I waited for the sales in September and got the bike I wanted for a third off
£1,500 in the sales will get you a great bike but you will miss out on most of this summers riding.
Really good point, it seems like a good idea to wait, there were a lot of decent 2014 bikes this year....0 -
There have been a number of discussions on this topic and they typically don't reach a consensus!sanspoof wrote:Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated...
Wondering what people think over a low end carbon frame over a higher spec aluminium.....muhc like the planet x over the BMC grandfondo....??? I suppose the proof is in the pudding...
I've literally never ridden a carbon bike before ( apart from a track bike at the velodrome )....so don't know....
Some people reckon carbon is simply a better material regardless of quality or manufacturer, others feel a good aluminium frame can match or beat a mediocre or poor carbon frame. I don't accept the former. Carbon fibre products need to be designed and fabricated to a high standard to properly benefit from the advantages of composite materials. Just being composed of carbon does not guarantee superiority. However composites do have numerous advantages over alloy if used properly.
At the lower end of the price range <1k I think I'd stick with alloy and prioritise the groupset and wheels. From 1k to 1.5k I would probably still lean towards alloy but it's a toss up. From 1.5 to 2k the majority of bikes are carbon but some of the better lightweight alloy frames such as the Canyon Ultimate AL SL and SLX might still be worth considering. Above that I'd probably be inclined to go with carbon.
Unfortunately this is perhaps an over generalisation and the specific bike you had in mind may matter much more than the price range.0 -
sanspoof wrote:Kajjal wrote:It depends how keen you are. Last year I bought my new XC mountain bike in May and got a lot of use out of it. The same bike a few months later was 20% off but this didn't bother me as I got exactly the bike I wanted and enjoyed riding it a lot.
For my new road bike last year I waited for the sales in September and got the bike I wanted for a third off
£1,500 in the sales will get you a great bike but you will miss out on most of this summers riding.
Really good point, it seems like a good idea to wait, there were a lot of decent 2014 bikes this year....
That's the trouble to be sure to get what you want you have to pay full price, if you take the risk and it pays off you get a lot more for your money 0 -
Thanks for your thoughts....
I have a quick search on the forum in regards to Alu vs Carbon and its obviously a great debate...
Having thought about it, my money has to go to the Canyon Endurace at this point....its only £1399, very well equipped.....but i imagine within the hour i will change my mind again....
Anyone have any thoughts on BMC bikes as a whole? I've always had a soft spot for them, aesthetically anyway....never had the chance to ride one....0
