Thinking about carbon! but for under a grand?

mc_hawkings24

Hi guys looking at getting a new bike after doing a few sportiefs and the surrey 100 Current bike giant defy 3.5
good bike but just abit long. It also has the gear thumb shifters on the side of the brake which aren't bad but i want shifters like tiagra's now. I've also been looking at some bikes today and thought about carbon fibre.

I like the look of planet x's as there's usually a few at boxhill but I've read a few threads on here about bad customer service with planet x and ribble but there stores are miles away so can't try the bikes in person. I have had myself measured at the specialized shop and i'm 175cm they also said i'm inbetween 54cm and 56cm

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FBPXSLPSHU ... -road-bike
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/road- ... BRC&bike=1

Planet x and ribble i was looking at

Or possibly a giant defy composite which i take is a mixture or carbon fibre and something else?

Or if its not possible maybe a light well specced alloy framed bike would better suit than a cheaper carbon?

thanks

lawrences

Rim brakes and 23c tyres have worked fine in the rain for the last 100 years. They aren't suddenly bad because discs have come along.

lawrences

Whole bike must be utter shit then.

It's probably just the tyres stock rubber is never up to much.

matt-h

lawrences wrote:

Rim brakes and 23c tyres have worked fine in the rain for the last 100 years. They aren't suddenly bad because discs have come along.

Down tube shifters worked fine to. Doesn't mean STIs are not better

cycleclinic

There is more to fitting a bike to the rider than measuring your total height.

You need to try a few out or visit a shop with a bike fitting kit. Many shops will sweaten a bike sale with a fitting, it is their interests you know as happy customer is one that returns.

Buy online if you know what frame geometries work for you which is why many get fitted after riding for a while after having discomfort. Wrong way round to me, its a bit like buying clothes without knowing your size but just like clothes a 54cm frame from cannondale is different to a 54cm from Planet X. you have to try unless you know.

Tyre, pressure rubber compound and construction determines grip in the wet. Tyre width and pressure are related but the tyre itself is important. The CAAD8 is not for example shod with Vittoria Open Corsa's which after yesterday ride I have even more respect for. The fact that the CAAD8 may not handle well in the wet may say more about the tyre than its width.

mc_hawkings24

I like the cannondale synapse but i've been told that this year was the first introduction of disc brakes but have been told to wait as there'll be better next year or after. I also over heard a store worker on saturday in evanscycles warning a customer off the disc braked bikes until next year or after. As regards to whether i'm hardcore enough to hammer it down a wet tarmac road round bends then no no way. I took it easy on sundays ride, in the dry i'd be all for it but not in the wet.

Also i know what you mean about buying a bike off the net then finding it doesn't fit.

huwdolphin

The PX is a very good bike. I have found them fine to deal with. Agree that fitting is important but you could go with the size that appears to suit you from their on line guide and then get fitted once you have settled into it (and funds allow).

cycleclinic

Why would disc brakes for road be a problem. the same brakes/tech have been used on MTB's for years it is quite well developed. the chap in Evans maybe should ride a MTB and there is little distinction between an XC MTB and road disc brake system apart from the levers. Smaller rotors are used on the road for the front (160mm vs 180mm) so that should tell you something about how much heat an MTB has to deal with when braking on a steep mountain decent. Also proper downhill MTB's use 6 pot calipers which should tell you a lot about the braking force required along with 203mm rotors (overkill for a road bike) so to say disc brake tech is not developed is so far from the truth it is untrue.

Shimano's new RS685 system is a SLX MTB brake system with drop bar STI's, i.e tried and tested on alpine decents. I can assure you the disc brake tech is developed enough but next year as adoption grows there will be more options, more hydraulic options and cheaper ones too as it all trickles down. Realistically cable operated disc brakes are the what is available today for reasonable money but hydraulic disc brake systems will appear over the next few years at more resoanable prices by which point you maybe ready to upgrade.

mc_hawkings24

They probably mean't wait till hydraulic brakes come out.
I still want a bike though ☺

RDW

If you're in the Southeast, there are a couple of places that stock Planet-X:

http://www.gbcycles.co.uk/c/250/Planet-X
http://www.triathlon-zone.com/bikes2.html

DavidJB

davidmt83 wrote:

lawrences wrote:

Rim brakes and 23c tyres have worked fine in the rain for the last 100 years. They aren't suddenly bad because discs have come along.

I test rode the Caad8 with rim brakes in the rain and I can say from first hand experience the back end went on me numerous times - OP, if you're more skilled in the rain then great, give it a try.

Learn to ride a bike.

kajjal

davidmt83 wrote:

DavidJB wrote:

davidmt83 wrote:

lawrences wrote:

Rim brakes and 23c tyres have worked fine in the rain for the last 100 years. They aren't suddenly bad because discs have come along.

I test rode the Caad8 with rim brakes in the rain and I can say from first hand experience the back end went on me numerous times - OP, if you're more skilled in the rain then great, give it a try.

Learn to ride a bike.

Forever a useful comment.

Learn to not be a dick.

This is the same discussion as when disc brakes first came out for mountain bikes. Disc brakes give more power, more control so the wheels don't lock up and work the same wet or dry. For heavier riders and commuters they work especially well compared to rim brakes.

StillGoing

matt-h wrote:

lawrences wrote:

Rim brakes and 23c tyres have worked fine in the rain for the last 100 years. They aren't suddenly bad because discs have come along.

Down tube shifters worked fine to. Doesn't mean STIs are not better

Down tube shifters required the rider to remove his/her hands from the bars so STI shifters are therefore better. Rim brakes have sufficient stopping power for most amateurs and with practice can be used to apply gentle pressure for trail braking etc without locking up the wheel or destabalising the bike. Where discs have the advantage is with carbon rims where the rim isn't eventually worn out by braking friction from pads.

keef66

davidmt83 wrote:

DavidJB wrote:

davidmt83 wrote:

lawrences wrote:

Rim brakes and 23c tyres have worked fine in the rain for the last 100 years. They aren't suddenly bad because discs have come along.

I test rode the Caad8 with rim brakes in the rain and I can say from first hand experience the back end went on me numerous times - OP, if you're more skilled in the rain then great, give it a try.

Learn to ride a bike.

Forever a useful comment.

Learn to not be a dick.

If you're losing the back end on a test ride in the rain either it's the new tyres not having been scrubbed in yet, or rider inexperience. You cannot blame the brakes.

Back to the OP; if you want a carbon bike for a grand then the likes of Ribble and Planet X are the places to be shopping. Downside is that you can't really get a test ride unless you have a mate who already has one.

Alternatively go for an alloy frame and slightly better groupset. Stick some quality 25mm tyres on it and don't over-inflate them, and I doubt you'd be able to detect much difference in ride quality between that and a budget carbon frame.

bobmcstuff

mc_hawkings24 wrote:

Or possibly a giant defy composite which i take is a mixture or carbon fibre and something else?

No, carbon fibre is a type of composite material (i.e., carbon fibre plus resin).

Composite could mean anything really in terms of materials (so long as 2+ constituents) so it's not necessarily the clearest word to use, but in this context they just mean it's a carbon fibre frame.

diamonddog

OP contact Triathlon Zone in St Albans they deal with Planet X bikes and are pretty helpful according to reports on here.

wotnoshoeseh

Merlin Cycles are doing the Felt F5 for £999.
http://www.merlincycles.com/felt-f5-roa ... 71838.html
Currently available in a 56cm.
105 Gearing and shifters.

Or Wiggle have the F6 with Tiagra for £909.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-f6-tiagra-2014/

mc_hawkings24

thanks for the replies guys. I'm going to check out the planet x at the weekend and look for a store that sells the felt f5 as thats a bargain.

Cyclesurgery stock the giant tcr composite 3 at £879 and was going to look at the wilier izoard as they have that aswell at £899

do228

I like the look of a Dolan L'etape. Guess you are down South. They are based near Liverpool but could be worth a trip up if you were to choose to buy from them. I do not like the idea of ordering such an expensive bit of kit on spec just in case it is not quite the correct product for you.

http://www.dolan-bikes.com/road/road-bi ... al-22.html

I fancy getting one myself but will probably spend an equivalent amount updating my 30 year old Mercian.