De Rosa, Canyon, Planet X or....please help me choose

SoSimple

Yep, another which bike thread which I'll try and get to the point and keep it short.

I'm 5'5 and a bit and 68kg. Currently ride a Giant Defy 3 with Sora with a couple of upgrades, Mavic Aksiums and a charge spoon. I had a Retul bike fit last year and apart from a shorter stem, just slight adjustments. I really like the bike, the gears are well sorted and quite happy with the set up as it's all I know. Ride around 120 miles per week with a few sportives and at 50 not looking for an out and out racer.

I 'need' a new bike that will make me smile and seem to be going round in circles?

Budget is max £2k and shortlist as follows:

De Rosa R838 - ridden the Athena version and really liked it, ticks most boxes and discounted to just within budget

Canyon Endurace - on paper the best value deal, but...not keen on stealth look and some recent customer service reports make me nervous but recognise Canyon make some great bikes but it would be a 'head' purchase.

Planet X RT58 in white and green - love the colour, decent spec with a bit left to upgrade wheels if needed and able to slightly customise in light of my vertically challenged nature.

I've also dabbled with the Colnago ACR, Wilier GTR and even a sale Cervelo S2, all of which are handsome bikes but have some kind of compromise in the spec.

Suppose I'd really like a £3k bike discounted to £2k or less but given its likely to be an S or even XS frame, choices are limited. Also when you get down to my sized frame, some of the frames look ridiculous.

Appreciate any thoughts or alternatives I should be looking at. Thanks

dombhoy

I think you should just go for the de rosa you liked it and its by far the prettiest bike out of the lot and bound to get a lot more looks of jealousy than the others

arran77

I love my R838 so that's what my money's on.

pak-man

Got my R838 two years ago and have never regretted it. Definitely makes me smile!

alex222

If you don't like the look of the Canyon then I would definitely rule it out.

SoSimple

It's a good sign that De Rosa owners are happy to recommend their bikes, just wondering if there's a bike I've missed and should be looking at.

I've found a 2013 R838 with Veloce for £1299 which seems like a decent deal and roughly the same price as the Planet X

g00se

If you like the 838, check out the Ribble R872 too. Frames are from the same mould.

SoSimple

Did have a look at the Ribble as I'd read it's from the same mould, but as soon as I spec it with the equivalent groupset and wheels it's the same price as the De Rosa which to me anyway, looks better

DKay

You could buy the R872/R838 frame direct from China for around £300, which would leave you with more than enough to build yourself a bike with a much better spec than either De Rosa or Ribble could offer you.

g00se

DKay wrote:

You could buy the R872/R838 frame direct from China for around £300, which would leave you with more than enough to build yourself a bike with a much better spec than either De Rosa or Ribble could offer you.

But no effective warranty though.

supermurph09

I bought my Canyon Ultimate CF SL 9.0 because I wanted something very light and with Ultegra 6800, looks came 3rd on the list. However I was really surprised with how good it did actually look, way better than the website pics.

Canyon have some great deals on small frames, I'd snap one up if I were you.

If you wanted something flashier: https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3332

SoSimple

Now that is a stunner!

Think I'll check if I need a small or XS frame as I could easily do that Movistar colour scheme.

I do like Canyon bikes and definitely haven't ruled them out as they give so much bang for your buck.

DKay

g00se wrote:

DKay wrote:

You could buy the R872/R838 frame direct from China for around £300, which would leave you with more than enough to build yourself a bike with a much better spec than either De Rosa or Ribble could offer you.

But no effective warranty though.

Yep. You pays your money...

galatzo

Supermurph09 wrote:

I bought my Canyon Ultimate CF SL 9.0 because I wanted something very light and with Ultegra 6800, looks came 3rd on the list. However I was really surprised with how good it did actually look, way better than the website pics.

Canyon have some great deals on small frames, I'd snap one up if I were you.

If you wanted something flashier: https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3332

Yep that Canyon looks mint, if I had £2k spare that's were it'd be going.

Do it.