please help me choose

moggy12

Hi at present riding a boardman hybrid comp looking to get a road bike max spend £1000 he is my short list
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 187/77294/
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/road- ... =conf_SERW
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/r ... -bike-2014
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FBPXSLPSHU ... -road-bike
or do I go for secondhand specialized Roubaix
main thing I want is comfort have looked at boardman and giant quite surprised about giant has ali frame but felt has light as the boardman carbon frame,or any other suggestions ? I want the best bike for the money but must be more comfortable then racey many thanks

chopchopchop

moggy12 wrote:

Hi at present riding a boardman hybrid comp looking to get a road bike max spend £1000 he is my short list
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 187/77294/
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/road- ... =conf_SERW
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/r ... -bike-2014
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FBPXSLPSHU ... -road-bike
or do I go for secondhand specialized Roubaix
main thing I want is comfort have looked at boardman and giant quite surprised about giant has ali frame but felt has light as the boardman carbon frame,or any other suggestions ? I want the best bike for the money but must be more comfortable then racey many thanks

i hqve exactly the same budget next year and been looking at all these. i love the planet x but if you go boardman look at the team fi carbon for better components.

moggy12

hi isnt the fi carbon for women ?

SoSimple

There isn't a huge difference between those bikes, they are all decent and get good reviews. Each of them has a few compromises to get under the magic £1k, so it won't be long before you're going to be thinking about a wheel/tyre or saddle upgrade to further improve comfort.

Some one posted on another thread recently that going for 25mm tyres- or even 28mm if your bike will take them as a quick win.

I've got the Giant Defy and am looking for my next bike but certainly not because it isn't a great ride, I've done a number of 100 mile plus rides and it's coped fine.

I'd let your decision come down to whichever one you prefer the look of as it will make you want to get out on it.

moggy12

thanks so simple for the info I do like the look of the boardman carbon but no chance of a test ride and I fancy a change don't think giant will let you test ride might be worth a trip up north to try planet x,ribble

ai_1

My advice is not to worry too much about a test ride. I don't think they have any real value. But do have a close look at the geometry of the bikes and see which should suit you best. It would be unusual for a shop to set up a £1000 bike specifically for a test ride except for setting the saddle height for the right ball park so unless you get lucky you won't learn much.
At this price range I wouldn't rule out an aluminium frame. I think a decent alloy frame will generally be cheaper than a mediocre carbon one and the spec of the other conmponents will be better. I'd consider the Canyon Roadlite if you're willing to buy unseen (you have a month to return it if you don't like it!). They're great value and I think the geometry is pretty comfort oriented.

moggy12

thanks ai_1 for the info canyon defo looks good with good spec will have a think big 50th birthday next month missus is treating me ,at the moment think it will be between canyon and giant defy

ai_1

moggy12 wrote:

thanks ai_1 for the info canyon defo looks good with good spec will have a think big 50th birthday next month missus is treating me ,at the moment think it will be between canyon and giant defy

Incidentally the new aluminium Canyon Endurace would also be within your budget for the 105 build and just slightly over with Ultegra. Again this has a slightly comfort oriented headtube length.