Bike Advice - Approx. £400

mtbjunkie08

Hi all,

I used to ride both Road and MTB bikes but about 10 years ago I sold my road bike to focus on mountain biking. However, I think I miss the speed and exploration that can be achieved on a road bike and so am looking to buy a decent secondhand or new road bike for around £400.

My preferences are:

- Alu Frame & Carbon fork
- (atleast) Shimano Tiagra 18spd

I love the 2014 Felt F95/Z95 and the Giant Defy 3 which both can be had for around £400 but unfortunately they only come with Sora. Whats the quality/shifting performance of this groupset compared to Tiagra?

I've been looking for secondhand Felt F85s and giant Defy 2s but havent found many within budget and in my size, i'm 6'1, 32.5in inside leg so looking for 58cm frame.

I also really like this Trek thats on offer here: http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/trek-1.5-c-2013.html

Unfortunately its instore only and Hampshire is too far for me to travel.

Any advice appreciated.

cheers.

passout

Planet X r58 with discount code mentioned in this forum

mtbjunkie08

passout wrote:

Planet X r58 with discount code mentioned in this forum

These look good if the codes work, curious to know which would be better the SRAM Apex or Tiagra version?

handful

Personal preference for SRAM or Shimano will settle this one but Apex every time for me. If you want this exact spec in either then maybe look at cassette size, the Apex has a 32 against the Tiagra's 25. How strong are you on the hills and how many do you ride? If the answer to these questions are "rubbish and lots" then Apex and if it's "very strong and not many" than Tiagra.

This is a cracking bike for £400 whichever way you go.

cadseen

Wiggle have the Felt F95 and Z100 for under £400 on offer at the moment

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sale/road-time-trial-bikes/?o=2

mtbjunkie08

cadseen wrote:

Wiggle have the Felt F95 and Z100 for under £400 on offer at the moment
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sale/road-time-trial-bikes/?o=2

Yep, I know I mentioned the F95 in my original post, the Z100 only has 16spd claris though. The Planet X bikes have Tiagra, so would still like to know the difference between Sora and Tiagra.

Gravey73

I don't know the difference but know one is supposed to be better than the other. I was looking for my first road bike and set my budget at around £400. I have trawled through loads trying to get the best bike for my money. I ended up going with the Giant Defy 3 from Rutland. A pop to my local bike shop eventually persuaded me. If you look at Rutland I used the code (comeback10) to get 10% off my order.

mtbjunkie08

Gravey73 wrote:

I don't know the difference but know one is supposed to be better than the other. I was looking for my first road bike and set my budget at around £400. I have trawled through loads trying to get the best bike for my money. I ended up going with the Giant Defy 3 from Rutland. A pop to my local bike shop eventually persuaded me. If you look at Rutland I used the code (comeback10) to get 10% off my order.

Thanks for this, with an extra 10% off it makes the Giant very tempting indeed. I wonder how long that 10% off code will work for, just wondered if it might be worth waiting for some even better savings in the Christmas deals.

mtbjunkie08

Gravey73 - how tall are you and what size frame did you order? Will be very interested to hear what you think of it when it arrives.

Gravey73

I will let you know when it arrives, I am 6ft and 32" inside leg. I went with the m/l.

beski

I've got the 2014 Defy 4, got it Dec last year, been very pleased with it. £400 for the Defy 3 is a good price, I doubt it will be reduced any more for Christmas, they're getting rid of last years stock so numbers may be limited.
I'm 6ft & 32" inside leg and went for M/L also. I felt a bit stretched at first, so had the stem flipped which made all the difference 8)

passout

To answer earlier question (Apex vs Tiagra) - both excelllent but I'd go Apex.

Also PBK have 40% discount on GT GTR bikes - I have the cheapest one and like it a lot, although the aforementioned planet x bikes are the best value I've seen for ages, even at full rrp.

keef66

My 25 yr old son recently bought the 2014 Felt F95 Wiggle special for < £400. He's delighted with it and I must say I'm impressed. Now Sora has ditched the thumb levers the only difference between it and Tiagra is the extra sprocket, and IME 9 speed chains last a bit longer than 10 speed.

The 2014 F85 comes with Shimano brake calipers whereas the F95's are unbranded. Both bikes have an FSA chainset.

Just spotted that the F95 special is only available to pre order and in a 61cm size!

The 2015 models seem to be quite a bit dearer :shock:

mtbjunkie08

Gravey73 wrote:

I will let you know when it arrives, I am 6ft and 32" inside leg. I went with the m/l.

Great, im 6ft1" and approx. 32/33 inside leg so was also considering M/L

keef66 wrote:

My 25 yr old son recently bought the 2014 Felt F95 Wiggle special for < £400. He's delighted with it and I must say I'm impressed. Now Sora has ditched the thumb levers the only difference between it and Tiagra is the extra sprocket, and IME 9 speed chains last a bit longer than 10 speed.

The 2014 F85 comes with Shimano brake calipers whereas the F95's are unbranded. Both bikes have an FSA chainset.

Just spotted that the F95 special is only available to pre order and in a 61cm size!

The 2015 models seem to be quite a bit dearer :shock:

Dont worry Merlin cycles do the Felt F95 at the same price in several sizes.

Thanks for all the helpful replies guys I think I may have settled on the Giant Defy 3, just waiting to pounce on the best offer possible.

CptMuppet

I am now a proud owner of a Giant Defy 3, its fantastic. It fits well, need to set it up properly though. I am so glad I went with this but I am sure I would have been equally happy with the Felt. I have never purchased anything from Rutland before, but I had no problems, the speed of delivery was excellent and the bike all made up. I hope which ever bike you choose brings as big a smile to your face as the Giant did to mine. I can't wait to get out there and use this bike properly.

mtbjunkie08

CptMuppet wrote:

I am now a proud owner of a Giant Defy 3, its fantastic. It fits well, need to set it up properly though. I am so glad I went with this but I am sure I would have been equally happy with the Felt. I have never purchased anything from Rutland before, but I had no problems, the speed of delivery was excellent and the bike all made up. I hope which ever bike you choose brings as big a smile to your face as the Giant did to mine. I can't wait to get out there and use this bike properly.

Thanks for the update, I still like the giant. However, I've been looking at some good secondhand deals for a Trek 1.5C 2013 which has Tiagra 20spd so I am still undecided.

mtbjunkie08

Hi all,
Just wanted to let you know I have just bought a 2nd hand Trek 1.2 (2014) in blue, its in absolute immaculate condition having only been used a handful of times over the summer and then stored indoors. I got it for an amazing £222 which is significantly less than I was going to spend and considering they retail for £650 I am very pleased!!.
It feels incredibly light, and the 58cm frame and H2 fit feels perfect for me.

I wont be officially using it until Christmas. In the mean time I need to remove the Look Keo classic pedals so I can fit some SPDs. Unfortunately the pedals just will not budge so I've sprayed them with WD-40 and will try again tomorrow.

passout

Sounds good.

Are you using a proper pedal spanner? Worth getting one:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/x-to ... lsrc=aw.ds

Deep penerating oil can help if that doesn't do it.

juanerasmoe

I think the Koe need an 8mm allen instead of a regular 15mm spanner. If they are really stuck use a pedal wrench with allen key, something like http://goo.gl/2bemny.
But do double check this before buying the wrench.

mtbjunkie08

juanerasmoe wrote:

I think the Koe need an 8mm allen instead of a regular 15mm spanner. If they are really stuck use a pedal wrench with allen key, something like http://goo.gl/2bemny.
But do double check this before buying the wrench.

passout wrote:

Sounds good.

Are you using a proper pedal spanner? Worth getting one:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/x-to ... lsrc=aw.ds

Deep penerating oil can help if that doesn't do it.

Yeh it uses an 8mm allen key, I may end up just taking it to a local bike shop, I got the bike at a bargain price so dont mind paying a little bit for a mechanic to take a look at it.

juanerasmoe

The wrench is probably cheaper than what the mechanic is going to charge you for the job, and you'll have it in case you need it in the future. Think about it