Whittling it down

ncn

So I am buying a road bike and have got it down to 5, still quite high but think I am getting there, just wondered if anyone with a bit of knowledge fancied casting their eye over these and giving their opinion before I hit the buy button tomorrow.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/specialed ... MER&bike=1 current fav

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/specialed ... 5SP&bike=2

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/alur-700-roa ... 90145.html

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube ... prod114145

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/corr ... prod117349

Any help will be most appreciated, also I have had a good look round at second hand but there isn't much in my size around the lincs area that takes my fancy.

iron-clover

Out of all of those I would lean towards the Cube Peloton.
It's the only one of the selection I've seen in the flesh, and been on club rides with two different people in different clubs with them- both were reasonably happy with them, and the reviews are positive, although its interesting to see Cycling Weekly reckons it has a lower front end than a lot of similar priced machines whereas Bikeradar reckons it's built more with all day comfort in mind, which kinda contradict themselves.

Either way, the finishing kit is better than the others with full 105 and Mavic Askium wheels which aren't bad at all.

That one would certainly be a good first road bike.

However, the most important thing is to make sure you buy a bike that fits, so do a lot of research into bike fitting and geometry, and if you can have a quick spin on one ti make sure it's reasonably comfortable- the advantage with the Cube is that there are local bike shops that carry the Cube brand so you can actually go and look at them. I am a fan of getting a first road bike through a local shop, as they can help you with fine fitting (swapping stems etc) and help with maintenance later on.

Good luck!

Anonymous

Before you buy anything, the bikes you shortlist are a mix of sportive and more aggressive bikes. They also seem to not all be available in the same size(Chain reaction 2 don't even share a size available in both)

I would urge you to think about what type of bike you need. A more relaxed sportive bike may be more suited in which case the Evo Pro may be a bit to full on for your needs.

I would also suggest you visit a bike shop and get a reasonable idea of what size and setup you require before you commit. I am not suggesting you do not know but the range of bikes you chose seem a bit random

ncn

Well I need a 56cm so was thinking the 55cm corratec would be fine but then I wasn't really sure on that one anyway.

In all honesty geo wise I am not too sure, I have only ever ridden a mtb and owned mtb's but I want to start biking to work and my mtb is too aggressive for that. Also wouldn't mind doing a few bigger rides too as I have a few mates who are into road riding well.

dj58

You need to go to an LBS and sit on a few bikes before considering buying a road bike online.

As suggested by Maglia above you need to determine which type of geometry your prefer. If any of your mates are a similar size to you ask if you can try their bike to get some feel for what you like.

Read this other post. viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=13007155

ncn

Righto I hear you think my local lbs would be a halfords but I shall pop and see what feels comfy but I think I already know its going to be a more upright sportive position so that rules the cf ribble out so its the cube or the ally sportive ribble. Maybe halfords will have something I like

alihisgreat

iron-clover wrote:

Out of all of those I would lean towards the Cube Peloton.
It's the only one of the selection I've seen in the flesh, and been on club rides with two different people in different clubs with them- both were reasonably happy with them, and the reviews are positive, although its interesting to see Cycling Weekly reckons it has a lower front end than a lot of similar priced machines whereas Bikeradar reckons it's built more with all day comfort in mind, which kinda contradict themselves.

Either way, the finishing kit is better than the others with full 105 and Mavic Askium wheels which aren't bad at all.

That one would certainly be a good first road bike.

However, the most important thing is to make sure you buy a bike that fits, so do a lot of research into bike fitting and geometry, and if you can have a quick spin on one ti make sure it's reasonably comfortable- the advantage with the Cube is that there are local bike shops that carry the Cube brand so you can actually go and look at them. I am a fan of getting a first road bike through a local shop, as they can help you with fine fitting (swapping stems etc) and help with maintenance later on.

Good luck!

I'd go for the Cube too; its a solid choice of £1k road bike and gets consistently positive reviews.. and you'd be getting it for £700!

I'd say the Ribbles both have a worse frameset than the cube, and the Btwin and Corratec are more of an unknown.

(and the reason the reviews say different things about the front end height is because it changed between model years - I think the 2014 is more relaxed than the 2013, but you will have to double check.)

ncn

A friend has just thrown the planet X into the mix http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FBPXSLP105 ... -road-bike

looks a lovely bike as well

ncn

The cube is the one I think found it else where in black as well!

Thanks all for the help!