Cube Di2 £1499 OR Tarmac Ultegra £1530

cartwheels1986

I'm after a bit of advice for my first road bike. Been into mountain biking before and I'm willing to spend a bit of money to get something decent. The two bikes that have caught my eye so far are the Tarmac Comp at Evans for £1530 and the Cube Agree GTC Di2 at Bike Shed for £1499.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/tarmac-comp-2013-road-bike-ec042268#select

http://www.bikesheduk.com/cube-agree-gtc-di2-slt-compact-2013

Just after a bit of advice on which I should go for. The Cube obviously looks like a better deal on paper and I've got a Cube mtb that I really like. Just wondering if there is any reason a road beginner shouldn't go for Di2? I'm fine with maintaining my mtb but don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to the Di2.

Cheers

How Far is too Far

The Cube is a good buy, but it is the older 10 speed groupset. As a newbie I would have though a Di2 would be easier to use than a mechanical groupset, so I would not let that put you off it is a bonus IMHO

wotnoshoeseh

They are both 10 speed, as they are both 2013 models.
The CUBE is available in more sizes,,,

cartwheels1986

Cheers guys. I wasn't too bothered about going 11 speed. At 6'2" I was thinking 58cm on the Tarmac and 60cm on the Cube (I've heard that Cubes come up a little bit smaller?) so either should be fine. I've got a mate that raves about his Di2 so I'm leaning towards that.

northpole

There's no reason at all not to go for Di2 - if anything it should be easier for you to get gear changes right and not have the front derailleur rubbing against the chain.

Bigger thing for me would be to ensure that you are getting the right frame geometry and size rather than focus on the groupset. You'll be much happier on a long ride with a decent fitting bike than better shifting gears! If you can get advice on this from friends please do so, otherwise you may be better served approaching a decent bike shop and let them help get you sorted out.

Peter

ayjaycee

Was I you, I would double check the price of the Cube - I followed the link and the page said £1499 at the top but £1899 further down and the 'Buy' button didn't seem to work (on my PC at least).

That said, Peter is spot on when he says that the fit of the bike is more important and you really need to at least sit on them both. If it helps, I'm 6'1" and have a 56cm Allez with a 120mm stem (I think the supplied stem was 100mm) and it fits me just right. Someone will correct me if I am wrong but I think the Allez and Tarmac share the same geometry.

JCroxton

I've ridden both, and for me the Cube wins this hands down.

I've just checked the bike shed, it's showing at £1499 for me, and on their facebook page they are advertising it at £1499 too.

The cube is a much more comfortable ride, which you'd think would mean slower - nope. Infact, with help from the Schwalbe Ultremo tyres, the Cube offers more through the corners. As a mountain biker, I'm sure you'll chuck it down a few hills. In my experience the Cube encourages this, rather than make you feel like you're pushing it too far. Also, the Cube does indeed come up a little bit small, so you're right to go with the 60.

If you're thinking about racing at all, the Tarmac might seem a better option, but the Di2 offers so much more than a slightly racier geometry does.

As for the Specialized, I don't understand why they've used a 105 front shifter & tiagra chain, rather than sticking with Ultegra.

bernithebiker

I have 2 x Tarmac S Works, but I see no reason not to buy the Cube here, excellent value.

durhamwasp

Weird, Cube also showing £1899 for me...

I hired that bike in Mallorca earlier in the year, really nice ride, and the gearing was spot on. Only downside is that it isn't the lightest bike around, tho still not heavy. For example I went for a Rose with Di2 for just under £1800 and it was about 1kg lighter than the cube IIRC.

mamba80

if you r buying a new bike then i would advise getting an 11sp one and for the money you ve quoted, a Rose or Canyon would offer far better vfm.
i ve a Canyon mtb and cannot speak highly enough of its quality and Canyons commitment to customer service, i ve also bought stuff and also had warranty issues with an expensive turbo trainer, from Rose and they ve also been superb both companies deal with warranty better than a LBS ever has.
Your not a "newbie" whatever that is, you ve a background in mtb, so you ll have no problen changing gear :shock:

JCroxton

I've just been in touch with the Bike Shed to double check and they're aware of the problem regarding the incorrect £1899 price, they believe they've fixed it this morning.

I had a Canyon which I've since sold on, there were a few problems with it initially, and the annoyance of having to go directly to the manufacturer has put me off them a little - I do like the look of their Aeroad, but their customer service is ugly.