New bike upto £3500

andyh01

Previously had a Trek 2.1 been involved in an accident basically got T boned no serious injuries going to be looking at around £3-£4K payout which will put to a new bike to help deal with the "mental" issue getting back on bike. I work for a company that has consumer credit licence so can also use ctw scheme too.

As I ride all weathers I want hydraulic disc brakes and either Ultegra or Di2 group set not sure which, on a carbon frame. Main riding is commuting 5 mile each way Monday - Friday, distance may change if change jobs, I also want get into sportif but have young family so hard to spend time on bike. I have been riding for over 5 years and a good general level of fitness; I'm 33 weigh 12 stone (stocky muscle ex rugby player, plenty core strength and leg muscle, arms not as powerful) and want loose some weight too.

Obvious contenders are Specialized Roubaix SL4 (ultegra disc) and Cannodale Supersix Evo/Synapse (either di2 or ultegra disc) which got one of the bike of year awards.
I have a local Specialized dealer close by which is handy (they also said that Cannodale had issue with their back end braking?) I also have a Giant dealer closeish by too but not too keen on Giant for some reason? I like plain discrete colour schemes like mat black that will hide scratches and chips and not plastered in stickers or being too loud. Think SuperSix Evo Nano Black
Any other contenders I should be looking at?

Di2 or Ultegra? I am lazy with tuning gears with my old bike that had 105 not all gears worked so it does appeal to me in that sense but also like the "feel" of tension on the cable so can understand why people say di2 "feels" dull. Also anyone know if I went di2 with a Son dynamo hub, could I use the charge of dynamo to charge the Di2 battery?

Thanks
Andy

mfin

AndyH01 wrote:

Main riding is commuting 5 mile each way Monday - Friday, distance may change if change jobs, I also want get into sportif but have young family so hard to spend time on bike.

If the bike you are looking for is 'up to £3,500' then have a look what you can get for a grand and pocket the rest and wait until you find out whether you do get into cycling. If you do, then put the other £2,500 into another bike at that point. A £1,000 bike will suit 5 mile commutes easily (and much more) and you can subsequently demote it to a winter/commuter if you do get into cycling.

AndyH01 wrote:

Also anyone know if I went di2 with a Son dynamo hub, could I use the charge of dynamo to charge the Di2 battery?

Why? Why on earth would you want to do that? It's completely pointless even if it could be made possible.

sloppyschleckonds

Get Sram wireless, just change the battery when flat

andyh01

Yes did think about going cheaper... but.... I really want hydraulic disc brakes and at moment they are in themselves expensive also if it goes in to the bank, it be absorbed into either saving or other stuff so as it's extra cash then might as well put to use as won't have the opportunity again.

- Why not? Save having to charge the battery and if going to run a dynamo anyway for lights, which I was tempted to do anyway might as well make full use out of it.

mfin

You do realise the battery lasts for about 1000 miles between charges? That's probably once every 3 months you'd be recharging it.

Well, if you want to spend it you could always buy two bikes now. You'd be able to get something with discs for a grand for a 5 mile commute, then buy a £2,500 bike for riding properly. Commuting on a £3,500 bike seems ever so slightly overkill for some reason.

janwal

check out Rose bikes,can get di2 and disc for under £2k.

mfin

Oh another thing, matt black bikes don't hide scratches, if anything they scratch easier and show the scratches more than conventional paint jobs.

cougie

Something like this for your commuting - http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRIV ... -road-bike

Discs and full guards and it will eat up your commute.

Then you have 2500 for a full on sportif bike come the summer.

mfin

Seeing your other thread, it seems you had this accident a week ago and seems possible you are eyeing up how to spend what you think you can get from a payout 7 days later.

...also you're saying "also if it goes in to the bank, it be absorbed into either saving or other stuff so as it's extra cash then might as well put to use as won't have the opportunity again", so this could be interpreted as you seeing a claim as an opportunity to get something. Not sure about this, but I'm out on the advice front though.

holiver

How about one of these?

http://www.ridley-bikes.com/gb/en/bikes ... isc-1506am

I think they look fantastic and the geometry would suit me.

http://road.cc/content/news/128477-firs ... ed-instant

cycleclinic

If you ride in all weathers you may want proper mudguards. None of the bikes you have discussed have mudguard eyelets. Also payouts can take months or years. Are you really go in to wait that long. Under 1000 pounds will get you all the bike you need for a short commute.

It is your money but I think you will be wasting it for what you want to do. 5 miles is something I would do on an old mtb and is worthwhile to ride over driving. However don't expect to loose much weight doing 10 miles a day as your calorie burn will be small.

I ride mechanical groups and all my gears always work. Just get mechanical gearing set up properly. It your money though. Also you do know di2 is not maintained free.

w00dster

Have to admit I'm with everyone else regarding overkill for a 5 mile commute.
My commute is also 5 miles and about 7 back (I do an extra loop on the way home). I use a cheap Genesis Cdf with mechanic disc brakes and sora gears. I commute in pretty much any weather and my £600 cross bike is ideal.
If I was you I would like at a similar bike to mine, Genesis Croix De Fer, with the remainder of your money you could then look at buying a 2014 model bike with a decent groupset.

Wheelspinner

If the size fits, this could be an ideal commuter...

http://www.merlincycles.com/bmc-masschallenge-mc01-team-spec-bike-small-74910.html