Which bike dilemma?
Dinkum
Posts: 2
I'm looking to replace my old Carrera Zelos with a proper road bike, now that I've decided I enjoy cycling (social and the odd sportive, maybe a long charity ride). At the moment, I am stuck on two options and both are appealing.
My first choice is the Felt Z75. The 2015 model features a full 105 11-speed groupset on an aluminium frame. I have ridden the bike and it is really comfortable and I love the look of it. I can get it for around £790 online.
My second choice is the Felt Z6. The 2014 is on sale with wiggle for £780. It's features a carbon frame with similar geometry to the Z75. The groupset is mostly Tiagra 10-speed with FSA bottom bracket and chain set. The frame seems to be consistent through the Z-series, so at this price point I am still getting a frame that is used in the higher spec'ed bikes.
My dilemma is : Do I go for the better groupset on the aluminium frame or do I go for the lower groupset with the carbon frame? With the carbon frame, I have an upgrade path with the groupset and can replace components with 105 as the fitted one's wear out. Both bikes would benefit from new wheels, but the aluminium framed Z75 doesn't leave much room for upgrades going forward, unless I replaced the groupset.
At the level I ride, I doubt I will notice the difference between shifters on either bike. Weight wise, they are pretty similar and the matt carbon finish is just as appealing as the finish on the aluminium frame.
At a price difference of £10, there is not much in it. Thoughts are welcome.
My first choice is the Felt Z75. The 2015 model features a full 105 11-speed groupset on an aluminium frame. I have ridden the bike and it is really comfortable and I love the look of it. I can get it for around £790 online.
My second choice is the Felt Z6. The 2014 is on sale with wiggle for £780. It's features a carbon frame with similar geometry to the Z75. The groupset is mostly Tiagra 10-speed with FSA bottom bracket and chain set. The frame seems to be consistent through the Z-series, so at this price point I am still getting a frame that is used in the higher spec'ed bikes.
My dilemma is : Do I go for the better groupset on the aluminium frame or do I go for the lower groupset with the carbon frame? With the carbon frame, I have an upgrade path with the groupset and can replace components with 105 as the fitted one's wear out. Both bikes would benefit from new wheels, but the aluminium framed Z75 doesn't leave much room for upgrades going forward, unless I replaced the groupset.
At the level I ride, I doubt I will notice the difference between shifters on either bike. Weight wise, they are pretty similar and the matt carbon finish is just as appealing as the finish on the aluminium frame.
At a price difference of £10, there is not much in it. Thoughts are welcome.
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Comments
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In your situation I would probably go for the Carbon option with the upgrade path.
The new 11spd 105 groupset can now be found for only £300 online now which would make for a good upgrade next year say, and you can then put the Tiagra groupset on your Carrerra to use as a workhorse bike.
After looking at a review from TriRadar (heresey I know!) they rate the carbon frame quite highly so if they both fit you equally well then you'll probably enjoy the carbon frame more.
Also in a couple of years time you might end up saying "what if..." and buy a carbon machine anyway.
However, in my case the next top level bike I'm likely to buy will be an alloy machine as it will come with all of the extra kit I ultimately want and will provide more than enough performance plus the reassurance about cheaper replacement if I wreck it in a race and would be less stressful transporting it.0
