Another Bike Dilemma

swannys
swannys Posts: 9
edited September 2015 in Road buying advice
Newbie on here but a believer good advice is received on forums. Firstly apologies if you have read this earlier but i have moved the post to the correct forum.

My 11 year old son wants to get into cycling, he is a keen swimmer who wants to cycle and try a junior triathlon next year. I used to cycle regularly over 25 years ago and am keen to get on the road. We have only ever done a few lengthy rides on our hybrid bikes while away away camping or around town and are now looking to get a road bike each.

I have a tight budget of around £700 and initially I was expecting to get him sometime newish around £400 and pick up a second hand bike for myself off eBay / gumtree.

Search threads on here came accross this link - viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=13031388

Fortunately we live about 50 miles from Paul's Cycles and paid them a visit a couple of days ago. I was very impressed by the knowledge of the young man who helped us. We were not rushed and spent over a hour there. I am not worried about having the current model, 2012, 2013 model etc will be fine.

I decided on the Cannondale Caad 8 Sora for my son, at £399 it is possibly the best value bike I have seen. I am contemplating stretching my budget and getting the same bike for myself. However when I first sat on the bike, a 58 frame I felt a slight twinge in my right shoulder. I am 50 years old, 6'0" tall with a 33 inch inside leg and weight about 14.5 stone. The twinge could possibly be as a result of 30+ years playing squash 2 or 3 times a week or sitting at a desk most of the day. I then sat on a Cannondale Synapse and it was explained how the less aggressive riding position may better suit me. To be honest the bike felt good / better / more relaxed. However the cheapest 58 frame which has a Tiagra spec was over £600 and out of my price range. I was then shown a Giant Defy 3, it was mentioned it was possibly better geared than the Cannondale Caad 8. Now I may be able to squeeze the overspend out of my account! My initial thought was the seat felt as hard as concrete compared to those on both Cannondales but the ride position felt OK. Finally got back on the Caad 8 and it then felt OK.

I asked about test riding both the Caad 8 and Defy 3 but it is limitted to a ride around the car park, so not going to be a great deal of help.

My initial preference is the Caad 8, looks better and is £120 cheaper, but am concerned it may not suit my ageing bones. The shop assistants advice was Defy / Synapse for the riding position.

Any opinions or am I concerned about nothing.

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