Does anyone know anything about Avanti Bikes?

bungle73

Good? Not good?

I've had my eye on the Giro 1 on Wiggle, but I can find nothing much online about whether their bikes, and in particular this one, are any good. It would be my first road bike. Thoughts?

antonyfromoz

They are, as I understand it, a New Zealand company and i used to see quite a few when i was living in Australia. They tend to review pretty well overall - I am not sure about this model but this is a review for the Giro 2 http://www.cyclist.co.uk/reviews/783/av ... o-2-review . There also seems to be a few options at this price point if you are not necessarily wedded to this bike - at Wiggle you could also look at the Mekk Pinerolo http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mekk-pinerolo-se-02-sora-2016/ which is less money and has a Sora gear set with two extra gears (and I think has good reviews).
if you want an orange bike, the Specialized Allez is often a very successful first bike and it also has Claris 8 speed gears - this is a bike that always gets well reviewed both in magazines and by customers - https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized ... e-EV212195

There are also other options from independent shops like Planet X or Ribble to consider. Best of luck with whatever you choose!

Poitr

As good as anything else. Have been ridden to victory in several world champs on track and road. Also used quite a bit in Ironman.

bungle73

antonyfromoz wrote:

They are, as I understand it, a New Zealand company and i used to see quite a few when i was living in Australia. They tend to review pretty well overall - I am not sure about this model but this is a review for the Giro 2 http://www.cyclist.co.uk/reviews/783/av ... o-2-review . There also seems to be a few options at this price point if you are not necessarily wedded to this bike - at Wiggle you could also look at the Mekk Pinerolo http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mekk-pinerolo-se-02-sora-2016/ which is less money and has a Sora gear set with two extra gears (and I think has good reviews).
if you want an orange bike, the Specialized Allez is often a very successful first bike and it also has Claris 8 speed gears - this is a bike that always gets well reviewed both in magazines and by customers - https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized ... e-EV212195

There are also other options from independent shops like Planet X or Ribble to consider. Best of luck with whatever you choose!

Thanks, I'll look into those. I've already been looking at the Specilized, but this year's version. But I wasn't that keen on the colours that it's available in. Not sure about the orange of that one.

Someone on another forum recommended a Point R from Mango.

Lots of options.

Poitr wrote:

As good as anything else. Have been ridden to victory in several world champs on track and road. Also used quite a bit in Ironman.

Thanks. I only want something I can take for a spin now and again. I'm not looking to enter the Tour de France or anything. :P

homers_double

You say that now...

bungle73

homers double wrote:

You say that now...

LOL.

Re pedals: I'd like to use SPDs as that's what I use on my MTB, and it means I can use the same shoes. I also want the advantages of an SPD cleat over a standard road one. On the MTB I'm using the cheapest Shimano PD-M520s. Is there much advantage to using the wider Shimano PD-A520s as opposed to just sticking the same on as I have on the MTB?

ddraver

No - but you will see a benefit using a good XC race shoe with a stiff sole (which unfortunately is a more expensive change, but you can at least use it on the MTB too

bungle73

Thanks. I'll stick with the same as the MTB then.

TBH I'm now in two minds as to whether to get a road bike or not. One minute I'm all excited about getting one; and the next I think I'll save the money and stick with only the MTB.

ATM I've got my eye on last year's Specilized, which I've seen available for a good price.

Will I really see much difference between that and the 1.35" slicked up hard tail that I'm using now?

bungle73

Oh, and another question. The one I'm looking at is the version with an aluminium fork. Is that worth worrying about, or should I spend more money on something with a carbon fork? I know carbon is in theory "better", but a couple of hundred pounds better?

keef66

It is probably worth spending more to get a carbon fork. Alu forks can be very harsh over rough surfaces.

But both the Giro 1 and 2 on Wiggle say the fork is alu / carbon, which means an alloy steerer and carbon fork blades which is fine

I've got M520s on one road bike and M540s on the other. Practical and long-lasting pedals / cleats

bungle73

It was the 2015 Allez I was looking at, which I can get for the bargain price of £399, but not worth it with the alu fork you think then? I watched the Cycling Weekly review on YouTube and he said that the harshness is not as bad as he'd experienced with other alu forks. And he liked the bike overall. It seems like a nice bike, especially for the current price.

The reason I'm hesitating over the Avantis is because there is basically zero information about them. No customer reviews on Wiggle; no YouTube videos with user or journalistic experiences; and only that one single review to go on.

Edit: And tbh I've heard some bad things about CF, like it's susceptible to hidden damage that could compromise the integrity of the fork.

Poitr

Try searching down under for reviews. Down here Avanti is a main stream brand. They have their own chain of outlets and are the Scott distributor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avanti_IsoWhey_Sports This is their racing team. Have a look on the Bicycling Australia sight or the RIDE cycling review site.