Which bikes to check out for £1,500 - £2,000?

4AM

Hi Gang,

I'm 41 and been a cyclist all my life (mainly MTB has to be said) and after a 3 year enforced lay off from the saddle, I got back into it around March this year. Clocked up a fair few miles on the road since then and can feel some power getting back in my legs at last! Anyway, I've decided to set myself a weight loss target and as/when I hit it, I'm going to treat myself to a new steed as a reward and leave the Giant Defy with the mudguards on as a winter bike.

I think I'll have £1,500 to £2,000 to spend, but I know next to nothing about what's available and from where. I've done some web surfing and it's mind boggling. That's why I'd like some input from the BR "hive mind".

To try and give you an idea of what I want, I'm more interested in comfort than head down thrashing and don't want to enter any races or events so Sportive/Endurance (or whatever they call it) geometry would suit. I don't care about brand/label and would be happy to get an older model at a discount if the bike was good and there was no risk of obsolescence on it.

Thanks Gang.

bmxboy10

How about the BMC team machine 105

kajjal

Have a think what you want and where you plan to ride. I was after a road bike that could handle smoother off road trails with hydraulic brakes. In the end i got a specialized diverge comp dsw as it felt good to ride and gave me everything i was after. Not quite as fast uphill as a lightweight road bike but very smooth to ride and i use it all year round. It is very fast downhill and on smoother less technical off road trails is faster than my xc hardtail.

StillGoing

Have a look at Merida's range of road bikes. For head down there is the Reacto, but the Scultura and Ride range offer much more comfort and ideal for what you describe. German design made in Taiwan means very reasonably priced compared to the opposition.

http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_gb/bikes ... inder.html

kingrollo

Kuota Kiral

http://epic-cycles.co.uk/product/kuota- ... egra-elite

daniel_b

I would suggest a carbon Cannondale synapse, disc or non disc, 105 or Ultegra in the sales.

http://road.cc/content/review/155985-cannondale-synapse-carbon-ultegra-disc

doug5_10

Save some cash for accessories, clothes etc. and get one of the Ribbles on offer at the moment. Full Ultegra 6800 Gran Fondo, Sportive Racing and R872 are all on Special Edition for less than 1200. Don't know of any 'off the shelf' brands anywhere near those price points unless waiting for end of season deals. I recently plumped for the R872, brilliant so far.

REDUTOPIA

Wilier GTR or GTR Team?

JesseD

Cannondale Synapse
Specialized Roubaix
Specialized Diverge
Giant Defy Carbon
Cube Agree
Merida Ride
Trek Domane
Canyon Endurance
BMC Gran Fondo
Scott Solace
Ribble Sportive
Ribble Gran Fondo
GT Grade

That should do for starters.

All of these have a more relaxed geometry, some more relaxed than others so it’s worth figuring out what geometry is going to fit you and go from there. You may find that a slightly more aggressive geometry suits you better and you can get a more comfortable fit which then opens up a whole plethora of other bikes and deals as well.

prcody

Focus Izalco Ergoride with Ultegra is £1500. I saw the Whyte Cornwall and Jamis Renegade Expert at about £1200 in Evans looked good to me recently.

DeVlaeminck

Wiggle still has some Neil Pryde Bura SL in small and medium for half price. I have one and it is a superb bike, albeit I stuck different wheels on. It isn't sportive geometry but neither is it overly aggressive, I'm an inflexible 48 year old and my stem is slammed but for one 5mm spacer. To me it feels both very stable and planted but still light and involving to ride.

For me a light road racing bike is more fun to ride than some of the more versatile machines coming on the market now, I've got a gravel bike, I've got a cross bike too and an audax/winter bike and the Neil Pryde is just that little bit more fun - and I admit only a little bit - even though I'm not racing this year or maybe ever again.

mcxfisher

Jesse D above has provided a very comprehensive list of endurance bikes. Recently went through the process of selecting a road bike for long rides with comfort the highest priority, within similar budget limits to your own. Fortunately I was able to road test several contenders around a common 12 mile circuit, which allowed me to conduct an objective elimination process. I found the Trek Domane, Specialised Roubaix and Cannondale Synapse to be the most comfortable, but this is a very personal business determined by the matching of physique and flexibility to each bike's geometry. What suits me at 66 may not be best for you, so whatever else you do, try before you buy.

galatzo

DeVlaeminck wrote:

Wiggle still has some Neil Pryde Bura SL in small and medium for half price. I have one and it is a superb bike, albeit I stuck different wheels on. It isn't sportive geometry but neither is it overly aggressive, I'm an inflexible 48 year old and my stem is slammed but for one 5mm spacer. To me it feels both very stable and planted but still light and involving to ride.

For me a light road racing bike is more fun to ride than some of the more versatile machines coming on the market now, I've got a gravel bike, I've got a cross bike too and an audax/winter bike and the Neil Pryde is just that little bit more fun - and I admit only a little bit - even though I'm not racing this year or maybe ever again.

I'm with you on this.
Some of the disc braked bikes are 9kg for £2000 :shock: and I think we are to some extent being sold the next big thing at an inflated price (whether they are the next big thing is not something I'm trying to get into, its the vfm aspect of these type of bikes compared to "traditional" caliper rim braked bikes).
I know weight's not everything but lugging an extra 2kg round (generally on the wheels) doesn't make sense. If sizing works for you there's still some Cannondale Supersixs at Pauls with Sram Red on for £1700ish.

4AM

Thanks a bundle - many suggestions I'd never have even thought of! Had a good night's surfing last night and came across this at Wiggle:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/neilpryde-zephy ... 6800-2015/

Looks like a blimmin' bargain and I reckon the medium would fit me perfectly when compared to the Defy I have already. Just hope they don't sell out before I hit my target!

galatzo

4AM wrote:

Thanks a bundle - many suggestions I'd never have even thought of! Had a good night's surfing last night and came across this at Wiggle:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/neilpryde-zephy ... 6800-2015/

Looks like a blimmin' bargain and I reckon the medium would fit me perfectly when compared to the Defy I have already. Just hope they don't sell out before I hit my target!

Says XS only !

4AM

Bugger. Swore they had an M last night. Boo.

4AM

Interesting tale of the last few days which I thought I should pass along.

Fell in love with the look of the Neil Pryde Zephyr but couldn't find any for love or money. Emailed 2Pure who I thought were the importer but turned out they no longer are. HOWEVER Mark at 2Pure put me in touch with a director of Neil Pryde in Hong Kong. He told me they have an Ultegra build Zephyr in my size on demo with magazines in the UK currently. He's agreed to reserve it for me as an ex-demo at less than half retail price and it should be available in August - perfect timing for me to lose that 10KG I plan on. It's fate!

All great people at 2Pure and Neil Pryde and I felt it only right to give them a big thumbs up on here. Can't wait for August now!!

daniel_b

Result!