First Road Bike - entry level alloy or carbon?

Timmyandrews88

Hi,

I'm new to cycling and looking to buy my first road bike via the Cyclescheme. I am looking for something I can ride in some sprint / olympic triathlons, and some training / weekend rides - nothing too serious.

I have narrowed the search down to 2 options:

1. BH Sphene Tiagra (2015)

2. Ribble Evo Pro

I have been quoted £400 for the BH by my LBS as it is the last one they have and it has been discontinued. Its an alloy frame with tiagra rear derailleur, but microshift shifters / front derailleur. Weight is about 9.7kg.

For an extra £200, Ribble are offering the Evo Pro this week only for £600. The Ribble has a carbon frame, with full Tiagra groupset. The weight is c. 8.2kg.

The Ribble to me seems like a good deal, but is it worth the extra money to go for carbon? Will I notice the weight difference? And is the Tiagra mix on the BH a problem? I think the BH is a great price, I just don't want to outgrow it as soon as I've started.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

sandyballs

Ribble every time, I own one and a Giant TCR Advanced and cannot tell the difference in frame stiffness and ride quality. Would not buy anything with microshift shifters, but that's personal preference.

cedargreen

Hi,

If this is your first road bike I would worry less about frame material and weight. The most important thing is size and whether it fits you, and whether the frame geometry suits you. Also suitable gearing depending on your level of fitness and the distance and terrain you'll be riding.

perfectmark

Personally if I was going to spend £400 on a bike, I would get something off eBay/gumtree as you will be able to get something much better than that BH for less. But if you can stretch to £600, I would go for the Ribble. Seems like a very good bike for the price, plus it gives you a good base to upgrade (lighter wheels and gears) in future.

sandyballs

perfectmark wrote:

Personally if I was going to spend £400 on a bike, I would get something off eBay/gumtree as you will be able to get something much better than that BH for less.

You cannot use cyclescheme vouchers on flea bay or gumtree though.

napoleond

Ribble

Holmesy321

You probably wouldn't notice the difference in a blind test between the two frame types, but that Ribble is an absolute steal at that price and is a platform on which, with a few upgrades (in the future - if you so wished), you could build a very good bike!

Rarely would I say go for a cheap carbon bike - because usually this means major skimping on the other components. But in this case, it's really not too bad at that price.

Storming

I asked the same question and realized that under 1000, don't look for carbon. Every review told it. But if you buy used, then yes. China carbon is pretty unforeseen.

diamonddog

Storming wrote:

I asked the same question and realized that under 1000, don't look for carbon. Every review told it. But if you buy used, then yes. China carbon is pretty unforeseen.

There are some excellent carbon bikes to be had for under £1000. Ribble, Planet X and Dolan have sold thousands of them.

supers

Go with the best you can afford. I bought a Triban 500SE 3 months ago as a starter Road bike, I have just upgraded to a CAAD8 105. Perhaps it was worth the Triban to see what I wanted in a bike, but I feel I've wasted £300 on something that I've outgrown pretty quickly and isn't really upgradable.

cougie

As DD says you can get great carbon bikes under 1000.

Of the two bikes mentioned get the ribble. And ignore the eBay idea - cycle to work scheme will be the better option.

Timmyandrews88

Thanks for all your replies, they have been very useful - I have just placed an order for the Ribble! Looking forward to taking it out for a spin.