First road bike advice please

davey.davey

Hello all.

I've been using my old mountain bike for road use and am really enjoying it......so now I need a proper road bike:)

I've been doing some online research and I like the Specialized Roubaix elite, Trek domane, giant defy advanced 1, the Scott solace, and (probably my favourite) the canondale synapse.

I'd like people's feedback on the above bikes, and if there are any other recommendations of bikes in the endurance catergory. Its all a bit confusing for a beginner, I just want to find the best bike for my budget (around £2000).

I'm gonna get a proper bike fit for size etc. Can anyone recommend any good bike shops in the Birmingham area? Has anyone had dealings with Evans cycles?

I'm 6ft 3" and around 16 stone (not sure if that matters).

Any advice welcome, cheers

lettingthedaysgoby

They're all fine bikes. Go try a few out, see what fits, then buy the one you like the look of best

As for Evans - a few people seem to give them a bad rep, but in all my dealings with them they've been fine.

Does your budget also include all the other bits you'll need - pedals, shoes, bib shorts, bottle cages etc? The costs of those can add up pretty quickly.

davesnothere

Would also look at the Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc - that's what I bought as my first road bike and I love it.

As above, your best bet is to sit on them and ideally have a little test ride. That is one thing Evans are very good at, if you leave a deposit and take your passport then they will let you take the bikes for a spin up the road which is invlauable.

If you can wait, then come September/October onwards a lot of the 2017 bikes will go into the sale and you will find some bargains. majority of 2106 sale bargains have gone now (means you won't have your new whip for the summer tho)

davey.davey

Thanks for the replies

Yeah I've budgeted for the extra costs, pedals etc.

Think I'll go to Evans and try a few out. I'd rather use a lbs though but haven't got many in my area who stock the bikes I like. I'll keep searching.

Just had a quick search for the Cube you mentioned. Really like the look of it, I'll have a read up on it, cheers.

When I buy a bike, does the bike fit usually come with the bike purchase? i.e. Properly set up for me, seat height, reach, etc.

Sorry for the bombardment of questions, I really am a total noobie haha.

davesnothere

Not a proper bike fit, just a basic one. Probably ok to get you started

I intended to pay for a proper video bike fit at our local place however i read up a lot and made some adjustments myself and I've settled on a position that feels v comfortable now. I can do 50 miles now and other than a slightly tender undercarriage everything else is fine.

I started with saddle position (height then fore/aft) then looked at cleat adjustment as i had a small amount of foot pain (ended up buying some shims to correct slightly) Final change was to buy a slightly shorter stem, now very happy

davesnothere

Also if you're going to Evans then call them before and make an appointment, tell them which bikes you want to test ride.

They made me pay a £50 deposit to build up the particular bike I wanted. I didn't end up buying from them in the end but they refunded it immediately no argument.

davey.davey

Thanks for the advice. I'll post back when I've made a decision.

Cheers

davey.davey

Still open to hear if anyone knows of good lbs'a in or around Birmingham!?

lettingthedaysgoby

davey.davey wrote:

Still open to hear if anyone knows of good lbs'a in or around Birmingham!?

I'm from Birmingham and have to admit I just bought online :shock:

davey.davey

lettingthedaysgoby wrote:

davey.davey wrote:

Still open to hear if anyone knows of good lbs'a in or around Birmingham!?

I'm from Birmingham and have to admit I just bought online :shock:

I am tempted to buy online.....however as it's my first road bike I really need to have a test ride.

Maybe I'm overthinking it and should just go out and buy the nicest looking one haha

kajjal

I weight similar and would advise due to this you get decent disc brakes and make sure you can fit wider tyres. Rim brakes are not good at stopping heavier riders especially in the wet. The wider tyres will mean you don't get a bone shaker of a ride.

Think about gearing as well, my bike has a 34,50 chainset (front gears) and an 11 speed 105 11-32 rear cassette (rear gears) , this means I have a very good range of gears from speed to climbing steep hills.

When it comes to test rides the main thing is get a bike you like the look of, makes you want to ride and also how it feels to ride. If it is too large it will never work no matter what you do, a little small is easy to sort out but not way too small.

I have a specialized diverge as I also take it off road but anything similar to a Roubaix would suit the riding you seem to be after. Good Luck

davey.davey

Thanks for the advice

Yeah I had already made my mind up on disc brakes for that exact reason you said.

I like the look of the diverge. Is it much different to the Roubaix? Apart from it hasn't got the suspension thingy on the front. Looks like bigger tyres maybe!?

lettingthedaysgoby

davey.davey wrote:

I am tempted to buy online.....however as it's my first road bike I really need to have a test ride.

Maybe I'm overthinking it and should just go out and buy the nicest looking one haha

I just did a lot of reading of size charts, then worked out which size of the bike I wanted (Cube Attain GTC Disc) should fit. It was a bit of a gamble but worked out for me.

And while we can laugh a bit at the idea of buying the nice looking one I think there is some mileage in it, especially if you're new to the sport. Shiney new things make us happy, make us want to play with them, make us go out and ride etc.

I'd also agree with getting 50-34 11-32 gearing. You can always change them once your legs get used to hills.

davey.davey

Definitely agree on choosing a bike that you love aesthetically. No matter what you buy, sometimes you need a bit of motivation on off days and a shit looking bike isn't going to help haha.

Cool I'll have a look into gearing. I am used to cycling up hills a fair bit though. It's gonna be more of a trial and error basis with everything though to be fair

kajjal

davey.davey wrote:

Thanks for the advice

Yeah I had already made my mind up on disc brakes for that exact reason you said.

I like the look of the diverge. Is it much different to the Roubaix? Apart from it hasn't got the suspension thingy on the front. Looks like bigger tyres maybe!?

The main difference is it is designed to ride both on and off road. Up hill it is a little slower than a normal road bike but on the flat very similar and downhill I found it faster due to being smoother and having hydraulic disc brakes. The riding position is similar and the DSW frame I have is lightweight enough for me.

In the winter I ride mine on road with 25/28mm Roubaix pro tyres which have a 25mm tred and a 28mm case. this means they are fairly quick over the road with a 25mm tred but slightly bigger air capacity so cushion a bit more. In the summer I swap them out for 33mm tyres as I go off road a lot , canals, forestry, bridleways, byways etc.

Worth trying one just to see what you think, they are more robust than a road bike and you can fit larger tyres but they are a little heavier as well but not by alot. For riding purely on a road a road bike is a little faster but not as smooth in my experience. It depends what suits where you and where you plan to ride.

yiannism

I would throw also Orbea Avant series that i ride and i love it. Ghost nivolet also are good bikes with very good specs on good price. If you want to go online check for canyon and rose. I definitely agree on 50/34 11/32, but you can live with 11/28. 105 groupset is the minimum on that price range, and my next road bike will have 100% disc brakes. 25mm tire is the gold standard now, but you will be ok with wider on excess some speed you will gain more comfort.

As far as about size the golden rule is if you are between 2 sizes always go with the smaller. You can always adjust the smaller frame but not much you can do on the bigger. I would suggest also to put the stem up for more upright position until your body adjust on the driving position. You will lose some aero/speed, but you will gain comfort, and you can always put it back when you are comfortable.

As far as about the look, you will not find an ugly bike on that price range, so chose the one who drives best.

davey.davey

Thanks guys.

After more research, I really like the Canyon ENDURACE CF SL DISC 9.0.

I'm going to test ride a few of the other bikes the weekend and see how they feel.

The only thing with the Canyon is getting my size correct.....

ChopFamily

I have just bought a Giant, & the spec for the price was far better than Specialized. Would have liked to have looked at Canyon, as the price is so good, and they do look good, but like yourself was wary over sizing. Giant Bike Stores I have used twice & both were good, if you have 1 in your area? Mine had test bikes available over a weekend recently.

Bluejuice

ChopFamily wrote:

I have just bought a Giant, & the spec for the price was far better than Specialized. Would have liked to have looked at Canyon, as the price is so good, and they do look good, but like yourself was wary over sizing. Giant Bike Stores I have used twice & both were good, if you have 1 in your area? Mine had test bikes available over a weekend recently.

I've also just pulled the trigger on a Giant (defy advanced pro) and felt it offered better value than a Trek or Specialized. I thought the Cube's also looked great value, but no dealer close to me.

All great advice so far and all bikes mentioned look good.

I'd add in the Pinnacle Dolomite by Evans, this gets a great review and seems to be good value. I'm a big fan of Evans, far less snobby than the more "serious" lbs in my area.

ZMC888

I have an 'enduro' style bike and a 'race/all round' style bike and I really think that there is nothing much in the difference, except that the 'enduro' style bike is heavier and a tad slower. Personally I'd rather have a CX bike with the higher BB and more off-road capable tires for off-road/road/gravel mixes and then have a more thoroughbred race bike either set up for climbing or for aero depending on your local topography.

Enduro bikes seem like a good 'quiver killer' first bike, and I fell for the marketing blurb too, but in reality it's much more enjoyable getting a more focused bike. Comfort comes from the tire choice/width/pressure and frame material, not so much the frame geo and suspension gimmicks that make you less aero and less connected with the road. Many all round rim brake bikes can fit 28mm tires, which are really as wide as you ever need to go. If you really are going to ride 70% cobbles and ride in the rain then or have a back problem an enduro bike (should it really be called winter bike?) could be a good idea, but if you love the idea of summer riding then a normal road bike will be more fun. Also disk brakes are a godsend if wet and/or the road surface is dirty but adding about a kg to your bike often isn't worth it unless you are really going to use them, as on a nice dry day at least, modern rim brakes have amazing stopping power.

lostboysaint

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40090&t=13078738

Mine from the classifieds. I'm 6'4" and when I first rode it was down to around 110kg and am now 98kg. Great bike, a hand-built set of wheels that are perfect for us Clydesdales whilst still being light enough.

davey.davey

ZMC888 wrote:

I have an 'enduro' style bike and a 'race/all round' style bike and I really think that there is nothing much in the difference, except that the 'enduro' style bike is heavier and a tad slower. Personally I'd rather have a CX bike with the higher BB and more off-road capable tires for off-road/road/gravel mixes and then have a more thoroughbred race bike either set up for climbing or for aero depending on your local topography.

Enduro bikes seem like a good 'quiver killer' first bike, and I fell for the marketing blurb too, but in reality it's much more enjoyable getting a more focused bike. Comfort comes from the tire choice/width/pressure and frame material, not so much the frame geo and suspension gimmicks that make you less aero and less connected with the road. Many all round rim brake bikes can fit 28mm tires, which are really as wide as you ever need to go. If you really are going to ride 70% cobbles and ride in the rain then or have a back problem an enduro bike (should it really be called winter bike?) could be a good idea, but if you love the idea of summer riding then a normal road bike will be more fun. Also disk brakes are a godsend if wet and/or the road surface is dirty but adding about a kg to your bike often isn't worth it unless you are really going to use them, as on a nice dry day at least, modern rim brakes have amazing stopping power.

Thanks for the advice mate.

After a lot of research I am deffo gonna go down the race bike route. They seem to be a lot more fun which is what it's all about.

Now the fun begins finding one lol

Hopefully I'm visiting a few bike shops the weekend