How the hell do you chose??!!

kevinthetank

So, I’ve decided to take up road cycling for a bit of fitness and maybe a Sportive or two next year and wondered how the hell do you chose your bike!!
I’m 15.5 stone, looking to ride 3 or 4 times a week and probably not through the winter. I have a budget of £1k but need to get all the kit included in that as well.
I’ve read nearly all the posts on here about “what bike” etc and have narrowed it down to 4 possibles (please don’t suggest anymore!)which are either in my local shops or available on the net.
Have to say I’m not a huge fan of a lot of the 2017 bikes as the colours in my price bracket are generally either black or naff so looking at some old stock models.
My choices are (in order of looks-only preference):
1. 2016 Moda Rubato fitted with Shim 105 at £750
Pro’s – Makes my trousers tingle when I look at it, good spec at a good price?
Con’s – Never really heard of them, quite a “focused” ride for a beginner, narrow tyres/ wheels?

2. (actually =1st ) 2016 Cannondale CAAD8 fitted with Shim 105 at £799 in green.
Pro’s – Again, makes my trousers tingle, good spec at a good price, I’ve heard of them
Cons – Not sure there are any, again, quite focused

3. 2017 Planet X Pro Carbon fitted with Ultegra at £899.
Pro-s – Full carbon (but do I need this?), looks ok
Con’s – Varying reviews of planet X, cheap carbon? On line only (what if it goes wrong?)

4. 2017 Cube attain pro disc at £799.
Pro’s – Good relaxed fit, discs(?) reasonable price, I’ve heard of them, looks ok
Cons’s – Cable operated discs felt a bit poor, longevity of the bike (will I outgrow it quickly?)

No real idea how to decide and petrified of making the wrong decision and either wasting my cash or hating cycling because I bought the wrong bike.
Any help or suggestions??
Thanks

bigmitch41

Try and have a sit on a few, size & comfort are key, how tall are you?

The Cannondale or the Cube if you wanted my preferences.

WhiteSocks90

Of the above, Cannondale, but as suggested, go to your local shop (which should be your first port of call anyway if you're new to cycling) and have a sit on one. If it's a decent shop, follow their guidance/advice

kevinthetank

Apologies, I should have added that I have sat on all of these bikes, either in a shop or people who own them so again, all of them are fine with the excepton that the cannondale and Moda would need a slightly shorter stem (yes, I have T-Rex arms). The Cube was slightly more comfortable "out of the box" than the rest but is lower in the pecking order on looks and feel. Still in with a shout though....

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Last year's model bargains are thinning out fast, I got one of the last 58cm Cube Attain GTC Pro Discs for £900 during the May Day Bank Hol. I'm ~5'10" with ~32.5" cycling inseam, fits like a glove, loving it so far.

milemuncher1

Test ride a few. Good bike shops will allow it. Then buy the one you like best.

darkhairedlord

buy the prettiest one.

davesnothere

darkhairedlord wrote:

buy the prettiest one.

There is a lot of truth in this, if you're pleased and excited by your new shiny thing, you'll be more likely to get out and ride it

jlloyd

Be mindful that the kit aspect of your budget, it will soon add up.

Conservatively...
Shorts (perhaps 1 pair to begin with) £25 (decathlon)
Shirt(s) £20
Jacket £20 (aldi) - £50 (wiggle)
Baselayer £10 (planet x)
Gloves £5
Shoes £30
Pedals £40 (tho 105’s are £60+)
Helmet £20 (planet x)
Sunglasses £5
Track pump £15
Water bottles & Cages £10

So you’re looking at least £200 there

Then buy the sexiest bike

Thigh_burn

I'd seriously look at a bike with hydraulic disc brakes. They make a massive difference. When I started riding I was about your weight and the stopping on them is exceptional - having the confidence of that stopping power is great.

navrig2

Probably allow a bit more than £200 for the kit. If you buy too cheap you may not get the comfort/warmth/protection you need and if you are not comfortable/warm/dry you are less likely to ride.

Bib shorts instead of shorts especially if some of your 15.5 stone is around your middle.

Riding High

No brainer for me, the dale wins it.

The disc brakes just confuse things, calipers and pads are absolutely fine. I have both and have managed just fine for a long time on standard caliper brakes which can be improved if required with a pad upgrade.

Sutton_Rider

I was looking at a bike on-line last year and asked the retailer what the situation was if I had a problem with it. This well known outfit wanted it sent back where they would look at it, fix it and send it back which would normally take 2 to 3 weeks. Worth checking out if you look like buying on line.

londoncommuter

Just to confuse things, what are the chances you'll get into this in huge way and you will ride through the winter and will be looking to spend a fortune on a new bike in a year's time? If that is possible then I'd prioritise boring things like mudguard clearance on this one so you can relegate it to a winter bike.....

Does the Cube have hidden eyelets? Vague feeling it does.

kingrollo

Just but towards the bottom of your price range. there loads of stuff to buy afterwards !

Get out and ride, than will form an idea of what takes your fancy.

Check out the giant contend (formerly Defy) and the decathlon range of bikes

Joshgav

Where have you seen the PX with Ultegra for that price? It's showing as £1150 on their website atm.

richk

Planet X are not online only.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/stores/planet-x-sheffield

milemuncher1

I recently purchased one of these.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-560- ... 77758.html
Full CF, and latest generation Tiagra 4700 10 speed group set ( which is pretty much as good as the 105 5700 groupset)
It's a very nice bit of kit for the money.

philbar72

this is the thing, there are loads of options. something with 105 and hydro would be good if you want discs. also make sure the bike fits you, that's absolutely key. Pretty can only do so much...

milemuncher1

philbar72 wrote:

Pretty can only do so much...

The bike can only do so much.

darkhairedlord

you don't need mudguards to ride a bike in the winter.

darkhairedlord

Milemuncher1 wrote:

philbar72 wrote:

Pretty can only do so much...

The bike can only do so much.

The bike can only do this much..

kevinthetank

Wow, thatnks everyone for the advice!
I've taken onboard all the pointers, particularly that fit is everything, and revisited my choices (including a couple of test rides) and have the following to report:
Moda - Lovely looking but a bad fit even with a shortened stem. Discarded
Cannondale - Same as the Moda. Just couldnt get comfy on it. Discarded
Planet X - No change but hear such varying things about the quality I'm giving it a miss.
Cube Attain - No change as not managed to get a ride on one yet.

I have however found another bike whilst looking that fits like a glove and I think I'm going to buy it.
I tried a 2016 Giant Defy 4 in white/ blue which I thought looked lovely (fitted with Claris) and it fits me like a glove (and is half the price of everything else I've tried!).
I also tried the 2017 bike and whilst it was just as comfy, i just dont like this years colour schemes.
I appreciate the groupset is fairly basic, as is the rest of the bike, but it looks lovely, fits perfect and seems like good value at £450 new so I think I'm going to buy it (unless anyone on here advizes that Giant are rubbish and should be avoided!!??)

bigmitch41

Nothing wrong with Giant, the Defy is ideal to be fair.

milemuncher1

The Giant is a very good choice

Flâneur

fit then colour.

When I say fit, I mean don't go buy some aggressive bike if you have back problems, buy a more relaxed model.

Eg Giant TCR v Contend