Sales - Specialised Tarmac Expert Ultegra

stu227

Hi -

I'm thinking of buying my first 'proper' road bike. About five years ago now I bought a Merida 900 Scultura (approx £700 - aluminium frame, carbon forks, claris, etc) it's ok, but looking a bit tired and I'm doing a lot more miles these days (around 2,000 so far this year). Saying that, it still has two wheels, 32/34 gear ratio (which is nice for big hills!) and gets me about at a reasonable speed...

Local bike shop has the above (Specialised Tarmac Expert Ultegra) in stock from the 2015 range and reduced down to £1800. Anyone got any views on whether it's worth buying the Carbon / Ultegra, will I notice a big difference?

Stuart.

slowmart

It sounds like your existing bike is fine mechanically with only the visual appreance looking tired?

The new bike may pick up speed slightly quicker and feel lighter but this would drop away as you became used to the new characteristics.

That said if we only bought what we needed it would be a rather boring life. If it makes you ride more and the enjoyment is there why not?

bmxboy10

That sounds expensive as I paid £1500 for a 2016 model this time last year but that was a Comp still with Ultegra

proylance

solboy10 wrote:

That sounds expensive as I paid £1500 for a 2016 model this time last year but that was a Comp still with Ultegra

My advice would be just have a check around, I know it's your lbs but worth checking as newer bikes are in the sale at the moment.

stu227

Cheers. To be fair I really like my local shop so will check out some prices but will probably buy from her if I can. if I decide to go ahead. By the time I've made my mind up sometime else will probably have beaten me to it!

Wilf Roberts

The expert model has an uprated frame (FACT 10R) from the comp (FACT 9R) so that'll be the price differential explained. I take manufacturer's claims with a fair pinch of salt, but moving to a highly regarded all carbon bike of this pedigree, with Ultegra, from a decent aluminium framed bike with Claris? Yes I think you will notice quite a big difference to be honest. You may not add huge amounts of speed to your rides (though I'd certainly doubt you'll go any slower!) but you'll probably enjoy them quite a bit more. Personally this sounds quite a good deal to me. 2015/2016 it doesn't really matter as the tarmac stayed basically the same across the last few years until it's facelift in the last month or so. And those new models won't be seeing discounts like this for a year or two?

stu227

THanks all - sounds like it might be worth a test ride! I'll maybe take my pedals along later...