Roadbikes for a Newbie

Grspn17

Hello,

I have been using a MTB since last 3 years and now wish to buy a road bike (endurance).
Since I have never ridden a road bike before my knowledge and experience is rather limited, despite trawling through forums, reviews and visiting shops (who push the bikes which they have).

Ive zero'd down on few bicycles but i thought it would be better to ask around a bit more before making a purchase.
It would be great help if you can provide your insights or even suggestions.

1. Bianchi Nirone 7 - 105 - 2017
2. Ridley Damocles 3 - 2017
3. Ridley Damocles 4 - 2017
4. Canondale CADD Optimo - 105 - 2017
5. Fuji Sportif 2.1 - Black - 2017

Regards,
Grspn17

trivial_poursuivant

I’ve still got a NV7 I use as a winter/bad weather bike. It is still a very beautiful bike to look at and ride. You will pay a little more over others like a cannondale but the extra bit of style makes it work it.

lakesluddite

Not sure that Cannondale Optimo would qualify as an 'endurance' bike, given the look of it. The top tube looks quite horizontal, as opposed to the usual slope of standard 'endurance' frames, but I don't necessarily think this should put you off, it'll be a good bike - and there seem to be some good deals on the 2017 version.
Saying that, if it were my choice of these listed, it would be the Bianchi, if you can get a similar deal as you could the CDale.
The others are all good bikes as well - you aren't really getting much different with these choices, so go for the one you like the look of best.

daniel_b

If you are after a Cannondale Endurance bike, then you would generally be looking at the Synapse.

darkhairedlord

visit a bike shop and ride some, that will give better insight than anything a stranger on a forum will provide.

thetoecutter

Another vote for the Via Nirone. Try it out as the geometry is supposed to be a bit on the racy side of endurance, so I'm told. It was my first bike still have it and it has been pretty solid and was comfortable enough to take me through the 94 mile Ay Up sportive, may be just change the Vittorio slick tyres that come with it to something with a bit more puncture restistance for the winter, I have schwalbe duranos and have so far not had a puncture on them.

Grspn17

Thank you everyone.

So I did some more store visits (as darkhairedlord suggested) and found out that OPTIMO is indeed More racing geometry than endurance. Though the sales girl said, “you’ll get used to it.” Don’t know if it’s true or just sales talk. I also Rode the optimo (Claris version) and it did feel a bit uncomfortable. They didn’t have a synapse in my size.

unfortunately in my budget and available options I only have cannondale, Ridely Democles alongside Focus Cayo 105 which is about 360 pound more than Democles 3.

Between Democles 4 and bianchi which one would you recommend (Bianchi is about 170 pounds extra)?

Any thoughts about Fuji (I am not sure if it is a good idea to spend a lot on your first bike).

trivial_poursuivant

Bikes around that price are all quite similar in performance and quality. The Bianchi is a bit more expensive true but For that extra bit of style. Italian design bikes just look that bit better than the rest.

Grspn17

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

Bikes around that price are all quite similar in performance and quality. The Bianchi is a bit more expensive true but For that extra bit of style. Italian design bikes just look that bit better than the rest.

So if I understood you correctly

In performance
Democles 4 = Bianchi Nirone 7

In looks
Bianchi Nirone 7 > others
And extra money is for the styling and not extra performance.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/ro ... rey_373882

If you're patient, they will no doubt do a voucher code discount sale bringing it under £1k, albeit it's not far off £1k with 3.15% Topcashback.

daniel_b

How much will the Bianchi set you back?

Have you considered a BTwin bike, the in house brand of Decathlon - do you have a store near you?

For £1100, you can get Ultegra groupset, one notch up from the 105 you are looking at - all be it not the latest and greatest Ultegra.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-720-af-road-bike-ultegra-id_8331274.html

Alternatively, it's 105 cousin can be had for £800:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-900-af-road-bike-105-id_8377261.html

Not seen any geometry charts, so no idea how 'endurance' it is, but am pretty sure there are some reviews out there that may help you work that one out.

EDIT: NO's Cube above looks very hard to beat.

Grspn17

Daniel B wrote:

How much will the Bianchi set you back?

Have you considered a BTwin bike, the in house brand of Decathlon - do you have a store near you?

For £1100, you can get Ultegra groupset, one notch up from the 105 you are looking at - all be it not the latest and greatest Ultegra.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-720-af-road-bike-ultegra-id_8331274.html

Alternatively, it's 105 cousin can be had for £800:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-900-af-road-bike-105-id_8377261.html

Not seen any geometry charts, so no idea how 'endurance' it is, but am pretty sure there are some reviews out there that may help you work that one out.

EDIT: NO's Cube above looks very hard to beat.

Bianchi is for 1200.

I do have a few decathlon stores around my location but unfortunately those bikes are not really considered that great in terms what they offer in longer run (of course I am talking about the ones available near me) as they come with basic components. The most expensive on comes at 1100 but has 105 instead of ultegra and btwin components instead of shimano or other manufacturer. Second one is at 660 but has tiagra but that comes with components from other manufactures.

Any way, any views on Fuji?

Grspn17

NitrousOxide wrote:

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/road-bikes/cube-attain-gtc-pro-disc-2017-carbon-road-bike-grey_373882

If you're patient, they will no doubt do a voucher code discount sale bringing it under £1k, albeit it's not far off £1k with 3.15% Topcashback.

Thanks. I’ll try it out.

daniel_b

Grspn17 wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

How much will the Bianchi set you back?

Have you considered a BTwin bike, the in house brand of Decathlon - do you have a store near you?

For £1100, you can get Ultegra groupset, one notch up from the 105 you are looking at - all be it not the latest and greatest Ultegra.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-720-af-road-bike-ultegra-id_8331274.html

Alternatively, it's 105 cousin can be had for £800:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-900-af-road-bike-105-id_8377261.html

Not seen any geometry charts, so no idea how 'endurance' it is, but am pretty sure there are some reviews out there that may help you work that one out.

EDIT: NO's Cube above looks very hard to beat.

Bianchi is for 1200.

I do have a few decathlon stores around my location but unfortunately those bikes are not really considered that great in terms what they offer in longer run (of course I am talking about the ones available near me) as they come with basic components. The most expensive on comes at 1100 but has 105 instead of ultegra and btwin components instead of shimano or other manufacturer. Second one is at 660 but has tiagra but that comes with components from other manufactures.

Any way, any views on Fuji?

I'm not understanding what you mean there at all in any respect - the £1100 bike has Ultegra 6800:
Drivetrain

Shimano Ultegra 6800 11-speed drivetrain.
Ultegra 6800 double front derailleur.
Ultegra 6800 11-speed rear derailleur.
Shimano Ultegra compact crankset.

It also has a Fizik Arione saddle, and decent (For the price) wheels.

Finishing kit, seatpost stem and handlebars are BTwin, but those are easily changed, and are generic aluminium parts anyway, and would not shape my decision on buying a bike.

And they are very well regarded bikes, lifetime warranty on the frames (Aluminium at least) too.
I know\helped 3 people buy bikes from them, and with the exception of 1 wheel issue (Resolved under warranty) they have been fine - the lower priced bikes are fitted with own brand wheels, which are meant to be a bit of a weak point, but not an issue at the more expensive price point.

No experience of that specific Fuji, but bought my gf a 1.1 LTD SE with 105 and hydraulics last year, and it's a good solid bike, with a nice relaxed geometry - won't set the world on fire, but it does what it does well, and for the £900ish I spent, it was a stonking buy.

kingdav

One option is to try and borrow something off a mate, or pick up a second hand middle of the road aluminium road bike for say between £2/300. Trying to find something someone bought to keep fit on, but never rode out much.

It's so hard to know what you're looking for first time around. Ride that for a few weeks/months and see how it feels, play with the set-up a bit and see how that changes it... then you can start to think about where to spend the real money. Ask yourself, do you want something more relaxed and enduranceish or more lithe and racy, it'll be hard to tell without getting out there and seeing how you feel. You might be surprised where you find you want to go on the various compromises in geometry, disc vs rim brakes, tyre clearance, aero/lightness, aluminium/carbon, cx/gravel/adventure/endurance/aero/climber. You'd also get some time to think about cafe kudos and what brands suit you Italian heritage like Bianchi or recent direct German offerings like Canyon or Rose, UK re-sellers like Ribble or Planetx. Solid options Giant/Trek/Specialized/Cannondale.

When you're done with the beater, you can call it a winter bike or sell it.

Grspn17

Daniel B wrote:

Grspn17 wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

How much will the Bianchi set you back?

Have you considered a BTwin bike, the in house brand of Decathlon - do you have a store near you?

For £1100, you can get Ultegra groupset, one notch up from the 105 you are looking at - all be it not the latest and greatest Ultegra.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-720-af-road-bike-ultegra-id_8331274.html

Alternatively, it's 105 cousin can be had for £800:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-900-af-road-bike-105-id_8377261.html

Not seen any geometry charts, so no idea how 'endurance' it is, but am pretty sure there are some reviews out there that may help you work that one out.

EDIT: NO's Cube above looks very hard to beat.

Bianchi is for 1200.

I do have a few decathlon stores around my location but unfortunately those bikes are not really considered that great in terms what they offer in longer run (of course I am talking about the ones available near me) as they come with basic components. The most expensive on comes at 1100 but has 105 instead of ultegra and btwin components instead of shimano or other manufacturer. Second one is at 660 but has tiagra but that comes with components from other manufactures.

Any way, any views on Fuji?

I'm not understanding what you mean there at all in any respect - the £1100 bike has Ultegra 6800:
Drivetrain

Shimano Ultegra 6800 11-speed drivetrain.
Ultegra 6800 double front derailleur.
Ultegra 6800 11-speed rear derailleur.
Shimano Ultegra compact crankset.

It also has a Fizik Arione saddle, and decent (For the price) wheels.

Finishing kit, seatpost stem and handlebars are BTwin, but those are easily changed, and are generic aluminium parts anyway, and would not shape my decision on buying a bike.

And they are very well regarded bikes, lifetime warranty on the frames (Aluminium at least) too.
I know\helped 3 people buy bikes from them, and with the exception of 1 wheel issue (Resolved under warranty) they have been fine - the lower priced bikes are fitted with own brand wheels, which are meant to be a bit of a weak point, but not an issue at the more expensive price point.

No experience of that specific Fuji, but bought my gf a 1.1 LTD SE with 105 and hydraulics last year, and it's a good solid bike, with a nice relaxed geometry - won't set the world on fire, but it does what it does well, and for the £900ish I spent, it was a stonking buy.

I meant the btwin bikes which are available at the decathlon stores near my location do not have the bikes suggest above. The most expensive and top bike available at the decathlon store near me is the ultra 700, which comes with 105 and Btwin components instead of components from other manufacturers. I guess the merchandise is different in different stores.

Grspn17

kingdav wrote:

One option is to try and borrow something off a mate, or pick up a second hand middle of the road aluminium road bike for say between £2/300. Trying to find something someone bought to keep fit on, but never rode out much.

It's so hard to know what you're looking for first time around. Ride that for a few weeks/months and see how it feels, play with the set-up a bit and see how that changes it... then you can start to think about where to spend the real money. Ask yourself, do you want something more relaxed and enduranceish or more lithe and racy, it'll be hard to tell without getting out there and seeing how you feel. You might be surprised where you find you want to go on the various compromises in geometry, disc vs rim brakes, tyre clearance, aero/lightness, aluminium/carbon, cx/gravel/adventure/endurance/aero/climber. You'd also get some time to think about cafe kudos and what brands suit you Italian heritage like Bianchi or recent direct German offerings like Canyon or Rose, UK re-sellers like Ribble or Planetx. Solid options Giant/Trek/Specialized/Cannondale.

When you're done with the beater, you can call it a winter bike or sell it.

Thank you for your suggestion. I’ll try to doing that as well.

thetoecutter

Another suggestion, look at the Bianchi with the 10 speed Veloce /Xeon group set. I think you can pick up a pretty good deal on them now, possibly even for £800. I have a 10 speed veloce and 11 speed potenza on my other bike, I don't really notice the extra gear. Then with the money you have saved, upgrade the reparto corse wheels that come as standard to say fulcrum racing 7 or 5 which are also going cheap now. You will have a pretty good bike then.
Just had a quick look
Evans doing Via Nirone 7 veloce at £699 but not in Celeste
Fulcrum racing 7 lg at chain reaction £140

thegreatdivide

thetoecutter wrote:

Another suggestion, look at the Bianchi with the 10 speed Veloce /Xeon group set.

Please don't look at any bike that's being sold with Campagnolo Xenon bits on it. It's a discontinued piece of 9-speed junk - the worst groupset the company have ever released. Veloce is fine albeit superseded by 11-speed Centaur in the price range.

lostboysaint

NitrousOxide wrote:

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/road-bikes/cube-attain-gtc-pro-disc-2017-carbon-road-bike-grey_373882

If you're patient, they will no doubt do a voucher code discount sale bringing it under £1k, albeit it's not far off £1k with 3.15% Topcashback.

You read my mind! That's the boy, every day of the week.