Going from a hybrid -> road bike. Buying advice!

jonboyuk

Hi all

I have decided to move from a Hybrid bike to a Road. The hybrid was a Cannondale Quick (so quite similar to a road bike in many respects) but flat handlebars.

I guess my question is, can anyone help me with a recommendation please. I quite like a relaxed style of bike (ie not an aggressive racing setup) and that is comfy for long periods. I intend on doing 700K tour in Europe next year so I want something suitable. My budget is £1,600 absolute max, but less would be good. I want the new bike to adopt the same features as my current hybrid which comprise

• Full carbon frame
• Hydraulic disc brakes
• A decent groupset
• And as I said a comfy position for longer rides rather than faster rides

I've had a little look online and I've found some, but open for suggestions (I'm a size 58 frame on a Cannondale). And I realise the Synapse below doesn't have disk brakes.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-venon-crx-disc-road-bike-ultegra-2018/rp-prod159914
https://www.startfitness.co.uk/cannondale-2018-synapse-carbon-105-red-bycdm6syns5red.html
https://www.startfitness.co.uk/cycle/bikes/road-bikes/argon-18-2016-krypton-ultegra-road-bike-arg15krypbk680br.html

Thanks all

J

jonboyuk

Any thoughts anyone?

haydenm

For your tour will you be using panniers or bikepacking bags? Or not carrying luggage?

I love a synapse disc, would last years one fit the bill? (I know it's a tad more money, sorry)
https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale- ... mEQAvD_BwE

laurentian

As above - it depends on whether you want a "proper touring bike" or a bike that can be adapted for touring. Either would seem to meet your intended requirement for 700km but what if you want to make a habit of it?

This is bang on your price point, comes with evertything you have listed apart from the CF frame and even has racks included: https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-920-di ... gI3qvD_BwE

I get panniers on my old Allez for touring and am quite happy with it. I think if I were looking for an out and out tourer, I'd be looking at a steel frame - maybe look at Genesis Croix de Fer or Eqilibrium . . . A Dawes Galaxy is a few hundred quid and would do the job . . .

jonboyuk

Actually it's not so much for racks as I would intend on using a backpack when I do. I commute with my Hybrid, but again I don't use panniers. I love the look of that synapse - and it would fit my bill....but apparently they don't actually have stock! (Rang them)

CitizenLee

Sorry to go off topic slightly, but what version of the Cannondale Quick did you have Jon?

I'm looking at the '18 Cannondale Quick Disc 2 at the moment as I really want 1x11 and hydros, but I'm not sure if I'll regret it and want a drop bar bike at some point in the future. I'm a mountain biker at heart so it's only for commuting really, 4 miles each way but the journey there is mostly up a big f***-off hill.

My previous commuters were a Cube Hyde Race (flat bar) and Genesis CdF 10 (drops) and I really preferred the Cube... although it could have been down to other things than just the different bars.

keef66

You're planning to ride 700km with a backpack?? :shock:

I was going to suggest a Synapse with rim brakes before I looked at your links...

apreading

I guess the first question should be what is wrong with your current bike? You list all the things it has that the new bike must have but what doesnt it have that you are looking for?

If you are touring, are you carrying your own luggage, tent etc? If so then you should SERIOUSLY look at panniers, and this will be key to your bike choice as alot of carbon road bikes need special solutions as they dont normally have the standard attachments. I only wear a daypack when mountain biking because you pretty much have to, and even then I did for a while use a pannier rack (with a hardtail) before deciding it wasnt really the right solution.

mercia_man

That Vitus from Chain Reaction looks a decent bet if you are doing a lightweight non-camping tour and want a bike with dropped bars to replace your Quick. It meets all your criteria, comes in at a good price and is available in a range of sizes. On the other hand, your Quick would do the job as well.

As others have said, I wouldn't fancy doing a tour of any length with a backpack. There's plenty of bikepacking gear available which would make your tour much more comfortable. If you are doing a camping tour, a proper touring bike with strong wheels and rack mounts is the best way to go.

haydenm

You can get something like a Nemo Hornet 2p tent which weighs less than 1kg and packs down for bike packing bags at about £350, obviously you would want a similarly lightweight sleeping bag too so it's not impossible to tent tour with bike packing if you wanted a slightly more versatile road bike. I love buying gear so that suits me well but it depends if you will have the budget before you go. Look at Planet X bike packing bags too, Podsacs are dirt cheap at the moment.

Pitty that Synapse wasn't in stock, wait a about and you might pick up a 2018 one for a similar price once the 2019 ones hit the shops?

jonboyuk

Thanks all. Basically the decision is 2 fold.

1. The bike I got was L (as recommended by the retailer). The bike I needed was XL. I found out after 2 months of commuting that I was getting really bad nerve pains up my wrist and eventually up my arm. I took it to a bike shop for a fitting and they said all they could do was try and make it better (we tried longer stems, a riser handlebar) but nothing worked. I asked the store if they would take it back and they've very generously agreed (minus a small sum for using it).

2. After using a flat bar, I realised I actually got the bug for cycling (very) quickly and looked at joining a club. They all have drops! My colleague, who I plan on going on tour with, goes with a huge group. Their 'stuff' gets taken by a couple of trailing cars, so they don't need backpacks, panniers etc.

Basically I'm loving cycling and as I have the chance to change my bike because of the mis-sizing, I'm going to take the plunge.

@CitizenLee - 2 people told me before I got the hybrid that I'd regret it for drop bars. I didn't regret the bike itself, it's a beast of a bike with good specs (bar the Sora groupset IMO). But I got the bug.