Head to head comparisons

yiannism
yiannism Posts: 345
edited February 2019 in Road general
I really love this site, i read it daily, but (and thats a general complain) what about a head to head comparisons when they review a bike for example? Something like that would be really helpful for someone that is looking for a bike but cant ride all. There is no bicycle website doing that. Why?

Comments

  • cld531c
    cld531c Posts: 517
    Why would someone who 'cant ride at all' want a bike?
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    He said 'all', not 'at all'.
    I don't do smileys.

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  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,313
    Probably because bikes within similar specs are so identical that you can't really pick one or another.

    They are much of a muchness, with the main difference being colour of the frame

    Imagine 2 cars with marginally different chassis, but everything else identical, engine, transmission, shocks, tyres, specs, extras, interiors... all but the chassis... would you be able to pick one over another?
    left the forum March 2023
  • davep1
    davep1 Posts: 837
    I disagree with Ugo. I rode about 6 different bikes when I was looking a few years ago. The two that on paper were the most similar, I found one gave a noticably harsher ride than the one I bought.

    The OP has a good point, it would help to see direct comparisons, although magazines do that. There's still no substitute for your own opinion after having an actual ride though; we're all different and one person's dream ride could be a nightmare for someone else.
  • cld531c
    cld531c Posts: 517
    cooldad wrote:
    He said 'all', not 'at all'.

    Well spotted, still don't understand the point of the questio nor even what 'cant ride all' means?
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Someone who can't get to ride all possible bikes?
    I don't do smileys.

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  • cld531c
    cld531c Posts: 517
    cooldad wrote:
    Someone who can't get to ride all possible bikes?

    Someone who would buy a brand they had not tested based on a (no doubt) paid promotion over one they could test? Ok then. Each to their own.
  • OnTheRopes
    OnTheRopes Posts: 460
    cld531c wrote:
    cooldad wrote:
    Someone who can't get to ride all possible bikes?

    Someone who would buy a brand they had not tested based on a (no doubt) paid promotion over one they could test? Ok then. Each to their own.
    He didn't say he would buy a brand untested though did he, he said he would like to see head to head comparisons which would be useful for people looking for a bike. Totally different.

    Seems a good idea, compare for example a certain genre of road bike (race, touring, gravel etc) within a certain price range and tabulate the differences like they do for buying other products, geometry, weights, groupset, frame materials, max tyre widths, wheels, finishing kit, available sizes, colours, ride qualities, etc
    Sure it's something you could do yourself and if you are researching a bike yourself then you should but it may make the process easier for some.
  • zendoflex
    zendoflex Posts: 14
    I don't see the point of doing 1:1 comparisons. A bike is not a one-suits-all product. There is not such a thing as "a bike", it's always a combination of lots of different things. Most "bike manufacturers" do nothing more than whitelabeling parts from different factories, assembling them and selling for a higher price tag. And for everything else, there are 1:1 comparisons. e.g. saddles, tires, tire sealants, hubs, frames, etc.

    A bike comes in so many configurations, e.g. the BMC timemachine has an amazing frame but is also sold with cheap alu wheels, schwalbe lugano and a shimano 105. with what do you want to compare it? with an alu frame that has a good wheelset and schwalbe pro evo? the BMC will probably lose and people could think BMC is heavily overpriced even though it isn't but a cheap aluminium frame is just superior if it has a great wheelset and good tires.
  • yiannism
    yiannism Posts: 345
    1st of all i apologize for my poor English, is just my 2nd language. What i wanted to say on ''ride them all'' i should say test ride them all. Now let me explain my self.

    1,5 year a go i was on the market for a decent carbon endurance bike, to replace my Orbea alu. I knew that my budget allowed me to search bikes with 105 groupset, and the basic wheels on lets say around 2000 euros. I would love to read a head to head comparison for bikes on that target group, to understand why i pay premium for my Bianchi, is that worth it (the frame) compared to a cheaper options, other than the looks and the history? Does my infinito CV is more comfortable or worse compared to Cannondale Synapse (that it was my other option, and cheaper)? stuff like that.

    Car magazines do that all the time. I cant see why a bike magazine cant do the same, given the fact that they are so many choices its even harder, so those comparisons can at least eliminate some of them.
  • manglier
    manglier Posts: 1,279
    Try this:
    https://www.cyclist.co.uk/buying-guides ... -road-bike

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