£3k: Propel, Aeroad, Tarmac or TCR?
cowboyjon
Posts: 89
Looking for some good old fashioned recommendations here chaps.
Been cycling for exactly one year and my main steed has been a 2018 giant defy advanced 1, which I've enjoyed. I went with the defy because of the easier riding position (I had a herniated disc at the time but I'm recovering).
Over the course of the last 12 months I've found I'm more into battering out rides in the 20-40 mile range as fast as I can - anything much more than that and I get bored. I've got to the point where I'm able to comfortably spend 90% of my ride on the drops and have gradually lowered the stem further and further with no back issues.
So I'm looking at buying another bike more suited to the kind of riding I enjoy and stuck looking at the £3k models of Giant Propel and Canyon Aeroad. Recently I've also started looking at Specialized Tarmac and Tcr's aswell though I definitely prefer the aero/semi aero bikes.
One thing I do know is deep section carbon wheels are a must, as is a 105 groupset minimum. Preferably stick to disc brakes too. I'd obviously like a lighter bike but not terribly fussed - pretty much all of the bikes I am looking at fall into the 8.5kg (size large) bracket which is a major improvement over my 10.7kg defy!
Been cycling for exactly one year and my main steed has been a 2018 giant defy advanced 1, which I've enjoyed. I went with the defy because of the easier riding position (I had a herniated disc at the time but I'm recovering).
Over the course of the last 12 months I've found I'm more into battering out rides in the 20-40 mile range as fast as I can - anything much more than that and I get bored. I've got to the point where I'm able to comfortably spend 90% of my ride on the drops and have gradually lowered the stem further and further with no back issues.
So I'm looking at buying another bike more suited to the kind of riding I enjoy and stuck looking at the £3k models of Giant Propel and Canyon Aeroad. Recently I've also started looking at Specialized Tarmac and Tcr's aswell though I definitely prefer the aero/semi aero bikes.
One thing I do know is deep section carbon wheels are a must, as is a 105 groupset minimum. Preferably stick to disc brakes too. I'd obviously like a lighter bike but not terribly fussed - pretty much all of the bikes I am looking at fall into the 8.5kg (size large) bracket which is a major improvement over my 10.7kg defy!
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Comments
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The spec of the £3k Aeroad is significantly better than anything else on offer. Make sure you are happy with the lead/delivery times before ordering though.0
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Imposter wrote:The spec of the £3k Aeroad is significantly better than anything else on offer. Make sure you are happy with the lead/delivery times before ordering though.
Are you sure fella?
Off the top of my head the Aeroad has 105 and the Propel has full ultegra.
I might be wrong tho.0 -
Canyon normally have a sale to coincide with the Tour de France so I’d keep an eye on that if you plump for that.
As above they aren’t always reliable with their delivery times although when I got my Endurace it actually came earlier than the date I originally got when I ordered it.0 -
cowboyjon wrote:Imposter wrote:The spec of the £3k Aeroad is significantly better than anything else on offer. Make sure you are happy with the lead/delivery times before ordering though.
Are you sure fella?
Off the top of my head the Aeroad has 105 and the Propel has full ultegra.
I might be wrong tho.
If you can live with it, there is very little appreciable difference between 105 and Ultegra if you keep it well maintained.
Honestly.
Most of the difference is in your head as a result of marketing.
Current 105 is leaps ahead of 10 speed Dura Ace0 -
You'll also find that your new bike isn't as light as you've read - I think yours is stated at 9kg plus ?
You could buy some nice upgrades for the 3k - you've already got a really nice bike there.0 -
cowboyjon wrote:Imposter wrote:The spec of the £3k Aeroad is significantly better than anything else on offer. Make sure you are happy with the lead/delivery times before ordering though.
Are you sure fella?
Off the top of my head the Aeroad has 105 and the Propel has full ultegra.
I might be wrong tho.
Yes I'm sure. The £3k (ie £2999) Aeroad has full Ultegra. That's the direct-mount version though. The disc version is another £350. The 105 disc is £2900. You get the Reynolds 58s with that, but you don't get the carbon cockpit like you do on the Ultegra bikes.0 -
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LakesLuddite wrote:
That bike is, IMHO, absolutely hideous :shock:0 -
cowboyjon wrote:LakesLuddite wrote:
That bike is, IMHO, absolutely hideous :shock:
In those colours and in that photo it looks sh1t but I've seen a few in showrooms and they look great. Don't think the pictures do it justice. I have no idea how it rides however.0 -
bendertherobot wrote:
That's a cracking price for the spec.0 -
Get the £2500 Aeroad with 105 and spend the rest on recovery drinksI'm sorry you don't believe in miracles0
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https://www.cyclerepublic.com/boardman- ... -2019.html
You can use the Halfords British Cycling discount at Cycle Republic which will push it below £3000.
Otherwise this is the model below with mechanical Ultegra and alloy wheels:
https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/pro ... -disc.html0 -
SloppySchleckonds wrote:Get the £2500 Aeroad with 105 and spend the rest on recovery drinks
Thanks, I think.0 -
This has caught my eye, might hold out to see if its reduced in the sales. Nice bike and wheels are supposed to be superb:
https://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/gian ... x8901057130 -
Hairy Boy wrote:This has caught my eye, might hold out to see if its reduced in the sales. Nice bike and wheels are supposed to be superb:
https://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/gian ... x890105713
Good shout mate, tho I do wonder if it'll be different enough (faster) than my Defy to justify owning it.
I thought I was 100% decided on the Canyon but ran into a bunch of old threads regarding their terrible delivery service. A quick look and yup - their Trust Pilot scores and reviews are easily the worst I have ever seen, in any branded company.
The Canyon is now a no-go.0 -
cowboyjon wrote:I thought I was 100% decided on the Canyon but ran into a bunch of old threads regarding their terrible delivery service. A quick look and yup - their Trust Pilot scores and reviews are easily the worst I have ever seen, in any branded company.
The Canyon is now a no-go.
You have a 50-50 chance with Canyon - either you will have the best customer experience ever - or you will have the worst. There is rarely any middle ground..0 -
Imposter wrote:cowboyjon wrote:I thought I was 100% decided on the Canyon but ran into a bunch of old threads regarding their terrible delivery service. A quick look and yup - their Trust Pilot scores and reviews are easily the worst I have ever seen, in any branded company.
The Canyon is now a no-go.
You have a 50-50 chance with Canyon - either you will have the best customer experience ever - or you will have the worst. There is rarely any middle ground..
This is true.
I had a nothing but positive experience with them but there are plenty of others who haven't.0 -
Ooooft, it's not worth the risk to me personally.
I'll probably end up with the Propel.
My Lbs has been nice enough to fix me up with a test bike for an entire weekend at the end of the month as part of Giant's own test bike scheme.
I'll continue to research but my money will stay in my pocket until I've tried the Propel for an entire weekend0 -
Disc brakes are a good idea0
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Jesus Christ, £3k only gets you 105 or Ultegra? :shock: Have a look for previous years models, or wait until the 2020 ones come out then mop up a bargain. Or even look on that Roadbikeexchange site.
I paid £3k for my Foil 5 years ago (previous years model, half price) and that had full SRAM Red, full Ritchey carbon finishing kit etc etc and weighed in well under 7kg. Last year I put eTap and a PM on it cos I still love it more than anything else I can find, and it’s still only 7kg.
I don’t get these new Aero bikes that weigh a frigging ton. 9kg? what are they doing to them, filling the seatposts with sand?0 -
I was in a similar position like you are, 12 months ago. I wanted an aero frame with aero wheels but I was on a budget. Less then 3000 £, can't recall 100% since £ is'nt my currency. However, Canyon Aeroad was something I was looking at but even with my racing license discount it was a bit out of my league so I finally went for a Giant Propel after also glancing at Bianchis and so on. I remember that Bianchi Aria (4th in the hierarchy I think) with heavy aluminium wheels was more expensive than the Giant Propel Advanced Pro 2 I ended up with. I think I paid 2000 £ in september from a British dealer. With Shimano 105 but with 55 mm aero carbon wheels. I have changed cassette, chainrings, cables, bottom bracket due to normal wear so it's only the shifters that's 105. Ultegra was a couple of hundred more expensive.
There is bikes out there I would pick over my Giant if I had the money, but the thing with cycling is that there is a lot more to be bought than the bike. I think that most bike manufactors struggle to keep up with Giant when it comes to "price worthiness" and I will never hesitate to buy another Giant even if I actually think the brand is a bit boring for some reason I actually can't come up with.
By the way, you haven't considered a TT bike?
Happy shopping / Niclas0 -
Have you looked at Rose, similar to Canyon in terms of route to market I believe with far superior service
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/rose-xeon-c ... en%2Fblack
This is ultegra di2 and disks for under 3k0 -
neilkav1 wrote:Have you looked at Rose, similar to Canyon in terms of route to market I believe with far superior service
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/rose-xeon-c ... en%2Fblack
This is ultegra di2 and disks for under 3k
Cheers mate, seems like good spec for the money but doesn't really do it for me.0 -
NorvernRob wrote:Jesus Christ, £3k only gets you 105 or Ultegra? :shock: Have a look for previous years models, or wait until the 2020 ones come out then mop up a bargain. Or even look on that Roadbikeexchange site.
I paid £3k for my Foil 5 years ago (previous years model, half price) and that had full SRAM Red, full Ritchey carbon finishing kit etc etc and weighed in well under 7kg. Last year I put eTap and a PM on it cos I still love it more than anything else I can find, and it’s still only 7kg.
I don’t get these new Aero bikes that weigh a frigging ton. 9kg? what are they doing to them, filling the seatposts with sand?
This has went through my mind as I've looked at the bikes.
My 2018 Defy Advanced 1 has a mix of Ultegra and 105, Giant's disc brakes (which are plenty good enough) and tubeless ready wheels and tyres and it cost me all of £1500 in a sale this time last year.
The aero bikes I like may have ever so slightly better spec - full ultegra, one or two kilos lighter, but they are a helluva lot more expensive - in some cases literally twice as much as my Defy.
I've thought about picking up some 50mm carbon wheels for the Defy as an alternative to a new bike but I know that will only placate me for a few months and I'll be right back looking at aero bikes.0 -
cowboyjon wrote:neilkav1 wrote:Have you looked at Rose, similar to Canyon in terms of route to market I believe with far superior service
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/rose-xeon-c ... en%2Fblack
This is ultegra di2 and disks for under 3k
Cheers mate, seems like good spec for the money but doesn't really do it for me.
If the Rose Xeon doesn't float your boat then have a look at the X-Lite Four range. Semi-aero frameset and the claimed weight of the 105 equipped disc version is 7.4kg which is pretty good for a disc bike.
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/rose-x-lite ... ing-Yellow
The basic 105 bike is £2.2K and you can specify the Rose 40/50 carbon wheelset for just over £700 so that keeps it within your budget.
I have the rim braked version of the X-Lite Four and can confirm their claimed sub-7kg weight for that model. It's a great bike and I can recommend Rose for their delivery efficiency and customer support0 -
cowboyjon wrote:NorvernRob wrote:Jesus Christ, £3k only gets you 105 or Ultegra? :shock: Have a look for previous years models, or wait until the 2020 ones come out then mop up a bargain. Or even look on that Roadbikeexchange site.
I paid £3k for my Foil 5 years ago (previous years model, half price) and that had full SRAM Red, full Ritchey carbon finishing kit etc etc and weighed in well under 7kg. Last year I put eTap and a PM on it cos I still love it more than anything else I can find, and it’s still only 7kg.
I don’t get these new Aero bikes that weigh a frigging ton. 9kg? what are they doing to them, filling the seatposts with sand?
This has went through my mind as I've looked at the bikes.
My 2018 Defy Advanced 1 has a mix of Ultegra and 105, Giant's disc brakes (which are plenty good enough) and tubeless ready wheels and tyres and it cost me all of £1500 in a sale this time last year.
The aero bikes I like may have ever so slightly better spec - full ultegra, one or two kilos lighter, but they are a helluva lot more expensive - in some cases literally twice as much as my Defy.
I've thought about picking up some 50mm carbon wheels for the Defy as an alternative to a new bike but I know that will only placate me for a few months and I'll be right back looking at aero bikes.
And barely any noticeable advantage in an aero frame for most situations and riders.
Build your own?0 -
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-Sup ... 215985.htm
Personally, I want to see if they will make a new CAAD0
