Victoria Pendelton naked...oh ok, really it's buying advice

SpaceBadger
SpaceBadger Posts: 113
edited September 2010 in Road buying advice
Hi all

Have been riding a hybrid :oops: for a few years and feel now that I've earned my stripes and can justify spending up to £1000 on a road bike - usage will be for commuting (although depending on how much I love it then it may not be forced to suffer many commutes at all, especially in winter), weekend riding and charity rides and maybe even a sportive one day :)

Have been browsing and narrowed it down to these, aside from the obvious try before you buy policy to see which suits me best, anyone got any thoughts on which one I should go for in this price range? :?

Cannondale CAAD8
Cannondale CAAD10 (if they do one for around this price?)
Planet-X Pro SL Carbon
Boardman Team Carbon
Trek 1.5

I have some understanding of which components are better than others but I don't know the cost-benefit ratio of them really. Not sure I'm at a level that I would notice the more subtle differences but if there's some quality of e.g. groupset that I really should expect to have for the price then please let me know!

Any and all advice very welcome
Cheers
E
"I think the phrase rhymes with Clucking Bell"

FCN = 4

Comments

  • kitsunegari
    kitsunegari Posts: 131
    I will dispense advice when I see Victoria Pendleton naked.
  • Spudboy
    Spudboy Posts: 101
    No personal experience but based on what I hear I would imagine the CAAD 10 is the pick of this bunch. Assuming it fits you I think you will be grinning ear to ear for years to come.

    The CAAD series are highly respected and much loved by their owners. Check out Weight weenies forum for some CAAD love.
  • meggiedude
    meggiedude Posts: 257
    Any reason why a 2010 CAAD 9 is not on your list??
    Can I upgrade???
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    Cannondale CAAD8
    Cannondale CAAD10 (if they do one for around this price?)

    CAAD10 with 105 is gonna be around 1399 so out of your budget.

    I have the older CAAD5 with 105 and it's superb. CAAD8 is also a great frame, you'll notice the quality of finish is way above most other brands (and above the non-US made CAAD10 from the photos I've seen). You just can't see the welds at all they're finished so well, most other bikes have loads of ugly weld debris. The Cannondale simply has better attention to detail and I think a lot of folk would say it absorbs vibration better thanks to the design of the rear chainstays.

    CAAD8 with 105 would be my advice. But don't just look at new ones, you'd get a used CAAD9 for your budget. A lot of folk buy bikes with good intentions and never use them. I paid only 400 for my practically new CAAD5 over a year ago.
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
  • meggiedude
    meggiedude Posts: 257
    kitsunegari wrote:
    I will dispense advice when I see Victoria Pendleton naked.
    This is the closest you're going to get:
    article-1189237-051E7DF5000005DC-824_634x342_popup.jpg
    Can I upgrade???
  • meggiedude
    meggiedude Posts: 257
    unixnerd wrote:
    CAAD8 with 105 would be my advice. But don't just look at new ones, you'd get a used CAAD9 for your budget.
    There's new 2010 CAAD9's with Tiagra going for 900quid, I still say that's a better option than a CAAD8 with 105 IMHO
    Can I upgrade???
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,470
    why pendleton? shes not on the same planet as armitstead!

    what was the question again?
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago

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