First proper road bike
jwmutlow
Posts: 2
Hi there - hoping some people can help with some advice or at least affirm my decisions on my first proper road bike.
Me:
29, living/working in London, good shape, 5 ft 10, 70kg~. Cycled everything/everywhere since 17. Mostly on my 2008 Specialized Sirrus which of which the only remaining original part is the frame/fork and has had to be converted to a single speed a few years ago to stop it falling apart. I'd estimated the bike has done in excess of 30k miles in it's time.
Primary uses:
- Cross country - London -> Barcelona & London -> Milan
- Avoiding public transport - 20miles~ p/day
- Avoided 'hobby' or sport/race cycling like the plague until now
However, it's going to cost another £300 to bring it back to scratch as all wheels/headset/brakes and now crank set needs replacing. I've probably spent £700+ on it over the years.
Time to upgrade and get a proper bike as I'm doing London -> Prague in the summer and need some gears again.
Budget: £1000~ (I can go a couple of hundred higher if it's worth it)
What I care about:
- Value for money
- Light weight
- pragmatism, I won't buy something because "oh, but it's a Cannondale!"
What I don't care about (so much):
- Brand (it's just a name)
- Customer service (mate is a mechanic and can do/teach me anything)
- Comfort, I'd rather save 500g than have my arse a little less red
On the fence about:
- Looks, they're important but i'm definitely a 'value' person
What I'm thinking of buying:
- Cube Attain GTC Race 2016: https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p66 ... -RACE-2016
Why:
- Under £1k
- Ultegra group-set (not brakes)
- The 'attain' frame is rated 4/4.5 stars everywhere
- Guide weight of 8.1kg (aware in might be a smidge higher in reality)
- Looks are 'ok'
Second option (compared to the above): https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p66 ... -DISC-2016
- Still under £1k
- Nearly 1kg heavier at 9kg
- lovely hydraulic discs
- Same/Similar frame
- looks MUCH nicer
I've heard the CAAD12 is better but it's sold out everywhere and was several hundreds more with a lower groupset and no discernable gains. I also love how the 'Ribble/Canyon' bikes look but again, a few hundred quid higher and I can't quite make out why.
Please pick holes and recommend a better value bike! My max limit is £1.3k but it would have to actually be better (all opinions valid, I'm not purely a spec person).
Me:
29, living/working in London, good shape, 5 ft 10, 70kg~. Cycled everything/everywhere since 17. Mostly on my 2008 Specialized Sirrus which of which the only remaining original part is the frame/fork and has had to be converted to a single speed a few years ago to stop it falling apart. I'd estimated the bike has done in excess of 30k miles in it's time.
Primary uses:
- Cross country - London -> Barcelona & London -> Milan
- Avoiding public transport - 20miles~ p/day
- Avoided 'hobby' or sport/race cycling like the plague until now
However, it's going to cost another £300 to bring it back to scratch as all wheels/headset/brakes and now crank set needs replacing. I've probably spent £700+ on it over the years.
Time to upgrade and get a proper bike as I'm doing London -> Prague in the summer and need some gears again.
Budget: £1000~ (I can go a couple of hundred higher if it's worth it)
What I care about:
- Value for money
- Light weight
- pragmatism, I won't buy something because "oh, but it's a Cannondale!"
What I don't care about (so much):
- Brand (it's just a name)
- Customer service (mate is a mechanic and can do/teach me anything)
- Comfort, I'd rather save 500g than have my arse a little less red
On the fence about:
- Looks, they're important but i'm definitely a 'value' person
What I'm thinking of buying:
- Cube Attain GTC Race 2016: https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p66 ... -RACE-2016
Why:
- Under £1k
- Ultegra group-set (not brakes)
- The 'attain' frame is rated 4/4.5 stars everywhere
- Guide weight of 8.1kg (aware in might be a smidge higher in reality)
- Looks are 'ok'
Second option (compared to the above): https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p66 ... -DISC-2016
- Still under £1k
- Nearly 1kg heavier at 9kg
- lovely hydraulic discs
- Same/Similar frame
- looks MUCH nicer
I've heard the CAAD12 is better but it's sold out everywhere and was several hundreds more with a lower groupset and no discernable gains. I also love how the 'Ribble/Canyon' bikes look but again, a few hundred quid higher and I can't quite make out why.
Please pick holes and recommend a better value bike! My max limit is £1.3k but it would have to actually be better (all opinions valid, I'm not purely a spec person).
0
Comments
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Find one that fits is the best advice anyone can give regardless of brand, price, deal. Try a local shop that will take the time to do this for you sure you might pay a little more but you will hopefully come away with the right bike. If you don't want to go in a shop then start here to find the right size. Its by no means perfect but its a good starting point
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store ... p#measures0 -
Your No.1 pick looks very good value especially with the ultegra groupsets.
but this is not bad
https://www.cyclesurgery.com/p/orbea-or ... .3609.html
https://www.cyclesurgery.com/p/orbea-av ... 5.108.html
https://www.cyclesurgery.com/p/giant-de ... 9.117.html
Giant has life time warranty on the frame. Good peace of mind.
Since you don't really care about your arse then any race bike should be fine as long as you follow the size guide.0 -
Some comments and experience of the Cube Attain Pro Disc in this thread.
viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=13074495
You could PM the OP for more details or one of the contributors to the thread who also has one and could be a useful lightening rod.0 -
Edinburgh bike coop had Caad 12 discs for about £1100 last week but you need to call them as its not advertised on the website.0
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If you're not bothered about names then check Decathlon out. Ultegra equipped road bike for £1050 with rave reviews (Cycling Weekly roadbike of the year 2016):
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-720-af ... 31274.html
I've got one and am super happy with it. Fwiw I think it looks pretty good too. There is also a 105 equipped version for £650 which again, is well reviewed (and in this case Cycling Weekly's best value roadbike 2017).0 -
Honest question, with the recent lineup upgrade for 105/Ultegra/Dura Ace why is Ultegra worth so much to non-racers?
I'm willing to bet that a 3 y/o Ultegra before the lineup upgrade shifts the same as 105 does now. Multiple review sites have concurred.
I guess I'm the kind of guy that would rather get the frame I want and upgrade components and wheelset versus the other way around.
Especially if you're considering a bike at $1k GBP. I can understand wanting Ultegra on a $2k GBP bike.
I'd get a bike if I were you at $1k GBP with 105 and get more frame.0 -
I went to a bike fitter with my starter road bike, then asked him for recommendations.
A good bike fitter will know the geometries of various models. He recommended a Canyon Ultimate CF Small frame.
Been super happy with it since.
Another advantage was I could match the settings up to those of my first bike - with the now correct post-bike-fit settings.0 -
Have a look at Ribble, my mate has just picked up a full carbon / full Ultegra for £1100.
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-r8 ... GwodJ8kM0g0
