New Bike Advice!

Both the Cube and the Synapse are great bikes, is the Cube local to you or are you looking at an online purchase?

If you can try it and it suits then go for it, but I wouldn't have thought that the electronic shifting would be worth the punt on something you haven't tried.

Disc brakes? If you ride a lot in the mountains or will be doing lots of riding in wet horrible weather then yes, otherwise not something to get hung up on.

I enjoy cycling with my friends every night, as it provides a lot of health benefits. I has a Forme Axe Edge, it has a carbon-fibre frame that weighs just 950g. Condor Italia RC is another great bike, you may want to consider buying it.

In all honesty I would love to have an old 531 Raleigh team replica. A new set of wheels and a refurb and it will still be a great ride. I happen to like steel frames, some people are even paying over the odds today for new manufacture steel much like what Raleigh were mass producing in the 70's and 80's.

The only thing you might not like is sticking with a quill stem but there are still plenty available.

+1 for Giant Defy- i bought my first road bike and haven't looked back. I love it, i tested about 10 different bikes alloy & carbon from all big brands. I cant recommend it enough. Best of all if (!!) you can wait till after Summer Giant do some very good reductions of the rrp. I saved £300 on my Defy Composite 2, but if i were to buy another id look at this:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/defy.advanced.2/19188/77291

My Comp2 came with SRAM Apex which was a "cheap" groupset but i think its outstanding, never missed a gear or let me down. For me riding a few bikes told me what i needed to know, and that was how the bike felt and made me feel. I still love it and think i made the right choice for a beginner, hammered over 3K miles on it.

Lots of snobbery in cycling, which i like btw about brands etc but make sure you buy with your heart as your head will forgive you eventually...

You not going to get Di2 for £1500.

Get something like this
http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/rose-xeon-cdx-3100-di2/aid:756153
Sure it looks like out your budget but in the long run you will save yourself plenty of money because you will be future proof. Comfort Geo for those older riders and comfort means better performance.

I see this as value for money and you won't regret it.

I have the previous version and commute to work and disc brakes is a must. You can brake effortless and it will put a smile on your face. With a finger you can come to full stop with control and ease unlike before I have to use brute force with rim brakes.

Not to mention all my colleagues are now on disc because they are all tired of changing their wheels every year £300 -£1000 each year adds up.

For those who will try to talk you out of disc don't listen to them. In a few years time they will have it on their bikes and you will be losing out.

Synapse is nice, I've had one which I got second hand however new they are a little expensive compared to similar bikes from other brands.
My impartial advice would be that Giant's Defy is all the bike you will ever need, simply buy the one you can (just) afford from the range. And the one that fits you of course, which is where a decent shop will come in handy.

Blimey, I think plenty of bike shops that would love to meet you if you're considering di2, they'll be closing early. This is the brief - "I am not interested in Racing or TT’s – just 50-100 miles a week at a steady 15mph pace."

If you're returning to riding after 30 years, I think you'll be overwhelming happy with just a 105 groupset, which is the one that gives the best bang for the buck. When you have a budget you should be thinking ahead to the recurring costs and what you might do yourself vs taking it to the LBS. More expensive groupsets, cost more to keep running.

If you don't commute, live somewhere hilly, or plan to ride much in heavy rain, stay with conventional brakes. I have disc brakes on two bikes, but not on the roadie.

If you've been looking at ranges of bikes, as you go down the prices the frame is often the same, it's the wheels and groupset that change. What I've done before, is buy the cheaper bike and then upgrade the wheels sometime later, you don't have to spend the whole budget in one go. Spare wheels can also be handy, for example, use the good ones in the summer and the original set in the winter when they'll get exposed to salt and crud.

The disc or not argument has been done to death, not essential is my advice in this case.

I'd not opt for electronic stuff if you're not yet a committed/confirmed cycling loony. Mechanical stuff is easy to mess with, easy to replace/upgrade/downgrade and more compatible generally. There is no performance benefit to electric gears, despite what some folk will tell you...

Contrary to popular opinion, disc brakes are not essential.

My bike buying algorithm goes something like:

Choose a groupset; Sram, Campag or Shimano.

Choose a level of groupset; Tiagra, 105, Ultegra, Dura-Ace if you want Shimano.

Choose a frame type; carbon, alloy, steel.

Then go and look in bike shops at the kind of bike that begins to fit these specs. The more research you do, the better informed you get, but be wary of becoming too involved in the whole comparison process and turning into a sad trainspotter; you are buying it as a tool, not an ornament.

If you are happy to fit yourself to the bike and vice versa you can buy on-line, but safest option is to buy from a shop who can help you out.

Best buy strategy; choose a bike that has been proven in the pro tour ranks over a few years, then look for bargains. You don't need this seasons must have, get something older at a discount.

...be aware that cycling has become an aspirational activity and cycle sales are now conducted like sales of any fashion item with seasonal changes, next-must-haves, and a large dose of pseudo technical bollocks and emperors new clothes, none of which will make you go faster or further. See disc brakes, wide rims, Paris-Roubaix branding, £250 bike fits, any number of clothing companies, sports 'science', power meters to ride to the shops and so on...

Hi. Oddly I recommenced cycling 6 years ago after er, a 35 year lay off! I am similar in my riding needs as you - no racing, 50 mile rides etc. I have beeome a bit obsessed and have now built up numerous bikes new and old and a few off the peg. Getting to the point I have had two Cannondale Synapses (still got one) and I feel that you need look no further. In most reviews they come at either top or pretty soon after. Depending on the model you get they are pretty light and comfortable. Also they still manage to be stiffish at the rear triangle. My weight hovers between 14-15 stone (currently the latter as my diet/excercise was ruined by a snapped achilles tendon in Feb - badminton not riding!) and with some decent wheels got no flex or brake rub. As to model, I had a 2012 Ultegra High Mod with Mavic Ksyriums (great hoops) and it was sublime but was some £3.5k new. That said I sold it 2 years later via my lbc (p/ex,d for an electric shifting something else) and it went for £1.5k - a snip I think. I have also had a Trek Domane with it's novel "de-coupler" - it works and is not a gimmick. That is also an option. Anyway, I urge you to invest the max £ you can, to get something nice - with minimum Shimano 105 and maybe Mavic Askium wheels - maybe within your budget. I say this as if you get into cycling more, you will only want to change bike or upspec parts quickly and that will overall cost more. If you are confident, used bikes can present great bargains from mags/ebay, if not, some lbcs do second hand with a warranty (e.g. Leisure Lakes). Disc brakes will be better particularly in wet conditions. They will be more expensive though and not as easy to maintain - especially if you have a breakdown mid-ride. That said, conventional well set-up brakes are normally quite adequate for the leisure type riding you will probably do. Again, the higher the groupset quality the better the braking. Lower end sets though can be greatly improved by switching blocks. End of! Hopefully this is all of some use - good luck.

Disc brakes if you plan to ride in wet weather/winter and downhill.
Overkill for myself.

Marmite I mean disc brakes, for some: love it and some hate it.

Synapse carbon is very nice. Comfortable riding position too.