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My first road bike! Need help choosing between 4!

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  • May 18, 2011 at 5:29 pm #643915
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    cborrman

    Simon E wrote:simonmb wrote:I

    Simon E wrote:
    simonmb wrote:
    I really can’t see the sense in advocating a purchase of a thousand pound first bike without sitting on it first!

    OTOH some folk don’t mind trying a £1,000 gamble based on what a few “internet forum people” say. Easy come, easy go ;-)

    … we have all been through the process… decided on one thing and then bought another, in a cyclists lifetime we will hopefully end up buying everything from from superbikes off the internet in a heart-beat – but we will all go through the process of annoying the crap out of LBS staff, forums and friends for weeks in the process… 🙂 … and then buyt something different

    1) the stealth looks great value and well worth considering

    2) as does the focus

    3) use the LBS experience more to see what you like and do not like, i.e. do you like shimano or sram, tarmac or secteur, short drop or other, and if something sets your heart on fire buy it. I would also use that experience to look at lower price products (see points 4 and 5)

    4) I have a a top of the range tarmac and a bottom of the range allez, they are both great, the only difference is that the s-works just needed the tyres changing, the allez i would ideally upgrade the wheels as well, and maybe the odd groupset element (taper crank is just wrong, as is tiagra gears!)

    5) i could quite happily live with something like the secteur you mention or its tarmac equivalent, eventually upgrading the wheels like everybody eventually ends up doing anyway, so you have to ask yourself is it worth the extra over the basic secteur and upgrading what is important to you???

    now just go and buy what takes your fancy within your budget just because it looks nice, you like the paint or brand or something and get out and ride!

    May 17, 2011 at 9:12 pm #643913
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    zzgavin

    I spent 30 miles on the fuji,
    I spent 30 miles on the fuji, it was fun, but the fat seatpost gave me a bit of a battering and the frame i was on was too small a 58 and I’m 193cm.
    Look at the various fit calculators
    http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO
    http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2114
    etc

    Get a sense of top tube length, as that is the one that is hard to fit. Most online retailers have a 30 day return policy and maybe get some rollers to test out the bike on?

    I’m in a similar place and look and pretty much the same bikes, maybe stretching up to the cube agree gtc, though the cube attempt looks great for 1000 too

    cheers Gavin

    May 17, 2011 at 6:19 am #643911
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    simonmb

    shuttie92 wrote:Go second

    shuttie92 wrote:
    Go second hand

    Not a bad idea. Particularly for a first bike. There’s nothing in the bike-world quite as seductive as a brand new bike, but so many fancy new bikes are bought with good intentions of future rides, and then sit unused for a variety of reasons. Often they can be picked up for a bargain. Unless what you’re buying is REALLY old and shows signs of having been badly cared for any repairs that might need to be made are unlikely to cost a significant amount. Bikes are simple, and repairs are relatively inexpensive – it’s when you start to upgrade that the bills rack-up! You’re also guaranteed to be able to ride before you buy.

    May 17, 2011 at 3:12 am #643909
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    Gkam84

    shuttie92 wrote:Go second

    shuttie92 wrote:
    Go second hand and get yourself something amazing, only a couple of years old, at the same price. Buying new is a fool’s game B-)

    Why would you say that? Unless your after a specific bike that you cannot get new anymore, go new

    Yes 2nd hand can save you a bit of money, BUT if you buy local or from a decent company, you get guarantees and warranty, so anything goes wrong, take it to them and sort it

    Where as with 2nd hand, something goes wrong, like say the hub or gearing goes, then it might make up the difference to what a new bike would have cost

    May 17, 2011 at 1:58 am #643907
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    shuttie92

    Go second hand and get
    Go second hand and get yourself something amazing, only a couple of years old, at the same price. Buying new is a fool’s game B-)

    May 16, 2011 at 3:35 pm #643905
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    mr-andrew

    I’d also recommend having a
    I’d also recommend having a look at Planet X and Ribble. The Cube’s over at Chain reaction are also pretty nice.

    May 16, 2011 at 3:10 pm #643903
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    Simon E

    simonmb wrote:I really can’t

    simonmb wrote:
    I really can’t see the sense in advocating a purchase of a thousand pound first bike without sitting on it first!

    OTOH some folk don’t mind trying a £1,000 gamble based on what a few “internet forum people” say. Easy come, easy go 😉

    May 16, 2011 at 2:06 pm #643901
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    simonmb

    @Jason Baron. I do understand
    @Jason Baron. I do understand that, but perhaps you were just lucky. Since this is a first road bike I’m assuming the OP has no ‘numbers’ to work from, (are you going to tell him what to start measuring?) making sitting on one the most accurate way of assessing the fit. I really can’t see the sense in advocating a purchase of a thousand pound first bike without sitting on it first!

    May 16, 2011 at 1:59 pm #643899
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    Simon E

    simonmb wrote:They’re all

    simonmb wrote:
    They’re all great bikes, but the best one for you is the one that fits you best. If you can’t sit on it first, best not to buy it.

    +1 to what he said.

    Size and fit is top priority. Buy online only if you’re sure the size is right for you.

    I’d argue colour and styling is more important than specification. Why? Because you may well change the drivetrain, wheels etc sooner or later but you won’t change the colour or frame shape.

    May 16, 2011 at 1:53 pm #643897
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    roadracedave

    Out of those four, I would
    Out of those four, I would probably go for the Felt, it would definately be worth looking at the Boardman team carbon, Planet X Pro Carbon & Ribble though, they all offer a considerably higher spec groupset and better finishing kit for the same money.

    You can try the boardman out before you buy.

    In terms of fit, surely you can try a couple of frames, decide what style of frame you want, then get a mail-order bike with the same geometry. As Jason says, unless you have previously spent a decent amount of time on a road bike, the fit will feel slightly odd. A good LBS would be able to fit you up correctly if you told them what you were planning on using the bike for.

    May 16, 2011 at 1:03 pm #643895
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    Jason Baron

    No, you’ve misunderstood, my
    No, you’ve misunderstood, my best fit bike came from a blind source, Ribble, and not from sitting on one. A first road bike will feel odd in any case, so you won’t know what you’re feeling…you’ve got to trust the numbers rather than feeling in this instance. If one was an experienced rider it’d be different…

    May 16, 2011 at 11:27 am #643893
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    simonmb

    @Jason Baron. I think you’ve
    @Jason Baron. I think you’ve just proved my point about the importance of getting the right fit. Your Look was badly suited to you by the sound of it, and it made every ride a misery. OP here is looking to spend ‘long saved cash’, and I feel it’s important that they sit on the model before they decide. I’ve never bought a hat without trying it for size, nor would I want to buy a bike blind. Also, buy a bike from your LBS and it COULD be the beginning of a valuable relationship.

    May 16, 2011 at 10:58 am #643891
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    Jason Baron

    To counter the last post, I
    To counter the last post, I was riding a Look for ten years that was custom-fitted but gave me back/cramp/hip problems on every long ride. I assumed the pains were just something I’d have to put up with in my 40-something life. Then I did some research into geometry. I bought a Ribble Stealth recently and just knocked off two century rides in a week with NO PAIN whatsoever. It’s like a new sport. Head-tube length and horizontal top-tube are the two key measurements. You can tweak to mm’s with post set-back and stem length.

    Go get a Ribble, the New Sportive gets amazing reviews if you think the Stealth is too racy/expensive (I got SRAM Rival for £1200 though!)

    May 16, 2011 at 10:54 am #643889
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    dave atkinson

    Worth adding the Focus Cayo
    Worth adding the Focus Cayo 105 to that list

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/focus-cayo-105-ltd-2011

    full carbon + 105 for £1099, you get a week’s free test ride too.

    May 16, 2011 at 10:49 am #643887
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    simonmb

    They’re all great bikes, but
    They’re all great bikes, but the best one for you is the one that fits you best. If you can’t sit on it first, best not to buy it.

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