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First road bike for about £1k

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  • February 5, 2014 at 7:40 pm #20640
    Peter996

    Hi all,

    Apologies for this very basic question… what is a good first road bike around £1k?

    I’m a 46 year old male who got back into cycling about 2 years ago and have been riding a Specialized Elite Disc hybrid. I currently ride about 1200 miles a year max distance circa 40m usually at weekends. I want to get into some longer rides and I will get a bike through Cycle to Work scheme.

    Trouble is, I don’t really know much about bikes other than how to ride! I’ve started reading up, but after about 10 minutes my head is spinning… There are also so many reviews/opinions etc I don’t know where to start.

    Ribble bikes seem good value, but there are so many choice options! A colleague got a Planet X but I’ve read of customer service issues – and with my knowledge that probably isn’t ideal!

    Any thoughts gratefully received!

    Cheers,

    Peter

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  • February 12, 2014 at 4:23 pm #772119
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    flathunt

    For the money I reckon this
    For the money I reckon this is hard to beat, I don’t have one but I wish it was available when I was buying my Focus Cayo 105, full Ultegra for the same money, you could strip this and flog the parts for a profit, I’m (almost) sure.

    http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPULT2/planet-x-pro-carbon-shimano-ultegra-road-bike

    But then again I’ve never dealt with Planet-X so if their service isn’t up to snuff, well, maybe that’s where the bargain comes from.

    February 11, 2014 at 10:55 pm #772117
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    Kadenz

    I agree with drmatthewhardy
    I agree with drmatthewhardy about top tube lengthy being critical for getting a bike the right size. I’ve made the same mistake as him.

    If you’re looking for a £1000 bike that’s comfortable, I’d recommend you test ride a Trek Domane 2.0. It’s good a nice smooth ride and copes very well with poor road surfaces. It’s a sportive bike rather than one for racing in and has a highish head tube to take pressure off the back. I prefer it to my specialized roubaix.

    February 8, 2014 at 5:33 pm #772115
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    TheGingerAce

    Canyon is out I think as they
    Canyon is out I think as they aren’t part of the schemes being based in Germany, I found it best to try as many as I could

    February 8, 2014 at 1:22 pm #772113
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    peterben

    Giant Defy 1 , aluminium,
    Giant Defy 1 , aluminium, 105. Absolutely brilliant bike and better than almost any carbon bike at that price, it was bike of the year when I bought it and it has not disappointed. easily upgradable with new wheels when you feel the urge.

    February 7, 2014 at 8:45 pm #772111
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    matthewn5

    Don’t overlook the Canyon
    Don’t overlook the Canyon Roadlite:

    http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3191

    Under your budget and from a top manufacturer? Well reviewed in these hallowed pages:

    http://road.cc/content/news/93367-canyon-roadlite-al-70-2014-eurobike-first-ride

    One tip: the most important thing with frame size is the effective top tube length. Not the nominal frame size which is often the seat tube height. You can always put the seat down, but if the top tube is too long, you are stuck with a too-big frame (speaking as one who made this mistake once).

    Competitive Cyclist has a good online fit calculator, that works for me:

    http://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/fitCalculatorBike.jsp

    Happy cycling!

    February 7, 2014 at 4:09 pm #772109
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    Ali Gibb

    I add a vote for Boardman
    I add a vote for Boardman Team Carbon, at £999.99. I got one at the end of the summer and it is brilliant! Ali

    February 6, 2014 at 6:20 pm #772107
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    S13SFC

    I was in a similar position a
    I was in a similar position a couple if years ago. I test rode plenty, did the research etc and in the end, on the advice of my LBS, simply picked the one I thought looked the best.

    I now ride what I consider to be an excellent and well spec’d beauty of a bike.

    February 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm #772105
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    briano 55

    Kuota korsa lite, sram rival,
    Kuota korsa lite, sram rival, r500 wheels.
    1100 quid, lots of ex demo bikes going at the min for 750

    February 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm #772103
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    briano 55

    Kuota korsa lite, sram rival,
    Kuota korsa lite, sram rival, r500 wheels.
    1100 quid, lots of ex demo bikes going at the min for 750

    February 6, 2014 at 4:19 pm #772101
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    briano 55

    Kuota korsa lite, sram rival,
    Kuota korsa lite, sram rival, r500 wheels.
    1100 quid, lots of ex demo bikes going at the min for 750

    February 6, 2014 at 1:11 pm #772099
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    jason.timothy.jones

    I am one of the people that
    I am one of the people that had customer service problems with Planet X, but to be fair to them, they have sorted my problem out and offered a £30 voucher in return for my problems.

    Again in their defence my experience with them was still astonishingly better than what I have got from the larger places, to the extent that I am still a customer of Planet X…even before the freebe.

    That being said, I agree that for £1K you would expect a 105 groupo as a minimum, and a decent set of wheels. Everyone is skimping of the finishing kit now, so the other consideration is frame material. If you go with Aluminium for your price you should get better components than the same price on a carbon frame, except for the Planet X bike with Ultegra

    February 6, 2014 at 12:52 pm #772097
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    Yorkshie Whippet

    To avoid getting confused
    To avoid getting confused firstly decide what type of riding do you do now and what type would you like to be doing in a years time. Ultimately buy a bike that does what you want to do rather than you do what it’s capable of.

    You said that you do around 40miles and wish to increase. That suggests a more relaxed sportive rather than a racy set up. Do you want mudguards? Audax or winter style bike. Maybe something can handle the odd forray onto a canal towpath? Cyclocross or heavy duty commuter.

    Then start to think about frame materials, don’t get to hung up on the carbon/alu debate. The wheels and components are often just as important and a touch easier to change if you get it wrong. Each bike is a compromise.

    Finally don’t be too swayed by what others say. We all are biased and think our bike is the best in the world. I personally would reccommend the Planet X Superlight jobby as I still love mine after 5 years. There again I’ve just built a £3K Ridley and think it’s light years ahead.

    Starting at a good LBS is well worth it. They should listen and gently point you in a better direction, remember they can only sell what they stock. A bike show on the other hand will give you a good idea of what is out there, but the choice may seem like a minefield.

    February 6, 2014 at 12:17 pm #772095
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    Peter996

    Thanks for all of your
    Thanks for all of your comments and advice – very helpful to me!

    Would it be worth visiting the London Bike Show next week or will I leave even more confused?! Doesn’t take much to confuse me 🙂

    Cheers

    Peter

    February 6, 2014 at 10:38 am #772093
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    Simon E

    mrkeith119 wrote:Ride lots of

    mrkeith119 wrote:
    Ride lots of bikes, pick the one you like best.

    Honestly, it really is that simple. There are no real lemons.

    And buy from a shop whose staff treat you as a valued customer.

    Also +1 to parksey’s points.

    FWIW:
    http://road.cc/show/review-section/road-bikes/35
    http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/71216-2014s-hottest-£500-£900-road-bikes

    February 5, 2014 at 10:13 pm #772091
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    parksey

    Perfectly happy with my Trek
    Perfectly happy with my Trek Madone 2.1 bought for this money, a quality bike from a well-established brand.

    As per the comments above though, just get out to your local shops, do some test rides and listen to their advice. It’s all about getting the bike that feels right for you.

    Couple of points if you’re buying through C2W:

    1. Don’t get too excited about possible 2013 sale bargains. Some retailers don’t honour sale prices on C2W bikes due to the fee charged by the scheme provider basically eroding their margin to nothing. This was true of the majority of small independents I spoke to, larger chains like Evans may differ.

    2. Some retailers, Planet X for example, pass the scheme provider’s fee on to you, so you may pay another £100 or so to buy through C2W. Make sure you do your sums, as this can make the bike *more* expensive than just paying cash, depending on exactly what you do after the initial 12 month hire period.

    Happy shopping!

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