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First Bike/Ride To Work Questions…

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  • March 6, 2015 at 1:50 pm #23418
    hairyj

    Alright fellow bikers. I’m looking at getting an adventure bike/cyclocross type… I’m planning to use the ride to work scheme… You know the deal – you can use up to a get a grand on bikes/accessories … The bike will be used to commute from Lewes to Brighton and back (20miles) twice a week, get around the hilly village of Lewes (with my son on the back) and to generally mess about on at the weekends on tracks across the downs… I’ve been into Evans, and had a go on a Pinnacle Arkose Three – and really enjoyed my brief ride on it… I’ve been through their website, and come up with a list of potential bikes… from £750 through to the Pinnacle) and have looked across at the Broadman’s CXs at Halford. My main question is:

    Would I notice the difference between Shimano 105s and lower spec equipment/will I notice the difference between a £750 bike and a £1000 bike… its either invest the whole grand in the bike and then build up accessories out of my own pocket as it were, or split the Ride to Work scheme grand across bike and accessories.

    I’m guessing there’s a lot of you who have done the RTW scheme, so what would you suggest?

    Thanks for any suggestion/thoughts/advice.
    Best
    James

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  • March 9, 2015 at 1:03 pm #834871
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    Andyjones59

    I purchased my bike under the
    I purchased my bike under the cycle to work scheme last April. It was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve made, weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of tiagra or 105 on paper. In the end it became the easiest decision I had ever made once I had visited evans and had a blast. 105 is slicker, smoother and more responsive. In my opinion it was a pretty easy choice once I had road on both. I will confess away from your question that I threw my leg over an ultegra 11 speed steed, dug my hand deep into my pocket and parted with the extra £250. There was no comparison.

    March 9, 2015 at 12:53 pm #834869
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    JoshCroxton1

    If you’re after an adventure
    If you’re after an adventure / cross type bike. I wouldn’t rule out this from my local bike shop, they’ve just put them on offer.

    http://www.bikesheduk.com/specialized-secteur-elite-disc-2014

    Regards the above debate on groupsets, I am also of the opinion that 105 is the best compromise, especially when aesthetics are brought into the equation. If I were buying a groupset on it’s own, then 105 represents the best performance, style and weight for the money. But on a bike, you’ll no doubt find ~£700 bikes with 105, and ~£1400 bikes with Tiagra. Both will do the job for your commute equally well.

    Only if I were going for a dedicated race bike would I feel the need to step up to Ultegra, but then I’d probably go to Di2 anyway!

    March 8, 2015 at 5:11 pm #834867
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    Rod Marton

    Both 105 and Tiagra work
    Both 105 and Tiagra work pretty well: personally I find 105 the best compromise between performance, price and durability, but Tiagra isn’t far off. My best advice would be to go for the bike you really enjoy riding and don’t worry too much about the details. There are plenty of cyclocross-type bikes around at the moment, just find one you like.

    March 7, 2015 at 4:16 pm #834865
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    mike the bike

    I sort of agree and yet
    I sort of agree and yet disagree with the Judge. When he says that Sora and Tiagra are excellent value for money he is spot on. I have recent experience of both and cannot fault them for the price; they are rugged and work impeccably for a long time. Yes, the more you pay, the lighter and smoother it gets but it’s the old diminishing returns thing. You have to double the cost to get a 25% improvement.

    Where I disagree with m’Lord is in his opinion of 105. To my mind it’s all the groupset you will ever need and yet it can be bought for under £300. It is just that little bit better than Tiagra, slightly slicker and certainly nicer looking. For me it’s probably the best compromise, but it’s your money, you decide.

    Best of luck.

    March 7, 2015 at 4:02 pm #834863
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    Judge dreadful

    If you’re new to the whole
    If you’re new to the whole proper bike thing, then in my opinion, you wouldn’t notice the difference in the groupsets, unless you went from a total P.O.S. groupset to an Ultegra or something. I would say you were correct in your assumption that it’s better not to spend more than you need to to begin with, then upgrade, as the original bits wear out. For me, the 105 groupset is overrated, I’d be just as happy with a Sora or Tiagra. There is a big difference between the 105 and Ultegra, and the Dura Ace is night and day different again. That is, of course, in my opinion, I’m aware some will disagree.

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