The good old "what bike for a grand" debate...

At the risk of abusing my position as a road.cc blogger to start a “what bike for £1000” thread... here is a blog post about “what bike for £1000”...sorry!

With all the excitement of a two year old getting the lid off a Fruit Shoot, I am at the sweetie counter and looking for new wheels.

The trusty Bianchi has served me with great distinction over 6 years, with the original wheels and group set still performing despite it having had a £600 price tag.

We have gone up hill and down dale, both in the UK and on the mountains of mainland Europe. But the time has come to move on and create new memories, on a new bike.

I am keen to keep to a budget though and having peered at pictures of the alloy Venge with a coat hanger grin on my face, I have scaled back the spend to a level befitting my current liquidity. So sorry Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative, I can’t buy from you

There is still some massive value to be had at this point of the market though. I bought a Rose SL 2000 a couple of years ago and the spec and quality at the £800 mark blew me away. That bike is now solely focused on time trial duty leaving the sportive slot to be filled! Kind of decadent but that’s cycling!

Would I want another Rose or Bianchi though?

It’s a question that, along with our newborn baby, has been keeping me awake at night. I am close to 40 and have only used about 5 bikes brands in 20 years of cycling such is my desire to get the most out of my bikes lifespan.

So, should I branch out and look at Wilier, Specialized and others rather than stick to what I know, but with upgraded components and a higher number hanging on a ticket from the bars?

 My thought process to date started with the Planet –X pro carbon. The group set on it was incredible for the price, but for many years now I have been hanging my nose over a Scott.

Of course its branding and marketing and I am being sold a dream by adverts but I just want one. However once I did my research I couldn’t justify the similar cost for much lesser spec.

I was grumpy, but my mind was made up. For the money I have, there is better available.

Next up was a Giant, but it just didn’t feel sexy enough. I didn’t connect with it at all, which is frankly ridiculous thing to say about a bike. It just didn’t feel right. And I know some people find the aesthetic of Giants most pleasurable and racy.

There are a couple of Bianchi models which have turned my head and made me think Celeste thoughts. All perfectly practical and actually on the better side of spec at the price points so they still hold a place in the driving seat.

In recent days I have been looking at the Specialized Roubaix SL4. There are some good offers at the moment on that model and it has a really nice appearance. As with Scott though we are back in Sora territory, which is a perfectly good set of equipment, it’s just in my head if I am spending a grand I want to see all internal cabling from my gear levers.

Snobbish, I agree.

When I have seen forum threads and discussions on this great website (and a multitude of others) I have sniffed at the original poster for not being clear in their own mind about what they want.

But now. Well, I can have some level of sympathy. It’s a real tipping point on price. You can go either alloy with better bits on it or bottom carbon with cheaper kit and a long term opportunity to upgrade.

I know I need to make a decision soon, or my next thought process will be to wait until the 2014 models come down in price as the next seasons colours and models are launched... although to be fair that isn’t a bad idea.

Please someone take me into a shop and not let me leave without a bicycle...