Help - carbon road bike.

+1 for try-before-you-buy. I see near-new bikes on sale all over ebay and elsewhere because people bought bikes they didn't really get on with.

And +1 for build-your-own.

The key thing for starting out is to maximise the quality/price relationship, because you'll quickly tire of any compromises, and then be on the hunt for a better bike, and have to sell your near-new bike at a heavy discount.

Re the carbon/alu price crossover, opinions will vary but I think generally people on here will tell you that cheap carbon is not as good as good alu. Try this: find a carbon bike for £1000, then test ride it. Find a good alloy bike (cannondale CAAD is a good example) and repeat. My experience was that the carbon soaked up the road buzz, but it felt reluctant to accelerate. The alloy will ensure you feel the road surface, but when you jump on the pedals, the thing will practically light up. The great news is, you can sort the road buzz with such things as a carbon seatpost, lower tyre pressures, better bar tape etc.

It only cost me £2,200 to build a titanium road bike - Van Nic Ventus, Campag Athena/Chorus mix and Zonda wheelset. That was with expensive Thomson seatpost & stem, Easton EC90SL forks, Cane Creek 110 headset and a Selle SMP Forma saddle. You could easily use cheaper finishing kit and get a similar build down below £2k - in fact there's an off-the-peg build ("Ventus SE") sold in a number of places for £1600.

I also have a Canyon aluminium road bike with Ultegra Di2 and Ksyrium Elites that came in at £1800 boxed and delivered from their outlet listings.

Both are great bikes and much nicer options (IMO) than a generic carbon/105 number, so don't assume that you need to ride a carbon frame just because that's what the pros use.

I'd go to a well-stocked bike shop with a good range and ride a few bikes before dropping two grand on a first bike that a) may turn out to be nothing like what you expected and b) might not even fit you properly.

Just my 2p

I went with a relatively cheap carbon bike from Cube (Cube Agree GTC http://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/cube-agree-gtc-review-7721.html), as others have suggested I picked up the 2013 model just after they released the 2014 range so saved myself £350 and got it for £900.

I don't have a huge set of experience to compare it to other bikes, but as someone who recently switched from MTB to Road cycling, I've certainly loved my "cheap" carbon bike.

The Cube bikes tend to have pretty good reviews, and you do tend to get pretty decent components for the price point.

I'm already planning my next bike having got the bug, now I know I like the road bike I'll get myself something fancy in a year or so (disk brakes, possibly Di2) when some of the new tech has been around longer and consequently comes down in price a little.

A lot depends on what sort of riding you are doing as well. If you are doing 4-5 hour blasts on the weekend with the occasional Sportive like me, then any £1000+ bike will likely suit you very well. If you are commuting every day on it then tbh you probably want something cheaper that you care less about (I used to commute on my MTB with hybrid tyres on it). If you are racing then something higher end is probably more appropriate.

Why not all carbon and Ultegra with enough left over to buy some pedals. http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3241

(Inevitably.)

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/2014.liv.giant.avail.com...

Only £1000, well worth a look.

If people have steered clear of any comments on the Norco, its probably because its relatively unknown. Norco evokes thoughts of mountain bikes, long travel, Canadian North Shore etc etc - not perhaps road bikes.

I don't think you will notice that 'cheap carbon' is 'cheap'. Unless you can compare it back to back with expensive carbon. Carbon will make the road bumps and general chatter feel muted and slightly less harsh. Cheap or not, that should be a ride characteristic most carbon bikes will exhibit. Bikes like the cheapest Specialized Tarmac are close to what they were riding not too long ago on the pro circuit. There's a few sacrifices to keep the price down, but it would still be a good ride. Ditto Trek Madone.

Ah ok, apologies if that came across as patronising then! I don't know anything about the Norco, but from the other bikes I've ridden, I wouldn't go for carbon at £1500. Admittedly, I only paid £1600 for a good carbon bike (Trek Madone 4.5), but that was reduced from it's usual price of £2k. The big overlap of good aluminium and cheap carbon means that at £1500ish, I'd be looking more at a good alu bike.

Alternatively, do you have a branch of Edinburgh Bicycle co-op nearby? They have the titanium Van Nicholas Ventus at about £1500, and titanium is a different handling feel again.

Actually, talking of my discounted bike, what's your timescale for a decision? Shops start to apply the discounts around September/October time to make way for the next year's stock, so that's worth bearing in mind.

Finally, (sorry to introduce ANOTHER option!) you could spend, like, £300 on a cheap aluminium bike, ride the nuts off it until you have firm opinions on all the little details I mentioned, then blow £2k on a seriously nice piece of kit! Cervelo R3 105, anyone?!

Quick question - £2k is a lot for a first bike, but have you budgeted for all the other stuff? I ask because if this is your first road bike, then I'm assuming you don't have the rest.

As a starter, think about:
Shoes and pedals (they aren't usually included with the bike)
Helmet (should you choose to wear one, but sssh don't start a helmet debate round here!)
Jersey, base layer, shorts, gloves, armwarmers
Waterproof jacket
bottles and cages x 2
Track pump (don't underestimate the difference between a mini-pump and a track pump, it's wise to have both so you can get a proper amount of pressure in the tyres before you go out)
Saddlebag with inner tube, multitool, tyre levers etc

Then assuming you're hooked (you will be!), you'll want winter jersey and tights and maybe a jacket for the cold. Plus you'll start wanting bits like a Garmin.

Then there's the bike. The more you ride, the more you notice what you like and dislike. Before you know it, you've decided that the handling of the frame isn't quite what you hoped, the saddle's too narrow, the bars drop a bit too far, you don't like the bar tape and the brakes are a bit grabby for your tastes. This is so subjective that I don't think spending more initially mitigates any of it, so you spend more making it 'yours'. Ribbles are well-regarded, so in your shoes I'd spend up to £1k for one with mudguard mounts. Get to know it (and you), then when you feel like you have a better understanding of what kind of bike you *really* want, fit the mudguards to the first one and make that your winter bike, while taking delivery of something fast which suits you really well and which you now have the fitness to do justice!

At £2000 you should get a reasonable carbon frame AND groupset comparable to full 105. Anything less would strike me as not particularly good value.

You can also get a decent alloy frame but with Ultegra for sub £2000 easily.

Don't get a cheapo carbon frame!

Like a cheap Alu or cheap steel frame they're heavy, a bit dead feeling and, if you're buying some no name thing from Taiwan as someone suggested, you've got little in the way of warranty.

Get the best frame you can for that money and make do with whatever parts are on it, they can always be upgraded later.

Choice between a cheap(er) frame and full 105 at £2000 or a comparatively more expensive frame and full Tiagra at £2000, I'd go for the latter option every time.

I'd personally go boardman
i know there's a bit of a stigma but in my experience the frames look the part are light and stiff and you get a good overall package but do look into where you get yours built my Halfords in Ipswich centre are fantastic and the bike was built to a T the other one Iv been told to steer clear of in my area though

Look at either the low elite range on boardman a website or the pro carbon or SLR carbon from Halfords

Hi-mod is stiffer so you can use less (and therefore lighter frame) to achieve the same stiffness. Some frames claiming to be hi-mod aren't hi-mod throughout and for the mere mortal it will be difficult to tell the minute differences between frames (other than poisition and distinctly differing design purposes like aero Vs sportive).

£2k is a lot to spend on a first road bike. Some very good alloy framed bikes (cannondale CAAD, Giant TCR SL alloy if you can find one, Kinesis, etc etc) with 105 for around £1000 at the moment. Having seen some of the weights of low end carbon frames, its not necessarily better than alloy.

Get one that fits and the one you like the look of.

Carbon forks and rear triangle bend to give the effect of suspension, like riding a mountain bike except as light as an aluminium road bike. If you are very thin then the suspension may not be needed but if you are that thin you probably don't need a bike or, more likely you already have one. Cheap carbon for the win.

What's wrong with aluminium? For the price you are willing to pay for carbon , you will get a far better spec in alu with (likely) complete 105 minimum also likely to have better spec wheels

I'd go cheapo and did (Azzurri) and did not regret it. OEM frames from Taiwan on ebay and aliexpress look like a good deal too.