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New Road Bike

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  • December 23, 2013 at 1:47 am #20376
    CloudDog

    Hi
    I am a bit confused by all the reviews to be honest
    i’m looking for a Women’s road bike in the sale (52 cm) (i’m 163) around the £1500.00 mark maybe £1699 but no more

    I am sooo confused with the ratings that so many magazines and on line have. It is really difficult to know what to trust

    I’m just going by looks most of the time and don’t like to see anything but ***** on a review.

    I saw a great table comparing a lot of different models and the cannondale super six came up about the top of the entire list

    does that sound right?

    I’m not sure if i should be trusting second hand either with this much of a clue!

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Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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  • December 27, 2013 at 6:45 pm #766361
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    hampstead_bandit

    I would highly recommend
    I would highly recommend going to a proper bike shop like Sigma or a Specialized Concept Store and getting a good “fit” on a bike and having it adjusted to your needs to make sure its 100% right for you

    I would not get consumed by having the highest specification parts; as a well fitted bike is a joy to ride, whereas a badly fitted bike (with nice bits) is horrible to ride and may ruin your enjoyment of riding

    I am a specialized fan, and would rather have a well fitted Allez Elite than a badly fitted Tarmac Comp, as an example (I’ve had both!)

    2nd hand is to be avoided, unless you are a bike mechanic and know exactly what you are buying, or have enough experience as a seasoned rider to make a good choice

    December 27, 2013 at 6:23 pm #766359
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    Surf57

    As in my previous post,
    As in my previous post, Pedalon don’t charge for a bike fit. Also I was in the shop last month, and a guy was saying he paid £350 for a bike fit, and was complaining his new Defy was not too comfortable. The techie said, well we set it up as your bike fit guy specced, but no worries, we’ll do it our way and you can judge for yourself. Needless to say, after a few minutes of minor weeks, he was hugely impressed, and not one of the shop guys rubbed his nose in the obvious to their credit.
    Point is, if the shop can’t do a bike fit, or charge you, you’re in the wrong shop. 🙂

    December 27, 2013 at 4:05 pm #766357
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    Meaulnes

    A really good idea is to set
    A really good idea is to set some of that money aside for a proper fitting. It’s amazing how much more comfortable you will be if the seat angle is right, the size of bike is right, if the handlebars are in such a position so as not to put too much pressure on your wrists and so on.

    December 27, 2013 at 12:18 pm #766355
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    Anonymous

    As above really. £1500 is a
    As above really. £1500 is a serious budget – so expect choice and proper service: remember that you’re doing the shop a favour by giving them your business so if they don’t seem to want it or you feel you’re being fobbed off walk away!

    December 27, 2013 at 10:05 am #766353
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    Surf57

    That’s a nice budget, and
    That’s a nice budget, and suggest a look at Pedalon online, and if you can go to the shop it will be worth it, as they have such a great range and very knowledgable staff who are all serious riders. You get the best value from Giant or Trek in my opinion, and both are covered in the sale at Pedalon.
    Have a gander at the carbon framed giant TCR composite 1 and trek Madone 4.5. They’ll give you a free bike fit, and all the techies putting your bike together are highly trained and routinely tested so you come away with a very safe choice.
    Before anyone wonders,, no I don’t work there, but I have used them since 2004, and had two bikes from them with super service constantly.

    December 23, 2013 at 2:06 pm #766351
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    Tjuice

    Some sensible comments above.
    Some sensible comments above. My tuppence is to suggest you try a number of different bikes to see what you like best in real life (irrespective of what the reviews tell you)

    When I was in the market for my race bike, I tried at least 5 bikes that were all roughly in the right price range. And actually, I avoided looking at reviews.

    Getting some advice from Sigma and/or other shops is a good thing to do, but there’s no real substitute for trying different bikes (over a few miles – not just a pootle round the car park), perhaps trying your favourite one or two more than once on different days. And then choose the one that puts the biggest smile on your face. At the end of the day, the bike that makes you happiest is likely to get you out riding the most. That will have a bigger impact on your performance/enjoyment than one reviewer’s perceptions of bottom bracket stiffness…

    For reference, some years later, I still really, really love my race bike (I did upgrade wheels at some point). But I have never got on quite so well with my winter bike (which I bought blind), even though it is set up as best I can tell exactly the same as the race bike (and even when I fully take into consideration the fact that it will never be as light/fast as the race bike).

    December 23, 2013 at 11:37 am #766349
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    jstreetley

    +1 for Sigma Sport. Really
    +1 for Sigma Sport. Really looked after me when I bought from there. Worth travelling to from other parts of London.

    December 23, 2013 at 10:55 am #766347
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    Simon E

    jova54 wrote:Whatever else

    jova54 wrote:
    Whatever else you do, get to ride a selection of bikes before you part with your cash.

    +1 to jova’s post, particularly this comment.

    Here are a few that the road.cc scribes thought fit to mention:
    http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/70802-best-£1000-£1500-road-bikes
    There are others too.

    Modern bikes are so good that the mag reviewers struggle to find anything meaningful to say. Also, at a given price point each brand’s model is very similarly equipped so it’s essentially about fit and personal preference. Don’t be bamboozled by numbers or ‘facts’, anyone is capable of choosing a bike and no, you don’t need WSD.

    If you have a look round I’m sure you can eventually settle on something that suits you, supplied by a dealer who knows how to look after customers.

    December 23, 2013 at 9:42 am #766345
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    jova54

    If you have a budget of £1500
    If you have a budget of £1500 and no real idea what you want get to one of the major dealers near you. See you’re in London so Sigma Sport in Hampton Wick, stop sniggering at the back, would be a good starting point.

    They carry a good range of makes and models and have always treated me courteously whenever I’ve been in either to browse or actually buy something.

    Buying off the internet when you’re not sure what you want and can’t see before you commit is a bit risky.

    Whatever else you do, get to ride a selection of bikes before you part with your cash. And don’t get fobbed of with ‘Women’s Specific Design’ as being the only choices available to you. With a bit of component swapping, and a half-decent sales person, almost any bike could be suitable if it is sized properly.

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