another ‘first bike’ thread – any advice appreciated

I’m not sure that the
I’m not sure that the differences in geometry between a race bike and a sportive/endurance bike are that great, or make one more rideable than another for most of us. You’re talking 10-20 mm, or half a degree here or there in a lot of cases. If you have back problems, or you have got a bike the wrong size, then that’s different.
Having said that, I ride an ally bike from the 90’s when there wasn’t a choice, so what do I know!

I like the look of that Cannondale too. I’m hoping to spend around £1200 – £1500 on a new bike at some point, and I’m fairly sure the Cannondale is the best value of the ones you can try. If I could I’d pop over to Koblenz and try a Canyon, but that is tricky to do, so it looks like a Cdale for me.

OP, see if you can talk Evans or the other shops into letting you try a couple of bikes out on the road for 10 mins. Some of the bigger retailers let you try for 30 days and then you can change. A mate bought a Cannondale MTB, rode it off road a couple of times and wasn’t keen. Went back to Evans, and ok, he almost doubled his initial spend, but came out with a different bike he was much more happy with. That’s the key at the end of the day, the one you are happiest with is the best, regardless of frameset/geometry/groupset/value for money. If you haven’t been on it for a couple of days and you are itching to get out there, rather than thinking, Meh I’ll not bother to day, pick that one!

You’ll invariably get lots of
You’ll invariably get lots of nods towards the various online options; Planet X, Ribble, Canyon, etc, and I don’t disagree that *some* of them offer decent value for money. However, for a first road bike purchase I’d recommend going to your LBS and taking their advice as to the geometry and frame sizing that will best suit you based on test-riding different bikes, rather than simply buying “blind” online and finding the bike isn’t right for you.

None of the bikes you’ve mentioned are so obscure though as to not be available at your average bike shop, so you shouldn’t have too much difficulty in tracking them down for test rides, particularly if you’ve got a few different stores nearby.

As has been mentioned already, don’t be swayed by a particular bike simply because it’s on a good sale price either, unless you know it is definitely the right bike for you. That Supersix price at Evans is extremely tempting, but I know it’s too aggressive a set up for me for instance. If they had the equivalent Synapse at that price though…

As for the carbon v aluminium debate, there really is no answer, it’s all down to personal preference. Ultimately, a carbon frame on a bike that originally cost £1000 new is unlikely to be any “better” than a similarly-priced aluminium frame. As has also been mentioned above, you generally pick two from good frame, good components or good price. You *very* rarely get all three…

Good luck with the search!

drmatthewhardy wrote:If your

drmatthewhardy wrote:

If your budget is £1200 I’d stick to alloy frames and get the best groupset and wheels you can.

There are plenty of great alloy frames out there now. Canyon, Cannondale, Kinesis, Bowman, etc. See if you can try one out, that’s my other suggestion.

If the original poster has found a Cannondale Supersix 105 in their budget of £1200, I’d argue they would be silly to consider any of Cannondale’s alloy options, or anyone else’s for that matter. With 105, he’s not exactly sacrificing spec to get a carbon frame either.

In fact, this seems a remarkably simple choice – the Supersix is pretty awesome value at that price.

If your budget is £1200 I’d
If your budget is £1200 I’d stick to alloy frames and get the best groupset and wheels you can.

There are plenty of great alloy frames out there now. Canyon, Cannondale, Kinesis, Bowman, etc. See if you can try one out, that’s my other suggestion.

4 of the bikes listed are
4 of the bikes listed are carbon. None of them are bad bikes and personally I think the Cannondale is a bargain but I’m biased. How the bike fits will define your experience though, not what its made of.

The Cannondale, Boardman and Neil Pryde Alize are all race oriented geometry with relatively low front ends and longer top tubes – I don’t know about the others but even Bianchi’s ‘endurance’ bikes have quite a ‘racy’ fit compared to some of their peers.

You need a point of reference. If the Madone was one you’ve ridden, how did it feel in terms of fit? Balanced in the saddle? Bars close/not too close, able to reach down into the drops and stay there for a while reasonably comfortably – or not?

Once you have that clear in your mind you can start to look at different models and compare their geometry reach and stack figures. More reach = bars further away, more stack = bars higher. Bear in mind that you will probably find it easier to get down to the drops over time but only by 2-3 cm. Then you will be able to draw up a shortlist based on how well it is likely to fit you rather than what’s on special offer.

Then try them (you wouldn’t buy a car you hadn’t driven would you?) – and try a size down too, people often get a bike that’s too big as a first bike.

Good luck!

If you’ve ridden the Madone
If you’ve ridden the Madone perhaps consider one of those – if you liked it?

Which bike is fairly personal, but perhaps worth trying one or two in a shop and have a think about it…

You’ve listed more “endurance” bikes above which are set up a little bit more comfy than the Madone which is a “race” road bike. Good groupset, good frame, good price, pick two really! Your friend is right about buying a better bike, so perhaps go for a better frame and if required replace the groupset as bits wear out – the frame will be difficult to change. Perhaps you can get carbon for the money if you look hard enough?