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Getting a new bike

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  • November 14, 2018 at 3:50 pm #29140
    Tedez

    Hi folks

    I’m looking to buy a new bike whithin cycle to work scheme budget limit. But the question raised by my better half, when she got informed about the price of the bike was: are the cheaper bikes really that bad?

    So here I am asking you if someone has actually ridden an endurance/road bike bought for max £500 and upgraded to a £1k+ one and can tell the difference?

    I know the difference in specs and this is what concerns me. With cheaper bike you get Shimano Clarissa or Sora, which in my opinion are not durable enough. I have already made my choice. Or let’s say I’m debating between four bikes buy all are on Shimano 105 with carbon forks and hydraulic disc brakes. But maybe I should really buy a cheaper one first?
    I believe that cheaper bike might be ok for few rides but it long term I might regret it.

    At the moment I do 30 miles on Saturday or Sunday on my hybrid bike (Schwinn Searcher) which comes not that comfortable for longer rides and the plan is to go over 100 miles on a single ride next summer.

    Thanks

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  • November 15, 2018 at 9:07 am #931471
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    Tedez

    For £500 I can mainly get
    For £500 I can mainly get Claris, sometimes Sora. The mentioned Tiagra comes with bikes for £700+ In this case I’m happy to pay that bit more and get the exact specifications I want. The debate isn’t between Tiagra and 105 as I know there is very small difference between them.

    Thanks for the comments so far, I can’t convince myself to a £500 bike I think. The job is to convince wife to the more expensive one 🙂

    November 14, 2018 at 5:40 pm #931469
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    mike the bike

     

     

    I’m not sure what you mean by £1000+ Tedez, but I think a decent, Shimano 105 equipped, hydraulically braked machine will cost you well over a grand.  Although the sales are upon us and maybe you can find the one you want ?

    I wouldn’t be so quick to ignore Claris or Sora, they are both well made and if they lack anything it would be lightness rather than reliability.  And, inching a little further up the scale, there is also Tiagra, which is 90% as good as 105, half the price and only a little heavier.

    For many years I ran Sora or Tiagra on my all-weather commuter bikes and always found them great value for money.

    Best of luck with that 100-miler.

    November 14, 2018 at 4:54 pm #931467
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    peted76

    Decathlon Triban RC520 or the

    Decathlon Triban RC520 or the Ultra 900 AF.

    In answer to your question ref cheap and expensive bikes, they all roll along, but some weight less and ‘feel’ a bit nicer.  I’m not sure there’s a super amount of difference between £500 and £1000 but  I don’t think you’ll go too wrong with either of the bikes mentioned above.

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