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First road bike

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  • April 3, 2013 at 4:10 pm #18397
    Ian S

    Hi, I’m about to get my first road bike and looking for some thoughts on the following bikes. I have 3 LBS, I can get the Forme Longcliffe 2 from one of them, a Trek 1.5 or Specialized Allez Elite from another and finally a Claud Butler Vicenza from the third. All the above are priced at around £900. The third shop will also build the following for me, Dolan prefissio frame with Campagnolo Veloce group set, Khamsin cx wheels with either Deda or Cinelli finishing kit for £950. The bike will be mainly for my commute to work. Which represents the best buy/spec? Thanks in advance for the replies.

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  • April 5, 2013 at 7:43 pm #725745
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    Ian S

    Thanks for all the replies, I
    Thanks for all the replies, I think that I will go for the Dolan and get the bike made to my specifactions and finish. It will be a few weeks before I get it , but I will let you knw how I get on.

    April 4, 2013 at 9:05 pm #725743
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    Bedfordshire Clanger

    Would you get fitted on a jig
    Would you get fitted on a jig before the Dolan is put together? It would make sense for the builder to leave some stack height on the steerer for you so that you can settle in to the slightly more hunched over position. CX wheels are a good idea for the rough roads, handbuilt maybe a worthwhile consideration too on the basis that they are easier to repair. With a custom build you’ll get to choose some decent tyres, I like Conti 4Seasons for commuting but I expect you’ll have your own favourites. Whatever you get, I hope you’re inspired to take that new steed out into some of that fantastic countryside just put of town. Enjoy the new bike.

    April 4, 2013 at 4:43 pm #725741
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    Tigerwests

    With dodgy road surfaces and
    With dodgy road surfaces and a need to be mindful of your back, why not check out another of your LBS’ Trek models, the Domane? If you can stretch to £1,000, the Tiagra-equipped Domane 2.0 is in your budget. I haven’t yet ridden one but everything I’ve heard about them reports unparalleled comfort.

    April 3, 2013 at 9:18 pm #725739
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    badkneestom

    If you’re worried about back,
    If you’re worried about back, there are road bikes with a more relaxed geometry. They’re the frames intended for longer rides, sportives, etc. The manufacturer will generally state it’s a relaxed geometry.

    Have you looked for a used titanium bike?

    April 3, 2013 at 8:30 pm #725737
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    Ian S

    My commute is about 8 miles
    My commute is about 8 miles into Glasgow. Roads are in poor condition, so looking for a robust bike that I can use all year round. At the moment I’m using my 3 year old Boardman hybrid, have not had a road bike since the 80’s,due to bad back, have been advised by the dealers that each of these bikes have a fairly relaxed riding position. As for the test rides, the Dolan would be a custom build so would not be able to have a test ride.

    April 3, 2013 at 7:11 pm #725735
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    Tigerwests

    Cannondale Synapse. I
    Cannondale Synapse. I commute on one and it’s perfect. Fast, comfortable and takes full mudguards. From my experience you’ll struggle to get proper mudguards on a CAAD model, as good a bike as they are.

    April 3, 2013 at 6:55 pm #725733
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    Bedfordshire Clanger

    The Dolan looks good to me,
    The Dolan looks good to me, the Forme’s OK too, the others are decent so you can’t go too far wrong. How far is the commute and whereabouts is it? Do you think you’ll need mudguards? Will you want to fit a rack and panniers? I commute for a couple of hours a day and wouldn’t be without the guards and rack.

    April 3, 2013 at 6:54 pm #725731
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    Cycle_Jim

    My choices were Canondale
    My choices were Canondale CAAD (always get a good write-up) Trek 1.5 as you said and a wild card was the MEKK poggio 2.0 which I ended up getting, great bike for the price!

    April 3, 2013 at 6:37 pm #725729
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    badkneestom

    Every one will be different,
    Every one will be different, as crash said. You’ll have to decide what geometry works best for you.

    Crash is also right in saying that you’ll just want to upgrade and upgrade on it. If I were you, get the best frame possible and you can slowly put better parts on that frame.

    I got a Cannondale Synapse Alloy (I want a metal bike) with terrible Sora components with the intention of immediately adding a SRAM Rival groupset. Next is the wheels…

    April 3, 2013 at 5:44 pm #725727
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    crash144019

    The Dolan looks to be good
    The Dolan looks to be good value. Bottom line is which one you feel comfortable on and what ever you buy in six months you’ll want to trade up. Second law of road bikes

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