New bike – help!

Hi all

This is my first post, and my first foray into modern road cycling after using a Scott hybrid for that past 3 years, and an owner of a Peugeot Pantera that I was hauling around Europe for the best part of the last 20 years. The Peugeot is now sitting in my stable unused (I plan to restore it at some point as it is badly out of shape) and the Scott is on its way out: time to upgrade.

I now live in Cyprus and I can’t decide on my next purchase. I am actually thinking of three (rather distinct) possibilities:

1. Buy a Canyon Ultimate AL 7.0 that is on sale now on their website for large frames for their 2013 model. I am 1.93m (6’4′ in imperial parlance) with an inseam of 94cm, weighing 82kg and in reasonably good shape. The bike is €1,150, plus €100 more for shipping costs. https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3076#tab-reiter2. That’s €1,250 or GBP 1,050.
2. Buy a Bianchi Via Nirone 7, preferably with Tiagra from an LBS. I was quoted €1,200 for this, €1,160 for the same model with Campy Xenon and €1,000 for Sora.
3. Buy a cheaper online bargain such as the Moser Speed (/content/news/95684-just-moser-speed) for which I would need around €660, including shipping.

Now, I know the best bike is the Canyon, and this is why I gravitate towards it. But:

– I’ll be buying online without prior experience in fitting a road bike, and this is by default a bad idea.
– The LBS prices seem steep, but I guess this is the way it goes with Bianchis. I would also be getting a proper fitting, someone to talk to, and a place to go if things go awry. I have ridden a Trek Madone 2.1 (for around €1,200 with 105) and a Giant Defy 3 (Sora, €1,000) all from LBSs here, but I nevertheless decided to get a European bike. Bianchis make me want to jump on one (the celeste models only, the others leave me cold), but of course no-one should make a purchase based on looks alone.
– I can afford a bike now, but I will probably not afford upgrades or a new(er) bike anytime soon. I fear that If I go with inferior equipment I will regret it as I will feel cheated having to upgrade something that I would have gotten if I had the Canyon in the first place. My reservations are mostly on the Bianchi’s wheels, which I read are heavy and the first thing to get rid of – not really comparable to the Ksyrium Equipes on the Canyon.
– I could of course hold back and get the Moser to see if I am drawn to road cycling and then sell and buy something better. I doubt I will not be drawn though; I already do routes of around 40-50km avery weekend on my hybrid, check me times on Strava and read bike reviews and fora like mad. I don’t think the bug will go away as easily.

So, what are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Nestor