beginner in need of impartial advice

[Seph]

hi guys,

First ever thread.

I am going to be taking advantage of the 'cycle to work' scheme that my employers offer. i have never ridden a road bike before and haven't been on a bike of any sort for about 3 years.My commute is 15 miles each way. i have upto £1000 to spend to get all the equipment i need, but what money can't buy is experienced impartial advice and i was hoping you lovely people would be willing to help me out.

I have 3 bikes that i am looking at:

B'Twin Triban 5 - £500

Cannondale Caad 8 2300 - £600

Giant Defy 4 - £600

Does anyone have any experience with these bikes or bikes of a similar price? i'd really appreciate some advice and suggestions.

Seph

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

First question, Seph, might be whether you will feel at home on a road bike. A fair number of riders start on hybrids with straight bars but go on to riding drop handlebars, others find they get aches and pains in the neck and wrist and feel they lose a bit of all-round vision in the slightly more forward-leaning road position. Personally, I've only really ridden drops, so it feels natural to me.

If you can try out drops versus straight bars, this might be the first place to start, even if it's just riding around the Decathlon floor. After that, if you're happy with drops, I think all 3 bikes are highly regarded so it's a matter of which one shouts ''ride me!'' the loudest.

Oh, and welcome!

 

[MaxInc]

If you have the opportunity, it would be nice to see them in person, get a feel for the finish, quality, design, colours etc. I went to the bike shop with a few models in mind but ended up with something totally different that appealed to me on the spot.

I would have a hard time choosing between the 3 bikes and it would be a very personal choice. I would choose the Triban 5 for slightly better specs in terms of shifters or the Caad for the design and colour scheme. As a beginner I will probably adapt to any difference in geometry that may be between them.

As mentioned above, if never ridden a road bike, you may want to try one to get the feeling of it, how it handles, brakes or balances. I find the MTB a lot easier to control in slow moving traffic but the road bike is so much lighter, smoother and faster on the open roads.

 

[ianrauk]

How fit are you?
15 miles each way, everyday will be a tough call. Especially if you haven't been on a bike for 3 years.

 

[Seph]

Cheers guys.

i have been to see all 3 and have quotes ready to go. to be honest the Triban 5 is probably my favourite, but when i mention 'B'Twin' to people they seem to think its not a reliable make.

I think that getting out on a road bike, either in the shop or borrowing a friends is probably a good idea.

 

[Seph]

How fit are you?
15 miles each way, everyday will be a tough call. Especially if you haven't been on a bike for 3 years.

i go to the gym about 5 times a week and i don't plan on doing it every day, but cycling will hopefully replace the gym 2 or 3 days a week.

 

[themosquitoking]

This isn't impartial advice but i've just bought a defy and i hecking love it. Buy one.

 

[wisdom]

I have a defy 3,Fantastic bike in every respect.

 

[festival]

The quality of the frame offered by Giant exceeds all other brands in the quality of ride.
Also, make sure you maximize the scheme to get any clothing or accessories you may need.

 

[biggs682]

my advise as normal is go 2nd route first to make sure you enjoy the cycling and style of bike then once hooked . have a look at a new machine .

 

[matthat]

Firstly the best advice i got was buy the defy 3 over the 4 because for the extra 60 odd quid you get a much better gear set and levers etc which if you was to upgrade at a later date could cost 3-400 quid in separate parts. I have no experience of the other 2 bikes you mention but I've got a hybrid and road bike and like them both in different ways. At the min the hybrid does couple of mile commute to work and road bike does 40 - 50 mile day off rides. Hope that helps your thought process

 

[Seph]

The quality of the frame offered by Giant exceeds all other brands in the quality of ride.
Also, make sure you maximize the scheme to get any clothing or accessories you may need.

this is another issue that i have. decathlon seems to be alot cheaper than the other bike shops for clothing and accessories that i am going to need, which makes me lean towards the Triban 5 more.

 

[Seph]

Think i may have to go and see them all again. Try a defy 3 and give them all a ride, have a think about cost against quality.

 

[SWSteve]

I hadn't ridden a bike in several years, and now I have a road bike and wouldn't do anything differently as I love my bike.
I didn't have a C2W scheme, and buying as I go is a bit of pain in the neck, especially when I'm buying kit and tools. I would get as much as you can with the voucher as it will probably work better for you in the long run

 

[themosquitoking]

this is another issue that i have. decathlon seems to be alot cheaper than the other bike shops for clothing and accessories that i am going to need, which makes me lean towards the Triban 5 more.

Does buy a defy from one shop and kit from another work? If not spunk the whole grand on a defy 1 and fork out for the kit yourself. It's a very sexy bike.