Clueless needs a bike

[cyberknight]

Actually the Charge Mixer has an 8 speed Alfine hub so not as inflexible as you thought but it is esentiallly a city commuter and most of my miles are on moderately hilly country roads. I would like to make the move to drops.

What do you think of a real budget choice like this?

http://www.ukbikesde...011/RS_GB/13531

It seems to have rack mounts and room for guards.

cant see rack mounts unless i am blind and only a size 58 in stock , look s a very nice bike otherwise.

Depends how cheap you want to go , i use a carrera virtuoso for commuting and i have used it on club runs and i have done a sportive on it, last years model can be had for under £300.

 

[Thomk]

cant see rack mounts unless i am blind and only a size 58 in stock , look s a very nice bike otherwise.

Depends how cheap you want to go , i use a carrera virtuoso for commuting and i have used it on club runs and i have done a sportive on it, last years model can be had for under £300.

I think you can mount a rack via a seat-clamp rack mount without fouling the rear brake.

These bikes do seem good value:

Aesther 10: http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m16b7s6p5061/GENESIS_Aether_10_Mens_Road_Racing_Bike_2011/RS_GB/13531 - £415

Aesther 20: http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m16b7s6p5062/GENESIS_Aether_20_Mens_Road_Racing_Bike_2011/RS_GB/13534 - £620 (funny grey colour)

Aesther 30: http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m16b7s6p5063/GENESIS_Aether_30_Mens_Road_Racing_Bike_2011/RS_GB/13542 - £710

I will be doing 3 - 5 thousand miles in the next year. Will the cheaper components on the A10 need replacing constantly? Also I'm just 6 foot tall and would suit a 58 or 60 I think but would probably need to try them first to see which is best (or would they both be OK?).

 

[lejogger]

I think you can mount a rack via a seat-clamp rack mount without fouling the rear brake.

These bikes do seem good value:

Aesther 10: http://www.ukbikesde...011/RS_GB/13531 - £415

Aesther 20: http://www.ukbikesde...011/RS_GB/13534 - £620 (funny grey colour)

Aesther 30: http://www.ukbikesde...011/RS_GB/13542 - £710

I will be doing 3 - 5 thousand miles in the next year. Will the cheaper components on the A10 need replacing constantly? Also I'm just 6 foot tall and would suit a 58 or 60 I think but would probably need to try them first to see which is best (or would they both be OK?).

Definitely try first... I'm 6ft and ride the large frame in the Boardman, which is about a 56. If you can ever go by such a thing, the 'trend' at present seems to be a smaller frame and more seatpost showing. I don't know if this is so the weight is kept down.
Either way, a 60 definitely sounds too big.

With regards to components, I've always been a fan of buying the best frame you can afford, regardless of the components. These things will wear and no matter what quality you buy initially they're going to have to be replaced at some point.

 

[Thomk]

Definitely try first... I'm 6ft and ride the large frame in the Boardman, which is about a 56. If you can ever go by such a thing, the 'trend' at present seems to be a smaller frame and more seatpost showing. I don't know if this is so the weight is kept down.
Either way, a 60 definitely sounds too big.

With regards to components, I've always been a fan of buying the best frame you can afford, regardless of the components. These things will wear and no matter what quality you buy initially they're going to have to be replaced at some point.

Thanks. Sounds like you're saying that of the 3 go for the cheapest as the frame is the same?

 

[lejogger]

Thanks. Sounds like you're saying that of the 3 go for the cheapest as the frame is the same?

Hmmm... i guess it does sound a bit like that.. but it depends how likely you are to want to keep this particular frame for a few years. Im not familiar with the bikes you're looking at so I'm not sure. You do have to remember that the shifting quality will be better on the better groupsets. And it's going to be a a few thousand miles before you're looking at that... by which time you may be wanting to get a new everything if this is your first road bike.

I guess what I'm saying is get the best frame AND components that you can afford, but a quality frame will last whereas quality components will eventually wear anyway.

 

[Cube Hooper Pro]

The charge mixer looks like it ticks nearly all the boxes if the Alfine 8 has the range of gears you need. In you position I would consider the following:
Get the tyres you you want on present rims. That may save 1-2 kg in weight.
Try a new stem with dropped bars. If the geometry suits get Alfine shifters for the drops.
Lace in new lighter rims for further weight saving.
I guess you already have the mudguards and carrier but these are items you can look for lighter replacements, The same goes for many of the bike components, it is easy (although can be expensive) to shave off weight.

 

[jonathanw]

So, I have been reading this with interest. I always enjoy the research before a purchase

Any update on your decision Thomk?

I commute 30miles per day with disc brakes and 30mm slick tyres. Very comfortable. Your budget will probably mean no discs, but there are plenty of good bikes without for commuting. I have an old giant OCR2 that I use occasionally, and the new Defy range looks excellent value. Seat post clamps and p-clips mean you can fit a rack to almost any bike.

Keep us posted

 

[Thomk]

Well I ended up buying a Giant Defy 2 2011 for £499. I've only done a couple of short journeys with it but there are real differences which I think will make a huge difference to my commute:

1. The weight. The difference is amazing, about 9 or 10Kg instead of maybe 17kg. The commuting weight of my Mixer is probably more like 25kg though.
2. Tyres. 25mm rather than 32mm.
3. Gears. I haven't got the hang of the gears yet. Can't quite figure out when to change to the small ring. When I get to about 3 and want to go lower? When I get to 1? Change back and forth? Bit of a mystery at the moment.
4. Brakes. Hmm after getting used to disc brakes these will take a bit of getting used to. I guess it will force me to anticipate better though so I'll probably become a better cyclist.
5. Nice to have varied hand position.

On the other hand some things are not as different as I imagined they would be:

1. Mainly comfort. Strangely about the same. Saddle is pretty good and I have all the spacers on so am fairly upright and relaxed.
2. Stability/road handling. Seems about the same so far.

I'm planning to use the Defy for all year commuting but will hang onto the Mixer until the spring to see if it's feasable. I just need to decide which rack to buy (which one will fit) and then I can unleash the new toy on my commute. I think I'll try it on a short commute tomorrow though with a rucksack (only 4.5 miles each way).

PS I didn't really consider morphing the Mixer into a feather bike. I guess I thought that I would never escape from the steel frame on the mixer and for the same price I would end up with 2 bikes instead of one.

 

[Part time cyclist]

i would recommend the specialised sirrus hybrid, you could get a new one with quite good spec for 600

 

[vickster]

He bought a Giant Defy ^^^

 

[Thomk]

Um...and I wanted a road bike for speed and lookgoodage