Cube/Wilier/Colnago?

[redjedi]

Thanks for the input Simon.

Have you had any experiences with De Ver that's put you off?

Thinking back to last night, I wasn't too impressed with the shop. A decent selection of frames and bikes, but he didn't really ask about what I was going to use the bike for, just came out with a Cinelli frame, which was in stock.
He did show me a bike they had just put together and I wasn't that impressed with the quality of work. There was still grease on the frame in places and one of the washers in the headset was half hanging out, perhaps a sign of things to come.

It's also a long way away from me, so would be very tricky getting back there if I had a problem.

Also the Veloce groupset he had was one which had been taken off a bike and thrown in a plastic box, but he couldn't actually find the levers, they had been used on something else.

The search continues.....

De Ver is my all-time most disliked bike shop on the planet (plays idly with box of matches and reaches for alibi). If I see someone on the road in a De Ver strip I have to overtake them, and that can be hard work on the Brompton. Seriously, though, I'd never go through the door. Except in a truck.

Brixton Cycles my (second) favourite is just down the road, but if you want good advice at that kind of money then Luciano's at the Junction is hard to beat, provided you speak to the proprietor.

And I wouldn't go for the Colnago. I think that every time you walked past it you might think you've overpaid for Taiwanese OEM. And you'd be right. Actually, Colnagos are for middle-aged geezers in flashy shoes with more money than sense.

I'd consider the Dawes Torino (all carbon, although not very light) with Shimano 105, but, to tell the truth I'd give Lincoln at Brixton Cycles a call and ask him if there are any Specialized bargains available, or go to Lucianos and ask about the Trek 1.9 which is aluminium with carbon forks, fitted out with Ultegra (watch our for dodgy ratios on the cassette) and Bontrager. And Lucianos will have a Kuota Kharma, which is over your budget, but pretty darn good.

The advantage of Trek and Specialized is that they make their own frames, and their research is continuous. They don't wander around Taiwan every year looking to see what they can re-badge. And their buying power is tremendous.

Oh, and just to prove that there is no real pride in purchasing a bike I'd speak to Matthieu at Evans (!) at Clapham North and ask if he's got a bargain he'd recommend. I'm sure there is absolutely no truth in the rumour that Evans are having trouble shifting bikes and are discounting furiously, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

And to go back to where we started. One of the most important components of the bike is the service you get afterwards, allied to the honesty of the people selling it to you. I reckon that paying a small premium to an outfit like Brixton Cycles is worth it, if only for the quality of the after sales service.

 

[MichaelM]

My advice would be find what you like, make sure it fits, and buy it - don't compromise with I can upgrade this & that later.

I "almost" bought a Planet x last year, vfm, I think they're hard to beat. But the med was a bit too long (unless I used a very short stem which made it look silly) and the small only takes one waterbottle. Little things I know, but things that matter when you're spending £1000 (or more).

I ended up spending £1600 as opposed to £1000 and worried about it for a while, but I now have a bike that fits, takes two water bottles, doesn't need upgrading, and that I like the look of.

Take a look at Planet x - it looks much better than the pics on the website - but see if you can try one for size, there are one or two shops that carry them.

Other than that, get whatever is best for you.

Planet X carbon Ultegra: £1200
Planet X carbon Dura Ace: £1600

(I bought an Orbea by the way)

 

[dellzeqq]

Behind every branch of Cycle King etc?

and Halfords

 

[dellzeqq]

Hmm - Luciano's is my closest LBS and gives the feel of a flashy boutique. They charged me £17.50 to replace 1 spoke and true the wheel

They seem to be geared up for high end road bikes though.

That, I think, is a justifiable concern, although £17.50 isn't tragically high. But he does know his stuff.

 

[Sittingduck]

Fair do's^
I'm a bit low class for the area anyway... I think Luciano's target the flash inhabitants of "Nappy Valley".

 

[redjedi]

I'm starting to think I may just go for another Bianchi

Maybe a 1885 this time

or another Via Nirone 7 with the carbon seat stays

I'll see it Evans will get a couple of sizes in to try, and they're open to 8pm so I can go after work.

When are the 2010 models coming out?

 

[Sittingduck]

Man-size gearing on that 1885 RJ
It'll build your legs but won't you find it hard after a triple

 

[redjedi]

Man-size gearing on that 1885 RJ
It'll build your legs but won't you find it hard after a triple

I only used the granny a total of 2 times in almost 2 years with my last bike. Once was on Ditchling and it complained when I did.

My middle was a 44 (I think) with a 53 big ring. The middle was the one I used all the time and the big one for going down hill, even then I would sometimes run out of gears

I'll just end up with legs like Aperitif ( I better look for some bigger shorts as well )

 

[Sittingduck]

Having read what you wrote about DeVer, it seems sensible to perhaps give them a miss. I must say I do like Bianchi's... just not in tha ghastly toothpaste colour

 

[Aperitif]

A 12-25 is what I have on my Veneto - and I'll bet Simon has closer.

And I'm nearly double your leg size age

Give up on the duck egg doo doo Luke - black and red is the 'way to go'! (Or blue, or white, or..um forgotten what other colour )

9 speed block, 10 on the black bike

 

[dellzeqq]

gear ratios are a funny thing, and I'm not realy in a position to pontificate- but that's not going to stop me.

The key question, in my view, is 'what are you going to use it for?' I reckon that you should set the range so that you can manage all but the worst hill you know, while keeping it as narrow as you can. If you're off touring then you need a big range. If you're sticking to southern England then you don't.

The 'virtue' of running 12-21 is that each gear change is really tiny. If you get it right it's like a magic carpet ride. The downside is that, from the sound of it, 21 (or even 23 if you have ten on the back) isn't going to be enough.

The Babe, who is not strong, uses 12-27 and (this is the key) 50-34 on the front. That 16 tooth difference is vital for her.

I'd suggest two possibilities.
a) a triple on the front and 12-21/23 on the back. I have this on the hybrid. You get the smoothness and the range. The downside is that you might tend to use the larger cogs on the back with the big chainring.
a double, but with 12-25/27 on the back and 50-34 on the front.

If I'm talking complete bo**ocks then you will at least be able to change the cassette at a later date.

 

[Mista Preston]

Got my Giant SCR2 last year as an 08 model at a knocked down price from De Veer. They were very helpful and let me test ride etc. It is a little bit of cramped store but on the whole my experience was ok

 

[MacB]

hmmm, I'd actually, in my stupidity, disagree with Simon on his gearing ideas. Though limited, my experience shows a remarkable lack of people having issues around running out of big gears. I see a heck of a lot of evidence of people not having enough smaller gears. Let's face it, the first might mean you can't get over 40mph, whereas the second can mean you have to get off and push. I know which issue I could cope better with.

On the small gap idea and flowing like a 'magic carpet ride'.........you think!!!!!!!!! Once you factor in junctions, lights, traffic and road surface, I could go so far as to suggest that a ride on a real magic carpet is a more realistic prospect. But then I'm aware of Simons attitude around riding should be as fun as possible. I agree on the principle but not always the methodology(and I know he loves that word). There are gears on the bike but you've also got gears in the engine, yourself.

The 'Jimbo' answer is to cater to your abilities and needs. Simon is a 'racing snake' and wants silky smooth mini gear increments. I am a tank that will eschew gear changes over the brute force approach. Yet I will choose gearing around eventualities whereas Simon would gear up more bravely, relying on the fact that, dripping wet, he still weighs less than his bike. I suspect that you ideal would lie somewhere in between but that you'd be better served by having smaller gears in reserve, even if never used.

 

[Aperitif]

Simon doesn't 'do' wet. It's funny that we both chug around without changing gear a lot of the time MacB...I rarely bother in and out of London (enjoy watching the smooth changes through the block on others though..."chungk, chunk, clang") but there are some naughty slopes around and about that someone like Luke, who is past his prime possibly, needs to be prepared for.


How's it going Luke?

 

[Sittingduck]

Hey Luke...

Do Wiggle accept C2W vouchers? Just seen this little beauty on there - seems nice for the £.