My short list so far

[Pubert]

I currently only commute but my old no name MTB is such a hulk I rarely find inspiration to use it for anything other than the odd short ride. I do however fully intend on getting back in the saddle with a vengeance so my budget is roughly £1k. I want something that I can commute on, perhaps race and perhaps tour, I also like the fact that with the cross bikes I could take them on some slightly rougher terrain.

My short list thus far is..Cannondale CAADX 105 2011, Focus Mares AX 1.0 Ultegra 2011, Verenti Kilmeston and the Ribble 7005 Audax/Winter Training
..with the Cannondale slightly edging it has mudguard and pannier rack eyelets and I've heard exceptional things about the frame which to me must be the most important thing if I plan on using it for years..


I appreciate that the first two are cyclo cross bikes but the Verenti and the Ribble seem to be quite good for the money..

I am however a novice at this so your help and advice are invaluable

I am 6'3", weigh approx. 180lbs and have an inside leg of 35 inches.....what size frame might you suggest, I undertand that the geometry on a CC bike differs to that of a road bike but other than that I'm clueless..

Thanks in advance peeps
David

 

[cyberknight]

If you want a cx bike with load caryying abilty what about ...

http://www.boardmanb...cx/cx_team.html



£899

• Brake Type: Mechanical Disc Brakes
• Chainset: FSA Gossamer compact BB30
• Forks: Full carbon monocoque
• Frame Colour: Grey
• Frame Material: 6061 Alloy
• Frame-: Triple butted 6061 aluminium frame with BB30 bottom bracket shell and 1 1/8 - 1.5 tapered head tube
• Front Brake: Avid BB5 mechanical disc brake 160mm rotor
• Front Mech: Microshift
• Gear Shifters: SRAM Apex
• Gears: 20
• Gender: Mens
• Handle Bars: Boardman cyclo cross
• Headset: FSA Orbit 1.1/8 - 1.5
• Hubs: Formula Black 32 Q/R
• Number of Gears: 20
• Pedals: N/A
• Rear Brake: Avid BB5 mechanical disc brake 160mm rotor
• Rear Mech: SRAM Apex long cage
• Rims: Ritchey Pro Disc OCR 32h
• Saddle: Boardman black with cro-moly rails
• Seatpost: Boardman 31.6mm x 350mm black alloy
• Stem: Boardman black alloy 31.8mm
• Tyre size: 35c
• Tyres: Ritchey Escavader Cross Pro 700x35 black
• Wheel size: 700c
• 

 

[Pubert]

Wow thanks for that, well that's thrown a cat amongst the pigeons. In terms of spec which is better value for money in your opinion? How does the SRAM Apex and Michroshift of the Boardman bear up to the Shimano 105 and Ultegra of the C'dale and Focus?

 

[Howard]

There's a good thread on the LFGSS forum about £1000 CX bikes.

Have you test ridden any of those shortlisted? That should be your first priority.

CX bikes come up a bit bigger IIRC than road. Have you looked at a sizing chart? I'd start with a 56 and move up from there.

 

[Howard]

How does the SRAM Apex and Michroshift of the Boardman bear up to the Shimano 105 and Ultegra of the C'dale and Focus?

All good value for money. And Sram vs. 105 vs Ultegra - who cares? Just find the one that fits best. Take them for a spin and try to forget which has Ultegra / Sram / whatever, and pick the one that feels best for you. All those groups are good, the difference between them pretty minimal - although replacement Ultegra parts aren't cheap.

 

[Pubert]

All good value for money. And Sram vs. 105 vs Ultegra - who cares? Just find the one that fits best. Take them for a spin and try to forget which has Ultegra / Sram / whatever, and pick the one that feels best for you. All those groups are good, the difference between them pretty minimal - although replacement Ultegra parts aren't cheap.

Thanks yeah that's what I thought really, I'm more interested in investing heavily in the frame because as I see it everything else can be upgraded as and when, but the frame has to last and ultimately be comfy.... I just wanted some clarity.

I haven't actually ridden any on that list but I have tested quite a few bikes of similar spec. I actually started by looking at hard tail hybrids but that really wasn't for me hence why I'm going down the CX route. I've got a date with a few bike shops tomorrow so I shall be sure to ride as many frames as possible.

Thank you for the replies BTW dudes, I really appreciate it.

 

[Pubert]

There's a good thread on the LFGSS forum about £1000 CX bikes.

Have you test ridden any of those shortlisted? That should be your first priority.

CX bikes come up a bit bigger IIRC than road. Have you looked at a sizing chart? I'd start with a 56 and move up from there.

Interesting thread, two of the main protagonists got the Boardman but only after pining after the CAADX and running out of patience.....then one of them has his chain snap and the other has problems setting up his brakes...hmmmm

Also, I'm slightly reluctant about trading with Halfords but hey ho I'll pop in tomorrow and see if they have the Boardman I can take out for a spin...

 

[brockers]

Interesting thread, two of the main protagonists got the Boardman but only after pining after the CAADX and running out of patience.....then one of them has his chain snap and the other has problems setting up his brakes...hmmmm

Also, I'm slightly reluctant about trading with Halfords but hey ho I'll pop in tomorrow and see if they have the Boardman I can take out for a spin...

What about one of these? (Sorry haven't looked at LFGSS link in case they're suggesting it too). Seems like a v good frame which should survive a few incarnations. Seem to be £1099 wherever you get them from. No idea of what frame size you'd need though! That bloke Vin Cox has just bagged the bonkers 'Riding Around the World in the Fastest Time' World Record on one. Pretty good thumbs up I'd say.

 

[Howard]

Yeah. Everyone wants the CAADX, nobody can get one.

Boardman brakes: cable pull disc brakes. Hmmm. Unlike their hydraulic cousins they are relatively tricky to set up and keep running. Easier to understand though I guess. And they 'work' with STIs. In theory it should be possible to get them working perfectly with some patience.

Genesis is nice, too. Being steel, it's a bit of a different animal. Certainly has the creds though - one of these with an Alfine 8 fitted went around the world.

 

[Trickydicky]

All good value for money. And Sram vs. 105 vs Ultegra - who cares? Just find the one that fits best. Take them for a spin and try to forget which has Ultegra / Sram / whatever, and pick the one that feels best for you. All those groups are good, the difference between them pretty minimal - although replacement Ultegra parts aren't cheap.

That is a bit silly trying to compair apex to 105 and ultegra. 105 is matched up to the SRAM rival group set and ultegra to the SRAM Force. Apex is the same quality as Sora.
The group set is one of the most important parts of a bike after the frame.
Boardmans get alot of slack from most ppl on this forums. If anyone asks to compair a boardman to another bike of similar price, the otherbike is a better quality and will likely to be set up more for you.
So you compair the quality of Ultegra to SRAM apex! You need to go and think again! I ride with SRAM Rival and I have riden 105 and they are of similar spec. The clunky ness of the shifting on apex is unbearable for me, and the rate at which the cassette disintergreats is increadible.
The reason the boardman is cheap as it has lower grade components etc on it. Best bike fore £1000 IMO is the Bianchi 105

 

[Howard]

That is a bit silly trying to compair apex to 105 and ultegra. 105 is matched up to the SRAM rival group set and ultegra to the SRAM Force. Apex is the same quality as Sora.
The group set is one of the most important parts of a bike after the frame.
Boardmans get alot of slack from most ppl on this forums. If anyone asks to compair a boardman to another bike of similar price, the otherbike is a better quality and will likely to be set up more for you.
So you compair the quality of Ultegra to SRAM apex! You need to go and think again! I ride with SRAM Rival and I have riden 105 and they are of similar spec. The clunky ness of the shifting on apex is unbearable for me, and the rate at which the cassette disintergreats is increadible.
The reason the boardman is cheap as it has lower grade components etc on it. Best bike fore £1000 IMO is the Bianchi 105

Er, yeah. Silly. I'll go think again! Whatever. I think the most important part of a bike is the fit, and whether it's fun and enjoyable to ride. Go back and read what I said - I did not say they were the same, I said it shouldn't over influence your opinion.

 

[Pubert]

So anyways just got back from some bike shops and am none the wiser really. After being measured up and trying a few C'dale road bikes and an Orbea CX bike I've provisionally ordered a 58cm CAADX 105. I'm well excited.....only another 6 weeks to wait, plenty of time to get some more bike shopping under my belt....

Oh and also popped into Halfords and they didn't have ANY Boardmans of any description in stock so that didn't help, like I said though......6 weeks to go and plenty more Halfrauds shops in the sea....

 

[lejogger]

Whilst it is silly to compare Ultegra and 105 to Apex it's not just the range classification. It's also because it's like comparing apples and pears.
Apex is not just an entry level group set, it's almost a separate entity on its own, specifically designed to replace the need for a triple chainset for those riders who whould have previously needed a granny ring for climbing, or for those who might want to carry a bit of cargo and need a few easier gears, but the lesser weight of a double chainset at the same time. I'd therefore say it's just as silly to compare it to Sora which IS just an entry level gruppo. (In my opinion)
It has an 11-32 cassette and a 50-34 chain set, giving a massive range for a double. Perfect for a kitted up commute, some light touring and a winter all-rounder.
I'm actually just about to take delivery of my Boardman CX. Will look just lovely next to the Team Carbon in the garage!

 

[Sarahm82]

Just a little bump for this thread as my first post on here!

I've decided to get cycling and have a similar shortlist to the original poster (Cannondale CAADX 5 105, Focus Mares AX 1.0, Boardman CX Team, maybe even Kona JTS). I'm also open to further suggestions around the C2W scheme budget.

I'll be using the bike for shorter evening rides, mainly roads. Once I get going, would love to do some audax and/or sportives. I was tempted to go for an all out road bike but having been a non-cyclist for a long time, thought the safer option was a more relaxed frame in the cyclocross. In addition, like the adaptability of a cyclocross in being able to fit panniers should I need to in future for longer rides and v.light touring. Am I doing the right thing?

The idea of cyclocross racing appeals to me for the winter months though I'd never even heard of them until recently, let alone thought of taking part!

Another consideration is sizing- I'm female though I'm tall, 174cm with an 85cm inside leg. My reach (v.roughly) is about 61cm. Do men's CX and/or road bikes have a suitable geometry or do I really need a women's specific design :-s

Any help or advice much appreciated.