New road bike help needed

[Aines25]

They mentioned they would like to follow their friend with the Giant, so I'm guessing they can afford it, but maybe not sure if it's worth the extra? For what it's worth I didn't pay the list price for mine 3 fairly local Giant dealers, so think they have to be a little competitive

Correct, to me looking at both bikes they are the same / do the same thing which is true to an extent... but then I read about gear sets etc and that's when the confusion starts haha

 

[Soltydog]

Just looked at the Carrera on Halfords site & was surprised to see there is a lifetime warranty on frame & forks, that's a bonus, as a lot of the cheaper carbon frames have limited warranties & that would put me off. It's probably worth considering 🤔

 

[Aines25]

the carrera got a good review recently , tbh the frame looks like an old boardman design that halfords have put cheaper groupset and wheels on so upgrade worthy .

With regards to the upgrades, how much upgrades would we be talking? as part of me thinks id rather spend the upgrade money on an actual better bike from the off

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I like this quaint idea that you might need a "starter" road bike, it makes me smile. Like they're motorbikes or something, where if you go too racy too soon, you crash.

Get whatever road bike you like OP, you're an experienced cyclist who doesn't need to find out if cycling is for you. You already ride lots, you want to go faster, get the road bike that makes you smile the most!

PS: Like Solty I didn't pay full list for my TCR either, I bought the "previous year" model (it has a yellow stripe instead of a green stripe on the exact same bike) for about 35 percent discount. Up there for thinking, down there for dancing.

 

[Aines25]

I like this quaint idea that you might need a "starter" road bike, it makes me smile. Like they're motorbikes or something, where if you go too racy too soon, you crash.

Get whatever road bike you like OP, you're an experienced cyclist who doesn't need to find out if cycling is for you. You already ride lots, you want to go faster, get the road bike that makes you smile the most!

PS: Like Solty I didn't pay full list for my TCR either, I bought the "previous year" model (it has a yellow stripe instead of a green stripe on the exact same bike) for about 35 percent discount. Up there for thinking, down there for dancing.

Racy I'm fine with, and yeah as I'm used to doing a minimum 150 miles a week I guess im looking to step it up a bit.

I'm liking the idea @Soltydog suggested in grabbing the TCR 2 and upgrading the wheels, question would be what is the difference in the original wheels and new wheels? like is the difference that great?

Have a London to southend and back cycle penned in for Sunday next week so hoping to make a decision in the next day or so and have the new wheels for the trip.

 

[vickster]

Hi, this wasn't my budget, more so the bike I looked at due to already having a Carrera, after some digging and the friend getting the tcr I took it upon myself to do a bit of research which then led me to come across a lot of info I still wasn't fully understanding which then brought me here to ask.

if the Carrera is a decent bike that id be able to ride for years then I'd go for that, if there was much difference in more expensive options then I would spend there as its a better investment long term.

You need to try a few out to see which you like most. Higher Cost doesn’t necessarily mean better for you. A racy bike like a TCR certainly wouldn’t suit me

 

[Heigue'r]

I'm pretty biased and would pick the tcr over the carrera all day long.They are a really nice bike to ride.Yes the factory wheels on the lower end models are a little heavy but they will do for starters.As mentioned upthread,if you could pick an older model up,you could save quite a bit.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I've still got the standard Giant basic road wheels on my TCR, more than two years on from being on the brink of getting some Mavic Cosmics.. priorities changed back then and I backed off. Yes I'd have really liked them I'm sure, and I may upgrade another time, but is my ride suffering from having the standard wheels? No. The bike is still quick.

 

[Aines25]

Thank you all for replies thus far, a lot of information and food for thought, also figured the difference in 105 & Ultegra comes down to weight if im reading correct?

thoughts I like so far are like previous poster mentioned are to go with a TCR 2 and upgrade wheels, having had a little search I see it has rave reviews across many places.

Question though, what is the benefits / differences will I get/see from getting the TCR 2 over the Carrera (my current bike being good to me for many a years has given Carrera some headway ) ?.....Price aside as this isn't the deciding factor...

 

[biggs682]

@Aines25 in normal times i would suggest taking your time and look at the 2nd hand market so much mire to choose from and bargains to be had .

But as you rightly say times are difficult for trying a bike but if i was in your shoes i would either carry on with what you have till time comes that you can go and try a few bikes first .

Have you looked at Decathlon ?

Ignore comments about upgrading wheels etc etc yes they will make a difference for sure but why not use the standard wheels first and get use to the bike then think about it oh and the other difference is a bigger hole in your budget .

 

[Domdom1980]

Not sure if it helps at all, but I bought a TCR advanced 2 as my first steed a couple of years ago.

Great bike, 105 is not massively different to the ultegra I've got on my second bike.

Like others have said, stock wheels were the only small issue but I got some Hunts for about £300 and it's made it into a cracking bike.

 

[Aines25]

@Aines25 in normal times i would suggest taking your time and look at the 2nd hand market so much mire to choose from and bargains to be had .

But as you rightly say times are difficult for trying a bike but if i was in your shoes i would either carry on with what you have till time comes that you can go and try a few bikes first .

Have you looked at Decathlon ?

Ignore comments about upgrading wheels etc etc yes they will make a difference for sure but why not use the standard wheels first and get use to the bike then think about it oh and the other difference is a bigger hole in your budget .

Thanks for the advice.

Main issue for me is that even when trying bikes out on a trial run, I'd still be unsure as to which would be a good purchase, I'm sure all will feel great on a test run, however its the longevity and quality of parts etc that I need/needed help with to make the correct purchase.

I looked on decathlon, but again the same issue as mentioned above means I'm not entirely sure what I'd be looking for.

 

[Aines25]

Not sure if it helps at all, but I bought a TCR advanced 2 as my first steed a couple of years ago.

Great bike, 105 is not massively different to the ultegra I've got on my second bike.

Like others have said, stock wheels were the only small issue but I got some Hunts for about £300 and it's made it into a cracking bike.

105 and Ultegra is just a weight difference right? are there any other differences in the two?

I would certainly use stock wheels for a good while first, what's the difference in the two however?

 

[vickster]

105 and Ultegra is just a weight difference right? are there any other differences in the two?

I would certainly use stock wheels for a good while first, what's the difference in the two however?

105 parts are cheaper to replace and will likely last a bit longer (assuming basic maintenance). Otherwise minimal difference in operation.

Looks like the range has a pressfit bottom bracket (as many carbon bikes do), you may want to research this and the potential issues a bit

 

[rivers]

regarding wheel sets, that's another issue, I have no idea what's deemed good / better than a next pair so that is help id also need lol....what difference is there in 105 and Ultegra?

About £400. 105 is brilliant.