New Road Bike

[Steve Lewis]

Hi There

Im looking to pick up an entry level road bike and my local bike shop stocks FORME Bikes and is recommending the longcliffe5 and can sell it to me for £430 - Is this a good buy? What would you guys look to upgrade early on? I dont really know much about parts on the bikes so currently trying to train myself. The guy in the shop said they pack a real punch when it comes to parts and cost. He compared this to a TREK 1.1.

http://formebikes.co.uk/products/bikes/road/longcliffe5

Whilst i quite like this bike i prefer this:

http://formebikes.co.uk/products/bikes/road/longcliffe4

He can offer me this at £575 - obviously a better bike due to the price, is the extra £150 justifed?

Hope you guys can help - Or is there anything else you can recommend - I have also looked at the Specilized Allez and a Boardman Comp

 

[vickster]

The 4.0 offers a better 9 speed groupset and carbon fork. I'd certainly pay the extra, cost a lot more than £150 to upgrade those bits Looks a very good bike for £575, especially as the dealer will give you a 6 week checkover and probably a few other discounts if you buy from him and ask nicely

Forme are British, so that's a bonus too - although the bike like all will have been made in the Far East, the HQ staff will be in the UK

 

[Doyleyburger]

They get ok reviews the forme bikes. This one is a carbon model but not sure if it's worth you going the extra few hundred ??? Got some 105 equipment on there.......http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/forme-axe-edge-sport-2013/rp-prod91370
nothing is better than actually taking them out for a spin yourself. But If that's an option that is unavailable to you then do yourself a favour and just read all reviews on the bike that you possibly can, and the guys on this forum are very knowledgeable. Just my opinion, but there are a lot better bikes out there for the sort of money you are looking at spending. Perhaps look at the giant defy range, or yes the specialized allez they get good write ups. Also depends on what sort of riding style you want. Don't dismiss the carrera tdf from halfrauds tho. Awesome bike for the money. I had one for my first bike, just make sure you have a local bike guy ready to look at it after you collect it.
I would say the Boardman would get my vote every time though.

 

[Steve Lewis]

Thanks for the reply - I'm going to have a look at it on Wednesday - Already looked at the 5.0 and whilst I dont know much about bikes - The colour put me off a bit

 

[Doyleyburger]

Is it only forme that he stocks mate ?

 

[vickster]

There is one lass on here with the Forme... @Mo1959

 

[Steve Lewis]

Yeah he only stocks Forme - I beleive he can order in other bikes - But he really pushes Forme - And he can offer me a discount on Forme too. Someone mentioned the Carrera TDF only £370 at the moment in Halfords - I would have only ever bought a Boardman from there, but its reviews are pretty solid for a sub £400 bike. I think my office are running a new C2W scheme in Aug - but being a bloke, I want one now.lol

 

[vickster]

They get ok reviews the forme bikes. This one is a carbon model but not sure if it's worth you going the extra few hundred ??? Got some 105 equipment on there.......http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/forme-axe-edge-sport-2013/rp-prod91370
nothing is better than actually taking them out for a spin yourself. But If that's an option that is unavailable to you then do yourself a favour and just read all reviews on the bike that you possibly can, and the guys on this forum are very knowledgeable. Just my opinion, but there are a lot better bikes out there for the sort of money you are looking at spending. Perhaps look at the giant defy range, or yes the specialized allez they get good write ups. Also depends on what sort of riding style you want. Don't dismiss the carrera tdf from halfrauds tho. Awesome bike for the money. I had one for my first bike, just make sure you have a local bike guy ready to look at it after you collect it.
I would say the Boardman would get my vote every time though.

Really don't think carbon is necessary on a first bike, especially if the original option is sub £500 and the OP is looking for an entry level model. I do think gearing and a carbon fork are well worth £250 though funds permitting

Allez will be lower specced than the Forme, but you get a lifetime warranty with the Specialized frame as long as you keep the bike. Same with Giant I think. Not sure what Forme do

The Forme does offer the benefit of mudguard eyelets on the frames, indispensible in winter, esp if intending to ride in a group etc

Many would actually say look at used options initially if you feel confident in doing so

 

[Mo1959]

If you happen to be tall, Rutland are doing an amazing deal on last year's 4.0 for £349.
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/153515/products/forme-longcliffe-4-0-2013-road-bike.aspx
As vickster says, I have a Forme......the Longcliffe 3.0 FE which is the female version. I have put around 7000 miles on it in a year and it has never let me down. Only had a basic service and change of chain about half way through.

 

[vickster]

Forme do have a massive bonus over Giant, Specialized, Trek...rarity, hence cachet

Last year's has 2300 gering, as Doyley will tell you, the thumb button isn't optimal, while the current model has new Sora so all shifting from the levers

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Do you have a Decathlon store anywhere near? Their Triban range is very well thought of on here and the current Triban 5 gives you a better spec (carbon fibre fork and Sora drivetrain) for the same price as you've quoted for the Forme Longcliffe 5.0: Link

 

[Doyleyburger]

Totally agree with the carbon issue @vickster. He was talking about upgrades I think at the start of the thread. ....was just an option if he was looking to spend money on upgrades then would it be worth spending that extra £ on a better bike ? But in saying that it's not a full 105 system on that carbon bike anyway
And yeah....I HATE THUMB SHIFTERS. haha

 

[Steve Lewis]

Thar Deal on Rutland is pretty good. I would be a 58cm frame too. I will do some more research, so at that price it looks a winner.

Thanks for all your help guys

 

[vickster]

Thumb shifters though...

 

[Mo1959]

Thumb shifters though...

They're not really thumb shifters vickster, they feel almost like a switch to use. Just a little flick with your forefinger and it gives a lovely little click. I have actually started to prefer them to normal shifters so I wouldn't be put off by them.