Possible Road Bike

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threshold

Well-Known Member
Location
Birmingham
The company are making noises about cycle to work scheme, so I went to the LBS and asked for the best option road bike for commuting/weekend fun for about £600. They seemed really keen on pushing (sic) the Giant defy3, so, as a real newbie, how does that sound, or are better options out ther,
Cheers!
 

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
Google it. There are a fair few reviews out there. They seem pretty positive for the most part.
 
OP
OP
threshold

threshold

Well-Known Member
Location
Birmingham
Thanks, I'll try a google; The commute is between 7 and 9 miles depending on the route, and as I'm using a bottom end MTB at the moment, smelly is all I get, so I'm not too bothered, and facilities are available at the end.
 

Goffins

New Member
Location
West Sussex
Well why not go full roady then, 8-9 Mile could be covered pretty quickly and as I understand it you get quite a nice budget on this cycle scheme.

The wind has always been my biggest enemy being on the coast and I find the riding position on drops helps more than I could have imagined.

Edi:- I used to comparitively hate riding a similar distance on a MB.
 

just4fun

New Member
Im a fan of Giant and the defy range have had really good reviews this year. Im intending to buy one myself when my companies c2w scheme starts in may. I haven't found any specific reviews for the defy 3 model but i see no reason why it wont be a great first road bike. Im also currently slogging it out on a mtb but looking forward to the change over. Good luck with your choice. (it might be worth the extra £10ish per month upgrading to the defy 2.5 as it has better specs)
 

Wigsie

Nincompoop
Location
Kent
The Defy is a cracking bike, for your first road bike its best to get one from a shop so you can get properly sized and some decent help which IMO gives you the Giant, Trek 1.5 (just in budget maybe) or the Specialized Allez. Offerings from Scott, Boardman (if you dare venture into Halfords) and a few others are all well recommended so it basically comes down to you and how comfy the bike is for you.

I would say the most important thing is NEVER buy a first road (or any really) bike from a shop that wont let you take one for a test ride first! With this economic climate they should all be pretty desprate to get a sale and get one in if necessary. Took me a while to choose, rode a trek, Giant Scott and Cannondale before settling on an Allez, for me it was head and shoulders ahead of the rest in terms of comfort and have not regretted it for a second, but everyone if different.
 

Ivan Ardon

Well-Known Member
One word or warning - unless you've recent experience on a modern road bike, make sure you get on with the handlebar, gear and brake position. You need to have a ride of at least an hour to see if you're compatible with a roadie. You may be better off with a flat bar road bike (such as the Giant FCR range or a Specialized Sirrus).

I full roadie is undeniably faster (I'm at least 4 mph faster on my Allez than my hybrid), there's a lot to be said for comfort.
 
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