Roadie folks please help...

[jayonabike]

Forget the Pug and go for a Specialized. The Secteur is a cracking bike and very comfortable for all day riding. You should get a good deal on last years model if you search hard enough.

 

[sweetcheaks]

i agree the Specialized would be the better of the two. if you are going down to evans at the weekend have a quick look at the 2010 trek 1.5 with shimano tiagra brakes & gears at around the same price. i have done lots of 80ml+ sportives on mine and found it very comfortable helped by the standard carbon seatpost. its just a thought and i hope what ever bike you get you enjoy it, and stay safe.

 

[Maz]

I have the Allez Elite and heartily recommend it. HOWEVER, it is a compact (2) chainring as opposed to the triple on the peugeot. If your rides are particularly hilly, you might prefer the gearing on the Peugeot.

Also, the saddle on the Allez might start to get uncomfortable on a long ride - it might take some getting used to.

I rode my Allez from Leicester to Cambridge (80ish miles?) and it's a capable bike. And no bum-ache cos I'm used to the saddle.

 

[mark barker]

Well, after much thought and a couple more trips to the LBS I decided to ignore most of the advice given and I've gone for the Peugeot. Why? First off, I like the fact that its different. Around here there are loads of Specialized bikes (and I'm sure theres a really good reason for that!), and the Pug offers a bit more individuality. Secondly it was because of the retro touches on the bike, I felt it was more my style (although many would argue that I have little or no style!).

Managed to get a half decent deal with some new accessories, and negotiated a further £85 off the bike by having an exdisplay model (which happened to be my size). Won't be picking it up until after xmas, and I'll be out for a ride regardless of the weather!

 

[Garz]

Time for some pics and eventually a review then Mark?!

 

[mark barker]

Time for a quick update... I did get the Pug, and over a week I rode about 150 miles, and hated almost all of them! I just don't get the dropped bars thing. Its so uncomfortable on the drops, and the hoods just felt wrong. Fortunately a friend really liked the bike so I managed to sell it to him for a marginal loss. The replacement? Erm... A "cross bow". Nope, I'd never heard of them either, but its a flat bar road (ish) bike and its generally much nicer to ride. The saddle is horrid (brought back memories of an old TV ad commenting on the uncomfortable saddle on a "racer". Anyone remember what the advert was for? I'm thinking yellow pages, but could be very wrong!) Anyway, I'll be getting a new saddle, but other than that I'm pretty happy with it, and I've done around 200 miles so far, and nothings fallen off!

 

[Broadside]

You should have got the Specialized. Someone's got to say it!!

 

[Iainj837]

Time for a quick update... I did get the Pug, and over a week I rode about 150 miles, and hated almost all of them! I just don't get the dropped bars thing. Its so uncomfortable on the drops, and the hoods just felt wrong. Fortunately a friend really liked the bike so I managed to sell it to him for a marginal loss. The replacement? Erm... A "cross bow". Nope, I'd never heard of them either, but its a flat bar road (ish) bike and its generally much nicer to ride. The saddle is horrid (brought back memories of an old TV ad commenting on the uncomfortable saddle on a "racer". Anyone remember what the advert was for? I'm thinking yellow pages, but could be very wrong!) Anyway, I'll be getting a new saddle, but other than that I'm pretty happy with it, and I've done around 200 miles so far, and nothings fallen off!

Indeed it was the Yellow Pages advert

 

[Wardy]

Time for a quick update... I did get the Pug, and over a week I rode about 150 miles, and hated almost all of them! I just don't get the dropped bars thing. Its so uncomfortable on the drops, and the hoods just felt wrong. Fortunately a friend really liked the bike so I managed to sell it to him for a marginal loss. The replacement? Erm... A "cross bow". Nope, I'd never heard of them either, but its a flat bar road (ish) bike and its generally much nicer to ride. The saddle is horrid (brought back memories of an old TV ad commenting on the uncomfortable saddle on a "racer". Anyone remember what the advert was for? I'm thinking yellow pages, but could be very wrong!) Anyway, I'll be getting a new saddle, but other than that I'm pretty happy with it, and I've done around 200 miles so far, and nothings fallen off!

Sorry to hear about your reaction to the Pug Mark and I hope it hasn't put you orf cycling. I can also vouch for the Allez (I have the Sport Triple) and the "default" saddle on that I find pretty comfortable even after a long ride, and that's compared to the Brooks Flyer on my touring bike. The bike is comfortable (especially now I seem to have sorted the road buzz situation), fast and stable and I've now been testing it out with a full saddlebag attached, so days away are going to be possible as well as the usual circular rides. I remember that TV advert; bemused son wheeling new bike out of gate (having been earlier told "maybe when you're a bit older" by Dad) and Dad peering out of upstairs window with the comment "Ah were raat about that saddle tho!" I wouldn't totally reject bikes with drops Mark. Try some with a more relaxed geometry and consider (as already well advised to me) reducing front tyre pressure and/or (as I have tried) a stem raiser and additional padding to the tops. I wanted something lightweight and fast, but not with derriere in the air/nose on the bars and my slightly doctored Allez fits the bill very well.