Brighton Ed
New Member
First of all, yes I know there are other threads with similar topics however I haven't found one that covers all the bikes that I am looking at. It's a lot of money for me so I'm keen to get it right rather than ending up on a donkey!
My budget is £700 to £1000 for a sportif road bike (90 mile round trip occasional commute plus weekend rides/sportifs). I've spoken to all my local independent bike shops and they all recommend major brands (Specialised, Giant and Trek). They even go as far as recommending to avoid anything that is not in those 3 brands. I also called into Evans and as well as their own brand they mentioned a Bianchi (which is a very nice looking bike).
Having spoken to a couple of friends they are mainly saying the opposite (i.e. you can get more for your money if you avoid the main brands). 2 of them have Planet X's which they swear by. They also mentioned Ribble and Focus. My concern about the Planet X (and any carbon) is how I would carry my clothes and laptop on the commute. I know I can put it on my back but I expect the putting it on the bike is better?
My shortlist is currently:
Specialized Secteur Elite 2011 (from local independent)
Trek 1.5 Compact 2011 (from different local independent)
Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Tiagra Compact 2011 (from Evans)
Planet X SL Pro Carbon SRAM Rival (online or preferably GB Cycles if the price is the same as online (i.e. I would rather buy in a store that online))
A quick comparison of three of the above using Evans is here: Evans
I know there are Ribbles of a similar spec to the Planet X but to keep the shortlist manageable I've opted for the PX (partly as I know two satisfied customers).
I'm upgrading from a Claude Butler hybrid so this will be my first with drops.
My vitals are 5'8" and about 12 stone and I work for a company that has chosen not to partake in the C2W scheme. Fitness is ok but not amazing (I completed several Sportifs and a charity London to Paris last year and was in the front couple of packs for most of the L2P).
I'm mainly interested in thought on the above bikes, however if there is something really obvious that I should be considering please let me know. I'm expecting a barrage of people saying "get the Planet X", but I'm really interested in comments on the others - particularly the Bianchi as I love the Italian styling.
Cheers
Ed
My budget is £700 to £1000 for a sportif road bike (90 mile round trip occasional commute plus weekend rides/sportifs). I've spoken to all my local independent bike shops and they all recommend major brands (Specialised, Giant and Trek). They even go as far as recommending to avoid anything that is not in those 3 brands. I also called into Evans and as well as their own brand they mentioned a Bianchi (which is a very nice looking bike).
Having spoken to a couple of friends they are mainly saying the opposite (i.e. you can get more for your money if you avoid the main brands). 2 of them have Planet X's which they swear by. They also mentioned Ribble and Focus. My concern about the Planet X (and any carbon) is how I would carry my clothes and laptop on the commute. I know I can put it on my back but I expect the putting it on the bike is better?
My shortlist is currently:
Specialized Secteur Elite 2011 (from local independent)
Trek 1.5 Compact 2011 (from different local independent)
Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Tiagra Compact 2011 (from Evans)
Planet X SL Pro Carbon SRAM Rival (online or preferably GB Cycles if the price is the same as online (i.e. I would rather buy in a store that online))
A quick comparison of three of the above using Evans is here: Evans
I know there are Ribbles of a similar spec to the Planet X but to keep the shortlist manageable I've opted for the PX (partly as I know two satisfied customers).
I'm upgrading from a Claude Butler hybrid so this will be my first with drops.
My vitals are 5'8" and about 12 stone and I work for a company that has chosen not to partake in the C2W scheme. Fitness is ok but not amazing (I completed several Sportifs and a charity London to Paris last year and was in the front couple of packs for most of the L2P).
I'm mainly interested in thought on the above bikes, however if there is something really obvious that I should be considering please let me know. I'm expecting a barrage of people saying "get the Planet X", but I'm really interested in comments on the others - particularly the Bianchi as I love the Italian styling.
Cheers
Ed
