Which Road Bike - Advice Please

[Lango8181]

Also had a look at the Condor Fratello, nice looking bike but equipped with Shimano 105 is over a grand!!! out of budget!!

I am today trying out the Bianchi and Cube so will keep you posted!!

 

[punkypossum]

I just got a trek 1.7 - got it for 800 instead of the £950 the triple version should be (full 105), so there are some good deals out there. Went for it partly because the geometry suits me and partly I wanted a sportive style bike for that extra bit of comfort over long distances...Might be worth a look at!

 

[Wigsie]

Randochap is the ultimate voice of reason! (that is a compliment and I am sorry if taken any other way).

He gave me similar advice and I did take it on board and was VERY close to getting a Tricross for the racks and mud guard clearance extra comfort etc (ok not strictly a tourer or commuter bike but a reasonable compromise). I ended up with an Allez Elite and turned half the stationary cupboard at work into a clothing, deodorant, hair gel cupboard and just have to plan my commuting days around taking laptop home etc.

It is very sound advice he gives.... but for me (and I am assuming for many more) i want my commute and weekend/evening fun rides to be as exciting and exhillarating as possible... ok so I am 6ft 4 and 17 stone but when i am flying down a hill or pushing myself on a flat open road deep down I want to think I am Lance! its the main reason manufacturers make these bikes at this price range, same as every sport!

Nobody bought silly white football boots or ones with jagged patches on the toes untill beckham scored from the half way line against wimbledon all those years ago (damn him) and Nike were an unknown in golf untill they signed Tiger Woods. Half the battle for a lot of people out there initially is psycological and if they have got the fastest most exciting bike out there for the money then they are more likey to get out on it and ultimately like me get hooked!

Ok so i cant go the shops on my allez for anything more than a pack of gum and even then i push it into the shop with me! but I see it sitting there and want it to raise my pulse and thats what it does. I have no doubt I will get a more pactical machine further down the line, but for me I cant think of a better bike to get me back into road cycling..... For the sexists out there (apologies to the ladies) think of it like a marriage, I didnt marry the most sensible woman I have ever dated.... I married the one that excited me the most, she makes me work and gets mad at me, but she is fun and passionate and I love her... if I was allowed to have more than one wife I probably would have a workhorse tucked away somewhere that did everything I said or wanted without a whisper of negativity!

My general point is that people (maybe its the 20 -30 something generation) are not generally practical when it comes to leisure items.

Maybe its just me? maybe my Psychology degree that I have never used is just bursting to get out!

 

[gbb]

Fair comments about the possibility of getting something more comfortable. I do not need to take anything with me apart from what I can fit into a small rucksack.

Like gbb I also see many people commuting on racing bikes and like the option of having something fast and agile. Although I am just planning to use it for commuting and the odd weekend ride it would be great to have a bike that could be a bit more serious if I wanted it to be.

Just cant seem to look past the option of a fast, slick racer!!!

I was rather assuming you hadnt made a basic mistake and chosen the wrong kind of bike...i did assume you (like myself) simply favour the roadbikes looks etc. I only use a rucksack...its not nice when its hot, but liveable.
Rando is right, there are far better options for commuting. Far more sensible, far more flexible.
But speaking from my own point of view...i dont want sensible, i dont want flexible...i want a roadbike.
Theres no doubt when winter comes again, you'll probaby be very reluctant to take it out, then you may face another diemma...and do what most of us do, get a hack (assuming you are going to commute in the winter).

I woud take Randos advice seriously...there are more suitable options for all year round commuting, but dont do what i did a few years ago. Compromised on what i REALLY wanted...and ended up hating the bloody thing.

Look at all the options Lango..

 

[Chris James]

Nobody bought silly white football boots or ones with jagged patches on the toes untill beckham scored from the half way line against wimbledon all those years ago (damn him)

So, so wrong. The late great Alan Ball was the original wearer of white boots and the demi God that spawned many young copyists.

As regards the rest of your post, you are quite right in that people often buy aspirational rather than practical stuff. However, these same people are often the ones who have a shed full of unused bikes, and a menagerie of impulse buys gathering dust around their house.

I would imagine a commuting bike that won't take guards (and to a lesser degree a rack) will not get used that much. No-one likes arriving at work soaking wet, sprayed with road muck and having a sweaty back from wearing a rucksack. This is all avoidable with next to no performance penalty with an audax bike.

The Condor Fratello, for example, listed above is not really any slower than a entry level race bike.

Having said all that, bikes are expensive and the OP should buy the one that he likes best. Perhaps as an engineer I appreciate different bike types just as much for their differing characteristics?

 

[Wigsie]

So, so wrong. The late great Alan Ball was the original wearer of white boots and the demi God that spawned many young copyists.

I am aware of such a player, however my point was that it was never mass marketed to joe public in those days, its the superstars that people aspire to and therefore the manufacturers market them so.

As regards the rest of your post, you are quite right in that people often buy aspirational rather than practical stuff. However, these same people are often the ones who have a shed full of unused bikes, and a menagerie of impulse buys gathering dust around their house.

I quite agree, I bet there are more £500 - £1000 fancy looking bikes out there, practically new just sitting in peoples sheds/garages (next to their adidas predators) than there are Audax/tourer style more practical commuter bikes as they are more attractive to impulse buyers..... Just for some (myself included) I am more likely to get out on the bike if it looks/feels like somethng really a bit elite (I have never ridden a £1.5k + bike so to me mine feels amazing) then I am just that much more likely to use it.

 

[Lango8181]

Cubetastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just had a test on the Bianchi and also the Cube..........

Both are superb bikes but for me the cube is top of the tree. It looks like a much more expensive bike then it actually is and for the money i doubt it can be beaten in terms of spec.

Gentlemen I think we have a winner!!!! Thanks for all the advice.

 

[Wigsie]

Nice one, have fun!!!!! and dont leave it unused in the shed or Chris and Rando will be shouting "I told you so!" at me.....

 

[Cubist]

Cubetastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just had a test on the Bianchi and also the Cube..........

Both are superb bikes but for me the cube is top of the tree. It looks like a much more expensive bike then it actually is and for the money i doubt it can be beaten in terms of spec.

Gentlemen I think we have a winner!!!! Thanks for all the advice.

Yo!

 

[Randochap]

Cubetastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just had a test on the Bianchi and also the Cube..........

Both are superb bikes but for me the cube is top of the tree. It looks like a much more expensive bike then it actually is and for the money i doubt it can be beaten in terms of spec.

Gentlemen I think we have a winner!!!! Thanks for all the advice.

Congrats on your decision! I'm sure you will enjoy your bike ... on weekends ... when it's not raining

Seriously though, couldn't you find a sport tourer/audax to try? That would be the best compromise.

 

[gbb]

Congrats on your decision! I'm sure you will enjoy your bike ... on weekends ... when it's not raining

Seriously though, couldn't you find a sport tourer/audax to try? That would be the best compromise.

Now i think about it Rando...for some, it may not be as easy to see an audax / tourer in the flesh
I have two fairly well stocked LBS's within 10 miles of me...one a small but good independent Bianchi / Felt dealership...and a larger independent, more supermarkety LBS that specialises in...err Specialized and Orbea.
I dont recall seeing any audax / tourers in either...its all hybrids etc for average joe public, and glitzy, glamorous road bikes. There doesnt seem to be any inbetween...and thats a shame actually.

Is it the same for most people out there ?...those of us that dont have the big boys on our doorstep...we're a bit stuffed for choice.

 

[RSV_Ecosse]

If you haven't already purchased the Cube, take a look at the new 2009 Boardman bikes :-

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/

The Boardman Team Carbon is absolutely stonking value for the dosh and looks fantastic.

Lots of nice kit on there from Ritchey and its SRAM Rival equipped.

I bought a Pinarello FP1 middle of last year and have found it to be a fantastic bike so far. I use it for training runs and also commute on it every week and its not missed a beat in doing either.

However, if the Boardman 2009 bikes had been around then, the Team Carbon would have got my vote and would have got my wallet open too.

For @£1000 I think it has to be one of THE best bikes in its price range if not THE best bike.

I disagree with the previous comments on not using a racing bike to commute on.

Why not?. Ride what you want, when you want and for whatever purpose you are happy with.

I have a clip on rear mudguard which keeps the worst of the spray off me and I carry a small daysack type bag on my back with a few essentials in it but keep all of my stuff at work in my locker.

I have not had any issues with my FP1 on my daily 36 mile commute. It's fast, reliable and comfortable despite being a "racing" bike.

 

[gbb]

My general point is that people (maybe its the 20 -30 something generation) are not generally practical when it comes to leisure items.

Maybe its just me? maybe my Psychology degree that I have never used is just bursting to get out!

Just a bit of fun here, but I'm 50 and i dont want to be practical..or sensible
Ive raised my kids, done the right thing all my life...now i want some unsensible fun.

 

[Cubist]

.......and if i wanted something sensible I'd get an anorak.

 

[rob7222]

Just a bit of fun here, but I'm 50 and i dont want to be practical..or sensible
Ive raised my kids, done the right thing all my life...now i want some unsensible fun.

well done