Must be comfy i.e. carbon or good quality steel (infact I like the idea of steel).

Ideas? I’d probably wangle a cycle to work scheme on a 58cm and the best spec possible.

Of course PlanetX however I read a review that if your big/heavy the front has abit of flex.

You buying new Hora? If so, why not give the Wiggle 30 day test ride a go?

…and then when you realise road riding is not for you and too hard you can just give the bike back and not lose any cash 😉

Im going to stick at it. Not because I like it (its not exactly fun is it) but because it offers a ride/fitness out when mountain biking on the weekend isnt an option.

I have been keeping an eye on this too. My employers only deal with Halfords and it seems fortunate that Boardman do have a very good reputation on the roadie front. Hopefully the 2011 range will be out by April. Pro Carbon for me if I am allowed to ‘top up’ my allowance.

I already have a road bike but it time to upgrade components or bike.

Genesis Croix de Fer, you can combine on and off road rides

Scott CR1 with 105 on.

IMO cross bikes are the worst of both worlds, and not a patch on a proper road bike. YMMV.

There’s some awesome looking frames on eBay, throw one of those together on the cheap.

specialized roubaix … end of thread ;O)

your welcome

You can get other bikes apart from Boardman through Halfords C2W scheme.

Mark, Ribble, Spesh & Trek are all good on the C2W scheme.

You can indeed get other bikes on the Halfords scheme. Although I am not naturally drawn to them the Boardman does seem a good buy and well rated.

If you are serious about it, then FFS stop calling it “The Darkside”.. 😐

Just buy a Trek Madone, Lance rides one so they must be the best… :p

If I was riding a road bike in the Peaks, Lakes or even Calderdale it’d be road riding….as I’d be mainly riding from my door it’ll be called the dreaded-darkside

Just buy a Trek Madone

Have you seen the poverty-spec’s attached to a brand name!

“Im going to stick at it. Not because I like it (its not exactly fun is it) but because it offers a ride/fitness out when mountain biking on the weekend isnt an option.”

Havent you got a you child/children? A cheaper option is to buy a turbo trainer, some hate it, but with a 10 month old son I find it a good way of grabbing an hour here or there when he is asleep etc. Since I started using mine 2 months ago my finest has come on big time…from zero!

Not a chance. I am the type that needs to be outside roaming free/playing out 😆 I hate the gym for the same reason (with a passion).

Ideal for me would be a steel frame- Italian, well made yet subtle – Columbus etc and still reasonably light.

Something to look at and smile when its just sat there as well 🙂

there was a thread on here where a lot of heavier owners of Planet X SL’s totally disagreed with the flexy description of the frame. This included me. Andre Greipel (the only large rider with the power to trouble the frame) must have been grumpy that day.

Also the new nanolight frames are dropping in price so may be an option

Ideal for me would be a steel frame- Italian, well made yet subtle – Columbus etc and still reasonably light.

You clearly need a Pegoretti, along with all the other wannabe Fausto Coppis – build it up with Campag Super Record, shave yer legs, get yourself a nice little roadie cap and some obscure Mediteranean riding duds and you’re ready for full-on immersion in the Lato Oscuro. Give it six months and you can buy a cross bike as well along with some nice stilettos and a blonde wig 😉

Back in 2002 I remember a nice lass getting onto the train in Surrey with a Pegoretti. It was lovely, subtle..sublime. Still remember it today.

Get yourself down to a few shops and see if they can hook you up with something second hand which will fit you. There are usually a few people who have built up a new race bike and looking at flogging their old bike/winter bike/3rd spare bike. etc.

price range?

Probably upto £1200 so that rules out a Pegoretti 😆

I love my trek 5000, carbon loveliness 🙂 Road riding is fun when you get fit/into it.

Must be comfy i.e. carbon or good quality steel (infact I like the idea of steel).

Ideal for me would be a steel frame- Italian, well made yet subtle – Columbus etc and still reasonably light.

upto £1200

Get on ebay and start trawling through the flotsum, you won’t get anything with a decent spec new for that money…

Not because I like it (its not exactly fun is it) but because it offers a ride/fitness out when mountain biking on the weekend isnt an option

Why wouldn’t you like it? Granted, riding in a high-traffic area isn’t much fun, but a 5hr ride along quiet country roads on a warm spring day is pretty much perfect, to my mind at least..

mogrim- agree, read my earlier addition..

Oops, bit of a post reading fail there!

I still remember day dreaming….drifting off whilst riding in my youth 😀

Ideal for me would be a steel frame- Italian, well made yet subtle – Columbus etc and still reasonably light.

Sound like you need to find something like this…

DSCF4083 by ten_sim, on Flickr

Picked it up for £450 off these here classifieds, lovely lovely bike! 🙂 Very similar looking to a Cinelli Supercorsa actually:

Very nice. I like that derosa 🙂

upto £1200

Get on ebay and start trawling through the flotsum, you won’t get anything with a decent spec new for that money…

Really? My Tarmac with 105 was about £1200 and it doesn’t seem to get left behind at any races/sportives/group rides that I’ve done on it?

I guess it depends on how much of a kick you get out of reading the words on your rear mech…

got a 58cm 853 lemond sat in the garage doing nowt

Lemond Zurich 853 II by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr

ianpv, sorry but i don’t class 105 as good spec, and hora has already mentioned in this thread that he doesn’t want a big brand underspecced, what wheels did it / does it have? Is it a carbon frame? what year?

Mark. do not get anything with a quill stem or lugged construction.

YGM

do not get anything with a quill stem or lugged construction.

Why not? Polished chrome lugs are lovely 🙂

Really? My Tarmac with 105 was about £1200 and it doesn’t seem to get left behind at any races/sportives/group rides that I’ve done on it?

Theyre more than that now, although there are probably deals around.

ianpv, sorry but i don’t class 105 as good spec

That’s just snobbery and makes you sound like a tool. It’s not the best, but its not bad. I don’t think anyone is going to be a sudden convert because they bought Ultegra, or is that too cheap and it’s Di2 or nothing?!

the new 105 looks lush 😉

That’s just snobbery and makes you sound like a tool. It’s not the best, but its not bad. I don’t think anyone is going to be a sudden convert because they bought Ultegra, or is that too cheap and it’s Di2 or nothing?!

Thats strange, cause what do I ride on the road? a Specialized allez with, wait for it, shimano 105 (upgraded some bits to Ultegra SL)

Its the equivalent of LX really, isn’t it, and the chainsets especially are very heavy, and at the end of the day I’m just going on what Hora wants!

New bike on the way though, Campag chorus equipped, Ill be keeping the specialized for winter duties.

That’s fairly irrelevant, there’s nothing wrong with 105, and it’s a reasonable group to expect on a £1200 carbon bike. You wouldn’t expect XT on a £1200 MTB.