Sorry for the long post but I really need some advice here. I’ve decided to get a “road” bike but I am utterly paralysed by too much choice and complete lack of knowledge. 😕

Unusually for STW I currently only have one bike. A Rock Lobster 853. This serves as my commuter, utility bike and child transporter (adorned with slicks, bell, lights, guards, trailer hitch etc) but it can still salvaged back to proper off-road use as required (which is fleetingly rare these days for other reasons).

Meantime my old mates have come out as roadies.

They’ve invited me up to Scotland to do a three day road ride round Lairg/Cape Wrath/Tongue with them at the end of May, which will involve some fairly serious riding for us (1st day is 67 miles with 5000ft climbing).

So… I need a road bike.

But what should I buy?

Most of my current riding is bridleways, shared use, muddy paths and country roads. So my initial feeling is that a svelte featherweight carbon road bike wouldn’t like that too much – and I’d be better off going something a little more sturdy. Maybe steel?

Plus I’m thinking that eyelets for mudguards and panniers would be nice. The ride in Scotland will need panniers and there is talk of other big rides (Coast2Coast etc).

And disc brakes seem far more sensible to me than weedy rim brakes when I’m carrying luggage at speed and the rims are wet/muddy.

And a sensible gear ratio may be required to get up those hills. Maybe even a triple chainset.

So my list of competing requirements looks like:

• fast, light enough to keep up with roadie mates. Maybe do the odd sportive.
• sturdy enough to survive bridleways, Sustrans paths, bumps and potholes.
• comfortable all day riding, not stretched and slammed.
• mounts for mudguards and pannier rack.
• drop bars, hoods and STI-style shifters
• disc brakes
• gears that go up hills but still keep up with roadies on the flat. Triple chainset?

Which sounds like it might be a cyclocross bike or possibly even a light tourer?

Some things that have caught my eye:

Boardman CX
Salsa Vaya
Genesis Croix De Fer
Genesis Vapour Disc
Focus Mares (maybe the Ax 2.0 Disc 105?)
Whyte Saxon Cross
Kona Honky Inc
Pretty much everything on this thread

My budget is £1000-1500

Questions

Can I possibly hope to keep up with carbonned lycra’d roadies on a CX or tourer? I’m hoping a mechanical advantage on the hills might make up for the extra weight. (Plus I’ve lost 11kg in the past 6 months so figure I can afford an extra couple of the bike!)

Should I just get a full carbon road god instead, continue using the MTB as my regular utility/transport/commuter bike and only run the road bike on proper roads at weekends when I can (rarely)? (I realise the answer is “N+1” or possibly even “N+2” but I don’t have the shed space or funds).

And finally, where do I stop when I shave my legs? 😉

Honky Inc for now and maybe upgrade the frame to a Ti disc one later if you get more into it (to save a bit of weight, although the Honky Inc isn’t actually that bad weight-wise)

If you are going to be using panniers etc then you can basically forget the whole lightweight/carbon thing (unless you’re going to end up with two bikes). Those bikes you listed would all be good, as would a Kinesis Pro 6.

Gearing – look for a triple. You’ll get lots of disparaging comments about manning up but ignore them. You could also fit a MTB rear mech and MTB cassette to give you even lower gearing for those longer, end-of-day, loaded hill climbs.

Nice part of the country. I was up in Lairg late last year and did a ride out to Tongue and back.

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2012/09/by-klibreck-and-altnaharra.html

So you’ve put a bit of thought into this then? 😉

I bought a road bike a couple of years ago and decided I wanted to get something as fast and light as I could get for my £1k-ish.

I picked a Boardman team carbon and have never regretted it, the feeling of effortlessly flying along the country lanes is highly addictive.

I’ve recently got a s/h CX bike to use in the winter and it’s a fair bit harder work and has a triple chainset which I have already come to HATE. It’s still nice to ride but I wouldn’t want it as my only bike.

So I’d say…

Should I just get a full carbon road god instead, continue using the MTB as my regular utility/transport/commuter bike

If you’re carrying any decent amount of baggage, look for a steel frame with conventional 32 or even 36-spoke wheels. The issues I’ve had with touring bikes haven’t been weight-related, but bust spokes and detached rivnuts can cost you a lot of time.

If you ride hills regularly you’ll be fine on conventional road gearing or compact.

Most experienced cycle tourers don’t seem to hurry at all, they just get up early and keep plodding. If your friends turn out to be a bit keen you can always ply them with extra whiskey in the evenings to handicap them. 😈

Disc brakes are miles better than cantis but you really don’t need them unless the bloke directly in front of you has them. 🙂

Pro 6 custom build or Boardman Team CX off the shelf.

I have the Boardman, and its great as both a winter road bike and cx race bike. I’ve not toured on it yet, but it feels stable enough to do so on.

They really are very good bike.

Compact?

Can I possibly hope to keep up with carbonned lycra’d roadies on a CX or tourer?

Fitness has a far far far greater impact on this than what bike you’re kno, despite what marketing departments push.

He’s **** then! 😆

I was in a similar position (ish – didn’t have a trip like that coming up)

I kind of wanted a tourer, kind of wanted a cx bike, kind of wanted a road bike, but didn’t really need any of them (had a did-it-all hardtail like you), and certainly didn’t need one of each!

When I saw the Singular Peregrine, I thought “Here we go, it’s a third each of all the bikes I don’t quite want enough to buy.” I loved the idea of a frame that could be lots of different bikes over the years with a change of tyres, bars, possibly wheels.

Rack and mudguard mounts, EBB for Alfine or singlespeed, clearance for 2.0″ 29er knobblies. Build it with light road kit and it’s still going to be a few pounds heavier than a carbon wunderbike, but a bit of pedalling will sort that out!

And you’ve got a lifetime of options – “spares and bits” don’t attract as much attention in the garage as a whole bike, even if they cost the same!

Plus it looks nice.

Good work on the weight, too!

Yes, all three is the correct answer. 🙂

i recently bought a charge filter, my mate at the same time bought a cannondale caad8.
after 6 months of use, the conclusion we have come to is, i wish i had bought something a little racier, and my mate wishes he had bought something a little less racy.
i have disc brakes on mine, they work ok, but not sure id bother with them tbh, they dont actually work any better than rim brakes.
(tektro lyra, upgraded to shimano rotors immediately)
the ability to fit full mudguards is a bonus though imo.

Honky Inc

It is super cheap (£925) at Evans at the mo.

look for a triple. You’ll get lots of disparaging comments about manning up but ignore them

Yeah I’m not worried about upsetting roadie etiquette or The Rules.

But actually it was my mate who said “Get a triple, riding a double nearly killed me on the hills”

Don’t think it will be “full” panniers. It’s only a 3 day trip and we’re staying in B&Bs. My mates reckon on about 6-8kg of luggage to haul (mainly cycling gear, tools, spares, pub clothes, locks)

So you’ve put a bit of thought into this then?

I am a terrible shopper! Research everything to the Nth degree then up too conflicted to buy anything! I actually started this long search by looking at Alfine 11 stuff (like the Pompetamine Versa 11 – but think that it just too heavy to keep up) 😀

Alfines don’t give a low gearing range either!

i have disc brakes on mine, they work ok, but not sure id bother with them tbh, they dont actually work any better than rim brakes.
(tektro lyra, upgraded to shimano rotors immediately)

From the reviews I’ve read BB7s seem like the only ones to consider.

Don’t think it will be “full” panniers. It’s only a 3 day trip

So that’ll be 3 complete changes of riding gear then. :Scotland:

Also, buying a bike specifically for one trip?

You can get a wider range cassette to use with a compact double chainset.

i would look at what your mates are riding.

your Credit card touring.

id be loooking at a giant defy if they still exist or what ever the equivalent is . a highly underrated bike – its not niche or bling it just works.

nearly all those bikes you have listed put you at a serious disadvantage to your mates already. and incase you dont know that corner of the world has some short(its all relitive..i class Cairn o mount as short) sharp steep climbs especially along the top of scotland and its generally rolling – very little “flat” so weight and rolling resistance will play a big factor.

i wouldnt bother with disks on a road bike either – again the weight penalty isnt worth it for very little gain – road bikes hardly go through their pads/rims as it is.

im in the same boat as the OP, how come no one has mentioned Ribble yet? They appear to be the best value in my naive opinion.

There are some great deals on the Salsa Vaya at the moment, but I don’t think you really want a touring bike.

You could try and find a Salsa Casseroll, although I would change the cantilevers to mini-vs.

I’ve got a Salsa Pistola, which is steel but no longer made and doesn’t take a rack, for road riding. And a charge filter for commuting, winter riding, light touring. It weighs a lot and I ditched the cantilevers. It has a compact double, but I have got it to work with a 12-32T cassette out back without having to change the rear mech.

i would look at what your mates are riding.

Mate in same position as me (needing to buy a bike) went for a Focus Cayo Evo 5.0 which seems very roady.

Existing roadie mate is on a Specialized Allez.

The issue for me is, if I go for a full on road bike I’m not sure I’ll get a lot of chances to ride it outside of the trip, whereas a CX style bike could replace my MTB as my regular commuter so I’d get a few good miles in.

It makes sense to buy something you’ll get more than one trip out of. How are your mates planning to carry any gear? A rucksack would be a nightmare!

road bikes hardly go through their pads/rims as it is

That’s because there’s barely any friction, especially in the wet 🙂

How are your mates planning to carry any gear? A rucksack would be a nightmare!

Pannier racks on P-clips.

Salsa Vaya

just built one. lovely bike but my god the front end is high. no spacers and -17° stem just to get the bars below the seat.

I wouldn’t recommend anyone buys one with out a test ride.

A crosser would be a great all-purpose road bike/winter bike/tourer but for that kind of ride you are going to want a lightweight, fast bike not a relatively heavy crosser. The weather in Scotland in May is often blindingly sunny and warm, by the way.

If you’re in the NW and you’re about 6′ you’d be welcome to borrow my Specialized Tricross disc and see how you get on with it; it is about 1 mph slower on average than my roadie but it’s very comfortable over long distances.

There’s also the Boardman CX. The Croix de Fer is a disappointingly heavy bike.

A triple is for riders who want to plod up hills while a double is for roadies who are keeping up a good average speed and want to attack hills IMO.

Brave.

And I’d disagree. But that’s the nature of forums – we are all entitled to express an opinion.

Just to add to the confusion – Jamis Bosanova?

Steel, Discs, guards, Drops and 10speed STI, sub £1k. Spend the rest on either BB7s or lighter wheels?

To be fair it’s not the lightest bike in the world.

Or a Pinnacle Akrose 2/3 – alloy framed disc crosser with guard and rack mounts.

Sorry, probably not helpful… 🙂

brave why ?

never had an issue with pclips even off road , ive been with other who have but generally its user error as oppose to any fault with the pclips them selves.

I wouldnt buy a bike that required them for a tour out of choice though – my circumstances have been using inappropriate bikes to tour to save buying ANOTHER bike.

Pannier racks on P-clips.

You should make it clear that you’ll be enforcing a strictly no-borrowing policy in relation to your rack or your dry clothes…

You could always get in touch with this chap and ask him what bike he’d recommend. I’m sure he would have plenty of strong opinions on the subject of disc brakes, luggage capacity and suitable gear ratios.

Is the Scotland trip going to be self-supported and carrying all the gear or just a credit card trip? If the former, a roadie will be almost useless as you will need panniers and plenty of gears.

thorn audax should also be on your list.

For that sort of trip, I can’t see you being at any disadvantage on a CX bike unless your pals are all raging racing roadies and want to do the whole thing on a 20mph average.

Your choice should be around what sort of CX bike though. Something like a do it all Planet-X Uncle John or a racier (CX racing that is) bike with shorter top tube, small head tube etc. I just sold my colnago world cup but it had mounts for racks, took discs or canti’s and was a superb cx racing bike.

You sould like a mountain biker at heart and your local terrain sounds like it suits a CX bike for getting around faster etc.

I do a bit of everything, have a race carbon road bike, CX race bike, Pompino for commuting etc. If I was going on a tour with a few blokes i would be on the CX bike. If I were alone I would just singlespeed the Pompino with a low gear and enjoy it. But Unless I had a support vehicle to carry my stuff I wouldn’t bother with the road race bike.

thorn audax should also be on your list

why ? heavy , old school and not very well made in my experiance of thorn bikes.

mine came free with a rohloff hub though. cereal packet

something like this, with a caradice sqr tour bag.

http://www.raleigh.co.uk/ProductType/ProductRange/Product/Default.aspx?pc=1&pt=14&pg=8074

druidh – Member
GrahamS  » > How are your mates planning to carry any gear? A rucksack would be a nightmare!
Pannier racks on P-clips.
Brave.

Especially if used on carbon….

If you’re in the NW and you’re about 6′ you’d be welcome to borrow my Specialized Tricross disc and see how you get on with it

Ooh ta. Whereabouts are you? I’m North East (Wylam near Newcastle)

Is the Scotland trip going to be self-supported and carrying all the gear or just a credit card trip?

Credit card. B&Bs. Just carrying clothes, tools, spares and drinking trousers – no tents, sleeping bags or any gear like that.

(BUT I would like a bike which was capable of that kind of thing in the future because it appeals).

The weather in Scotland in May is often blindingly sunny and warm, by the way.

In Scotland? Are you quite sure? 😉

There’s also the Boardman CX

Yeah that’s on the list – looks like a good off-the-shelf option, only downside is the CX Team has BB5 instead of BB7s which I’ve read aren’t quite as good. And it is a double chainset (SRAM).

You sound like a mountain biker at heart

At heart, but not so much in practise these days 😳
(kids, work, time, life etc) Hence my riding is mainly commute, utility, child transport and family pootles at the mo. And missus is pregnant so this is unlikely to change for a bit!

caradice sqr tour bag.

Yeah I actually commute with a Carradice SQR Slim. Good bags.

Kinesis TK2. Lovely bike. Light, quick, can take mudguards and rack and has clearance for larger tyres. Can operate fine as light tourer, fast commuter, winter bike or fast distance sportive type machine. A couple of my mates are serious roadies, riding out and out full carbon, Colnago £4k+ bikes. Both have the TK2 as winter bikes and when pressed both will admit that there’s actually not as much difference as you might think between the Kinesis and their “best” bikes. It will do everything you want of it and then some. In fact, it’s so good I’m probably going to buy one myself

Cotic X, my mate uses one on the road as his winter bike. They’re lovely to look at, have disks and the new one has rack mounts.