I have decided to treat myself to a new road bike and, whilst I have done a fair bit of research myself, I would welcome some other ideas. The requirements are:

£2-£2.5k budget
Shimano specced, Ultegra as a minimum.
Good wheels, or budget left to upgrade them.
Minimal own brand components or budget left upgrade.
A good carbon frame (unless you can find a Genesis Voltare 853 in the right bracket!)
Race geometry, I like my road bikes arse up, head down so not looking at sportive type bikes

My search so far has taken me to Dolan and Rose as the likely options. I’ve ruled out a few as I just don’t like the look of them, I want to look at the bike and want to ride it.

I know the sizing I like/need from prevous bikes so happy to buy on line or in store. Wherever I buy from needs to be able to provide XL/60cm sizes without a silly weight time to buy.

KTM Revelator

£2K with the discount code they are offering here, 10/10 in reviews, lovely bike, i have the same frameset just not quite as good spec

Never even considered KTM, I’ll investigate in more detail.

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b65s6p5221/CANNONDALE-SUPERSIX-ULTEGRA-COMPACT-2013

This is what I’d get, assuming you don’t mind last years ultegra. Great wheels for training on or winter riding and loads of money left over for some really nice ones for racing and summer rides. It looks pretty classy too, I do love a supersix, wish I could afford one 🙂

Ah, the only slight problem is they don’t have a 60cm. They do size up quite big though so it might be alright for you.

I did spot that SuperSix and it was one of the bikes I ruled out. Old Ultegra, average wheels and no big sizes sealed its fate.

Did you rule out Canyon’s Ultimate CF SL on looks or wait time?

They have an awesome spec and must come in big sizes for those strapping Germans. I think they look ace too, nearly bought one myself.

Giant Propel Advanced Pro 2 (105 but full Advanced carbon fork and pslr-aero wheels).
Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1 (if you must have Ultegra – and like white bikes).

If you really want “race” bike, I’d get the Propel. 11 speed 105 is superb. The wheels are excellent and have alloy braking surfaces. The frame alone is £1500 and the wheels were £1250 when I bought mine.

Want 10 speed Ultegra Di2? Then Partridge Cycles have a 2013 TCR Adanced with 6770 in medium too. Not current but a superb bike.

EDIT – just seen you need something ahem, rather large. Forget that TCR but they have others in stock.

As an alternative to carbon, and if you like race bikes… how about a Kinesis Aithein or a Bowman Palace. 650 for a nice race frameset. Both are well reviewed (e.g. here and here). Add on Ultegra 6800 mechanical group for 450 quid from Ribble. Some LB carbon wheels, maybe 38’s (like these) or 50’s for about 400 quid. Still leaves you about 800 quid (assuming 2.5k) for saddle, bars, seatpost, stem, pedals and tyres.

Have you looked at Ribble?

If you are looking at Rose bikes then I would also reccomend taking a look at the Canyon bikes. The bang for your buck really is something and for a hunderd quid over your budget you could get ultegra di2.

edit: Just seen they go up to 65cm in sizes

Cervélo S2?

I’m seriously considering the R2 – it may have 105 but the latest incarnation shifts really well & looks decent too.

Last time I checked, the Aithein had a weight limit which considering you’re a big un you might struggle to get under? Purely based on your height of course, you could be built like Kate Moss..

Canyon are hard to look past on a bang for buck type affair and they have a fair few in stock. Also look at the factory outlet tab on the Canyon website, most of the stuff in there seems to be XL or bigger and there’s a LOT of it.

Recommending what you’ve got, also have a look at Storck. The builds won’t be as stunning as ones like Canyon, but the frames are lovely. I’ve had mine for a while now and its still the best riding bike I’ve ever ridden.

Also, if you go 10 speed you open up a load of second hand wheels from those selling who have gone 11 speed and need to change wheels. For example, i know of a VERY cheap set of Lightweights (tubs) – you won’t get much more bling than that…

Want 10 speed Ultegra Di2? Then Partridge Cycles have a 2013 TCR Adanced with 6770 in medium too. Not current but a superb bike.

I wouldn’t, Shimano have rendered it obsolete, so breaking a mech means you now either have to track one down NOS (which is bloody hard), go 11 speed or go to mechanical.

Njee – will a Di2 11 speed rear mech run 10 speed with just the re-programmery trick? Read somewhere that the external width of an 11 speed chain isn’t that different to a 10 speed?

mrblobby, Nice looking frames those (though I just sneak above there maz weight limited sadly) but I have a cracking alu from already and part of the justification is a move to carbon.

The Giant bikes I ruled out as, being somewhat superficial, I just didn’t like the look of them. I’m sure they’re great bikes but they didn’t jump out. Ribble was the same.

Canyon I’ll revisit but there wasn’t quite the right mix last time I looked.

And groupset wise, it has to be 11 speed Ultegra, I see no point getting 10 speed at the moment.

I am debating a build from scratch. Superstar carbon wheels are on the cheap at the moment, a German Ultegra groupset, good frame and some 3T finishing kit and I’ll be sorted.

For example, i know of a VERY cheap set of Lightweights (tubs) – you won’t get much more bling than that.

Ooh where – I need some new light 10 speed race wheels!

The comment about 10 speed Di2 is a fair one. Although the shifters are now vey cheap and can be reprogrammed for 11 speed, I think the FD and RD need to be replaced. I guess 6770 was their test bed for the new cabling system.

I’d still get a 105 bike with better frame, because 105 11 speed is so good. The lighter frame will offset the weight difference from 105 to Ultegra and the performance will be unchanged. Cervelos are nice too. But the aero Propel with aero wheels# would be my choice.

#My current race wheels, actually.

I am debating a build from scratch. Superstar carbon wheels are on the cheap at the moment, a German Ultegra groupset, good frame and some 3T finishing kit and I’ll be sorted.

The only problem with this approach is the off-the-peg bikes from the likes of Giant/Trek/Canyon/etc. being both very good and comparatively very cheap. To build something comparable with an equivalent frame and group, you’ll usually be paying a lot more for it. Nice to have something a bit different though.

For example, i know of a VERY cheap set of Lightweights (tubs) – you won’t get much more bling than that.

How cheap?

way within budget and in stock. They have xl slx’s in stock for £2,599, which gets you a genuine world pro tour frame set.

https://www.canyon.com/en/outlet/list.html#category=road-bikes&id=AS1012278

Ribble have the R872 with Ultegra Di2 and Mavic Cosmic wheels for £2100:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/road-track-bike/ribble-r872?part=SE14R872SHIMA105&sub=conf_BBRC&bike=1

I bought a barely used 2014 tarmac sl4 sport, striped it for frame and rebuilt with ultegra 6800 Inc wheels. Reckon it cost me £1200 in the end, would have been less but I kept some bits off the original tarmac to put on the commuter when needed.

Could easy have got an s-works frame and built with same stuff for less than £2k.

That’s if you would consider a used frameset. Mine didn’t have a mark on it, think it was only ridden twice!

Canyon Ultimate CF SL is a great bike. Mine came with ultegra, kyserium elites, ritchey finishing kit, weighs in at less than 16lb with pedals, and cost £1900.

Same mould as the tour bikes, so nice and racy. Spent the remaining £600 i had on a powermeter…

Cube Litening C68?
The 2015 C68’s are made using a different mould & are a much longer top tube & racey than they’ve been before, I’m swapping from my TCR Advanced to one this year.

£800 with tubs fitted last time I asked.

Wilkitcher@Gmail.com

If you do go the self-build route and like deep drop bars, I have a minty 3T Rotundo Team carbon bar in 42cm I’m selling.

/shameless plug

I think you could build something really nice for a better price than many full bikes with some smart selections, but it all depends on getting the right frame at a very good price eh?

@matt007

the only problem with the tarmac SL4 is the non S-Works frames are porky piglets, and feel soft / dead under power.

Otherwise its actually a great handling frame with a sweet fore/aft balance.

My Tarmac Elite SL4 frame was over 1200 grammes when I weighed in on digital scales before building it up (it was a warranty frame so came “naked”).

The reason is that the non s-works frames are made from a lower grade carbon fibre, with a higher ratio of resin to cloth, meaning its heavier and less rigid. I’ve ridden a good number of S-Works tarmacs, and its night/day difference.

@Esher Shore

Yeah I did read up on construction differences, and almost talked myself into one of the 2015 models with the size specific layups etc being as I’m 95kg and riding a 58cm, thought I might benefit from the extra frame stiffness.

But I paid less for a barely used 2014 sport model whole bike than the used s-works frames were going for alone, and at my level of road riding I doubt I would appreciate the benefit of 11r or whatever s-works cf is.

My first road bike was a 2010 Trek 1.5 with 9spd tiagra, which I still use for cummuting, and compared to that my tarmac feels comfy but stiff, and lightening fast!

How about a Kuota? Despite the slightly asian sounding name its an Italian brand. They look the part and you get a bigger bang for your bucks than with a more well known brand.

They’re great bikes, I’ve got a Kharma which has now been discontinued but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another Kuota.

The Kougar looks good and is in your price range

http://mosquito-bikes.co.uk/our-bikes/kuota/item/221-kougar

In typical stw fashion I’ll recommend my own bike. A canyon ultimate Al slx. For £1500 you get an ultegra 6800 or a bit more gets SRAM and better wheels. Fantastic bike I think.

Scott Addict 20 might fit the bill?

Right, an update on this following a long chat with the fella at my LBS (very helpful and very honest about the web options) and reading of ideas here I have further narrowed the list to:

Dolan Tuono – I like this bike a lot but fear I’m getting rather too excited by the Zipp wheels. Either way, I like it a lot.
Genesis Zero .4 – It’ll need new wheels (which my LBS will sort at cost) and some of the finishing kit is a bit crap but the package as a whole is very interesting. It looks beautiful as well.
Neil Pryde BUSAsl – This almost seems like too good a price to be true. Again, the finishing kit is a bit low rent but there is enough spare in the bank to upgrade as needed.
Sensa Giulia Dura-Ace – Custom build by Merlin, average kit again but Dura-Ace (or Ultegra Di2 for similar money). I know nothing about the frame either so this too could be crap.

Any thoughts on the above? Anything that stands out as being particularly good/bad? Do I just need to stop “Hora-ing” and buy one?

Not ridden any of them of course – but I’d get the Genesis, lovely looking bike and good VFM by their standards. Smartly specced too and they insist that it’s a real top-end frame.

Their bars & stems are nice quality IME.

PS. You probably know all about road wheels already, but I wouldn’t be fussed over having deep section carbon wheels myself. Prefer a nice set of low-profile alloy wheels.

chakaping, the Geneis does look good, though a spanner in the works is my size won’t be available for 6 weeks at my LBS due to lack of stock with Genesis.

And you are also right about wheels, I can add a good pair of Mavic wheels to the Genesis for not a huge amount more. But still Zipp carbon wheels? Mmmmmm

Anyone else have any thoughts?

Ask Hora ?