Looking for an Audax/Sportive bike, mainly to get fit to enjoy my mountain biking more but hopefully will get a lot of the road biking as well.
I would like something comfortable but fast and responsive.

Any suggestions?

Giant defy.

Cube GTC Agree. I rode one last year when we were making some changes to a customers bike. I was genuinely astonished at how responsive AND comfortable it was- much more so than my current carbon road bike. I was hoping that there would be a few left over at the end of the year and I’d get a special deal, but they all sold. Upshot is – I’ve just ordered a 2011 model and it’ on its way from Cube.

Giant Defy appears good, I have a riding friend who has a Defy 4 I think. Excellent value and you can get bike specific almost full mudguards for it ( like a beefy Road Racer 2). The other bike I would suggest is the Ribble Winter/Audax bikes. Again I know 2 people with these and are ggod. In fact if I get the money I will probably get one for my year round/light tour machine. You have a lot of options to choose from on their sites bike builder.

Ribble Sportive carbon or Planet X Pro 🙂

Bloke went round the Tour of Rutland sportive last year on a Yeti 575 with knobbly tyres!

Apparently the Bianchi he’d ordered on C2W was late being delivered.

Spesh Roubaix if you can cope with the big price rises in recent years, Giant Defy, Cannondale Synapse, otherwise Ribbles carbon sportive bikes are great value. Their audax bikes are a bit harsh and the blue frame struggles to take 25mm tyres which help with comfort (Loads of people will slag them off for service but I’ve never had problems)

If you live anywhere Whaley Bridge, pop in to the Bike Factory and check out their own brand “Biaggi” 631 steel framed audax bike. Then buy one, and give me a report, I am sooooo tempted….

Bianchi 928.

I did a few of my first audax’s and sportives last year on my Ribble Sportive Carbon and it was perfect i.e. value for money – I also have had not issues with Ribble service 🙂 They have been very good to me in the past with any issues I have had!

Sabbath September? If you’re not fussed about mudguard/rack eyes then the Sabbath Alp is a great sportive bike.

You won’t go far wrong with a Defy. After a break from road racing a good few years ago I used the Defys predeccessor the SCR to get back into it.
I had been used to campag equiped custom bikes, but I raced this and did a fair few tons in comfort as well.
Thing is, if you get on with a road bike you can move on. If you don’t you haven’t lost much. And Defy’s sell well secondhand.

Any road bike, I’ve a cannondale R500 from 2004, perfectly capable of doing 100miles slowly, or 100miles quickly, roadie niches are one thing I’ll never understand, it’s a road and its a bike, surely a ‘faster’ bike is just more efficient, so to go slowly requires even less effort. if you want higher bars just flip the stem!

Genisis Equilibrium !

cant beat the feel of steel reasonably light, clearance for full length mudgaurds and fixings for a 3 point rack. 2 options reasonable price.

dc

thisisnotaspoon – Member
roadie niches are one thing I’ll never understand,

Which makes you pretty much unqualified to respond to this thread?

If your looking at doing either longer Audax rides or rides at this time of year then something that you can fit full proper mudguards to is essential, and not race blade clip on style, i have experience of both!

Also if you can afford it look at titanium, i did a 200k yesterday on my Planet X Ti sportive, best thing i have done an Audax on.