I am in the market for a new road bike. It will be a "summer" bike, used for anything from 2 hour rides to all day, and a trip to the Alps. I don't need to be able to tour on it, or fit racks.
Quick
Comfortable
Light
Nice to look at
I have been seeing some deals on Spesh Roubaix or Giant Defys but I have a budget of 1.5-2.5k so I would be interested in something more unusual.
ribble carbon and some bling wheels?
Felt? Think the Felt F4 is about £2.5k
I know of a 2010 Giant TCR Rabbobank Giro d'Italia LTD Edition thats within you price range Full Ultegra with compact crank.
I'd buy it myself if I had any spare cash.
Nice budget. You'll have fun spending that.
Bianchi Infinito is supposed to be really nice.
FWIW there is no way I'd be buying a Ribble with that budget.
That Giant is a thing of beauty!
I would be wary of going very light on wheels as I'm nearly 14 stone and I ride a lot of back roads which aren't in very good nick.
Nothing against Ribble, but I have to agree with the above comment if you have that sort of budget and the desire for something a bit different. Plenty of choice really and I guess it all comes down to what appeals to you, but the Giant mentioned above would certainly get me going...
Just to add. Really what you want is something that.
1.Fits.
2.Looks good.
In the £1.5-2.5k range you're better off sticking to the big brands or places like Planet-X IMO, if you go for a more exotic brand at that price you'll just be paying for their name on a Chinese generic mould with usually below average spec. bits.
If you're looking for normal/racing geometry then I'd check-out Planet-X nanolights, if you want a more relaxed/sportive geometry (mostly just a taller head tube) then look for a 2010 Roubaix/Defy etc.
Canyon.
Race winning frames with top quality spec for great prices.
I've just bought the Aeroad CF9.0
£2700 as I waited to get a good exchange rate. aero frame which was ridden by Gilbert to victory in the tour of lombardi, Mavic cosmic carbone 50mm carbon clinchers, full Campag chorus 11 2011 grouppo (not FSA cranks like a lot of companies do to cut costs). ritchey finishing kit Try and get a spec like that for that money anywhere else!
down side is you can't try them for size, but I measured everything about three times before buying, don't trust their size calculator, it is terrible.
Traildog you have a point about fit, I have a Cayo at the minute which is a 58 and is great for anything up to 3 or 4 hours but isn't particularly comfortable on a longer easier ride. I will probably go for a bit of extra height in the head tube this time around.
Looks are definitely a factor 
Canyon.
+1
Those Canyons look smart, but that budget would also get you something awesome 2nd hand.
planet x?
having got into road riding from an mtb background, my advice would be to go for a cheaper set up initially so you can play about with component size and if needed, frame size, without it being the end of the world.
Fit on a road bike is much more important than on an mtb, so it's worth either going to a very good shop who will spend time setting it up and if needed swap stem length, bar width etc... or doing the above buy cheap and fettle till you know what fits you.
I'm probably not the best person to ask about something a bit different considering for road bikes i go with Specialized and will likely stick with them in the future.
Some other bike brands definitely have a better image but you have to be careful about whether the particular model represents good value for money. The de Rosa R838 which is bike of the year in cycling weekly is the same as the ribble stealth for about double the price. The frame is identical manufactured in the same factory, the same moulds etc only thing that varies is the paint job and price tag.
This is a bit out of budget at £3000 but looks to be a great deal http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/store/product/18805/Felt-Z2-Gloss-Black-Road-56cm/ Felt Z2 with shimano di2.
Canyon also seem really good value too and pretty rare too at the moment, i've only seen one on the roads so far.
Canyon
A Storck 1.1 would just about get in there
I think you could probably get a Cervelo RS in for that
Canyons are lovely
Sabbath very good too and could go custom
Enigma - the one they do in columbus XCR
2.5K the world is proverbially your lobster
Buying off the peg I'd go for Binachi Infinti with Athena 11 speed (its an Italian bike so has to have Campag)
Buying bespoke or custom it would be a tough choice between a Sabbath, the Storck and the Enigma
Custom would see you compromising on kit a little but to be honest the low end Road groupsets like 105, Rival and Centaur are so good anyway that you may as well economise there in favour of decent frame and wheels which will make significantly more difference in the Alps !
De Rosa Neo Primato with Athena 11 for a real nice looking retro build
I like that BMC.
I'll probably buy new, somewhere that I can get fitted when I buy. I have the Cayo set up pretty nicely using a basic set of measurements from Competitive Cyclist's fit generator, and a bit of experimentation, but I'd like to balance it out with a proper fitting session.
That Felt is beautiful but I would be very wary of the di2, I wouldn't really need it. My head is telling me I should go for the Roubaix but I want to explore every option as the bike will need to last me a long time.
How about this Gary Fisher?
I recently bought the cheaper Ion, which is ali with carbon seat stays and it is awesome.
The geometry is more sportive than race.
If I had that budget I'd be going for something from Sabbath :swoon:
^^^Isn't that advertising^^^
A prefect example of my point though "Carbon pina with Ultegra!!!"
No its not, its a Pina with some ultegra, finished with some pretty dross kit.
I have a Spesh Roubaix and it is a very very good bike for short, long or even racing if that takes your fancy, it is a very comfy ride.
Echo what someone else said fit is really important. Also just like MTB its easy to be impressed by drivetrain bits and forget to look at the much more important wheels - so if you choose something that does not have light wheels you need to keep some budget for that inevitable upgrade. (Your "heavy" spare wheels are always useful for the winter months). Newer Shimano Dura Ace wheels can go tubeless with the right tyres - worth doing as you forever see roadies sitting by the side of the road changing tubes.
Litespeed Archon going cheap
styling not to everyone's taste maybe?
Caused a bit of contreversy with ribble!! - my view, which I wasn't able to expand upon at the time due to work, was that at you are getting good value for your money, as expanded by Omar Little, and leaves room for bling wheels and tyresas a second set.
I would second Canyon as good value and if your budget can stretch and you're after individuality Robert's handmade bikes
wiggle doing a 2010 giant advanced1 for £2200 ....a grand off rrp
At that price range Shandy its difficult to buy a bad bike. Buy one that fits, is comfortable, feels "right" and you like the look of. Go somewhere you can get a proper bike fit and then get test rides. Bike fit is more important on road bikes than MTBs as you are in the same position for longer periods. Much better to spend a bit more at a good bike shop getting a bike you're happy with than buying cheap from a website and not liking the fit or ride.
This was less than £2K (just!). Chuck £500 at some posh wheels and it'd be even better.
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The worst thing I find about fit for road bikes is the bar shape which in turn changes depending on what groupset you are running.
Maybe if the top end is 2.5K budget a couple of hundred quid of that for fitting and a hundred quid for bar pratting around.
I am happy to put a few quid into fitting. I'm 6'3" with long legs, shortish body, broad shoulders, so I wouldn't be surprised if I was recommended wider bars, or a slightly different frame size based on my shape.
[url=http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TITANIUM-FRAME-CARBON-FORK-TRACK-FIXIE-FIXED-GEAR-/130412988922?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&var=&hash=item641e45a5a6][/url]
This would be my choice (they do a geared frame too), built up with a Campag Record groupset and some other lovely bits!!
Why can't I get the URL link thingy to work????? Aaaarghh
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