Race geom
Compact
Possible to get Shim' 105?
Allez?
Boardman Comp?
Suggestions please...
There's a nice Planet X pro carbon for 600 in the classifieds!!
[url= http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3073 ]Here you go[/url]
Full 105, Mavic Aksiums, Selle Italia seat, Ritchey WCS finishing kit, choice of two colours.
Merida Race Lite 904
Race geometry, 105, full carbon fork (not ally steerer like most), very highly rated in reviews
Merida make all Specialized bikes anyway (as well as many others), so you're getting a lot of the technology that goes into them for less money...
[url= http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3074 ]Here is another bargain[/url]
For £69 over your budget you get full Ultegra....
Sputnik, that Canyon, good value as it is, is VERY relaxed geometry. Overly tall head tube and quite short top tubes for the sizes, pretty much total opposite of what the OP asked for.
providing £1000 is not a limit imposed by C2W etc and you can justify another £100, i'd look at this.... shiny ultegra bits for instant cafe stop kudos and an unfamiliar name so people think you are in on something that they dont know about....
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/kS1/a79448/sage-7-0.html?lg=en&country=226&cr=GBP
Other than that, its the Canyon but Wiggle et al all have sales on at the moment so its worth just looking around seeing what you can find reduced.
Point taken, here is one for under £1000 with proper race geo, full Ultegra and even better Mavic wheels.
[url= http://www.canyon.com/_en/outlet/article.html?o=A1035376 ]Hope this is the right size![/url]
You have a huge range to go through, but you will find a bargain, it is from Canyon's oulet store where they sell previous years's models
[url= http://www.canyon.com/_en/outlet/list.html?type=race#A1035376 ]Huge list of bikes[/url]
The £1000 is a limit imposed by my wage, unfortuately, taken my ages to save up the current amount.
Ideally tapered steerer
I've got something which you may be interested in;
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/rocky-mountain-oxygen-50-11-54cm-red-shimano-105
is 105 a huge step up from the next groupset?
is 105 a huge step up from the next groupset?
IMO yes
9spd Tiagra was pretty robust and worked well. I've seen enough 10spd Tiagra worn out or damaged in a way it should not have been, in a very short space of time, to lead me to think they've really cheapened Tiagra in the move to 10spd.
Take a look at this... [url= http://http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_gb/p2/p2File/image?id=3712&preset=original ]Merida Race Lite 904[/url]...
mboy - MemberSputnik, that Canyon, good value as it is, is VERY relaxed geometry. Overly tall head tube and quite short top tubes for the sizes, pretty much total opposite of what the OP asked for.
73.5 ST and 73.25 HT
And the Seatube/top tube is pretty much the same, they just list them as seat tube length, not center to center like most brands. So it's normal geometry, not compact, but they're not short, just undersized (i.e. a canyon 58 seems to be more like a Trek/Cannondale 56, actualy about 3cm, their high end bikes are similar but the difference is closer to 2cm).
OP why compact? Not saying it's wrong, but it does rule out a lot of very good bikes.
I think you'd need a very good reason not to get the Cannyon personaly.
These look good value to me:
[url= http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/bikes/road-bikes/sensa-bikes/sensa-romagna-special-2013.html ]Sensa at Merlin[/url]
TINAS, check the head tube lengths out on the Canyon's...
I'm normally a 54-55cm frame, would need the 58 on that Canyon to get the TT length, but that would bring a 190mm head tube with it! Far from racy... Certainly I've got the stem almost slammed on my new bike, with a 170mm head tube, so on that Canyon I'd have to have the bars sat 20mm higher! And I'm not even into a full on race Cavendish style tuck on the bike, not by a long stretch.
Lovely looking bikes, brilliant VFM, but geometry looks too tall IMO
I've got the stem almost slammed
Fair enough, but you could remove a few spacers, or a flat top cap and live with 20mm taller headtube though? Bessides low bars are overated (anyone got that link to the cervelo designers blog?) and we don't actualy know how low 9or high) the OP want's his bars, does he have unfeasibly long upper arms?
by compact I meant chain rings.
I'm not fully sure what compact geom' is?
making the front triangle smaller thats all i know...
what's better full sized of compact?
what's better full sized of compact?
Depends who you ask, compact in theory makes for a stiffer frame (as the triangles are smaller) and more comfortable (as the seatpost is longer). Traditional looks better and can have less aero drag, not that it's probably noticeable, and probably not noticably less stiff either under Average Joe, and Cav's Dogma and Venge are both 'traditional'.
Racier bikes tend to have longer top tubes and shorter head tubes making them more arse up/head down and stretched out.
'Sportive' bikes tend to be slightly shorter top tubes and taller head tubes, allong with possibly slacker (normal would be 73deg paralel, slack could be anything down to 71 parralel) head angles, and longer chainstays, f people who want more comfort and to admire the view and handling that won't throw them under another bikes wheels as soon as they look upto admire it. That's not to say you can't race a sportive bike or do a sportive on a race bike,they're just slightly different priorities.
note: compact geometry and sportive geometry are not the same, you can have a compact race bike and a traditional sportive bike, or vice versa.
Compact chainsets are nice (IMO) there's a jump between the rings, but if you're not in a really tight bunch that wont be an issue and they make steep hills less of a grind.
re: tiagra.
i would 2nd the post above about 9sp tiagra being a lot better than 10spd tiagra, ive had both and the 10spd ones feel flimsy in comparison.
105 much better though.
Loads of threads on here about £1K road bikes if you use the (advanced) search function. Check out Pauls Cycles for last years stuff cheap, and there's several places selling cannondales cheap.
The roadlite 7 is the best value I've seen (for full rrp).
Agree with Crashtestmonkey, great value Cannondales to be had. If you can scrimp together 200 quid more you can pick up a CAAD10 with 105. Alternatively you can get a CAAD8 (ever so slightly less racy geometry, but still a pacy machine - I ride one) for under a grand. Cannondale make arguably the finest alu frames that you can get and their race pedigree is unquestionable.
I keep telling myself I don't need this
[url= http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/bikes-c5/road-bikes-c18/cannondale-supersix-apex-road-bike-white-2012-p206336 ]Cannondale Supersix carbon fiber goodness down from £1800 to £1150[/url]
[url= http://www.fudgescyclestore.com/index.php?p=219495 ]which is also available here[/url]
though I'd have to sell my current Orbea Aqua 105 to help fund it, it's too minty to turn into a winter bike!
mind you that canyon outlet hasn't helped, some lush dura-ace kitted carbon flyer for a bit over £2K....
Sensa Romagna from Merlin. Awesome deal for the money
Fair enough, but you could remove a few spacers, or a flat top cap and live with 20mm taller headtube though?
I've got all but a 5mm spacer removed on my current bike with a 20mm shorter head tube. Maybe [i]just[/i] with a flat headset top cap too, but it wouldn't leave any room to drop for a racier position.
The next Canyon in the range, the Ultimate AL, is slightly longer in the TT and has 20mm shorter headtubes size for size. MUCH more appropriate for a race bike if that's what the OP wants.
Cannondale CAAD 8 (or 10 if budget would stretch) would also be a good choice of course.
thisisnotaspoon - Bessides low bars are overated (anyone got that link to the cervelo designers blog?)
That sounds interesting, got any more info on that?
I've just bought my first road bike today, a Planet X RT-57 in carbon with SRAM Rival groupset, which I'm told is lighter than Ultegra!! All for £1 under a grand!!
For a slightly racier bike, they have the Pro Carbon/SRAM Rival for the same price, or with SRAM Red (Mtb think XX) for £1200, which is an insane price!!
Possible to get Shim' 105?
about 3 years ago i built up a scott cr sl, full dura-ace 10sp, zipp carbon bars/stem, for about 1k. frame was used but only just, chainset was used, wheels used, rest was new.
you just got to look, be patient and be flexible with your choices.
a Planet X RT-57 in carbon with SRAM Rival groupset
You mean SRAM Rival shifters and mechs?
Is the Merida Race Lite 900 2013 a good bike for £599?
...is merida a good brand to buy from?
Merida build Boardman bikes. Boardman have the same geometry and are universally well-regarded, with the exception of the shopping emporia that sell them.
Personally, since acquiring a Giant TCR and racing, I've become a huge fan of Giant. Not the best spec-per-pound, but the best frames-per-price-point. And there is nothing wrong with a quality alloy frame. It will ride better than a cheap carbon one.
Is the Merida Race Lite 900 2013 a good bike for £599?
Very. Hydroformed ally frame, full carbon fork, both things you won't find elsewhere on a £600 bike.
...is merida a good brand to buy from?
Superb! 2nd biggest Taiwanese bike manufacturer, behind only Giant. They make almost all of Specialized bikes, and many other makes for them.
That said you were originally looking at £1k, and if you stretch to the Race Lite 904 at £1k, you get a lighter frame again, full Shimano 105, better wheels and better components... Awesome bike for the money!
I'm far more impressed with Canyon bikes after the weekend. Got bored and drove to their factory/shop in Koblenz on Saturday (I live about 90 mins away). Other than the fact they have a PROPER bar in their bike shop, I spent ages checking out the bikes and they really do look tidy. I've seen a couple in the flesh before but they (obviously) have everything there on the show floor and there's not really a bad bike in the range. There's plenty I don't see a space but in my collection but loads I could find room for.
Build quality looks good, spec is good for the price and they actually seem to be passionate about bikes and their service standard in there. Quite possibly, they're on my list for next time 😉
The 2011 [url= http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ridley-orion-1105b-105/ ]Ridley Orion 1105B 105[/url] looks good value at Wiggle, as long as they have your size. They only have XS, S and M. Only £932 for a carbon frame with 105 looks a good buy.