Not much choice left on Paulscycles at the moment and I can’t really wait till June for a RT57 and the RT58 is just out of my budget sadly.

I love my 1988 steel bike but the position is beating me up abit.

Ideal would be NOS- upto £1200 MAX with decent wheels and a decent Shimano groupset on (105 upwards)- carbon frame/forks.

Where-what? Recommendations 🙂

but the position is beating me up a bit

How so?

Its a very 80’s racey position- on hands/weight forward. I guess I need a fat-knacker higher bar height position.

ride it more and get some core strength.

Its a very 80’s racey position- on hands/weight forward

The position’s not really changed over the years, even on a ‘modern’ bike your arse is going to be higher than your hands. Can you raise the stem?

Failing that, work on your core strength so you support your weight with that, rather than your arms.

I am riding it more and more. I’ve got great core strength too. I can plank etc for ages.

The position’s not really changed over the years

I test rode a bike recently- it was like night and day interms of position (and weight difference).

I also test rode a composite Giant Defy which was way too high- more like a mountain bike. So a middle-ground is good.

Can you raise the stem?

Raised to the max-marker (quite high).

Giant Defy (the 1 is 999) is the standard STW answer. Wouldn’t get too worked up about it being an alu frame and not carbon, it’s a lovely riding bike. Get down a Giant dealer and sort out a test ride and see how it compares. (Ah, I see you already have.)

I also test rode a composite Giant Defy which was way too high- more like a mountain bike. So a middle-ground is good.

Right size? Properly fitted? Usually sent out with a big stack of spacers under the stem.

Honestly, you might just need to get used to it. It’s (obviously) a very different position to an MTB.

What size?
Giant TCR Composite 2 at Rutland for £1150 but in XL. Carbon with Ultegra/105.

Got a pic?

Just buy my frame & forks. Just think of all that carbon goodness.

Hang. Heres a pic from when I first got it- fitted two new tyres and proper Spds since.

I’m 6ft2.

Just buy my frame & forks. Just think of all that carbon goodness.

you’d be mad to sell that. Lovely. I want a full build though as I can’t be arsed building a road bike. I think I got as far as a pair of wheels and gave up.

By the way, on the current bike you could get a quill stem adapter and add some spacers, a different stem and more contemporary bars, which could make a big difference (aesthetics aside.) I’ve done something similar to my old road bike that’s used as my turbo bike.

Edit: Having said that ^^^, I still agree with this…

For heavans sake don’t upgrade this, leave it alone, buy another bike.

Boardman Carbon Comp?

I have that as my Winter bike and it’s been bloody fabulous.

You could look at eBay for some great “hardly” used deals, even some shops offload slightly off the peg models..

I’d agree with your bike not fitting. You are improving and stretching a bit more and finding, finaly, that’s a bit small for you.

For heavans sake don’t upgrade this, leave it alone, buy another bike.

Dolan L’Etape? Build it up to your spec on the website.
Lovely riding bike & they aren’t far from you in Ormskirk.

Mad maybe but I think I fancy a change f&f, wheels & tyres £290. Have a go on it next time we are out for a ride.

It’d never get built. Conversely if someone sold me a mountain bike frame it’d be built up by that evening.

Mad maybe but I think I fancy a change f&f, wheels & tyres £290. Have a go on it next time we are out for a ride.

What are you selling Rod?

Edit: and hora, is this just your way of crying off tomorrows ride with a bad back?? 🙂

I know you said there’s not much left of Paul’s, but had you spotted this? Seems to tick all your boxed;

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p4324/CANNONDALE-SYNAPSE-CARBON-105-2012

all this crap people trot out about keeping the uncomfortable bike and improving your core strength. It;s the same sort of bollox as skiers would spout 15 years ago talking about how you needed skis body height + 10 cm or whatever it was.

Ignore them and buy a comfy bike.

And I’d be cautious about the Boardman. I tried one in the carpark and it was hideously uncomfy. I nearly bought it anyway thinking all road bikes were like that. Luckily I didn’t, bought a Domane instead and it’s brilliant. Best bike I’ve ever had.

Raleigh Avanti race full carbon f&f with Shimano RS20 wheels.

verses- I’d saved that on my tab favourites before starting the topic! Only prob is its a 56. Not sure how Cannondale Geo works?

hora. my caad8 is a 56 too and we’re roughly the same height? Be spot on for you that (I’d have one like a shot).

If I make it out tomorrow chuck a leg over it.

And they’ve got 54 and 58 too??

Good point, dont know where I got just 56 from. Oky doke 😀

And I’d be cautious about the Boardman. I tried one in the carpark and it was hideously uncomfy

LOL.

all this crap people trot out about keeping the uncomfortable bike and improving your core strength. It;s the same sort of bollox as skiers would spout 15 years ago talking about how you needed skis body height + 10 cm or whatever it was.

Ignore them and buy a comfy bike.

he’s had the bike a couple of weeks, get a few hundred miles under the belt (and lose some of the flab) and your position will get lower and the neck/arm ache will go as you get stronger/lighter/fitter and the bike more comfortable (if it’s the right size/geometry for you)
by all means get an upright nodder bike if it’s just a 30mile pootle to the pub but looking at the pic there’s hardly any saddle to bar drop at all.

I tried one in the carpark and it was hideously uncomfy

This made me lol a little too.

There’s such a range of adjustment that can be made to a bike provided the frame size is a reasonable choice. Even if you get one that’s comfy now, over time you can swap the stem (different length, rise, drop), change the bars (shape, width), fiddle with the stack height, saddle position (fore/aft) and height, change the saddle for a different shape, shifter positions, crank length. You’ll be lucky to find one where everything is right for you off the peg though. And all these things you will probably want to tweak over time too if you are new to it all.

Though given there is so much scope for adjustment, this is probably not bad advice…

Ignore them and buy a comfy bike.

I tried one in the carpark and it was hideously uncomfy

Maaaaaayyyyte, c’mon. 😆

Ok, so I love uncomfy bikes? You are right of course, I’m a roadie, I ride road bikes fast, I like them aaard me. 😆

Anywhoo’s looks like his Highness is going for an Alu D’ale, good choice, great bikes.

Of course he simply has to slam the stem and stretch out, cleary don Lycra and deffocate in the bushes.

Enjoy playing Sagan Hora. 😉

by all means get an upright nodder bike if it’s just a 30mile pootle to the pub

I managed the Fred Whitton on an upright nodder bike. A Boardman hybrid. Not sure it would have been anything like as pleasant on one of those curly handlebar Boardmans though.

Sorry, I’m going off on one again. But I did genuinely feel that the Boardman road bike was pretty uncomfortable. And if Hora is the type of person to stop at the pub half way round a 27 mile training route then I think he will too

Merlin groupset and wheels.
Chinese frame, bars and seatpost.

Job done.

But I did genuinely feel that the Boardman road bike was pretty uncomfortable.

Does it have those nasty curly bars? You could always fit some risers and bar-ends. Or just turn the stock bars upside down… 🙂

Is the saddle level on your bike? Putting too much weight on the wrists? Reach too far? Road bikes don’t have to be uncomfortable.

How can a Defy be “too high”. I don’t follow. The BB on mine is 0.75cm higher than my Propel. I can’t say I’ve really noticed the difference at 27mph in a bunch. And bars can drop a lot lower than my relative -7cm to the saddle.

EDIT Slamming a stem on the CAAD8 😆 . I had to do that just to get my (modest) bar position. It’s the only slammed bike I’ve ever ridden 😉 . Great bike provided the BB30 is greased properly.

How can a Defy be “too high”. I don’t follow.

Clearly you haven’t met hora, have you?

I adjusted the shifters up 1.5mm on my Propel this morning. And removed the pea from the mattress 😉

Bikes with identical set up and geometry don’t feel so different. Making them identical is my OCD.

Just had a Wiggle email.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ridley-orion-105-special-edition-2013/

TiRed, if your reading I’ve got a question. I’ve got a Boardman at the minute, which I believe is the same geo as the TCR, which I ride with 20mm of spacers. I’m looking at buying a Defy and wondered what size stem your running as the stock M/L bike I demoed had a 100mm and about 35mm of spacers and felt very upright and a bit cramped like hora says.

Sorry for the thread hijack.

100mm and about 35mm of spacers and felt very upright and a bit cramped.

I bet if you chucked 25mm of those spacers away and put a 120mm stem on it would be transformed.
Only thing wrong with a quick demo is, you don’t get a chance to sort out those personal preffences which make all the difference.

Kind of my thinking to be honest, though it was a paid for 2hour demo that they wouldn’t let me make any changes 🙄

fathomer, ride a ML TCR here. A 5mm spacer under a 110 stem with a 6 degree drop, seatpost 50mm from min limit. I’m 6ft with fairly long limbs. Definitely not upright, though do ride with pretty much a 90 degree bend at the elbow when on the hoods. I can see some thinking the position is a bit cramped, but I like my bikes on the smaller side.

though it was a paid for 2hour demo that they wouldn’t let me make any changes

That’s pretty crap.

Wot about Ribble? Maybe not as good value as Planet X but more customisable builds.

I’ll second the Ribble, especially in terms of value for money. I have a new sportive racing which is a great bike for me, although I’d happily change it for a R872 if I could afford to right now, but the Spitfire is taking up all my spare cash as I’ve been without a mtb for the last 6 months now after selling them both when I broke my arm in 2 places and I’ve only been given the ok by the physio to start weight training and mtb again a month ago 😀