I sold my Croix De Fer last autumn as it just didn’t fit my needs and expectations. I liked the extra tyre clearance for the option to use 28mm tyres and guards for the rough Somerset country roads but it was just too heavy and slow. I always felt like I wanted something lighter and faster.

I’ve never ridden or owned a ‘proper’ roadie but I know that I dont want a race bike. I also want to try and avoid the big brands like Giant, Specialized etc so the Defy is out.

My local bike shop, where I got the Croix De Fer, stocks Genesis and Orbea and the sales people have recommended the Orbea Avant, And the Genesis Volare and Equilibrium.

I really like the Genesis bikes but they are only around 1 to 1.5kg lighter than the CDF, so would it be more roadie enough for me?

I also love steel but the bikes in my budget (£1200ish) are Genesis own brand 520 or come with Campag which I know nothing about.

Can you tell that I’m rambling, indecisive and confused?

Obviously I’ll test ride but the salesperson will be a big influence so I’d appreciate any advice or comments here.

Basically I want a road bike but I don’t want a full on road bike, I want to keep up on social road rides with mates on Defys and CAAD8s but I want a comfy bike for my solo wandering 40-50 mile rides.

Good luck to anyone who understands that post!

Don’t restrict yourself to one shop. Speak to your mates to see if they would recommend where they got their bikes from.

And try a few.

Go the the Tripster thread

This thread may help:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/not-quite-a-road-bike-and-not-quite-a-cx-bike

…it certainly helped me whittle my choice of bikes from 2, up to 6.

Go the the Tripster thread

Even if the OP states a budget of £1200, and a Tripster frame is £1350?

Basically I want a road bike but I don’t want a full on road bike, I want to keep up on social road rides with mates on Defys and CAAD8s but I want a comfy bike for my solo wandering 40-50 mile rides.

I have an equilibrium; it fits this exactly.

get a test ride.

barry knows best. buy what he tells you to.

don’t ralphies stock whyte? their road bikes are nice.

Cheers, I’ll check that thread out. I do like the Eqiulibrium, but the 725 Reynolds comes with Campag which I know nothing about. t’s not just LBS loyalty, I really like the brand.

Yes they stock Whyte but aren’t they a bit too CX commute type bike rather than relaxed roadie?

I have no intention of using it off road, and my only real fault with the CdF was the weight, about 11.5kg. An equilibrium comes in just over 10kg. In comparison an alloy Defy would be just under 9kg.

Buy the Equilibrium frame for 450, and use the remaining 750 to build it up yourself?

Sounds like you want a sportive road bike, slightly less racy geometry but still fairly light. Defy, C/dale synapse, Spec Allez etc.

I know you don’t want big brands but you can use these to look at geometry and work out if the brand you do like compares.

It’s going to be on Cyclescheme so not really sure frame and build is an option

^^ are you allowed over the usual £1000 Cyclescheme limit ?

Up to £2500, but I have to be realistic with the monthly repayments over 12 months hence my current £1200ish budget

Buy a 2014 carbon roadie with 105 kit, you won’t regret it. If you want comfort, go for something like a Roubaix; they are superb over long distances.

I’ve got an Equilibrium 00 with Sora 9spd and to be honest it’s probably exactly what you’re looking for.

It rides really nicely and it doesn’t feel it’s weight if you know what I mean, I’ve ridden it all winter and clocked up around 1500km on it of short local rides on crappy roads and the odd 100km + ride to Wales to take on things like the Old Horseshoe pass & Worlds End.

It climbs really well and is most comfortable indeed.

I’ve just got a carbon Focus Cayo with Ultegra and discs. Wonderful handling bike with plenty of clearance. I’m ridding 28mm Vittoria Evo Pave tyres which are expensive but worth every penny. No mudguard or rack mounts but sure something can be bodged for winter. Rides fast, looks cool, and you’ve got a bike to ride Paris Roubaix on. If you want to give your mates a seeing to on their Defys (and thats what I thought I’d be getting originally) then this is the bike to do it on. One of my other bikes is aGiant Propel and the Focus feels just as good to ride.

And the Focus is bang on budget.

Buy the Equilibrium frame for 450, and use the remaining 750 to build it up yourself?

+1

11sp 105, some nice wheels and tyres and the finishing kit should be do-able for £1.2k.

On one Dirty Disco – £799 now. Just got mine with Sram Apex and its awesome. Full carbon, light as a road bike but much more versatile.
Buy one now, or don’t. Up to you

I’ve got an Equilbrium Disc, for what it’s worth it’s bloody lovely to ride but it’s a pig at 11.4kg. Now, that’s with a power meter, full guards, dyno lights and a seat bag with 2 tubes in. Light bike she ain’t, and she’s not fast either IMO ‘cos of the comfort factor, just a plodder. Perfect winter bike for me but I can’t really see an Equilibrium being much lighter than a Croix de fer. If you want light and comfy you’ll probably need carbonz. I’m not really sure what you want though.

steve_b77 – It climbs really well

Really? Because it looks like you’re making bloody hard work of that 😛

Well it’s not me in the photo, it’s a generic t’interweb one, and it averages nearly 14% for 1.5km so it’s definately not a walk in the park regardless of what bike you’re on 😉

@monkeyfudger, I really appreciate the advice, after all it’s mainly the weight that put me off the CdF. And I’m not really sure what I want either! This all started with a browse online and seeing a Sora equipped road bike for about £500. Sort of N+1 but I do really want, I mean need, a road bike. Honestly.

@Hooli, thanks. It appears that I am looking for a Sportive or Endurance bike. The research continues

Get over yourself and get a Defy. Seriously. We have three from the most basic to the most bling. And they are all excellent bikes that will do just what you want. My Defy is sub 7 kilos 8) , the kids’s aren’t 😈

Whilst the geometry is allegedly “sportive friendly” or “relaxed”, it is a decent road bike with a slightly longer head tube than a “race” bike and a head angle of 72.5 degrees instead of 73. I’ve raced mine just fine. If I had to keep just one bike for the rest of my life, it would be my Defy. Fortunately I don’t and have other bikes to compare it with. It comes out very well for most riding.

Think it might be a bit porky but the Raleigh Revenio might be worth a look; the 4 Disc is £1150 and weighs 10.5kg with SRAM Rival.

Merida Ride Disc 3000 has got a carbon frame with Tiagra, is £1350 and weighs 9.1kg

Big tyres and mudguards you say? That’ll be a Planet X London Road. Bung in an extra thirty quid and they’ll fit them for you..

I’ve got one of these: did 200 miles in the mountains the other week, and it also tows my little fella in her trailer.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-cx-team-bike-2014

Don’t knock the big brands, they make decent bikes and the volumes mean you get a decent spec. If it’s just a work horse roadie then who cares what the name says unless you are trying to make a statement with it.

Decent shop with a big range and see what fits you.

Just buy the carbon road bike now you’ll end up buying after a few more mistakes anyway.

I went from being a bit angry at the persistent heaviness of a Salsa Vaya to buying a Whyte Suffolk.

Yes they stock Whyte but aren’t they a bit too CX commute type bike rather than relaxed roadie?

The RD-7 models are not CX-commute-y particularly, they’re road bikes. Whyte do have CX models and do make a lot of commuters, but the Suffolk is as much of a “road bike” as the other stuff you’re looking at.

I’ve since flogged it, but that was because I was emigrating, not because it wasn’t good. That ticks your boxes, except for not being steel, which I’d really not get too hung up on at that price-point if you’re also worried about weight.

🙂

Buy a proper road bike. I went through a similar excercise, bought a Giant Revolt (urban / CX style), never grew to like it, it always felt heavy / sluggish. Ended up changing out almost every part to reduce the weight but in the end realised it was the frame that was too heavy and not racy enough geometry, ended up selling it at a loss to buy a proper carbon roady (Focus Cayo). Its carbon, light weight, reasonably priced and fast – would recomend it.

If you can ride a hard tail on trails then you’ll be fine on a proper roady comfort wise, IMO.

That Whyte looks lovely. In the garage right now are bikes by Cotic, On One and Whyte, obviously previously owning a Genesis I think it’s obvious that i like to keep it as British as possible.

All the above comments have helped, I just need to keep mulling it over and arrange a few test rides to get a clearer idea about what I actually want.

Currently though, the Genesis Volare 10, Whyte Suffolk…and a Defy 1 are on my list. I’d be tempted by a Planet X orCanyon Endurance if I was more confident on my needs though.

Ride the Defy 1 last 😉 . And define “British”. My Genesis is steel but wasn’t made in Britain. And as gavdog says, what you need is a road bike.

Ride the Defy 1 last 😉 . And define “British”. My Genesis is steel but wasn’t made in Britain. And as gavdog says, what you need is a road bike.

I know there’s no such thing as a truly British bike, but I like to think I support UK companies when I can. At the end of the day though I just have to make sure I buy a bike that makes me want to ride it.

And I’ve just spoken to the finance department, turns out that we aren’t doing Cyclescheme again until August so I have to rethink everything as I can’t wait that long.

Funny how the mind works sometimes. I’ve spent the last hour trying not to press buy on a Planet X Pro Carbon Tiagra for £699. It seems too good to be true at that price, and at around 1/2 my budget!

Sounds more like OP needs two bikes or save up for titanium sportive.

What’s the catch? http://www.cyclesurgery.com/orbea-avant-m30se-2015-special-edition/orbea-road-bikes/bikes-components-bikewear/fcp-product/62079#deliveryinfo