Cycle to work Scheme so I’m limited to £1000 and it must be from a bike shop so only major brands please (Spec, Giant, etc).
The Specialized Allez looks good for the price, any other ideas?

wilier?

Which model? Got a link?

Don’t Wiggle do bike scheme? If so look at Focus. Great value/spec. Boardman from Halfords. There’s a carbon with SRAM Rival compact for £999.00.

I’d go for this:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Kiron_Scandium_2009_Road_Bike/5360037396/

Or this:

http://www.wheelbase.co.uk/product_9064.htm

Personally…

A mate got a full carbon ultegra Ribble for £999. Very nice indeed.

I’d maybe go for a dolan mythos or kiron scandium, if I had to plumb for one I’d go for the kiron , very good frame and decent kit.

Evans were selling 08 Spec Tarmac for £999, might still have some

have a look at http://www.epic-cycles.co.uk they have some pretty mean builds for £1000 or less

Two recommendations that you really can’t go wrong with.

I bought a Planet X SL full carbon bike with 105 throughout via my company’s ride to work scheme (Halfords), back then it was £999. http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk

My best mate did the same thing but got himself a Focus full carbon setup, via Wiggle on his cycle to work scheme.

I love my Planet X to bits. The single most comfortable bike to ride I have ever owned. Scary fast as well.

Ribble also have a similar deal.

Ooh, that Caad 9 is niiice. Gets my vote.

willier triestina mirage.

well nice and looks like a 2K bike.

very nice to ride too.

linky

Got a cycling plus recently with a road bike under a grand test.

They rated the Boardman bike at that price point and also the new focus cayo from wiggle, they also highly regard the Kiron also from wiggle.

I got a Kiron, seems nice…

you don’t need to be constrained by the bike to work scheme £1K limit.

I bought mine from a small retailer who let me pick something well over £1K. They gave me one hand written receipt for the bike at £1K for me to submit to my employer, and another receipt to me for the actual sale price – I paid the difference between the two.

“looks like a 2K bike”

The Willer looks more like a £300 bike to me. 🙁
Nasty looking chainset and very cheap-looking finishing parts. pink paint and red wheels?

I’m sure the frame rides nicely, but it looks a bit of a mess to my eyes.

Had the same decision myself last summer – though with the added fun of finding something with suitable geometry for me at 6’4″.

I think I pretty much considered everything but in the end had a final shortlist of 3: the Trek 1.9, Lemond Alpe D’Huez and the Cannondale CAAD9.

The Trek was first out; the Lemond was a real contender but the componentry put me off; the CAAD9 won out, albeit with a change to a 53/39 chainset and a short rear mech. Although at least then it was a grand – I notice from the above link it’s gone up 🙂

And it rocks. Only thing to be mindful of is if you have a heel-in pedalling style: there ain’t much clearance.

Looks much better in black, UT chainsets are pretty good and are much better looking than those minging shimano ones – and don’t rely on plastic preload washers, ergopower levers are nice to hold (and the new 09 shape are very comfy), Fulcrum 7 wheels are a reasonable entry level wheelset and have the advantage of being designed by Campagnolo.

It does look a bit better in black, and with a silver chainset.

You know what people say about Italian style – after all Russians buy quite a lot of it.

I’m in the same quandry myself; I fancy a Cannondale synapse due to a bad back, unfortunately the “better” carbon frame makes it £1600 and too much. I would buy the Kiron recommended above but on the wiggle site it’s discontinued and the C2W scheme doesn’t start until April.

I suspect that the Boardman will be rather stiff

…..shopping continues…..