I've just been given the OK to spend on a new road bike as the old one has just hit 10 years on mostly original parts and is really beyond the point of no return - only the frame is reusable.
It will be used for fast summer evening training with the local roadies, a few club runs and maybe the occasional (dare I say it) sportive - I've given up any pretensions of being a racer now, so just want a bike for fun.
So with a grand to splash I thought the Planet X Pro Carbon with full Ultegra looked a pretty good deal on a tried-and-tested platform, but they've just put on offer the RT57 with 105 for the same price.
Does anyone have any experience of either of these and how they compare?
Is there anything else I should be considering?
2013 Giant TCR or Defy composite 3 (depending if you want race or 'sportive' geometry). Currently reduced from circa £1300 to £999ish.
Canyon? Ribble?
will probably be looking at something similar in 6 months and these are the brands I've been looking at.
I have an RT57 as my first road bike. Had it since Jan '12 when I got it with the SRAM Red build. Not having anything to compare it to, I can't really say what it is like to the Pro Carbon. I was intent on their Nanolight then went for the RT57. I did however do LEJOG on it over 9 days in July and it was great. A mate races on his too.
The canyons start at £1359 for carbon frames, a bit over my price point, and I fancy carbon over aluminium for a change.
The Felt looks good, I wish they'd at least put an approximate weight just for comparison on these things. Being old-school roadie I need to know this for bragging rights 😉
only the frame is reusable
I did this with my CAAD4 (which was a <£1k bike 9 years ago).
s/h 7800 groupset - £200
s/h FSA Sl-k chainset - £120
Ritchey WCX bar/stem - £120
Canyon VSLS post - £60
Handbuilt stans wheelset 1250g - £250
Ultremo tyres - £40
DSP bar tape - £25
Selle Italia saddle - £60 (ebay bargain)
Planet-X brakes - £60
Ultegra cassette (new off a bike someoen was splitting for the frame) - £25
D-A Chain - £23
Fancy KCNC cables/ goodridge outers - £25
Find any bike off the shelf that gets anywhere close to that spec for <£1k, it certainly blows any of the current 10s shimano groupsets out the water, and is knocking on the UCI weight limit (full carbon forks would probably nudge it down the last little bit).