Ribble, Planet X and any others under £1K.
What do you reckon?
Thanks. 🙂
It's very difficult to buy a 'bad' bike these days, lower priced carbon frames are not as light or as 'gorgeous' as the top end stuff, but are otherwise fine.
Planet X seem very good, a friend has one.
Boardmans also good.
No direct experience of Ribble.
I'm doing lots of miles on a 14 year old Trek OCLV, and it's as good as anything else including my best bike.
I'd recommend a second hand one. I got a great deal on a Broadman team carbon. So many buy new bikes only to then go off the idea of road cycling. Prices well under £1k.
Get a nice alloy one instead with nicer kit and a better frame.Crap carbon is trumped by nice alloy at circa 1k.
[url= http://road.cc/content/review/79975-giant-tcr-sl-2-2013 ]here[/url]
You can get a Giant Defy 3 Composite for just over £900 on [url= http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p4918/GIANT-DEFY-3-COMPOSITE-3-2013 ]Paul's Cycles.[/url]
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...and if you buy one, I'll do my very best to help you to fit it to yourself. 😉
No, seriously, I promise I will.
Thanks very much for the helpful replies. It's not for me and I can't offer much in the way of advice except that I thought Planet X with Ultegra was very good value.
Also they all seem to have alloy seat posts and double chainset too.
I do have a problem with second-hand carbon although I've done that myself.
He wants carbon. Blame his mother. 😉
Lol at crikey. 😆
See above post!
If you're dead set on carbon then Planet X seem hard to beat on value. For £999 you can get what appears to be a pretty good frame and Ultegra (though i'm sure its not the full group set) - so not 'low end' and a decent spec. A mate of mine has had a Planet X for a while now and he's had no problems with it and for the last couple of years it's been his winter bike, so they are plenty robust enough.
I rented one this year whilst on holiday for a ride and it certainly rode very well, nice and stiff and fast. Having said that if you're budget is to the lower end, then i've got a Cannondale CAAD8 Alloy frame/carbon fork bike, and though a low groupset the frame feels every bit as good as the Planet X. Its roughly the same weight, and rides very well too. So if you're budget is at the entry level, you might be better off with a higher spec Alloy bike rather than a lower spec carbon bike.
whoever it is for, they could get a lovely well looked after retro steel beauty for half that price,....and they look a lot better than these carbon drones
I've had my £999 Planet X for years and have commuted on it, LEJOGed it, taken it to the Alps and only ever changed the chain on it. It's a great blend of performance and weight without being too expensive to ride every day
I thought roadies didn't use carbon in the Winter?
The trouble is, although not for manufacturers obviously, is that road riding imo seems to have become a tad aspirational.
I've had an alloy road bike and now have carbon, there's a huge difference in comfort particularly with the state of the roads. But, yes, agree that steel would be good also.
Giant Defy composite or Avail (ladies version) would be my first choice. Boardman Fi second.
A mates got a Ribble r872 its fantastic for the money. Doesn't look cheap at all and rides realy well.
is that road riding imo seems to have become a tad aspirational.
There is nothing aspirational about chubby IT managers in lycra.
I thought roadies didn't use carbon in the Winter?
No reason why not apart from cost and hand-me-down-ness. Winter bikes would be cheep and/or old summer bikes, so would tend to be whatever wa sin fashion 5 years ago, steel, alu or carbon. It makes far more sense than metal as it doesn't corrode, my 'dale is looking a bit shabby where the salt's gotten under the paint.
More good info, thanks.
There is nothing aspirational about chubby IT managers in lycra.
S'okay, ma boy's skinny. 😀
Check out Dolan bikes. They've got a pretty carbon/Campag bike under £1000. They've even got a carbon winter(ish) bike with mudguards I'm mightily tempted with as my next all season trainer.
Also they all seem to have alloy seat posts and double chainset too.
you are suggesting this is good or a bad thing? Theres no need for a triple on a road bike, and loads of decent bikes have alloy posts.
That Dolan definitely looks interesting - internal cable routing is pretty impressive at that price point. What's Campag like compared to Ultegra?
Why carbon?
I'd get aluminium over cheap carbon any day, and I'd not buy anything I'd not test ridden, especially if it's a first road bike
Ive got a 'cheap' Dolan and rides fantastic. I've got an alloy cube, which cost me the same and rides pants in comparison.
you are suggesting this is good or a bad thing? Theres no need for a triple on a road bike, and loads of decent bikes have alloy posts.
You're right of course but a carbon post with carbon bike just looks right. 🙂
My personal opinion is that he should buy from a shop due to getting the fit right and I know my lbs would be extremely helpful with swapping stems etc. He's a newbie really.
I think that if he were to order online then he's going to need a bike-fit somewhere.
Stems are relatively cheap and bike fits are very expensive. I think it is pretty low risk buying a bike unseen - maybe unless your an odd size. In anycase it takes a while and a good few rides before you really get a feel for a bike, so sitting on it in a shop and taking it for a spin up the road is not going to really help you. Especially if you're a newbie as you don't really know what a good fitting bike feels like. I think you'll be fine finding a bike on an internet deal and going for it.
He's very tall so that does concern me in regard to fit. I'm really no use with this, if it was for a mountain bike then I could help with the fit.
Agree about a spin up the road, it's not particularly helpful.
I had a planet x sl quite a long time ago and I like it, it was pretty light and rode pretty well. Nice and comfy compared to other carbon frames and alloy frames Ive used.
Probably can't go wrong with a Giant or a Cannondale though.
As for fit, it'll no doubt change over time, just buy some cheap stems in different lengths so you can play about. Think Ive got over 200 quids worth of stems kicking about just from chopping and changing my fit and bike. Started with a 110 on the PX, the stem on my current bike is 140, had various sizes in between
How tall is he?
Lots of useful fitting advice kicking about on the ineterweb
Don't get sucked in by CARBON CARBON CARBON.
Under £1000 I wouldn't (and didn't) even look at it. A decent alloy frame now has a lot of development behind it and doesn't attract the "trendy carbon" price.
I recently bought a £1500 carbon road bike for Mrs PP and an £1150 alloy me for me. Both are e same size, both Treks.
Some facts:
Mine is lighter
Mine has better spec and a really nice set of wheels
Mine has aero tubing and internal cable routing, the carbon one doesn't
Mine was cheaper
In a blind test ride you seriously wouldn't feel the slightest difference between the two either.... Well, mine might feel a bit sharper due to the lighter wheels I suppose 🙂
Good to hear from another happy Planet X customer. 🙂
Sensible idea re stems, worth bearing in mind. He's 6'4" but all arms and legs.
Trouble is, I've made a mistake with road bike sizing myself and was riding one that was too small.
I reckon crikey is the go-to man for sizing and fitting. 😀 Apparently it's dead simple. 😳
Come on Pete! Light wheels do make a difference to any bike. 😀
Meant to have said the other option is getting a reasonable frame and upgrading when funds allow.
Trouble is, I've made a mistake with road bike sizing myself and was riding one that was too small
How tall are you? 5'4" - 5"' ish?
I'd put,you in maybe a 52 ifs so, 50 if you're a bit shorter.
What size did you have?
😀 Yeh, Crikey knows his KOPs from his elbow....
Yeh, 6'4" thats nearly 2" taller than me, I found the XL PX a touch large to be honest. My brother is a similar height, possibly taller and he gets on alrite with an XL Giant TCR with a 125mm stem
Come on Pete! Light wheels do make a difference to any bike.
Exactly! That's why I wanted the alloy one!
Is running tubeless on them too, better wheels are tubeless compatible, too, see? 🙂
Probably get a better deal/more chance of getting a deal on a massive bike aswell.
Blimey, you're running tubeless. 😯 Never thought I'd see the day. 😆
First was a 49, now riding a 52 which is spot on.
Probably get a better deal/more chance of getting a deal on a massive bike aswell.
You reckon? I wondered whether they might be in short supply. Just don't know.
Blimey, you're running tubeless. Never thought I'd see the day.
I work in a Trek dealership. I get Bontrager tubeless kits nice and cheap. It's rude not to!
First was a 49, now riding a 52 which is spot on.
Strewth. Who the smeg sold you a 49? 🙁
Deffo that was too small!
You reckon? I wondered whether they might be in short supply. Just don't know.
You'd be correct. Manufacturers have less BIG bikes in stock. A lot less.
OK thanks for that Pete. Any bike shops in Guildford? We're going there for the Tour of Britain so could divert.
There's the Giant concept store...... 😕
We're in Staines. We don't have big stocks of bikes but I think we have a 60cm on the shelf to try for size.
Actually, I'll email you
Thanks Pete, you've been really helpful. 🙂
Same height as me but I've short legs in comparison. Hope he has more joy with carbon frames then I've had.
To tip the balance, ive recently bought a MEKK Potenza SL 5.0 from Edinburgh bicycle coop.
£1399 down to £1099, full carbon frame and fork, 105 groupset apart from the brakes.
replaced the brake calipers with 105 versions, replaced the saddle & seatpost with a carbon post and T rail saddle from CRC for £50.
Bike rides lovely, don't know much about road bikes but when i can clip along at 23mph without trying it makes me happy 🙂
Hope he has more joy with carbon frames then I've had.
What happened?
