ok, I'm going for a ride to work road bike at £1000.
i can have any road bike up to that price, but I'm SO CONFUSED !
recommendations and pictures please ?
TIA
Do a search on here for Boardman Carbon.
If you don't have a particular preference then you really won't go far wrong with it.
Otherwise, loads of the big brands do silly bargains at the £1k price point - your best bet is to try some out really.
clubber - i can only demo cannondale / trek / specialized / merida AFAIK.
i've been recommended Focus CAYO 105 from Wiggle too.
mate sells Merida and Genesis, but Genesis don't have much selection ....
Do you want something to ride to work on, or just something for fun?
If you want something to ride to work on, you probably want something that takes mudguards, and maybe has rack mounts. Which will probably mean not a fancy carbon bike.
Joe
A nice Bianchi?
As above - "road bike" covers so many options. What do you want it for?
So many options. You could go the road race route and look like a proper racer. Gets you ahead on the traffic light sprint and gets you to work quickest. Head down and faster than a scooter, but you will need your wits about you weaving in and out of traffic. Also no easy way to carry your kit, other than in a backpack, which'll negate a lot of the head down advantage you get.
Or you can go for something more Audax, tour or winter road style. Something that you can put a rack on and carry your kit in panniers and also put mud guards on for those wet commutes.
Cross bikes are also now becoming an option if they're not all out race bikes.
Also, I suppose a lot of people struggle with drop bars, although I think you get used to them and they're great when you do.
Is there anything else you want to do with the bike, such as cross racing, sportives or road races, or touring? This might help you decide.
I use my road racer and cross bike, depending on what I fancy doing after work... I have options to ride along the canal so the cross bike is brilliant for this, and it's also the most versatile frame I have, being able to take panniers. However, for everyday commuting, the race bike saves me loads of energy, but then I don't really have much traffic to contend with, so head down going for it is an option for me.
It sounds like you are considering buying a bike that has lesser components than Chris King.
Have you forgot your medication?
[i]It sounds like you are considering buying a bike that has lesser components than Chris King.[/i]
You can get King for roadbikes 😉
I know. For £1K you might get the King components, but nothing else.
what road rides do you want to ride on it? - through winter, or just sunny poncing?
Spesh Allez Elite.
Next.
I've just ordered a Specialized Secteur at £650. Same as Allez but a bit comfier over long distance or crap roads. Strong wheels and good kit. I don't think I'll go wrong with it. An Allez is a good choice too.
Most importantly GET YOURSELF THE RIGHT SIZE. A good roadie shop will help you out a lot. I think the fit of the bike is more important than a MTB as you tend to stay in the same position for a long time.
For all weather commuting, and fast, condor fratello. 8)
mmmmmmmmm,,,,,,,,forgot about the king bling.
**** it, budget's up to 5.5K ... 😀
it'll need rack mounts i s'pose......
specialized tri-cross perhaps ?
FOCUS are nice, Id certainly reccomend them..
Also the KRON? from Wiggle..
Spesh Allez Elite.Next.
I've got the Allez Sport(the £800 one) and it weighs more than my Epic. Horrible thing! Serves its purpose as a commuter, and I did a time trial on it last week, but I absoultely love my Madone when I ride it after a spell on the Allez!
Boardman would get it for me I reckon, the big brands just can't match the value. GFs brother in law has one and it's a great bit of kit.
if it needs rack mounts, you can forget about a lot of the suggestions in the other threads! Unless this is another bike 🙂
Won't you buy one, keep it for a few weeks, sell it, buy another, repeat ?
😉
Just to add a bit of confusion why not go for a cyclocross bike. Planet X Uncle John is supposed to be rather good and you can get one for £799 and spend the rest on bling for it.
You could always fit roady tyres if needed and it has rack/mudguard mounts and a rear disc mount if you're so inclined
We have just been informed ie the last hour or so that our C2W will be via bloody halfrauds. sodding BAES!!
Same as you TLR, trying to find info or even seeing a Boardman Carbon in the flesh is like pulling teeth!!
I had set my heart on a Jamis from buy a bike in Charnock Richard as
A) I know the bloke who runs it
B) I can actually sit on one to try for size.
just to add some more options Merlin are doing a Kinesis for £999 as well.
Try and get hold of Houns, he works for Halfords dealing with the C2W scheme..
this is good for the money...
http://www.cycle-world.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b1s6p6737&z=7765
but theres quite a bit around that price,pop in and see me and i'll help you out...
You'll need to look in to which scheme you are using. Cyclescheme uses indi lbs's, halfords, wiggle and chainreaction all use their own. So unless your scheme is with halfords then boardman are out, like wise wiggle/focus & kiron as you lbs can't get these.
I'd recommend Giant if you are on cyclescheme, always good value, boardman if you are with halfords.
Can't Halfords C2W get most bikes for sale in the uk though?
[i]Can't Halfords C2W get most bikes for sale in the uk though[/i]
that sounds promising
Not legitimately they can't!
A number of people seem to have got Spesh bikes through Halfords, but Halfords are basically buying the bike from another dealer, so it's second hand and you have no warranty. Spesh are adamant they do not supply Halfords! Can't speak for other brands.
You have a warranty from Halfords....
Halfords say they can get anything, and to piss people like specalized off, your warrenty is with halfords and not specalized so no worries about specalized refusing the warrenty because you didn't buy it from an approver dealer.
njee20 - I absolutely hated the madone that i tried. Geometry didn't work for me. My Bianchi on the otherhand - magic. my favourite bike i've ever had.
I bought a Focus Cayo 105 a few months ago for riding to work, significantly faster than my old commuter.
Downsides
It's stiff. light and very racey.
Can't fit full on mudguards.
Can't fit a rack.
Upsides
It's stiff. light and very racey.
Can't fit full on mudguards.
Can't fit a rack.
It looks fantastic.
I seem to get on well with it despite buying it mail order without trying it 😯 .
I did some research before buying it but didn't consider rack / mudguards etc. With hindsight it doesn't really bother me. I'm happy with the bike, I like the fact it's on the faster side, very different from my other bikes. I don't commute everyday by a long shot (it's a 34 mile round trip) so carrying extra stuff isn't an issue, I just take clothes in the day before and carry the minimum stuff in a saddle bag wedge and a small bum bag. I actually like the lack of carrying. If I ever get serious about commuting and start doing it more in poor weather or need to carry loads I'm lucky enough to have an old MTB I can add the racks to.
Suppose what I'm trying to say is really consider what you want it for, there's quite a difference between serious commuting and doing it once a week like I do for fitness and a chance to get extra miles in.
Am looking at either the cayo or the boardman road pro (the £999 one).
Not sure between them but the spec seems better on the boardman so will see if work will let me have it.
Another happy Cayo owner (2008 - Ultegra). Again, I took a chance on fit and ordered it via Halfords (when they still dealt with Wiggle). Remember that Wiggle will let you test ride and then send it back if not happy.
yeah - i considered the CAYO, but am now considering the tricross comp........ 😕
Too heavy for regular road riding. My dad has one and finds most of his riding is on the road, now he wants a light tourer
As I said earlier - condor fratello, I commute a 27 mile round trip on it every day and its not discernibly slower than a bike without guards. Frame weight is 1800g, so I guess I am giving up 400g over a carbon framed bike plus the guards so I expect it is still under 20lbs
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Just had my Cayo 105 over the cols de Montets and Forclaz, it did the job nicely. If I was buying again I would consider a Planet X or maybe something more sportive-orientated, as long as I wasn't losing too much efficiency.
Giant TCR2?
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I got mine last year from Kevie at Escape Routes in Pitlochry.
Set up is important and he takes his time and does it right. And you get a pretty decent coffee off him as well...
Should be heading towards the end of season sale bikes soon too!
Oh and if you go for a double chainset make sure that its a compact.
