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I'm after a road bike but in a bit of a dilemma.
Bought a Carrera TDF a couple of years ago to see if I liked road biking, used it a bit in summer but didn't have confidence in the brakes, so sold it planning to get a better bike. That was in about March.
My dilemma is how much to spend vs the use I'll get. I'm a bike that I'll enjoy, will eat up the road miles, but likely to only do a few hundred miles a year.
Have been eyeing up the Norco Valence Alloy Claris but wonder if I should spend a bit more?
Any recommendations?
I recently 'took up' road riding and bought a second-hand 2014 Giant Defy 1 from the STW classifieds. It had barely done 200 miles and in fantastic condition. Cost me £400 posted. If you can maybe look for something similar second-hand? I've always been a die-hard mountain biker but I'm absolutely loving riding the Defy.
I think you get a lot for your money with the Specialized Allez range and also the bikes at Decathlon. What's your budget? You'll find Shimano Tiagra/105 brakes v confidence inspiring compared to cheaper bikes.
[url= https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/road/allez ]Allez[/url]
[url= http://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-359113-road-bikes ]Decathlon[/url]
Cheers both.
I could probably spend around £700 if I really wanted to, I just don't want to be left with an expensive bike that's hardly used, but then again don't want to have to upgrade again soon if I don't get a decent enough bike.
Work out what you want to spend, subtract £50 from the price, buy a bike at that price. Then, with the £50 you're saved, buy a set of Ultegra or 105 brakes. 105 is the point that the brakes get the better mechanism and cartridge pads.
For the price of the Norco you mention, have a look at [url= http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-road-bike-sora-black-red-id_8322663.html ]this[/url] from Decathlon which I think is awesome value. Another £45 for [url= https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-105-br-5800-road-bike-brake-callipers-black-pair-72355.html ]these[/url] and you're sorted.
Edit, £750 gets you [url= http://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-700-af-road-bike-105-id_8324331.html ]this bike[/url], full 105 and the direct mount brakes are very good indeed.
Agreed 105 brakes are great, have Dura-Ace/Ultegra everything else, but not bothered to upgrade the brakes.
Cheap Defys...
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bike-catalogue/sale/
Can also be purchased through yr local dealer I expect.
+1 for Giant Defy range - you should be able to find a 2016 model with 20% off now.
This brings the Giant Defy Disc down to £800 (full 105 group set) and the cheaper Defy Disc down to under £700...
I've got a 2014 Defy 1, with 105 groupset and love it.
Some great ideas cheers, I'd been looking at the very long standing MTB brand, as I've been mountain biking on and off since 1990 and it's good to get some fresh ideas. Currently riding a Trek X-Caliber 9 MTB with a Specialized Hardrock Sport on the the garage floor.
Is it straightforward to upgrade the brakes?
Is it straightforward to upgrade the brakes?
Yes, very. You can remove the old ones with a 5mm hex key and a cable cutter.
Cheapo Defy then bin the brake blockscand buy sone good cartridge pads and bobs your mothers brother!
Is it straightforward to upgrade the brakes?
Yes:
1) swap the pads for some cartridge style ones with swisstop blue pads.
These ones, it's £35 for the set, but it's worth it, especially compared to the hard plastic pads most cheap bikes come with.
2) Change the cables (outer and inner), SP41 shimano or, goodridge, or any other branded cables with teflon/polymer/PTFE coated inner. The cables don't last indefinitely, and better cables do make a difference.
3) If youre still not happy, then go out and buy some new calipers (and fit the swisstop pads).
Trust me on the Swisstops, they're good, well worth paying for.
Also consider changing the tyres, it's largely a head game, but you can really lean a road bike over, it won't slip until you really push it, 90% of my braking is slowing down because I can't see round the corner on a narrow singletrack road, not because I doubt the bike would make it round.
And join a road club, riding on your own can be demotivating, especially if you tend to stick to the same roads you'd drive on. A Sunday morning ride on singletrack roads to a cafe for coffee and back was one of the highlights of my week, and 60-80miles soon adds upto a decent level of fitness after a few months, especially if combined with some mid week MTB or a solo road ride.
Have a look at secondhand bikes, a lot of road bikes get sold with very little use, and a lot that get well used, are fastidiously maintained. So it's easy enough to spot a bad one. And you can get a lot of bike for your money, they easily drop 50% of their value in a year/18months, especially in the autumn when no one wants a new summer bike, and late spring when all the MAMILS who bought them last year and never used them sell up.
Plenty of cable disc braked road bikes available for that money especially if you go for ex-display or last year's model.
If you need a 54cm try [url= http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m89b192s799p21952/Ex-Display_and_Ex-Demo_Bikes/Road_and_Track/SARACEN_Hack_1_Ex-Display_Road_Bike_54cm_2016/RS_GB/74616?gclid=CjwKEAjw3Nq9BRCw8OD6s4eI5HASJABsfCIafyfxnMKrzprGmPjVVltS_GcFQJlCixOBxHbdcwfXshoCLBnw_wcB ]this[/url]
Or there's [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/pinnacle-arkose-3-54cm-cxroad-105-group-avid-bb7-discs-400 ]this[/url] in the classifieds
I also have a Defy. Mines an 2010 Deft Advanced with 105 and Mavic Ksyriums. It's becoming Triggers broom but it rides so well I see little point in replacing it for a while yet. I'd possibly be tempted by a Canondale Synapse carbon or Canyon Endurance if I was buying a replacement but sub £1k a Defy is hard to beat.