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TBH, your family member will get a much harder time turning up as a newbie on a £4K Gucci bike than if he just buys something sensible, you'll be saving him money and a bit of face...
Having the money to spend, and spending it wisely are rather different things, who actually pointed him him at a £4K Bianchi as a bike to start on? if you are new to road bikes I'd prioritize comfort and control over having a super fast hugely expensive racing machine that he'll just find uncomfortable...
Sadly Bikes have become one of those things that people can purchase as much as a "demonstration of personal wealth" as an item of sporting equipment. Don't get me wrong, I'd not begrudge someone an expensive bike, but it's not going to benefit him throwing that much money away on a bike when he's not really turned a wheel in anger yet...
Cycling isn't about how much you spent (Well it shouldn't be) it's about getting out and enjoying the actual riding...
If you go and ask a bunch of cyclist [I]"Whats the best bike available?"[/I] you'll get all sorts of answers, we all tend to judge bikes by slightly different criteria...
He'd be better simply capping the spend on the bike at £2k and putting the other £2K towards riding kit, accessories and a fitting session or two.
In fact if he's not off on this big ride till summer, tell him to keep it under £1K buy a Ribble Winter/Audax build now, trundle through winter on it and do a bit of research for himself rather than rely on the your input, and that might allow him to get a better idea of what he wants/suits him come March/april next year...
for what its worth, if money isn't a big constraint, then "internet research" does tend to point towards road bikes at the £3-4 k level such as the Synapse, Domain, Infinito etc - these also get really good reviews in the magazines and if you are new to cycling, can seem to be "mid-range" compared to the ~£9,000 Sagan replicas, for example. But as others have said, for a first road bike that's pretty misleading.
i think if the guy wants to spend that kind of cash, whats the problem, its his cash, ive seen quite a few people spend alot more than that on their first dslr camera, i know some people where that kind of money has been spent on a watch, if he were my friend i would advise him that fitness is far more important that equipment and how much the bike costs, if its just a one of event why not just rent a bike, if on the other hand he likes the idea of making it a hobby then its money well spent, it all comes down to what value the guy puts on enjoyment, to me and others to spend that ammount on his first bike is a bit risky, or next year some one will get a good bargain, never talk people out of spending their money, cus this is where alot of peeps on here get thier bargains from. cheers steve
When someone asks about road bikes on a more modest budget the usual advice seems to be, “buy XYZ it’s got the same frame as the pro model but cheaper components. You might want to change the wheels for something lighter and as things wear out replace them with Ultergra/DA and get some bling finishing kit as and when” and what’s the difference between a 1.5k bike and a 4k bike, it already comes with Ultegra/DA, has better wheels and branded finishing kit. So really your mate is just missing out the middle bit where he wears stuff out and replaces it. Get him to a shop to have a ride on a few, Spesh Roubaix seems a popular choice, well respected company by all accounts too 😉
Haha...thank you for all the input, some has really made me smile. I've already pointed him the direction of the £1500-£2000 2013 bike of the year reviews as well as reviews for some of the suggested.
Some very sensible suggestions which have backed up some of what I thought but I didn't want to look a jock saying "don't spend xxx amount on a bike" without logic and a good reasoning.
£1k winter bike would have been an idea but he'll be out Majorca most of the time so not confined to mucky uk weather, and can get fit over the coming months, although he is gerally quite fit anyway. I think the plan is trip around the island in 3 days so breaking it up a little.
Lives south of Birmingham so any decent shops, please shout up, I'm sure he wouldn't mind tracking a little distance.
tell him to book in at cadencesport - he gets to talk to a bloke who has ridden the tour de france (adrian Timmis) and knows his shizzle about bike fit, tell him to budget about 3k max for a bike and pedal/shoes, he'll get a keeper that way
mid-range Specialized Roubaix, Trek Domane or similar around £2-2.5K
fitted properly (BG Fit session)
quality clothing, shoes, helmet and accessories, maybe a wheel upgrade as the stock wheels are somewhat basic/heavy
will easily chew into the £4K budget
will end up with a much better cycling experience than sp*nking £4K on just a bike (and perhaps making the mistake of buying a 'race' bike if they are not racing!)
I have a 2012 Sempre and it's very nice, didn't cost 4k though. If I was stuck on that brand and determined to spend big bucks I would be looking at finding a deal on a Oltre.
TBH though your best best is to go around a few local shops try a few bikes and pick the one that feels the best, there's not many duff carbon bikes about.