i have my eye on 2 particular bikes.
this one charge juicer hi 2013 (£1199.99)
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/54629/Charge_Juicer_Hi_2013_Bike

and this one also specialized tarmac sport 2013 (£1500)
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/tarmac-sport-2013-road-bike-ec040972

i like both models,but i imagine that the tarmac would be a bit faster,being a few pounds lighter.
my reason for asking is that i want to use it all year round (as it will be my only road bike/haven’t had a road bike for over 15 + years).
would really like to go for the best one (long distance riding when fit enough e.t.c).
would be interested in your opinions.
thanks 🙂

I’d choose the Tarmac. Don’t like gas pipe steel frames.

Oddly, I bet the Spesh is more comfortable over long distance, but it has no practicalities like mudguard eyelets, rack mounts etc. The Charge looks a bit old school (low at the front) in it’s geometry, but that might just be the pic. What do you want to do with it?

Tarmac for me. No question.

My logic is it is better to have the best bike for the nice days, than to have the winter type bike for the crappy days but compromised on the good ones.

You can fit crud roadracers if you are actually going to use it in the lashing rain, it’ll cope with that just fine.

I’d consider tha charge as a second bike, but not as the only. A chap I met on London2Paris24 last year was on one and it was nice to be fair – lovely looking bike in the flesh. He didn’t enjoy hauling it up some of the steeper hills in kent. He was a mountain biker primarily who had bought the Charge to do the L2P on, it’s a bike that seems to appeal to MTBer’s buying road bikes.

That’s not gas pipe, it’s Tange Prestige!
Bloody heathen 😀

Neither have separate rack and mudguard mounts, so for me they’re just toys – I’d probably go for a Surly Disc Trucker or one of the new Pinnacle Arkose bikes, tbh.

If I’m spending over a grand on a road bike I’d want it to do more than just go fast and look nice.

I bought a road bike in January with exactly the same brief as you. I went for a Genesis Equilibrium but bought a frame only (£400 inc. fork) and built up with Ultegra group set.

If its you’re only year round bike you want something with mudguard eyelets and clearance. The Tarmac is the sportier bike but its a less ideal choice.

The Equilibrium is very comfy and mine build up to a 20lb bike. It zings along and rides very comfortably. It’s not an out and out racer but neither am I. I’d worry less about the total weight of a road bike than about it being right for the job. Any steel frame bike could be built light as frames represent ain’t a small part of the total weight (unlike mountain bikes). You can build a lighter bike by upgrading components over time.

Its a hard decision to make to decide you will run mud guards because I imagine we all aspire to brig racing snakes but for real world riding they make a lot of sense.

The Equilibrium is Reynolds 725 tubing as well do its a quality item. Not gas pipes.

As they’ve said ^^^^ Tarmac and Crud’s if it’s defo going to be a one-bike-all-year-round deal. Be prepared for it not to look shiney and new pretty quickly if you ride it hard/lots during the winter and keep an eye on the drivetrain wear/check the spec of the hub sealing if really are going to do lots of long rides in the rain.

when you say long distance– how long

do you want to tour — carry stuff etc

for winter riding –mudguards are good

TBH there are a whole heap of bikes, depends on your anticipated use, audax style ,tourer, thoroughbred road, and combinations of these

The fastest one.
The less time on a road bike the better 😉

You’ll get Cruds on the Spesh, so go for that. Or why not find a older year model on sale and get a better spec?

Another Genesis Equilbrium rider here, i was in the exactly the same boat as you, wanted bike for all year round so full mudguards were a must, also wanted it to be comfortable on long distances.

thanks for all the replies 🙂
i plan on using it to get fit on,and if the fitness allows attempt to start doing 100 plus mile rides again* (with 40-50 mile more regular rides 1 to 2 times a week).
i didn’t plan on touring on it,but was looking for a bike that was reasonably fast to cover distance with (fitness excepted 😳 with some comfort if possible.
as i live in devizes,the off road routes get pretty cloggy during winter/rain so was wanting a road bike to keep getting fit on/see some of the roads/places that i have never ridden on.

i am more drawn to the tarmac tbh,but was worried about riding it through the winter months (ice,salty roads e.t.c)

sorry to be a numpty about this by the way 😳 (only i can decide what i want at the end of the day 🙂
it’s nice to get some opinions from experienced roadies though 🙂

* only rarely tbh (i need to get fit enough first 😳

In my experience, carbon copes with ice and salt and general grimness better than steel; nothing to rust…

My feeeling has always been that you should buy the bike that you like best. Practicality does come into it, but when you sit and look out of the window at the rain, having a bike you love makes it easier to get out there.

I’m going out in an hour, on a carbon bike that’s 10 years old…

i am more drawn to the tarmac tbh,but was worried about riding it through the winter months (ice,salty roads e.t.c)

Ice isn’t going to effect the Tarmac any more than the Charge. You hit a patch of ice and you’re skidding whether you’ve got a steel frame and mudguards or a carbon speed machine.
Salty roads? More of an issue for drivetrain – which looks to be shimano 105 in both cases. Carbon isn’t going to dissolve under you through a bit of rain, dirt and grime.

Tarmac. Will handle better and ride better than the steel offerings mentioned above (yes I have ridden the genesis and a a friend in the biz has tried the charge) I’m certainly not Anti steel, ride a modern oversize steel bike myself but not a fan of old school tubes in small o/d’s.
I ride all year round and just use cruds but the new sks offerings are worth investing in.

I would swing a leg over them if you can, a test ride is going to help you choose the right bike.

Those were my reasons as well for getting the road bike; that and family pressures making it hard to get out on the mountain bike. The equilibrium will be more than fast enough and is very comfy and good over crappy roads. The Tarmac isn’t best suited to what you’re looking to get from a bike but I bet it’s the one you end up buying ;o)

If its you’re only year round bike you want something with mudguard eyelets and clearance.

As long as you can fit a 24/25 tyre and a mudguard then a ‘normal’ road bike is fine for all year round riding. You dont need 28c’s and a touring bike just because it rains a bit in the winter.
I ride my pegoretti all year round, just because it’s steel and expensive doesn’t mean it can’t be ridden in the winter.

Another one for the Genesis Equilibrium here.

I tried the Tarmac and the Secteur, I bought the secteur. Cruds fit fine.

2013 model has discs and mudguard eyelets I think.

I ride my pegoretti all year round, just because it’s steel and expensive doesn’t mean it can’t be ridden in the winter.

If I had a Pegoretti I’d take it to bed with as well as ride it all year round. I’ve only seen one other in the metal and it was dreamy. How did you go about buying it; did you go to Italy or can you order them from here? Would love to see some pictures.

Good points on not needing mudguard eyelets as long as you’re not running 24mm+ tyres. They are invaluable to have by you don’t need a bike with eyelets to do so.

+1 on pics of the pegoretti please.

crud mudguards are pish though – they are a huge compromise – they are better than nothing and much better than the strap on SKS but its nothing like a full mudguard – anyone saying otherwise is just fooling them selves

to the fella saying the chap didnt enjoy lugging the charge over the hiil ???? of kent – my bet is he wouldnt have enjoyed hauling a 6.8kg TDF spec bike over the hills ??? of kent.

if i was buying a year round bike and i wasnt racing or doing events or trying to emulate being in the tour de france id have a steel roadie with full guards as a starting point. I wouldnt buy that charge though as the angles just look very old school.

they are better than nothing and much better than the strap on SKS but its nothing like a full mudguard

they seem pretty effective on my road bike? not sure how they can be much more effective?

Tarmac with cruds works for me!

You can tell that’s an old picture. The Peaslake Village Stores sign hasn’t been updated in it yet.

Unhelpfully, I’m going to recommend a visit to Halfords…

+1 on pics of the pegoretti please.

Some pics in this thread
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/show-us-your-road-bikes/page/2

Few changes since then, new ultegra chainset and San macro regale saddle.
As for how I went about about purchasing? I’m not at liberty to say only it ‘cost’ less than the bikes mentioned by the OP despite me being the first person to ride it 8)

I was in the same predicament earlier this year, in the end I went for a Kona Honky Tonk, has the mudguard eyes and I’m loving it, bring on the winter, Dartmoor devil is all entered. Winter could be good for me this year.

Which did you go with, I myself use a juicer as an all rounder, and Focus Izalco when I want to go fast. Picked up a 2011 mid in the spring at a great price when the weather was always crappy out and I was getting tired of the upright ride on my surly lht. The juicer is great for my 20k commute and long rides when it looks like it might pour outside. I upgraded the wheels to ultegra’s as the stock wheels were a bit flexy and popped on a brooks saddle. It looks retro but it’s a good bike that rides faster than it looks. Room for 25’s under the fenders also depending on the tire, I use conti gp4000s on it and they fit well but tried some schalbe durano’s also that were 25’s and their was some tire rub. So not all 25’s will fit. I’ll ride it until the frame rusts out or someone steals it, but my next all rounder will be steel also. I wouldn’t use it for touring though, unless it’s just a large saddlebag your carrying, their is no rack mounts on mine. Surly lht for that.

I would get in 3rd place the Spesh, 2nd place the Charge and 1st place a Dolan Mythos for that money. Sorry I am no help really, but spesh are fine but I just cant put my finger on it. I nearly got one, but they didnt light the old fire, so I got a Cube instead as too skint for the Mythos until next year. The charge is probably better for an everyday bike and looks retro nice too.

planet x? much better spec for the money than either of these two! (but of the two the specialized) Also, unless you want to go trekking and need racks, mudguard mounts aren’t a huge deal. If it rains you are still going to get wet…