My periodic interest in road biking has been reawakened. A nice ride out with a road biker on a glorious Bank Holiday Monday, coupled with a job move where there is a Cycle to Work scheme, finally understanding how Cycle to Work operates and why it makes buying new possible. In addition friends have just done a coast to coast, and this feels like a nice thing to do for the next 20 years as I edge into my late 40’s. And lastly around half of our MTB group road bike as well, and I’m missing out on rides sometimes. So- criteria

1. Most rides will be 2/3 hour spins around the Pennine Countryside. Ideally I’d like to be able to put a pannier on to do odd longer rides over a few days. But these will be secondary to the main “exploring the local area” aim.

2. I will only ever buy one bike. It will be c£1000. It needs to be a do it all bike.

3. I’m not very good with speed. I have no interest in bombing down a hill. I think I’d like disc brakes for the added security.

4. I’m not fantastic on a MTB. The idea of a non suspension twitchy road bike makes me a little nervous. I’ve even thought about flat bars, but think i’ll probably get used to drops.

The stupid bit. I really like the idea of a Planet X Pro Carbon. I know there are issues with panniers/brakes/customer service, but I will never own a Carbon Mountain Bike. If 95% of my riding is suitable for that sort of machine is that a really stupid idea?

The sensible option is almost certainly a Planet X London Road or similar. A commuter/do it all bike that’s really sensible and good value. There are similar I think from Ribble, and Pauls bike’s.

Loads of us have been in this position- tempted by a road bike. So, what did you do- and how did it work out?

Cheers

Nothing to add to this other than a Binners original….

Plenty of options around that price point – look at getting a previous year model with good discounts. I wouldn’t be worried about disk brakes (personally I think they look gash on road bikes) as rim brakes will happily slow you down.

Webster Bikes have always come up trumps for me – I got 20% off a Specialised Tarmac (carbon frame, mainly 105 groupset) in 2016 and it’s a lovely bike.

I have never once thought a road bike felt ‘twitchy’ but then I grew up riding ‘racing bikes’.

I bought first road bike when i moved to Norfolk and realised that decent MTB riding was going to be a drive away and that on a road bike here i could ride for hours on back roads and see little traffic.

Some great road bikes in that price range, Giant Defy, Specialized Roubaix, Cube or similar from Pauls.

You can ride fine in MTB shoes and SPD’s at first, but just make sure bike is set up well for you. road biking is a very different position to MTB and you’re in the position longer, so be comfortable is a big thing.

What about one of the new generation of “gravel/ adventure” bikes, good on our more pot-holded roads tend to have less “racey” position and you can do what i do and mostly ride routes that are part road, part bridleways, part canal ?

Opted for a Trek Crossrip with carbon forks and disc brakes about 5 years ago since then it’s been used for day rides occasional commuting and on several touring trips. Does regular forest road trips with aplomb  No complaints.

Gravel bike was the answer for me, but I have to get off road to get away from traffic around here. I love being able to take detours over any terrain.

Will be a fair bit heavier than a pure road bike at the same price but it still feels light to me when I’m used to budget MTBs.

I’d say to avoid the PX pro carbon, they are really really flexi, you can feel the bike twist when cornering.

Kinesis racelight T2 (or I think its a T3 now) would be good option for decent bike with options for guards / rack etc for flexibility. (no disc brakes though)

I bought an Avanti Giro 3  – love it. Comfortable over long days  – 50-36 chainset  11 – 32 cassette  perfect for an slightly overweight old man!

I would consider a cross bike now with maybe a spare set of wheels

Specialized Allez Elite.

I have owned loads of road bikes, some of them very expensive carbon framed high spec, and for £999 the Allez is superb. Comfortable, stiff, good power transfer, stable, not too aggressive, not too relaxed, and best of all not to scared to ride it in all weather, or put it in the back of the car.

Edit – has mudguard and rack mounts, takes a 28mm tyre too.

Much less than £1k, can be totally custom in terms of geometry, pannier mounts etc. Cool sense of satisfaction at building it. Not quite carbon fibre but vaguely similar construction technique.

Not sure you’d get one on C2W though…

PX pro carbon is fine. It flexes, but then so do steel frames – it basically feels a bit stiffer and a lot lighter than a lightweight steel road bike.

Then again is it for you? You won’t get guards or panniers on, and I don’t think (see flex above) that I’d put a seatpost mounted rack on mine even if I didn’t have a bike with a proper rack. You will be able to go fast on local roads though. Wheels are cheap, I’m not sure about hub spares, would be my main problem with it. But that’s probably going to be the case with most bikes at that price point.

You don’t want to spend the chunk of cash it would take at that price point on disc brakes for a road bike, it’s going to knock the rest of the stuff down a peg or two and only makes any difference in the wet. Worst case you get cheap discs that are no better and in some ways worse than the good rim brakes you’d otherwise get.

Panniers are not really necessary due to bikepacking bag options. I would only use them if I wanted to transport clothes without crumpling them or something like a laptop.

Disk brakes are ok but at your budget you will likely be getting cable disks rather than hydraulic

Mudguards are a good thing for 65% of the year

I got an aluminium Cannondale Synapse Disc 105 on Bike to Work a few years ago. Really comfortable and I would rather have the better groupset than carbon frame. Only disappointment was the Promax Render cable discs which I have replaced with TRP Spyres (£70 a pair off ebay).

Don’t get a flat bar – I have seen numerous people do this and regret it after a few months. Drops are easy to get on with after an initial adjustment period. I would also not buy a gravel bike. They are fashionable at the moment but I think the extra weight and (general) lower spec for the money do not compensate for the supposed extra flexibility. Normal road bikes can handle unpaved paths ok as long as the are not too rough (and if they were you would be on your MTB).

Mountain bike style clipless pedals are fine and allow you to walk properly.

I would go for a “sportive” geometry bike like the Synapse or Giant Contend. More recent models tend to have low gearing (11-32 or 11-34) which will be useful on hills if you are carrying a few pounds.

I regularly do 200km audax rides on may Synapse and it has not let me down (apart from the replaced brakes). I really enjoy road biking and audaxing has opened up lots of challenges and made me get to know the roads around me a lot better – very sociable too.

Thanks all. So the Pro Carbon is probably not the do it all bike. I don’t need disc brakes, especially not cheap ones. Gravel bikes are in, and a good shout. Bamboo is probably not available on C2W!

Some great suggestions, will track them down one by one and have a look. Cheers

Sportive is in.

“I would go for a “sportive” geometry bike like the Synapse or Giant Contend. More recent models tend to have low gearing (11-32 or 11-34) which will be useful on hills if you are carrying a few pounds.”

15 stone and 6’4″ I am carrying but am well within a healthy weight range. I have also had quite a lot on at work recently 🙂

Personally, I’d just get a plain road bike. The Planet X pro carbon is a perfectly good, light road bike. As for flexible – do your really want an ultra stiff race machine? It doesn’t sound like it so I’d say the Pro C is the kind of bike you want. Ribble & Merlin do similar bikes too if you don’t like P-X

I would at something in the gravel / CX / adventure style rather than a head down, bum up racer stylee – enough clearances for 30mm plus tyres and guards plus a rear rack mounts – they all come with discs these days. Agree on drop bars, riding any distance with a flat bar on roads etc is a pain due to limited hand positions and not being able to tuck down into headwinds etc.

Nothing wrong with cable discs if set up properly with decent cables, they are very reliable, easy to adjust and virtually no maintenance apart from twisting the adjuster knobs.

I use SPD and MTB shoes for all my touring / offroad only having road pedals and shoes on the ‘fast’ road bike.

I’ve happily hucked a CX bike down red and black MTB trails – you just face a different level of commitment

There will be no benefits for going carbon on the price range you identify – and the type of bike you want. You will get more with a alu frame.

And even though disc is how road bikes are now inevitably going – they most certainly are not superior to rim brakes, and come with their own unique set of issues … loud squeaking brakes being my biggest issue with them.

I got a new aluminium frame (with 650b and flat mount) and herself just recently got a new steel frame (with the same features). They’re very versatile. I also have a custom 853 frame built to take Salmon guards and a ti frame for faster days. At the moment I’m riding the 650b most out of all of them. I have put a Nitto rack on the front to support a front bag and to mount a dynamo front light to. worked ok on Gravel Dash 🙂

Speaking of Adventure bikes, anyone got or looked at a Felt VR? I can’t find one local to look at.

And even though disc is how road bikes are now inevitably going – they most certainly are not superior to rim brakes

Bollocks.

Not sure I’d want to chuck a gravel bike around black trails, but I am a wuss.

If I was the original poster I’d probably go for a Trek Domane ALR, see if there is a 2017 model available. I had the disc brake version for a few years and it was a very capable bike. I’d only go hydraulic discs as well. The Domane can take 35c tyres (G-One) and I’ve used mine a lot with 33c Bontrager Cross Tyres.

The G-Ones were absolutely fine on road as well, I’d use them for decent pace club rides as well as light off-road adventures. (Done the CX Sportive Gold Rush event and also the South Downs Way on it)

Bollocks

Well despite that eloquent and incisive argument, I would agree that discs aren’t necessarily superior, I certainly wouldn’t want them on a road bike again until manufacturers step up to resolve the squeeling in the wet issues. I ended up mothballing my disc brake bike and riding through the winter on my mini-vs with Swisstop BXP pads. Quiet dependable braking no matter what.

Plus as someone else pointed out above, discs at £1000 = compromises elsewhere!

Specialized Allez Elite.

+1

I had one years ago, was an excellent all rounder, road races, sportives, club runs etc…

I’d echo much of the advice already:

– gravel-type bike would be great, bit more relaxed geo, quite capable on or off-road, likely to have wider flared drops

– disc brakes not necessary for confidence, especially if you aren’t hooning down hills (in fact, I’ve had disc brake fade going down Puig Major on Mallorca, which is far more scary)

– rack mounts not really necessary with bar / frame bags

I’d recommend what I own and suggest picking up a cheap GT Grade somewhere. At least you’re not doing what I did and dive straight into the deep end with a Litespeed then a Colnago C40. Still love riding on the road so it was worth it!

Excellent all round advice. Thanks for taking the time everyone. Start date is mid August. I guess i should give it a week or so before raising the C2W voucher 🙂

Many thanks- much appreciated.

In STW ” recommend what you have” fashion, Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc, if you can find one of the 2017 models on sale in your size for ~£1070… If 32mm real world tyre widths are wide enough and panniers aren’t necessary. Had my 2016 model just over a year, it’s the best road bike I’ve ever had, previous nice bikes being a 2006 Felt F5C and 1997(?) Principia RSL.

Stock spec is ~9Kg, but can be ~8.5Kg by replacing the ~1900g wheels plus the non-premium tyres/tubes.

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/road-bikes/cube-attain-gtc-pro-disc-2017-carbon-road-bike-grey_373882

I ride a 58cm, I’m 5’10” with short ~32″ cycling inseam legs.

I got curious around 4 years ago, and took a punt on a secondhand specialized allez off ebay which I collected from its original owner and for £300 was a complete bargain as it had not been ridden from new! still had the receipt and user manual! did a few local rides near my house then signed up to do the Coast 2 coast ( which was ace)  and a couple of 100 mile sportives later and Im hooked, and do more road miles than MTB now. Upgraded to a spesh tarmac after the allez got pinched.

Bargain here

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/road-bikes/genesis-zero-z1-2018-carbon-racing-road-bike-black_374131

(If you are a shorty like me anyway)

So the Pro Carbon is probably not the do it all bike.

Yes, I’d agree with that summary.

But I guess what you need to decide is what you really want – if you get a fast road bike, you can use an MTB if you go touring, chuck some fast tyres on if you feel the need. It’ll handle bike packing gear fine, potentially with swapping out the seatpost for a non-dropper. And you have more options for what ground you can cover then.

I have a super lightweight carbon canyon with aero wheels and a caadx x that I got on bike to work that I use with a set of slightly lighter than stock wheels and road tyres when weather isn’t great. The caadx isn’t much slower and is far more versatile if you ever fancied taking it off smooth tarmac.

If it’s purely for road use I’d go with a dedicated road bike however would not be making disk brakes or carbon frame a priority. However decent wheels that aren’t boat anchors would be.

Something like a btwin Af 900 would be my choice…under 9kg, decent wheels and 11 speed groupset all for 800 quid. And depending on your btw scheme available on that as well.

If it’s purely for road use I’d go with a dedicated road bike however would not be making disk brakes or carbon frame a priority

This, look at the package overall not some tick box like a carbon frame or something.

The benefit of just getting a light fast road bike is you’ll enjoy it more and therefore use it more – unless you don’t, in which case it’s unlikely that a slower less sprightly bike would have motivated you to ride more.

Oh and as others have said, don’t worry about “twitchy” handling, it’s on the road, you won’t be ploughing through rock gardens or anything, they will feel super steady when you’re bombing (or bimbling) along the road, just if needed you can chuck them into corners a lot faster.

<div class=”bbp-reply-author”>tomhoward
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And even though disc is how road bikes are now inevitably going – they most certainly are not superior to rim brakes

Bollocks.

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Theres always one!

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Disc brakes have their advantages; if your a heavier rider doing very long technical descending where there is a risk of overheating your rims .. or out on wet roads with poor brake pads; then disc brakes are an advantage for sure.

However, a few wet rides and they squeal .. certainly enough to not descend fast enough through the lanes in case you meet horse riders who you will very likely spook because of the brake squeal .. they can rub also, which takes a few minutes of adjusting to sort … as opposed to a second or so with rim brakes.

Good hydraulic discs on a carbon sub £1000 bike will mean you will get terribly heavy wheels with very basic gearing .. if you can actually find one that is.

For how you described your riding – Id suggest a good quality alu frame with rim brakes – which will likely mean better wheels and groupset … and easier brake set up.

So, what did you do- and how did it work out?

Cheap EBC road bike – enjoyed it

Upgraded to a Kona Haole that was cheap on Wiggle – really liked it and have kept it despite not riding it much any more. Tiny tyre clearances and no mudguards make it a bit of a pain though.

Planet X carbon RT58 (not that different to the Pro Carbon) – mostly because carbon and posh groupset for not much money. Didn’t get on with it, could have been sizing but it never felt as nice to ride as the Kona – pretty much did the Ride 100 on it then flogged it on.

Cotic Escapade as a C2W – love it, felt spot on immediately. My rides are mostly getting out to quiet little country lanes (not chaingangs on A-roads) and the state most are in are much more comfy on big tyres. Leave mudguards on all year, commuted on it for a while when I had a commute, pull kids in the trailer with it. Only a Sora groupset for my C2W voucher limit but it works great these days.

Would totally recommend something a bit more relaxed that can fit tyres bigger than 28mm, if you’re not racing or trying to keep up with a fast group then I’d always trade a bit of speed for comfort.

Buy the best Giant Defy your budget allows. It will do all you want. Make sure you get the right size – can help here. It does it all:

Want to bimble down the lanes on 28c tyres? TICK

Want to add some luggage? TICK

Want to race? TICK

Don’t overthink the luggage bit, a decent saddlebag will do all you need. The Topeak MTX beam rack is very good. Panniers are overkill unless you really want to tour. Even then, a barbacg and Topeak will be fine.

Now the most important part: BUY ON GEOMETRY and avoid SLOW HANDLING on-trend gravel bike nonsense. Weight is much less of an issue than geometry. A well-handling heavy bike can feel fast, but a slow-handling light bike will always feel slow.

Whatever you buy, make sure it fits, and change the OEM tyres to something decent. Oh an avoid Planet X. For your budget, alloy frame, carbon forks, 105 groupset will be a great bike.

EDIT: The old alloy Giant Defy is now called the Contend. Buy the SL or SL disc (if you must)

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/bikes-contend-sl-disc

Specialized Allez Elite (or maybe that 105 equipped Rose bike) and the correct pedals, bibs, shirt and helmet. Two bottles cages and bottles and a small saddle bag.

Once your hooked(you will be) change the wheels for something around £300.

Don’t comprimise you’ll regret it, the pleasure in road riding is its single purpose focus.

On the disc thing..I’ve spent the last couple of weeks riding abroad including a Bedoin descent of Ventoux in a storm pushing 50mph rim brakes were  awesome.  One guy did out brake me and go past, he had carbon wheels and rim brakes.

Anyone who says you need discs is quite honestly talking bollox.

Defy/Contend V’s Allez elite… Is there much difference?  Both seem highly regarded.

This years Alllez has a slightly more relaxed geometry so maybe similar to Defy.

Allez is 180mm headtube on a 56 for reference.

Anything from a big manufacturer will be fine, well sorted and properly made.

giant, cannondale, specialized etc.

i have a steel cx bike with discs, and an alloy road bike with rim brakes, there’s little to choose between them, i weigh 130kg.

your top priority on a road bike is fit, you spend a long time in one position generally, so small imperfections become quite noticeable.

ive ridden a cannondale caad8 a few years ago, really nice ride.

i own a cube attain road bike, it rides nicely.

i also own a charge filter cx bike, it rides like a traditional road bike but it’s not light at all, but not noticably slower and can take rack/mudguards and 32mm tyres. Ultimately, it’s your choice what you buy, so make sure you like it first, otherwise you won’t enjoy riding it.

all of the above were around the c2w threshold.

Ribble CGR. Mate at work is about to buy one – tomorrow; it’s just about on the C2W limit; decent spec; not super light but not heavy.