I’m going to the dark side, I’m going to buy a road bike!

Approximate budget of £1000, don’t want to break that by too much.

It’s going to get a lot of use over the next 9 months, culminating in 750 miles in a week.

Any thoughts on the following from Planet X? All advice welcome as I know very little about road riding and road bikes;

Planet X Viner Mitus

Planet X RT-58

Planet X Pro Carbon

Planet X RT-80

culminating in 750 miles in a week.

Giant Defy, from a proper bike shop, with a proper bike fit.

Cheers Captain. Do you think Planet X bikes are good value? They seem to have more for the money than I [think I] could get on a Giant. I’m only a few miles from Planet X and apparently they offer a bike fit.

I’ll have a look at the Giants now…

I would start with the pro.

Cheap enough to replace as you make mistakes as a newbie.

Cap’n is probably right, bike fit and then buy a road bike?

Is this training or racing?

Do you need mudguards?

Cheap doesn’t always mean good value for money.

Giant are excellent value for money. Especially if bought from a shop who will help you get set up properly.

It’s predominantly for training in preparation for a charity event that I am organising and participating in – not racing although I may do some sportives / events at some point. Obviously the bike will be used for the event as well as the training!

I would second the idea of a Giant Defy from a proper bike shop. Arguably the most comfy and complaint road bike and good value with great components at your price point. Any decent shop will sort fit, stem, bars etc to maximise comfort.

You can get a damn good bike for a grand, without having to go the mail order route.
+1 for recommending you don’t buy blind for your first road bike – fit matters a hell of a lot more than MTB

Your best bet is go to a couple of bike shops and try a few out, people on here will only recommend what works for them….everyone is different

I was after a road bike with a similar budget in Feb 2014.
Was intrigued by the Pro Carbon and went up to PX for a try.
Great spec etc but just didn’t do it for me – can’t pinpoint why either – put me off.
Tried a Giant Defy Composite which was £1500 and instantly made me smile – geometry is a bit more upright than a full-on racer which was spot-on for me. I talked myself out of it though due to budget at time.
Ended up with a Cube Agree GTC after lots and lots of researching. No substitute for slinging your leg over a bike to be sure – I took a bit of a punt on it as it was £1400 down to £930 on CRC…TBH I have absolutely no regrets…it’s a great bike. First carbon bike and so much more comfy than my previous alu Airborne Thunderbolt.
My long-winded moral of the story is don’t be swayed too much by spec – fit is way more important as pointed out by others.

Of the bikes you list the RT80 would be the most suitable for a road newbie as it seems to have a “sportive” type geometry rather than full on race geometry.

I have bought a road bike from Planet X in the past and was very happy with the service and quality of the product.

I would also look at the Cannondale Synapse range – I rented one whilst on holiday in Spain and really liked it.

You can get an alloy Synapse with 105 and disc brakes for £1000

Synapse

It has an 11-32 cassette which should get you up pretty much any hill

Will you need to carry any luggage on your charity trip? If you do you may want to be able to fit a rack. Also, I’d highly recommend proper mudguards, or at the very least trying to find a frame with eyelets to keep your options open.

Giant are very good bikes, but if you live near enough to the Planet X shop to get fitted properly, then buying from them shouldn’t be an issue.

You could buy a Giant Defy but your wife will leave you for someone more intresting. Buy whatever looks the best and will get you out of bed on a grim Sunday morning.

The Defy and the Synapse as mentioned above are good suggestions but as you’re close to PX I think they’re a very good option for you.

The Viner and the RT80 are the same frame I believe so either will do the job. Personally I’d avoid the Pro as it’s a pretty old design, the RT58 is a pertectly function alloy frame but I’d not go for it unless budget was an issue. PX will give you a good frame and a very good spec for the money.

Get a proper fit too, I think PX do Retul, get it done properly as this will make a huge difference to your comfort on the bike.

Finally, have a glance in Decathlon, seriously good bikes for the money.

Thanks all for the info / responses.

The Giants do look boring, I like the look of the Planet X bikes and will make their store my first port of call tomorrow and see how I get on.

I think it will be Giant/Cannondale if Planet X doesn’t go well tomorrow.

No luggage required (support vehicle for that!).

I really wanted a Canyon based on looks alone but too scared by not being able to sit on one before buying and it wouldn’t be ready for a couple of months.

I will never buy another PX. if you do. physically go and see it and inspect it thoroughly.

Planet X buy cheap, off the shelf, mass produced frames from the Far East. Often problems with quality of build and I know a couple of guys who bought carbon versions and described them as “dead” feeling. They didn’t keep them for long. There’s a reason that they’re so cheap you know.

The Giant Defy is a superb bike. Regularly wins bike of the year (or gets close) in the likes of Cycling Plus or road.cc. Cannondale Synapse is an excellent call as well, won bike of the year last year. Unless you’re a serious racer (which you’re not) get a bike with a slightly more upright riding position and that is slightly more forgiving.

Avoid carbon at your price point. Much better to get a really well made alloy frame with decent components than a cheap, generic carbon frame.

Have a look at Kinesis. Their T2 is a superb frame with decent quality components (Shimano Tiagra is broadly speaking SLX equivalent). A lot of serious roadies use them as their winter/training bike. Fast, comfortable and can take mudguards (essential on long, wet rides. After 50 miles getting spray all over your back and face gets a bit old) with a 25mm tyre, and a rack, so very versatile. I’ve got the Kinesis and love it.

In the age old STW tradition of recommending what I ride, I’d also suggest Cannondale. The Synapse is a really forgiving road bike for those not racing properly (or are racing on poor surfaces) and for the price of some of the PX bikes you can get a really well specced alloy framed version. They even do an “adventure” version with hydro discs and guards fitted so would be a good launchpad for winter riding.

There are also some GREAT deals on last year’s CAAD10 disc bikes too. Triton has one at 1300 quid (again with Rival hydro discs). They’re a more race geometry frame but handle really well so if you’re comfortable on it, it should be a contender. Definitely go and try them and get properly fitted once bought.

After considering the various PX’s, I’ve just bought this:

Defy 1 Disc, 2016.

Got the Giant-specific guards fitted, and its….really, really good. Not a lot heavier than any of the PX bikes, oddly enough, fits beautifully, and (I think) looks great.

Don’t rule out Defys. This is my first, after years of Cubes, Meridas, etc. I can see why the stock answer now to many “what road bike?” questions is: Defy.

Don’t underestimate how important it is to buy what you like the look of. The Defy is a great bike but if you’ve already decided it’s dull don’t buy one, you’ll not ride it.

Go and have a look at PX and see if it gets you excited, if it does then that’s a reasonable start point, they’re good bikes and cracking value.

Oh, and Tiagra = Deore, maybe Alivio but certainly not SLX.

Have a look out for any 2015 bikes heavily discounted to make way for the 2016 stock. Get more for your money!

If I was looking for another road bike I’d be going down the buying the frame and components myself route and building the bike I want to my own spec.

Thanks all for the advice.

I went to Planet X on Weds and bought an RT-80 (it’s the RT-90 that is the same frame as a Viner Mitus). The RT-80 is a bit slacker and softer than the race set up of the RT-90 and not as old a design as the pro-carbon.

Got a proper bike fit and a few bits thrown in so very happy with the service, just need to ride it now!

Number 18 – I have a PX RT-57 and a Viner Mitus ( non P-X design). Both are lovely. My RT57 is 4 years old now, and travels the world with me in a bike box.

PX frames are categorically not just “cheap Chinese frames bought from a catalogue” Their old designer frequents this forum and put that myth to bed a few years back, but the same old crap is still trotted out every time PX is mentioned.

Enjoy the bike, and good luck with the charity event.

Caad10 Paul’s cycles

Planet X, Ribble, Boardman etc all offer good value at £1km – basic carbon can feel a bit “dead” as mentioned, but for a first road bike that’s not a huge problem and overall bike weights are usually OK.

There are certainly better options about at £1k right now, but you need to know what size you need really.

Saying that – there are a few Defy Advanced 3s about for well under £1k, look here’s a medium…
http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant-defy-advanced-3-2015.html?gclid=CJien7r7isoCFSEcwwodY6YLfQ

Amazing frame.

Can I be the first to say, 750 miles a week? Like 107 miles a day? 7 days a week? Buy an old steel tourer, and spend the rest of the money on massages and shorts!

Sigh.

No.

They don’t.