http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/bikes/road-bikes/sensa-bikes/sensa-lombardia-custom-road-bike-2013.html

My first road bike. Wht do u think?

£1300? Get something cheaper to see if you enjoy it first IMO.

This could be a good alternative for that money.

Excellent bike and they hold their value very well in case you don’t get into it.

£1300? Get something cheaper to see if you enjoy it first IMO.

Tough call if your already a cyclist. I know so many people who end up wanting to upgrade straight away, and feel they’ve wasted their money buying a cheapie first. £1300 might be what the op considers entry level anyway.

Do you know what size bike you need? can you actually sit on that bike before you buy it?

If the answer is no, please go to a good bike shop and get someone to help you. Road bikes aren’t mtbs, it really helps if you have the right size particularly if your starting out and don’t really know what the right size is.

If the answer is no, please go to a good bike shop and get someone to help you. Road bikes aren’t mtbs, it really helps if you have the right size particularly if your starting out and don’t really know what the right size is.

Amen brother!!

I’d echo the comments on trying some. Also some much better deals around
like this

How is the Giant a better deal?

Both 105, but the Sensa is a carbon frame so would cost more anyway.

carbon frame so would cost more anyway.

maybe,

good aluminium is better than bad carbon, but a good carbon frame, might actually be a bad bike for some people whilst being an excellent bike for someone else.

I suppose the point is there is more to a good bike than what the frame is made of.

but the Sensa is a carbon frame so would cost more anyway.

Can someone point me to the brands website? It’s carbon yes, but what? could it be a ten a penny lookee likee China import. Giant put together a class frame.

http://www.sensabikes.com/

Lol @ memo I think I get it.

Cheers for all the advice and info.

I am a pretty fit mtber but due to shoulder complications I am forced partially to the darkside. I have no choice other than to get on with it . If you see what I mean.

I know that if I go cheaper I will instantly regret it. ( yes I am shallow , easy to influence and a marketers dream).

I will check out the other options. And will def go somewhere to get sized up first. Any other alternatives guys ?

If I was looking to spend that kind of money on a road bike this would be very high on my list. Not carbon but widely recognised as one of the best aluminium frames out there. I have a caad8 and I love it*

http://www.drakescycles.co.uk/m1b100s6p2872/CANNONDALE_CAAD10_Ultegra_2012/RS_GB/11717

Well, as much as you can Love a road bike, anyway 🙂

Planet X are good value and you get a half price retul bike fit if you buy a bike.most of those bikes reccomended come with aksium wheels which are heavy and if you are fit like you say will feel sluggish.That said the sensa looks wise is probably the nicest which is obviously the most important thing

The comment was “Much better deals around. Like this [Giant Defy]”… not necessarily a better deal – I was just pointing out they’re fairly different price points and predominantly thats for a material reason.

Agreed, good aluminium will be better than bad carbon.

The Sensa Guilia got a good write up in Cycling Plus this month and the cheaper aluminium one got a good write up too according to the advert. It won’t be a bad bike will it? But it still has to fit.

CAAD10 Ultegra +1

That is what I would be buying for that kind of money, no question.

i went in at that price point for my first road bike and 8 months later haven’t regretted it a single bit. get involved. 🙂

i went in at that price point for my first road bike and 8 months later haven’t regretted it a single bit. get involved.

ditto, bought my first road bike last spring, and yes go to a shop and try some out, ended up with a Defy Composite myself. Seemed to me that £1,200 plus opened up a much wider range of half decent carbon bikes when I was looking, without getting silly. If you don’t get on with it you’ll easy sell it on.

…it was yet another wash out summer off road that lured me

The wheels on that Sensa will be heavy and unless you always ride on the flat they’ll probably make the bike feel sluggish IMO.

Looks good though!

As a first bike, I wouldn’t get hung up on whether its carbon or not. Its winter and a spangly carbon bike might not be the most practical. Concentrate on a half decent frame. I’d be looking for something practical. Perhaps, something you could put mudguards on for winter. Perhaps, something you don’t mind taking on the winter onslaught of road cack and salt.
As long as it gets you riding – and if road takes your fancy then keep the winter / training bike and move onto a full-on carbon race jobby.

If you’re at the top end of the size range then the geometry chart on the Sensa goes a bit hatstand in the big sizes.

+1 for the Cannondale.

I was suggesting the Giant as an alternative as it is an award winning frame, tried and tested geometry, similar kit and close to £500 quid less. It can be bought from various LBS’s rather than online, probably with a bit of tweaking of stems etc to get it to fit, and with a lifetime frame warranty from the biggest bike manufacturer in the world. That’s where my money wound be going, but I’m sure the Sensa is a good bike too

You will find those deep rim wheels worryingly sensitive to side winds.

I got a C’dale CADD8 for £550 in the sales at the beginning of 2012, so the 2011 model. I am returning to the sport after a 20 year lay off and it is a great bike. Could do with a few component upgrades, but fundamentally it is a really good frame, and a million times better than the 531 framed Shimano 105 equipped bike I used to rack up miles on 20 years ago, which back then was a pretty tasty bike. I doubt that a £1200 carbon bike is twice as good as my CAAD8, if it is better at all, especially if you put some half decent wheels on. So unless you want the bling for blings sake (I can understand that), then something like the CADD8 will be more than a man enough bike for the vast majority of people. Having said that, my LBS recently had a full carbon Ultegra Di2 Cube Agree on sale at £1200 and I was very tempted!

Its winter and a spangly carbon bike might not be the most practical.

Can anyone tell me why carbon bikes shouldn’t be used in the winter?
This seems to be a common opinion but I really can’t see why carbon is impractical for the winter…

Can anyone tell me why carbon bikes shouldn’t be used in the winter?

It’s not so much carbon – it’s the spangly bits people tend to hang off them. Road salt isn’t the kindest shiney alloy. And general wear and tear over winter is a little more pronounced. If people can afford this happening to their bikes – then it’s not really a problem at all. So really I should have wrote “spangly carbon bike”.

carbon Ultegra Di2 Cube Agree £1200

Probably just the Ultegra and not Di2!

+1 for CAAD8 / CAAD10
+1 for Defys

and the Vitus Razor@CRC also looks very good for the money.

cheers HTTP
wasn’t having a go at you, just curious about the carbon issue

Do you want a flat out road bike? they can be fun, but do consider a cross bike, salsa vaya, specy tricross, surly cross check… And many others.

If a dicky shoulder means you need a smooth ride, these bikes will give you a more comfortable road ride, and also allow you to explore tow paths and fire trails, rack up and go overnighting. As a MTBer I struggle to keep my road bike on the Tarmac, often rattling down farm tracks… And the state of the Tarmac round my way can be dreadful and a handful on a road bike.

LBS – a proper one where they know their onions, if they are surly and standoffish walk out…..

for 1300 poonds you should get a nice bike.

I recently bought a cannondale synapse/shimano 105- for that price, its a smooth ride, very comfy/ and i will ride it all through the winter— just clean it after a ride !

But sizing is fairly crucial, if its on the small side you can make it fit, but anything too big is impossible to alter.

You really have a lot of choice , lot different to the not so distant past…