Cycle to work scheme being launched soon at work and I was thinking of buying a ‘darkside’ purchase.

I fancy about a £1k road bike and would want carbon if I can squeeze it out of my grand.

Apparently the scheme will be vouchers redeemable only at Halfords or Evans.

Can I get a carbon for £1k?

My ‘need’ for a road bike stems from my love of my ‘shonky’ built Alan Top cross with SS converted 42 x 16 gearing. It simply flies along and is great fun however I will not be able to keep up with the roadies on it as I only average 12 – 15 mph (gearing ,etc). Top end I spin out about 20 or 21 mph so brings average speed right down. No good for club runs or events with my roadie mates 🙂

boardman

I got a Focus Cayo (£999) through the Halfords scheme. Best check they’re still dealing with Wiggle if you’re interested. Other options included the Dolan Mythos and the Ribble one (sorry – the name escapes me). The Planet X bikes aren’t available any more as Halfords and PX “fell out”.

thanks druid and righty…gives me some options

Is carbon a good buy at this price point? I know a mate who has a cheapish carbon bike (just over a grand I think) but prefers his alu framed bike although he does says his carbon climbs better (lighter).

Mulled over this myself last summer – ended up torn between the CAAD9 (full alu) and the Lemond Alpe d’Huez (top half carbon, bottom half aluminium). Couldn’t find any full carbon bikes below about £1300 or so that looked worth having – though admittedly being 6’4″ rules out most low-priced carbon frames which simply don’t come in sizes anywhere near big enough.

Went for the Cannondale, FWIW (didn’t like the finishing kit on the Lemond). No regrets 🙂

The Boardman is good VFM, and got a great write up in C+ a few months back. If you have a decent Halfords or can set the bike up properly yourself then it’s a good buy

Try before you buy – which is one of the problems of buying something such as a Ribble or Dolan unlesss you know someone who has them, or can visit their outlets in Lancashire. Bike fit is much more important on the darkside than in MTB. Also you need to decide whether you want a racier geometry or a more relaxed sportive geometry.

Aluminium bikes around a grand have carbon forks, some have carbon seat stays and some have carbon seat posts which can increase the comfort massively.

As above, the Boardman gets great reviews – but is quite a racey geometry which may not suit everybody.