Hmmm. Read the flexiness stuff with a pinch of salt I reckon.

As I said I’m rebuilding my bike around a PX RT-58 frame and moving the PX ProC on. Now partly that is because the front end flexes a little with its narrow by carbon standards 1 1/8 steerer. But mainly it’s because I want a slightly higher front end.

And at 16st I flex most stuff.

The ProC was certainly good enough to get me round the TdY sportive (142km, around 2500m ascent) albeit slowly but that’s 16st on the ups and torrential rain on the downs.

The flex in the front end has never been bad enough to affect the handling, though occasionally the back end does skip about a little when breaking hard on a steep descent – nothing you can’t control. Reviews mention BB flex when climbing. Once again I’m 16st and I can’t detect anything particularly bad – yes it flexes so do most bikes when I get on them. Only dead BSO, more steel than Sheffield, bikes don’t flex under me.

Nice Scott here for £1099 , 105 groupset and instock !
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b8s6p6158/SCOTT-SOLACE-30-COMPACT-2014

Read the flexiness stuff with a pinch of salt I reckon.

This was actual lab test data. if I recall correctly the PX was something like 43% more flexible laterally than the alloy frame it was tested against. I’ve chucked the printout away now, or I’d post it up on here.

Some really good info here guys. Cheers for your help so far

PP – I don’t disbelieve you.
What does that mean in the real world though?
How stiff / flexible does a bike need to be? How much flex is desirable? How much force does a rider actually put through a frame and how many mm does that move the frame?
The other thing is that carbon can be allowed to flex a little more than aluminium because of fatigue limits. Other things being equal of course.
I can’t help feeling the proof is how things feel on the ride, not in the lab. And yes I know that leaves you with a subjective proof – if such as thing exists.

If they have your size then some of the Giant tcrs are hard to beat spec wise, it may be a lower groupset but its hanging on a quality frame 🙂

Ahh PP, the other question (genuine by the way, this is a discussion not an argument) is how does that difference in frame flex measure up against wheel flex?
I’ve always thought wheels were generally flexier (once the bike is in rideable condition) than frames. The rideable condition is key though, because installing and tightening the hub in the dropouts stiffens the frame.
Presumably to do the lab test properly you apply force to the rim, or to the pedal and measure the deflection with different frames.
Different hub, BB, crank, bar, seat post etc choices would affect the output but need to be included(probably a representative selection of differing choices to build up data) because flexing the frame in isolation will be non-representive.
I may have some background in making stats and test results say what I want them to of course.

Nice Scott here for £1099 , 105 groupset and instock !

nice, but 10spd 105 not 11spd 105 which is a game changer (phrase used tongue in cheek but it is far better than 10spd 105 or 10spd Ultegra).

I think I may be able to stretch the budget a few huhundred quid.

The Pro carbon is slightly flexy, but is a 10 yr old design.

Th RT57/58/80/90 are completely different bikes.

Planet X may be a marmite company, but there bikes are great. All the talk about PX bikes being catalogue frames was completely debunked on here by Brant IIRC.

Given how much some people like the “compliance” of steel and ti frames I’d have thought that was an advantage 😉

I think I may be able to stretch the budget a few hundred quid.

In that case, you absolutely will not get better value than this

Full Ultegra 11spd, Ksyrium Elite wheels, and sub-7kg, all for £1350

When I need a new road bike, this is where I’ll be heading

Spending my time on my steel TT bike on the turbo. Compared to my carbon bikes, it’s a noodle!!! You can see it flex and have to trim the FD accordingly. It’s a lovely bike to ride.

As for Ribble, they been supplying bikes for a very long time. The blue winter alloy frame is a roadie icon (of sorts 😉 ).

Plenty of good choices at the £1000 to £1300 price point now. But the TCR and Orbea are cracking examples of the choice you have. And as said 11spd 105 is sooo good now, it’s making 11spd Ultegra hard to justify (and I’ve just bought 11spd Ultegra).

I think I may be able to stretch the budget a few huhundred quid.

stretching by 30% moves the goalposts somewhat….

Full Ultegra 11spd, Ksyrium Elite wheels, and sub-7kg, all for £1350

given rival value german direct seller Canyon charge £2000 for that spec that is awesome value (and very similar price/spec to the old-stock Lapierre Xelius I got from CRC a couple of years ago 😉 ).

Radon looks good but just read that the customer service was bad and logistics cost add a few hundred quid so might make it a bit over budget. Will look into though.

Can find any reviews or up to date independant info on Radon!

If you can raise the budget, get the orbea and a better set of wheels.

Went to Cycle Surgery today but they don’t have it in store.

Can’t they get one given they sell it mail order, and there’s something on their site about test rides?

If you gave me your stretched budget to buy for you I’d get the Orbea and some Fulcrum Racing 5s from Wiggle.

Ive got a friend who is starting to import Karbona stuff. Anyone got any of there stuff. He claims they are really good quality, but then he would !

Why not set a few non negotiables e.g. say a 105 groupset. Wheels will be variable so you may have complications there. Then ride a few . See what you like not what others like?

Alot of these suggested are mail order, such as Planet X, Radon.

Planet X and Ribble both have stores where you can go and test their bikes for size etc.

Both over 2 hrs away from me but may see if i can go next weekend.

Edinburgh bike co-op’s own ‘Wraith’

linky

£700 with Sora, which is bomb-proof.

I saw one yesterday, was impressed.

Get yerself a Rose bikes as these always seem the best for the money and you can adjust the specification accordingly.

Otherwise you could build one up yourself for £1200 odd quid.

I used to have a Planet X; loved it. I don’t know why you’d want a super stiff frame anyway, other than to make you “feel” fast!

I’ve been shopping for a £1K bike for the last few weeks and have visited Planet X, Ribble and others.

Planet X let me ride a Pro Carbon on rollers. Ribble just let me sit on their Sportive Racing. (Maybe they’d have let me ride in the car park but it wasn’t offered and I was happy enough with what I’d seen.)

FWIW I have gone with a Dolan L’Etape after a fitting with them.

Basically you have to decide whether you want an internet bargain or to try a bike out in real life in a showroom but maybe spend more. You’re not gonna be able to have it both ways.

FWIW I’ve bought a mail order bike and found it obviously a poor fit, so just sucked up the £25 courier cost and sent it back. Consumer rights allow you to do this. Just don’t go on a ride first.

If you build one up around a decent 2nd hand frame and then decide you don’t like it after a few months; it’s not too much bother to sell on the frame and buy something else.

Of course if you can get to Ribble or PX, you can have the internet bargain price and get to see it / try it in real life.

Worthwhile if you can travel.

popped in my LBS earlier and by luck some guy had his Riblle R827 in for some work. After a quick look at it , felt a bit disappointed seeing one close up for some reason so i think it may be off my list..one down.

Must say, the more i look the more difficult it gets..Lol

Choose the one with the best colour scheme 😀

Look out for 2014 Giant TCR Composite 1 or 2. Both are 10sp, either Ultegra or 105 respectively, but don’t get swayed by 11sp and an inferior frame from a 2015 model at the same price.

You will struggle to get a decent Ultegra bike for <£1000, but it’s worth finding an extra £200 to get it. Even though 105 is great, and you won’t notice the difference when riding, you’ll always wish you had Ultegra.

Plus, whatever you buy, you’ll want to change the wheels within 5 minutes, So there’s another £300+. Basically, you need to spend £1500.

Bottom line, £1000 seems like enough to get a great carbon bike. But it’s not 😆

I can increase the budget as i said by a few hundred and would prefer Ultegra. I think changing wheels at a later date is more or less a given.

Here we go:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/planet-x-bikes-cheap-chinese-tat-or-decent-frames/page/3

Not catalogue frames at all.

Ok, budget increased to £1500 max…Ultegra would be nice.

Ok. Don’t know if they still have any but having just upgraded my PX ProCarbon with a PX RT-58 frame and forks, I can confirm there is a difference in the standard of the frame.

Seems as comfortable seated (possibly more but hard to tell on a 20 mile blast), but standing it is far more responsive and the turn into the bends is sharper and more controlled.

PX RT-80 UIltegra might be worth a look for £1500
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT80ULTRA/planet-x-rt-80-ultra-road-bike

Link won’t copy and paste..but this links good on Merlin site..Sensational Calabria 105 cusTom.

chough chough……

As said before, check out the sizing properly as they are small and long.