Which £1k Road Bike?

[TallTony]

Hello all, I am about to purchase a road bike (whilst thanking the government for the cyclescheme), it will be used for commuting but also for a few triathlons.

I fancy something that will be fairly comfortable over distance as I will be also be doing the Coast-to-Coast next year, and have unfavourable memories of an alu-framed mountain bike that killed by back after 20 miles. Having spoken to Evans they recommended the following for comfort:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bianchi/via-ni...

Now I love the colour scheme plus the heritage associated with the name, but the bloke then went on to say that it was more a case of sacrificing speed for the comfort. I tried what he described as a full on speed-orientated bike (a BMC) and I must say I love the speed. He then recommended the following Cannondale as a good comprimise between comfort and speed:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/caa...

Now I have always had a Cannondale itch, so I am very tempted. However the CAAD8 frame is not the greatest, so I'm wondering if I may be a little disappointed with it.

Does anyone have any thoughts, or indeed recommend me anything different that Evans can source?

Thanks, Tony

[AyBee]

Does it have to be Evans because the Boardman bikes for that price are hard to beat for spec?

[t84]

I have that Via Nirone, its BEAUTIFUL.

[TallTony]

AyBee said:

Does it have to be Evans because the Boardman bikes for that price are hard to beat for spec?

It does indeed have to be Evans, in a way this is a shame as the Boardman Team is one heck of a bike but work dictates it's Evans. Plus they have very good service, something I don't hear Halfords have.

[t84]

My work is Evans only too, you wont regret the Via Nirone.

[anonymous-user]

AyBee said:

Does it have to be Evans because the Boardman bikes for that price are hard to beat for spec?

unfortunately Boardman are only available in Halfords, Halfords are not in Cyclescheme. Their scheme is different. Also their price is now 1199 so too expensive for scheme...

[TallTony]

t84 said:

I have that Via Nirone, its BEAUTIFUL.

Agreed! But is it fast in a whippet kind of way?

[t84]

Seems fast enough to me, it goes as fast as you can move your legs, no?

[anonymous-user]

i'll probably get shot down for saying this but at that price its pretty much all the same. alu frame, carbon forks, 105/cmpag equivilent gruppo and less than average wheels. it seems a lot have shimano r500 but for little more than £100 you can get fulcrum 7s which are a million miles better riding. as i say all the time, dont get hung up on groupsets, thats what they want you to focus on but in reality it doesnt matter that much at all...

personally i would get the cannondale caad9 with tiagra. the caad9 frame is awesome and tiagra is functional and reliable. the eddy mercxk amx1 tiagra looks nice too, RS10 wheels are a step up too.

[itsnotarace]

CAAD9

[ratbane]

I picked up a Trek 2.1 last week.

£975, but negotiated down to £845.

Nice frame, mostly Shimano 105.

Very nice ride. Not sure if Evans do them.

[okgo]

I'd look at BMC because they are not mainstream yet here (one bloke the other day who OWNED a shop said he hadn't even heard of them, given they've got a yellow jersey rider in Le Tour I find this odd) they offer huge discounts on past years models and you often get a better level of kit.

My bike was £999 reduced from £1400~ and I totally agree with Pablo.

it had

105 everywhere
RS10 wheels (although better than others listed, they're not even close to as good as my new mavic aksiums)
carbon fork
cheap bar/stem/saddle/post.

I've since upgraded a few bits and its a quick amazing looking bike.

I know the CAAD9 is loved by all, but having rode one since I couldn't tell much difference over my frame to be fair.

[AyBee]

Jimboka said:

AyBee said:

Does it have to be Evans because the Boardman bikes for that price are hard to beat for spec?

unfortunately Boardman are only available in Halfords, Halfords are not in Cyclescheme. Their scheme is different. Also their price is now 1199 so too expensive for scheme...

Yes, that's why I asked whether it has to be Evans ;-) Wonder why they've upped the price of their £1k bike, seemingly the choice for many who have access to the scheme and therefore shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to people who would fork out the £1k for it?

[Muzzlehatch]

I'll add a new one into the fray: Eddy Merckx AMX-1

It's a very well made aluminium frame, light, strong, and is £999 with Tiagra (Slane Cycles have it at about £800). It's a good alternative to the CAAD 9, but of course not as proven yet, as it's only been available for a few months. My wife has the female specific version (AFX-1), and she loves it. There's always scope to upgrade the gruppo to the frame which really is an excellent platform.

[The Walrus]

What about the colnago primavera (sp) it is in there sale for £999 and RRP's for £1400.00 better rims etc but they only have it in a 48cm frame ?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/colnago/primav...

Edited by The Walrus on Monday 12th July 12:31

[Jimbo.]

Whichever fits the best! Try as many as you can within your budget, try a few more, and then go from there.

FWIW I went for a CAAD9, and it's awesome. However, I didn't want a "miles" (Sportive?) bike: I wanted a head-down/arse-up hurt machine, and for that it's perfect.

Edited by Jimbo. on Monday 12th July 13:53

[anonymous-user]

AyBee said:

Jimboka said:

AyBee said:

Does it have to be Evans because the Boardman bikes for that price are hard to beat for spec?

unfortunately Boardman are only available in Halfords, Halfords are not in Cyclescheme. Their scheme is different. Also their price is now 1199 so too expensive for scheme...

Yes, that's why I asked whether it has to be Evans ;-) Wonder why they've upped the price of their £1k bike, seemingly the choice for many who have access to the scheme and therefore shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to people who would fork out the £1k for it?

Sorry, I should learn to read!.
My company only do the government CycleScheme, I wish I could get a Boardman on it. Better get saving...

[TallTony]

Thanks for all the replies, most useful. I have decided to test the CAAD9 alongside the CAAD8 and see what I think. The Tiagra groupset is a slight issue, I had wanted 105 for obvious reasons, but the wheels are the same and I can always upgrade here and there over the years.

[esuuv]

I have last years Via-Nirone 105 and its a fabulous thing - I looked at / rode lots and as has been said earlier you really just need to see what fits you best that you like.

[t84]

I thought Evans stopped stocking CAAD 9's to be honest, they didn't have any when I tried, so I bought the Via Nirone instead.

I think at that price point you're going to find it very hard to buy something st.