Need a road bike for London to Paris 2012

[sidicks]

As above - I'm planning to do the London to Paris in June / July next year (and obviously plenty of warm-up events in the intervening period).

I'm a total novice - have a mountain bike, but haven't ridden it for ages, so am looking to do a lot of research before I make a potentially expensive mistake.

Budget is probably £1,000 - £1,500 but I've since found out that the bikes I've seen don't include pedals (!), so allowing for clothing, shoes and pedals it's easy to spend a further £200-300 on accessories.

The budget can be a bit flexible, but currently I've no idea whether as a novice I will actually appreciate the difference between a £500 bike, a £1,000 bike and a £2,000 bike etc.

If it's relevant, I am 6'2" and 95kg, although plan to be closer to 90kg by Xmas and maybe even 85kg by the time of the event next year.

Currently have my eye on these:
http://www2.cube.eu/en/road/pro-comp/agree-gtc-rac...
http://www2.cube.eu/en/road/pro-comp/agree-gtc/
They seem to tick a lot of the right boxes, but grateful for any advice.

I also like the look of some of the Ribble bikes, but think they are only available on-line, and would prefer to have the ongoing support of a friendly local dealer etc

My local dealer stocks this brand, so I hope to head down there soon to discuss options with them.

All contributions gratefully received!

Sidicks

Edited by sidicks on Friday 9th September 19:17

Edited by sidicks on Friday 9th September 19:23

[T84]

I have a Bianchi Via Nirone with Shimano 105 and I LOVE it, cost £1050.

[bitwrx]

Thorn Audax maybe?

Built just for this type of thing. Not too hard and uncomfy, has mudguard bosses and can take a rack. Even has a triple chainset I think. About your price range as well. Only available in Somerset Mon to Fri, or over the internet, but backup will be pretty good.

[Jimbo.]

Forget carbon this and lightweight that: fit is EVERYTHING.
Try as many bikes as you can that are in budget (and even somewhat under: open-mind and all that), and opt for whatever fits best. No point trying to ride from London to Paris on the bling-est, lightest bike in the world if it leaves you in agony before you've even got outside the M25.

[Bonefish Blues]

bitwrx said:

Thorn Audax maybe?

Built just for this type of thing. Not too hard and uncomfy, has mudguard bosses and can take a rack. Even has a triple chainset I think. About your price range as well. Only available in Somerset Mon to Fri, or over the internet, but backup will be pretty good.

Very good call - mind you a colleague of mine does this every year, and there does seem to be a prevalence of "bike tarts" like him riding carbon!

[anonymous-user]

Jimbo. said:

Forget carbon this and lightweight that: fit is EVERYTHING.
Try as many bikes as you can that are in budget (and even somewhat under: open-mind and all that), and opt for whatever fits best. No point trying to ride from London to Paris on the bling-est, lightest bike in the world if it leaves you in agony before you've even got outside the M25.

I concur 100%. The right bike is a joy to cover long distances on. The latest & greatest that shaves off a few ounces may put you off cycling for life! Try as many as you can & go for the one that fits. Get proper tyres too that offer some puncture resistance. The ones that come with most bikes are the lightest to make them look good on paper, but the time & frustration taken fixing a puncture is more than made up by fitting proper tyres!

[DrMekon]

http://www.thebikewhisperer.co.uk/

I know a few audaxers who've used him, and I've only heard good things.

Thorn audax would be a safe bet. Alternatives would be a Sabbath September or a Spa Ti Audax if you fancy Ti, or a Bob Jackson Audax Club if you fancy skinny lightweight steel

Sabbath deal - http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/detail.asp/sku=sabbathse...

Spa - http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s...

Bob Jackson - http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/product_info.php...

[XitUp]

Another vote for something steel with lots of places to mount racks/mudguards etc. Like people have said, try them out.

[jodypress]

I did London to Paris in 2009. Great trip, really recommend doing it. Bike wise, I'll echo bike fit, best £150 or so I've ever spent on the bike.
I'd recommend taking along the geometry of 3 bikes you'd like to buy to the fitting and they can advise accordingly. Next up get your cleats setup right.

Bike wise, carbon is definitely the way to go. It's more compliant than metal. Much more comfortable.

Planet X and Ribble both good choices.

You don't need panniers, there are plenty of stops throughout the day to snack and fill up with water.

Best bit of advice I can give is just get out and ride, put the miles in the saddle. Get used to doing back to back days of at least 75 miles in the two months leading into event.

Good luck and enjoy.

[Simond S]

I use these guys, (who are local'ish to you) http://www.wealdencycles.co.uk/product_info.php/mo...

They do free set up on bikes, which made a world of diffference to me as I was also new to road riding. Moda seem good value for money, Forme a less expensive but dont have as high spec parts.

They also have quite a few bikes that you can use, and cycle out on Sundays / Tuesdays if you want to try before you buy.

Speak to Simon, he takes pride in what he does and has set up bikes for a lot of the TWells tri club.

[sidicks]

Simond S said:

I use these guys, (who are local'ish to you) http://www.wealdencycles.co.uk/product_info.php/mo...

They do free set up on bikes, which made a world of diffference to me as I was also new to road riding. Moda seem good value for money, Forme a less expensive but dont have as high spec parts.

They also have quite a few bikes that you can use, and cycle out on Sundays / Tuesdays if you want to try before you buy.

Speak to Simon, he takes pride in what he does and has set up bikes for a lot of the TWells tri club.

Thanks for this - I'll pop down and see them!

My big concern at the moment is that everyone is emphasizing the need to be fitted to ensure you are comfortable, but surely inevitably after having not ridden a 'proper' bike for almost 20 years (and having got older and fatter in the meantime) then anything is going to feel uncomfortable??

Or will something just 'feel' right...?!

Sidicks

[Jimbo.]

You will need a period of "breaking in" yourself, yes, but any good shop/bike fitter (should you go down that route) should be able to advise on what's normal and what isn't. Some things will be immediately apparent, such as bars too low, bike too short/too small/too big etc...

[Jimbo.]

jodypress said:

I did London to Paris in 2009. Great trip, really recommend doing it. Bike wise, I'll echo bike fit, best £150 or so I've ever spent on the bike.
I'd recommend taking along the geometry of 3 bikes you'd like to buy to the fitting and they can advise accordingly. Next up get your cleats setup right.

Bike wise, carbon is definitely the way to go. It's more compliant than metal. Much more comfortable.

Planet X and Ribble both good choices.

You don't need panniers, there are plenty of stops throughout the day to snack and fill up with water.

Best bit of advice I can give is just get out and ride, put the miles in the saddle. Get used to doing back to back days of at least 75 miles in the two months leading into event.

Good luck and enjoy.

Carbon isn't the be-all and end-all of comfort. How the frame is made, the bits attached to it, hell, even tyre pressures make just as much - if not more - difference.

[Simond S]

sidicks said:

Thanks for this - I'll pop down and see them!

My big concern at the moment is that everyone is emphasizing the need to be fitted to ensure you are comfortable, but surely inevitably after having not ridden a 'proper' bike for almost 20 years (and having got older and fatter in the meantime) then anything is going to feel uncomfortable??

Or will something just 'feel' right...?!

Sidicks

I was in exactly the same position two years ago, and ended up on a bike that was "fitted" to me, but two sizes too small.

I didnt realise this as I was uncomfortable riding anyway having been out of the saddle since my youth, but once I was out on a bike that fitted me properly it was a world apart.

You can also get saddles that dont have a ridge in the middle, much more comfortable than standard

[okgo]

Equally buying decent shorts makes more difference than a saddle IMO. I have a blade like saddle and can ride it unpadded and it's ok, but after a few miles the difference between good shorts and st ones is very apparent!

[jodypress]

Jimbo. said:

Carbon isn't the be-all and end-all of comfort. How the frame is made, the bits attached to it, hell, even tyre pressures make just as much - if not more - difference.

I ride steel, aluminium, titanium and carbon and IMHO carbon is the most comfortable and the bike I choose for long rides. I never said it's the be all and end all. For the money the OP wants to spend he'll get the best value for money with carbon.

[Bonefish Blues]

bitwrx said:

Thorn Audax maybe?

Built just for this type of thing. Not too hard and uncomfy, has mudguard bosses and can take a rack. Even has a triple chainset I think. About your price range as well. Only available in Somerset Mon to Fri, or over the internet, but backup will be pretty good.

As an aside, there's what looks a nice one on eBay at the moment.

[anonymous-user]

bike choice on events like this is largely irrelevant, people ride all sorts of things on an event like this, hybrids, carbon, steel, aluminium....more than the bike its about having the miles in your legs, if you train effectively, you could ride anything to paris but some bikes will be more comfortable comapared to others and its vital you train hard on back to back days as you get closer to the event.

get fitted by someone who knows what they are talking about - ask your local roadie/tri club who they recommend.
buy some bib shorts
buy some chamois cream
do plenty of research, some of the cycle mags are more sportive oritentated than others, try cycling plus or cycling active.
find a bike in a shop that feels ok, take some measurements and compare with other bikes online, this should help if you find a bike online thats heavily reduced and you will know what should fit. this is a good guide to geometry.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/_upload_ca/bikes/mod...

you can change a lot about a bike with the saddle height and position, ask the sales guy to move to move the seat up/down and forwards/backwards to get a good fit.

[sidicks]

Thanks to all who have responded to my questions - some good advice, and my obvious next step is to spend some time at my local bike shop.

In the meantime, can anyone recommened a good bike forum, for someone that needs to learn the basics about cycling, in terms of bike maintenance and riding advice (riding do's and don'ts, explanation about terminology (i.e. cranks, group sets, triples, compacts, gearing etc).

Also, there appear to be a huge number of organised 'London to Paris' rides, for a variety of charities. I assume that some are better organised than others, so can anyone recommend a particular organisation?

The "Big Issue" ride looks particularly appealing as you arrive in Paris in time for the arrival of the Tour de France riders the following day.

Sidicks

[okgo]

Bikeradar forum is good and huge, like this place but for bikes