Help me pick a C2W road bike...

[Sparta VAG]

I started cycling again this year after a gap of several years and have been using an ancient Falcon racer for my commute and the odd leisure cycle. However I've decided to get a newer bike on the C2W scheme and am looking to pick the brains of the resident PH bike gurus.

Brief is this:

1) Road bike suitable for a mostly urban commute but capable of lengthy treks through the nearby hills. I'd like to get into some kind of amateur sportive riding or similar in the longer run, so that's a consideration.

2) Will be on the Cycle Scheme but money is still v tight due to impending new sprog on the way so factoring in the monthly payments I'm looking at spending £700 tops.

3) Already have plenty of gear and accessories so no need to budget for those.


So I've narrowed the list of candidates down to the following:

Boardman Road Race

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

Boardman Road Comp

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

Specialized Allez Sport

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/al...

Cube Peloton 2012

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cube-Peloton-2012-Road-Bik...

Ribble Sportive 7005

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikebuilder.asp?acti...

The Ribble seems excellent value, but I've read some horrendous stories about their customer service and deliveries that overrun by months.

Have also looked at the Triban 3 from Decathlon, but nigh on impossible to find out any details about the spec and I live miles from the nearest Decathlon.

Any other bikes I should look at, any of those to avoid?

[Sparta VAG]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

One of my colleagues just got one from there on the scheme and was quite pleased with it.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/publish.asp?what=cyc...

They do add on a nice £65 "administration fee" however.

Edited by Sparta VAG on Thursday 12th July 14:09

[Raoul Duke]

Also have a look at the Dolan Preffisio which is a nice spec for the money. Some people scoff at the idea of mudguards, but they are well worth having if you are intending to commute on it and can be easily removed in the summer - if we ever get one.
Also, speaking from experience having bought one for winter use, Dolan customer service is very good.

[Gizmoish]

Cue a list of people recommending what they have...

I think the two key things to say at that price point is that you should try and get Tiagra gears rather than Sora for reliability and usability reasons (other groupies are available), and that every bike out there will have heavy wheels at that price point. So, buy the best frame you can (that fits!), because the wheels are easy to upgrade.

CAAD8 / Synapse.

[Accelebrate]

Just noticed that Halfords have got a further £40 off until Wednesday. The Road Comp for under £600 looks like a good buy, no idea about the quality of the SRAM stuff though?

[Roman]

You won't beat that for value and personally I prefer Apex (slightly cheaper version of Rival) over Shimano 105, let alone Tiagra or Sora.

Edited by Roman on Thursday 12th July 15:37

[Sparta VAG]

So I went to Halfords to get a Boardman road comp on the cycle scheme...

My employer wants a written quote for the bike before they'll start the ball rolling. Halfords say I don't need one. Employer says that I do. Halfords won't do one.

Fed up of the bureaucracy and "computer says no", I headed off to my LBS to order a Specialized Allez Sport 2012 for the princely sum of £599. Should be here in a couple of weeks once the paperwork is sorted, am now waiting like a little kid waiting for Christmas.

[Potatoes]

Good stuff, you won't be dissapointed.

I'm off to the Ribble showroom tomorrow to fit myself a C2W bike, I'm looking at the Stealth (AKA R872) or the Sportive specifically, they do good carbon frames at a low price which are easily upgradable at a later date.

Although have my eye on these too:

BMC Streetrace
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bmc/streetrace...

Eddie Merckx AMX1 Tiagra
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/eddy-merckx/am...

Wilier Montegrappa Xenon
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/wilier/montegr...

Giant Defy 1
http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p48727/Giant-Defy-1-Comp...

[Gizmoish]

Worth mentioning that Evans have the Trek 2.1 105 at £900. Didn't fit me when I was buying: it's about an inch longer in reach than mine. But a decent bike, with 105, for good money.

[snowdude2910]

Can't go far wrong with an allez but the standard wheels are crap although i am 16stone worth popping back after a few weeks to have them re-tensioned as the spokes seem to come very loose. I upgraded to 36spoke mavic open pro's which have been prety bombproof but my slightly lighter mate is still riding the original wheels and has just learnt to true them himself every couple of months and thinks if you keep spoke tension even they don't go far out. Everything else should be spot on for comuting

[Potatoes]

Ran a few test rides today trying to identify the right bike for me fit-wise. After a few trips to various LBS's I rode a bike that really stood out in terms of positioning and comfort (yes, I was also surprised it was cofortable due to reputation it has for being stiff!).

BMC Streetrace SR01 Tiagra

I've got a 51cm and 48cm frame on the way to expolore the fit. The 51cm frame I rode seems great but, being on the cusp size/inseam wise of the two frames I would like to sample the smaller frame on slightly longer test ride.

The top tube length on the 51cm was great so if I go for the 48cm frame I plan on getting a 1cm longer stem.

Really good bike for the price, best I came across in this price bracket but interested in thoughts!!

Something about liking a BMC bike feels dirty, Brad Wiggins main rival in the TdF rides one, so I shouldn't like them... but hey, they make good bikes!

[Gizmoish]

Sound like good bikes. I didn't like the funny top tube shape, but that's me.

[Potatoes]

Neither did I but thought I'd give it a go, while I agree that it's not the best looking road bike out there it's a super bike to ride. Great power delivery, stiff where it needs to be but quite forgiving and comfortable.

I'll know for sure if it's the bike for me in a few weeks