can't decide which one to get?
Discussion
I'm after my first road bike to use this summer for weekend rides and maybe a commute to work a few times a week and I've seen these two specialized models that are on sale at my local bike shop, is the more expensive £540 one worth going for or shall i make do with the cheaper one at £450, both seem a good deal,whats peoples views on what one i should go for? thanks 
£450 model http://www.certini.co.uk/2014-specialized-allez-wh...
£540 model http://www.certini.co.uk/2014-specialized-allez-sp...
£450 model http://www.certini.co.uk/2014-specialized-allez-wh...
£540 model http://www.certini.co.uk/2014-specialized-allez-sp...
Had a quick look, only obvious difference I can see is the gear shifting (Sora is better than Claris) and the range on the red one is smaller, so you may struggle on steeper hills. Also the red Sora one is a 9 speed, so the jumps in the rear cassette are smaller. As you approach a hill and gravity slows you down, you move up the cassette. Because the Sora one has a smaller range spread over more cogs, each one is closer to the one before so you will feel a more gradual change. The Claris has less cogs and they are spread over a bigger range so you will notice a bigger change as you go up each cog.
You can't go wrong with an Allez, if you don't use it much and decide to flog it 6 months from now, you will be able to sell it easily and get more for it. I would look at a secondhand one though, you can probably get something lime either of them for under 300 quid.
You can't go wrong with an Allez, if you don't use it much and decide to flog it 6 months from now, you will be able to sell it easily and get more for it. I would look at a secondhand one though, you can probably get something lime either of them for under 300 quid.
Edited by Daveyraveygravey on Friday 15th May 22:27
With the caveat that I might have this wrong...
I belive 2014 Sora is different to 2013 Sora, and therefore is "proper" Shimano shifting like 105, Ultegra et all - i.e click 1 way for up, 'tother for down. Earlier Sora had this god awful thumb button that was a little bit like a bad chinese knockoff of the campag thumb button - the issue being that it was a bit pants from the tops, and unreachable from the drops.
IF the posher bike is the "new" sora with no thumb button, I'd go for that out of the binary option you've given - purely on the shifters. That said, 8sp is really old hat now, and with 11-30 that's some huge jumps between gears for a road bike on flatter stuff.
IMO, something like this: http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p6162/CUBE-PELO... would be a better shout, size allowing..
I belive 2014 Sora is different to 2013 Sora, and therefore is "proper" Shimano shifting like 105, Ultegra et all - i.e click 1 way for up, 'tother for down. Earlier Sora had this god awful thumb button that was a little bit like a bad chinese knockoff of the campag thumb button - the issue being that it was a bit pants from the tops, and unreachable from the drops.
IF the posher bike is the "new" sora with no thumb button, I'd go for that out of the binary option you've given - purely on the shifters. That said, 8sp is really old hat now, and with 11-30 that's some huge jumps between gears for a road bike on flatter stuff.
IMO, something like this: http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p6162/CUBE-PELO... would be a better shout, size allowing..
Nothing wrong with the Claris bike bit I'd go for the Sora version. Not only is Sora the better groupset but also the specs show that bike as having Shimano Sora brakes, wheras the Claris model has brakes by Tektro. Those may be as good, but my experience of off-brand brakes on cheap road bikes hasn't been great.
I wouldn't let gearing range dictate the choice. 9-speed cassettes are a tenner, including delivery, so you can always change if you live/move to/visit an area that's hillier/flatter than suited to the supplied ratios. A Sora mech will take 32 teeth on the back, so you can put on an 11-32 should you be climbing serious gradients or a 12-23 if you're on windswept flatlands and into constant cadence. And plenty of options in between. I'd start with what the bike comes with and move to maybe an 11-26 or 11-28 if hills are a problem, remembering also that they'll get easier as you get fitter and stronger. Or you could just ask the shop to change it as part of the deal.
I wouldn't let gearing range dictate the choice. 9-speed cassettes are a tenner, including delivery, so you can always change if you live/move to/visit an area that's hillier/flatter than suited to the supplied ratios. A Sora mech will take 32 teeth on the back, so you can put on an 11-32 should you be climbing serious gradients or a 12-23 if you're on windswept flatlands and into constant cadence. And plenty of options in between. I'd start with what the bike comes with and move to maybe an 11-26 or 11-28 if hills are a problem, remembering also that they'll get easier as you get fitter and stronger. Or you could just ask the shop to change it as part of the deal.
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