£1000 C2W Bike - Help to choose

[JLammy]

Hi all,

Finally came down to decide between these bikes to buy on the Halfords Cycle2Work scheme.

Could I just have some views from you guys regarding which bike is best to buy?

Road bikes:

- Giant Defy 1 2016 (Shimano 105): £999
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-Defy-1-Disc-2016-Roa...

- Cube Attain SL: £999 or the disc version for £1199 if I could find a retailer that accepts Halfords C2W vouchers
http://www.cube.eu/uk/products/road-race/attain/cu...
http://www.cube.eu/uk/products/road-race/attain/cu...

CX bikes:

- Cannondale CaadX 105 2016: £999.99
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-CaadX-105-2016-...

- Dolan CDX (SRAM Rival 22 or Shimano 105): £1199.99
http://www.dolan-bikes.com/dolan-cyclo-cross/cyclo...

I'll probably sell the bike (once I have ownership of it at the end of 12 months - my company pays off the fair market value for us), so resale value might need to come into play. I've got a feeling that the Dolan CDX will be hardest to sell after a year of cycling... What do you think?

More than happy to receive other bike suggestions!

[JustinF]

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/190229-ribble-spo...

[JLammy]

JustinF said:

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/190229-ribble-spo...

I can't buy a Ribble (or Canyon or Rose) bike using the Cycle to work voucher, unfortunately.

[marting]

JLammy said:

I can't buy a Ribble (or Canyon or Rose) bike using the Cycle to work voucher, unfortunately.

Are you sure about Ribble? I thought they were like Planet X and just charge an admin fee?

[jamiebae]

Do you want or need a road bike, or a CX bike? They're pretty different beasts so it's a bit strange to be considering both.

For me, the Defy or the CAADX but if you want a road bike then a CAAD12 is worth a look if it can come in under budget.

[JLammy]

marting said:

Are you sure about Ribble? I thought they were like Planet X and just charge an admin fee?

I checked their website and they don't accept the Halfords Cycle2Work scheme unfortunately.

[anonymous-user]

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/b...la-220389115444%7Ccrid:83789280484%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:17515253618468393342%7Cdvc:m%7Cadp:1o2&gclid=CIHM-IGW5swCFQkq0wodTr0P6w

Better than the others & from Halfords!

[Paraicj]

I have a 2015 Defy 1, and honestly, it's great. It's not the as pretty as a Bianchi, it's not the fastest, it's not the most comfortable, but at the pricepoint, it's near the top in all of the important ways. The 105 gearset now has 11 on the cassette, which if you plan on climbing a lot, makes a difference. It's an unimaginative choice, but it does a great job.

Of course, mine cost £750 in January 2016, so it made a lot more sense at that price...

[bakerstreet]

JLammy said:

I'll probably sell the bike (once I have ownership of it at the end of 12 months - my company pays off the fair market value for us), so resale value might need to come into play. I've got a feeling that the Dolan CDX will be hardest to sell after a year of cycling... What do you think?

More than happy to receive other bike suggestions!

Why don't you keep the bike and just continue to ride it?

[JLammy]

bakerstreet said:

Why don't you keep the bike and just continue to ride it?

That certainly is a possibility. But I think there will always eventually be a time where I'd want a newer/higher spec bike a year or two down the line.

[Magic919]

The fair market value will be £250. I'd buy the Defy I think and it'll still be worth nearly double that.

[marting]

JLammy said:

I checked their website and they don't accept the Halfords Cycle2Work scheme unfortunately.

Ah sorry, didn't realise it was that scheme!

[JLammy]

Magic919 said:

The fair market value will be £250. I'd buy the Defy I think and it'll still be worth nearly double that.

Good thing is that my employer pays the fair market value for us. But it does seem like the Defy is the most popular bike (according to my poll on a bike forum)

Oh and by the way, thank you to everyone that has commented. You've been a LOT more helpful than the bike forums, let alone more replies!

[JLammy]

jamiebae said:

Do you want or need a road bike, or a CX bike? They're pretty different beasts so it's a bit strange to be considering both.

For me, the Defy or the CAADX but if you want a road bike then a CAAD12 is worth a look if it can come in under budget.

I've been advised to get a bike with disc brakes for year-round commuting, hence there's a mixture of both type of bikes. It would also be great if I could take it off road from time to time, so it is definitely beneficial to have a CX bike.

[jamiebae]

JLammy said:

jamiebae said:

Do you want or need a road bike, or a CX bike? They're pretty different beasts so it's a bit strange to be considering both.

For me, the Defy or the CAADX but if you want a road bike then a CAAD12 is worth a look if it can come in under budget.

I've been advised to get a bike with disc brakes for year-round commuting, hence there's a mixture of both type of bikes. It would also be great if I could take it off road from time to time, so it is definitely beneficial to have a CX bike.

Fair enough, in that case I'd take the CAADX and a set of more road biased tyres then.

If you can buy from Wiggle then this is worth a look too: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/eastway-zener-d3-tiagra-20...

I'm not sure I'd want to take a proper road bike off road though, unless it's really benign terrain.

[JLammy]

jamiebae said:

Fair enough, in that case I'd take the CAADX and a set of more road biased tyres then.

If you can buy from Wiggle then this is worth a look too: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/eastway-zener-d3-tiagra-20...

I'm not sure I'd want to take a proper road bike off road though, unless it's really benign terrain.

Can't buy from Wiggle unfortunately. The only online stores I can find which accepts the Halfords C2W voucher are:

- Tredz
- Wheelbase
- CyclesUK
- CycleSurgery

How would the Cube Cross Race 2016 compete with the CaadX? I've read that they are very similar but the Cube is £100 cheaper.
http://www.cube.eu/uk/products/road-race/cross-rac...