What and when to buy a 2012 bike
Discussion
Afternoon all
I've been sucked in by the Olympics and want a road bike to join in with a few friends on their rides.
I probably haven't ridden a bike for 15 years but I don't think a sporty road bike would be such a problem to ride, although I will be doing some distances in the saddle so maybe I should opt for a more upright positioned bike. Any thoughts on this?
And the bike itself. There's so many different manufacturers out there it's bloody hard choosing between them all. I'd love a carbon frame but my budget is £1500 so are there any decent carbon bikes up to that ceiling? I'd prefer to spend less of course and my mate bought his carbon Cube Agree for under 1300 if I recall. Any brands I should look at?
And lastly the time to buy. I don't want to buy a bike and a week later it goes in a sale. How long till they release the new ranges and discount the old stuff?
Sorry to ask so many questions but where better to ask than the best forum in the world!
Thanks
Dean
I've been sucked in by the Olympics and want a road bike to join in with a few friends on their rides.
I probably haven't ridden a bike for 15 years but I don't think a sporty road bike would be such a problem to ride, although I will be doing some distances in the saddle so maybe I should opt for a more upright positioned bike. Any thoughts on this?
And the bike itself. There's so many different manufacturers out there it's bloody hard choosing between them all. I'd love a carbon frame but my budget is £1500 so are there any decent carbon bikes up to that ceiling? I'd prefer to spend less of course and my mate bought his carbon Cube Agree for under 1300 if I recall. Any brands I should look at?
And lastly the time to buy. I don't want to buy a bike and a week later it goes in a sale. How long till they release the new ranges and discount the old stuff?
Sorry to ask so many questions but where better to ask than the best forum in the world!
Thanks
Dean
I went to buy a Cube Agree and was pointed in the direction of a Specialized Tarmac. It lists at £1600 but was on sale already and I got a further discount for immediate payment and walked away with one for £1300. He actually made me spend less that day so I was happy he wasn't trying to up sell.
The guy in the shop told me the Spesh frame (full carbon) was far better than those by Cube and that although the group set was a lower grade (Tiagra over 105) that I'd be pushed to actually notice a difference at my level. The Tiagra is brilliant though and is miles better than my old Tiagras which are probably 4 or 5 years old. The guy said that the 2012 Tiagras are probably as good as the 105 and Ultegras from a few years back.
A few hundred miles later I don't for one second regret my decision. It's super comfy yet stiff and reacts really quick. It's also midway between being a sportif and an all out hardcore racer so is comfortable on longer rides.
Geometry I would say is key. Some are just set up a little more forgiving.
The new ranges will start to be announced soon but you're not guaranteed that the new models will be better than the current ones. Happy shopping!! You have a good budget and to be fair I don't think there are many bad bikes at this range.
The guy in the shop told me the Spesh frame (full carbon) was far better than those by Cube and that although the group set was a lower grade (Tiagra over 105) that I'd be pushed to actually notice a difference at my level. The Tiagra is brilliant though and is miles better than my old Tiagras which are probably 4 or 5 years old. The guy said that the 2012 Tiagras are probably as good as the 105 and Ultegras from a few years back.
A few hundred miles later I don't for one second regret my decision. It's super comfy yet stiff and reacts really quick. It's also midway between being a sportif and an all out hardcore racer so is comfortable on longer rides.
Geometry I would say is key. Some are just set up a little more forgiving.
The new ranges will start to be announced soon but you're not guaranteed that the new models will be better than the current ones. Happy shopping!! You have a good budget and to be fair I don't think there are many bad bikes at this range.
Thanks for the reply mate.
I did look into the specialized and I know this sounds silly but I fancied getting something my mates aren't riding, and there's a couple specialized in the group. Don't get me wrong though, if it's the best in the budget, that's what I'll go for.
I could probably buy any bike and think its amazing!
I've been looking at Cannondales, Modas and Felts and love the look of their bikes, but I'll try and get a test ride of the Specialized you mention mate.
Any other recommendations?
I did look into the specialized and I know this sounds silly but I fancied getting something my mates aren't riding, and there's a couple specialized in the group. Don't get me wrong though, if it's the best in the budget, that's what I'll go for.
I could probably buy any bike and think its amazing!
I've been looking at Cannondales, Modas and Felts and love the look of their bikes, but I'll try and get a test ride of the Specialized you mention mate.
Any other recommendations?
if you fancy something a bit different, have a look at these two.
Moda Tempo
http://www.eurobike.uk.com/details.aspx?p=323
cue loads of people saying "its only got 105 groupset" etc etc but not many £1400 bikes come with £300 worth of wheels! Moda know how to spec bikes properly!
Van Nicholas Mistral
http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/26037/products/van-nicho...
Titanium loveliness, SRAM Apex groupset and nice finishing kit. The only problem will be peopel stopping you to talk about it!
Both will be super comfy for all day rides and fast enough for mad sprints with your mates or you could be boring and get a Cube!
Moda Tempo
http://www.eurobike.uk.com/details.aspx?p=323
cue loads of people saying "its only got 105 groupset" etc etc but not many £1400 bikes come with £300 worth of wheels! Moda know how to spec bikes properly!
Van Nicholas Mistral
http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/26037/products/van-nicho...
Titanium loveliness, SRAM Apex groupset and nice finishing kit. The only problem will be peopel stopping you to talk about it!
Both will be super comfy for all day rides and fast enough for mad sprints with your mates or you could be boring and get a Cube!
The others I looked at were Giant TCR Compsite, Focus Cayo, Cube Agree, Cannondale CAAD10 and the various offerings from Ribble and Planet X. Many will suggest Canyon but I don't honestly have the balls to buy something online that you can't sit on.
If you find a decent bike shop thats a good start.
Many of the bikes mentioned already get good reviews.
Edit: I was also in the same mind on the branding of the Specialized and wanted something a bit rarer but hey. It's what works for you at the end of the day. There's a reason why they are popular. You can also rest assured that most of the Spesh bikes you see will be C2W Allez bikes.
If you find a decent bike shop thats a good start.
Many of the bikes mentioned already get good reviews.
Edit: I was also in the same mind on the branding of the Specialized and wanted something a bit rarer but hey. It's what works for you at the end of the day. There's a reason why they are popular. You can also rest assured that most of the Spesh bikes you see will be C2W Allez bikes.
Wiggle have 20% - 25% off the Felt range. The Felt F4 which is £2399.99 is down to £1799.00.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-f4-ultegra-2012/
They are running a 10-off code to get an additional 10% if you spend over £100. Or if that doesn't work get one of the Pizza Express Summer Pass codes to get an extra 10% as well. So you could have the F4 for £1620 which is a pretty significant saving over list.
Cheers,
Ant
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-f4-ultegra-2012/
They are running a 10-off code to get an additional 10% if you spend over £100. Or if that doesn't work get one of the Pizza Express Summer Pass codes to get an extra 10% as well. So you could have the F4 for £1620 which is a pretty significant saving over list.
Cheers,
Ant
Great replies, thanks
Some of the suggestions are great but the more expensive the bike, the less chance of paying it off in one hit, and I'd like to stay away from financing it if at all possible. That's why, if it's do-able, I want to duck under 1500 as much as I can.
I'm self employed so no C2W scheme for me. Not sure what it is anyway.
I've also seen the Focus Cayo 3 and quite like the look of that. Anyone owned/ridden one?
As always, this complete novice welcomes all suggestions
Some of the suggestions are great but the more expensive the bike, the less chance of paying it off in one hit, and I'd like to stay away from financing it if at all possible. That's why, if it's do-able, I want to duck under 1500 as much as I can.
I'm self employed so no C2W scheme for me. Not sure what it is anyway.
I've also seen the Focus Cayo 3 and quite like the look of that. Anyone owned/ridden one?
As always, this complete novice welcomes all suggestions
DeanR32 said:
Afternoon all
I'd love a carbon frame but my budget is £1500 so are there any decent carbon bikes up to that ceiling?
Do you have a specific reason for wanting Carbon? There are plenty of very good Alu bikes at that price point. You will get a better component mix and more importantly better wheels. The result being that a carbon bike can often be heavier than an Alu bike of the same value. Yes Carbon is stiffer, and may give a better ride due to taking the harshness out of the road, but the assumption that Carbon = best isn't always correct.I'd love a carbon frame but my budget is £1500 so are there any decent carbon bikes up to that ceiling?
Hi Nammynake
The reason for wanting a carbon frame is because it's carbon! Haha. I know a carbon and ally bike at the same price point will have different components but I'm not sure I'd notice the difference seeing as the last bike I rode was probably a right old jalopy!
And it's carbon!
The reason for wanting a carbon frame is because it's carbon! Haha. I know a carbon and ally bike at the same price point will have different components but I'm not sure I'd notice the difference seeing as the last bike I rode was probably a right old jalopy!
And it's carbon!
DeanR32 said:
Hi Nammynake
The reason for wanting a carbon frame is because it's carbon! Haha. I know a carbon and ally bike at the same price point will have different components but I'm not sure I'd notice the difference seeing as the last bike I rode was probably a right old jalopy!
And it's carbon!
The reason for wanting a carbon frame is because it's carbon! Haha. I know a carbon and ally bike at the same price point will have different components but I'm not sure I'd notice the difference seeing as the last bike I rode was probably a right old jalopy!
And it's carbon!
Slightly over budget but this is an excellent bike. The spec would be well over £2k from others.
http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=25...
Ridley Orion;
http://www.ratrace.com/28379/products/Ridley-Orion...
ETA Cheaper Link
http://www.ratrace.com/28379/products/Ridley-Orion...
ETA Cheaper Link
Edited by tjdixon911 on Tuesday 7th August 08:10
Edited by tjdixon911 on Tuesday 7th August 08:12
nammynake said:
Slightly over budget but this is an excellent bike. The spec would be well over £2k from others.
http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=25...
Ideally I'd rather be paying in the region of £1300. I got a missus to keep happy, plus our anniversary next month, plus wheels and tyres all round on the BMW end of this month. I'm pushing the boat out already with a bike!
Im having a go of a mates Cube Agree to get a feel for the sizes tomorrow. I'll keep the research up until then
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