These seem alot of bike for the money

[SILICONEKID350HP]

Does anyone have any experience with these bikes?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Whistle-Crow-Mens-Shiman...

[Potatoes]

I've heard good things, this looks like an absolute bargain!

[graeme4130]

That's a decent spec bike for a grand
The only problem I see is the frame, although nice looking and carbon, could be utter rubbish and massively overbuilt to give a really stiff and uncomplaining ride
Also, I've not seen those wheels and hubs before, so no idea what they're like

For that sort of cash, have you considered a Planet X ? I'm sure they'll do a full carbon bike with ultegra for under 1k
Their road frames are reasonably decent too

[duff]

I think the PX bike is the Pro Carbon which comes with Sram Rival so more like 105 than Ultegra, not that it makes much difference and it's got decent wheels (known Shimano ones anyway) and a good frame. I'd go PX at that money.

ETA - Also, I'd guess the wheels and poss frame are heavy as the whole bike weighs 9kg, nearly 1kg more than the PX....

Edited by duff on Saturday 2nd February 07:33

[bakerstreet]

Of you are on a budget, then Ribble are worth a look too. You can get the Gran Fondo with 105 and a carbon seat post for £1105. I know as I have used their bike calculator a lot

Might buy it one day!

[SILICONEKID350HP]

I want a more relaxed ride ,what about this bike ? what is the spec like and frame quality. thanks

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

[anonymous-user]

For £1000 you cant really go wrong with Planet X or Ribble, some people dont like them because the brand isnt a posh name or the perceived cheapness and corner cutting becuase they dont have big marketing campaigns or support the pros but they are far more reputable compared to that Whistle. Ok, You get Ultegra shifters and mechs but the FSA chainset is low end and the rest often components are budget too, bars, stem etc and double wall rims on a £1K? ho hum, a set of fulcrum 7s will only set you back £150 and transform the bike. I am also highly suspicious of the claimed weight of 9kgs given all htat no brand/low end kit, once fitted with tyres and tubes, those wheels will be at least 3kgs alone.

The Felt is ok but I find most bikes on ebay tend to go for more than the bike is worth. unless you can get a feel for the sie, you may not like it either. classified ads on bike radar and road.cc are better places to hunt and you avoid the sniper bidding farce too.

Planet X is still the plae to go though for good value carbon or Alu which is very good value for money and Sram Force is awesome kit. Dont be put off by the racing look, the saddle is always an inch or two higher for pictures. Getting comfy is trial and error and will usually take a few miles of fiddling with saddle height and position. You may need a shorter/longet stem too but at worst thats £30 for a new one.

Dolan are worth a look too, the Mythos is stupidly good value for the money. Quality frame, nice well thought out spec too, sram rival is at least 105 equivilent and the seat post is £50 on its own.

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 2nd February 16:49

[SILICONEKID350HP]

[quote=pablo]For £1000 you cant really go wrong with Planet X or Ribble, some people dont like them because the brand isnt a posh name or the perceived cheapness and corner cutting becuase they dont have big marketing campaigns or support the pros but they are far more reputable compared to that Whistle. Ok, You get Ultegra shifters and mechs but the FSA chainset is low end and the rest often components are budget too, bars, stem etc and double wall rims on a £1K? ho hum, a set of fulcrum 7s will only set you back £150 and transform the bike. I am also highly suspicious of the claimed weight of 9kgs given all htat no brand/low end kit, once fitted with tyres and tubes, those wheels will be at least 3kgs alone.

The Felt is ok but I find most bikes on ebay tend to go for more than the bike is worth. unless you can get a feel for the sie, you may not like it either. classified ads on bike radar and road.cc are better places to hunt and you avoid the sniper bidding farce too.

Planet X is still the plae to go though for good value carbon or Alu which is very good value for money and Sram Force is awesome kit. Dont be put off by the racing look, the saddle is always an inch or two higher for pictures. Getting comfy is trial and error and will usually take a few miles of fiddling with saddle height and position. You may need a shorter/longet stem too but at worst thats £30 for a new one.

Dolan are worth a look too, the Mythos is stupidly good value for the money. Quality frame, nice well thought out spec too, sram rival is at least 105 equivilent and the seat post is £50 on its own.


Thanks for your help , Am i better keeping with Shimano ,I know know anything about sram !

[McFsC]

I bought a road bike knowing nothing about either. I got Sram Apex. The shifting on Sram is superb and speaking to other riders they say that it is alot easier to shift using Sram. Especially the top end Force/Red stuff.

[russy01]

SILICONEKID350HP said:

pablo said:

For £1000 you cant really go wrong with Planet X or Ribble, some people dont like them because the brand isnt a posh name or the perceived cheapness and corner cutting becuase they dont have big marketing campaigns or support the pros but they are far more reputable compared to that Whistle. Ok, You get Ultegra shifters and mechs but the FSA chainset is low end and the rest often components are budget too, bars, stem etc and double wall rims on a £1K? ho hum, a set of fulcrum 7s will only set you back £150 and transform the bike. I am also highly suspicious of the claimed weight of 9kgs given all htat no brand/low end kit, once fitted with tyres and tubes, those wheels will be at least 3kgs alone.

The Felt is ok but I find most bikes on ebay tend to go for more than the bike is worth. unless you can get a feel for the sie, you may not like it either. classified ads on bike radar and road.cc are better places to hunt and you avoid the sniper bidding farce too.

Planet X is still the plae to go though for good value carbon or Alu which is very good value for money and Sram Force is awesome kit. Dont be put off by the racing look, the saddle is always an inch or two higher for pictures. Getting comfy is trial and error and will usually take a few miles of fiddling with saddle height and position. You may need a shorter/longet stem too but at worst thats £30 for a new one.

Dolan are worth a look too, the Mythos is stupidly good value for the money. Quality frame, nice well thought out spec too, sram rival is at least 105 equivilent and the seat post is £50 on its own.


Thanks for your help , Am i better keeping with Shimano ,I know know anything about sram !

On your first bike I wouldn't worry about groupset. Whether its SRAM force or shimano tiagra you aren't going to notice much difference - they all change gears reliably.

As Pablo says I would stick with a better known brand to at least get a half decent frame, look at a ribble gran fondo.
If you want a better brand then you'll be looking at an alu bike, go look at a cannondale caad or a specialized Allez - they really are good solid bikes and great to keep as a winter/turbo bike when you inevitably upgrade.

Whistle are distributed by avocet sports (the people behind Viking in the uk), so it gives you an idea of their pedigree.

A good place to look for a sub 1k bike is the classified section on bike radar. Go to your local bike shop and get an idea of what size frame you are looking for and then keep an eye out for a used bike. Lots of very nice bikes going for 600-1000.

Wiggle also have some great deals from time to time on felt f5s, they pop up for £900 every so often which is a complete bargain for a 105 carbon bike.

I was in the same boat a while back and even looked at a whistle. In the end my local shop built a lovely bike up using a frame he had spare in the shop. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend but it's a great bike and its really nice to have started a good relationship with a local business. It was all set up to perfection, couple free services thrown in and every time I pop in the shop the tech can't help himself but to give it a once over and drop a bit of oil here and there.

[yellowjack]

duff said:

I think the PX bike is the Pro Carbon which comes with Sram Rival so more like 105 than Ultegra, not that it makes much difference and it's got decent wheels (known Shimano ones anyway) and a good frame. I'd go PX at that money.

ETA - Also, I'd guess the wheels and poss frame are heavy as the whole bike weighs 9kg, nearly 1kg more than the PX....

Edited by duff on Saturday 2nd February 07:33

Whistle Crow Ultegra, 9kg - Proper heavy that, considering it's Carbon Fibre clothed in part Ultegra.

I bought a 2010 ROAD RACE HFS 905-COM (Merida) which is an aluminium frame with full Ultegra group, weighing in at 8.9kg. One of the main advantages of CF frames is lightness, so with this Whistle thing you're getting a frame made from a less robust material that weighs more? Ahm Oot. The Merida also had FULL Ultegra, including the hubs and brakes, and the rims, whilst not 'high end' were from a known brand.

I'd personally leave well alone, and look for something in Aluminium, from a past model year, (2010/11/12) which is still in stock somewhere - you'll get a decent discount and end up with something that will be a more pleasant ride too. Merida and Orbea are just 2 of the manufacturers whose sales volume is lower in this country, but sell well overseas. Just 'cos you've not heard of 'em doesn't mean they aren't good.

[Dixie]

SRAM kit is definitely not something to be put off by. I was a little unsure when i bought my Apex shod bike but i'm glad i did.

Rival is probably a good comparison to Ultegra. I dare say there's very little in the weight of them.

Double tap (The shift mechanism) is very good.

I was looking to but a PX but badge snobbery and flashy paint got the better of me. Always hearing great things about them.

[SILICONEKID350HP]

This seems just the ticket ! can anyone just check the components, thanks for all your help .

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/raleigh-sp-comp-105-2012/

[HurryUpAndWait]

Does it have to be carbon?

I ask since (and you've probably been told it before by another bore) it's not necessarily the be all and end all. You can get some cracking Aluminium frames. Just to throw it open a little more, take a look at this little beauty:

http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=30...

Comfortably cheaper, lighter, Shimano 105 all-round, Mavic Aksium wheelset (quite a bit better than the RS10's on the Raleigh I should think). Food for thought.

I've just ordered one of their (not nearly as cheap, but still excellent value) Carbon bikes, so know all about the lure of The Fibre . As does my bank manager, since I had a big case of budget creep.

Or, as others have said, at around the £1k mark, Planet X should be pretty good.

[duff]

SILICONEKID350HP said:

This seems just the ticket ! can anyone just check the components, thanks for all your help .

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/raleigh-sp-comp-105-2012/

The spec certainly seems good enough however I'm not sure it'll offer the relaxed ride you say you're after, a sloping top tube will give a more upright position.

[SILICONEKID350HP]

duff said:

SILICONEKID350HP said:

This seems just the ticket ! can anyone just check the components, thanks for all your help .

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/raleigh-sp-comp-105-2012/

The spec certainly seems good enough however I'm not sure it'll offer the relaxed ride you say you're after, a sloping top tube will give a more upright position.

Its does say it`s a Spotrefe bike, maybe its more than just the top tube ,the geometry may be fine ..

[JSquaredJim]

Planet X all day long at that money. I bought an RT57 towards the end of last year and it's bloody superb. Rides well, comfy now I have a saddle that suits my bum and a bike fit carried out.
It's as quick as you like and the SRAM groupset is about the best available, mines the Force not the RED. All the pros are raving about SRAM and they get paid to use shimano!
Try some bikes at your LBS with the differing groupsets, Shimano, Campag and SRAM and see what you get on with. All the shifters are different. I don't get on with Shimano.
I'm now a member of one of the oldest and most successful cycle clubs in the UK and everyone has been suitably impressed with my Planet X, even more surprised than I have been with my own legs, lol.
Good luck with your search, there is plenty out there for your money.

P.s. Dolan and Ribble are worth a shout on the VFM front. I'd take Dolan of the 2 but that's personal preference.

[Gizmoish]

I'm not sure I'd buy a bike off Ebay advertised as "20-speed"... although it does seem that the dealer is an established company.

Just being picky.