is this any good

[hawkespcs]

looking for a new bike. off to the tour de france next mounth. alp stage. and looking for a new bike with a triple. Xtrail Ultegra 30 Carbon


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CARBON-Road-Bike-30-gear-com...

[spenny_b]

On the surface, yeah, good spec for the money. Seems to be mixed thoughts about carbon frames at that price point though...some say they're perfectly good, others (and I tend to be in this camp myself) say that there's carbon and there's carbon...budget carbon frames worry me slightly insomuch that the likes of Trek, Specialized, Giant, etc have big R&D budgets, ability to do (almost) endless testing and presence on the world stage (ie lots of testing ability plus a lot to lose if they get it wrong) and so on.

I've just bought a Trek Madone 4.7, which doesnt use Treks top-line OCLV carbon technology, however, they do have about 20yrs of carbon experience, and so I feel very comforatble that not only is it going to be robust, but also designed ergonomically (comfortable, correct geo's etc). It also has Ultegra groupset with Bontrager finishing kit.

The Madone 4.5 is £1300, just a tad more than the one you're considering, but again, you're getting a damn good carbon frame, albeit with Shimano 105 groupset...still bloody good kit. I guess they can offer a crbon bike at this price point purely because of where its made (not the USA) and volume they make/ship them in? If it were me, I'd go for the Trek 4.5 (or Specialized, or A N other mainstream manufacturer equivalent *for this price point*)....If I had mega money, it's be Cervela or one of the other Italian carbon exotics!!

Particularly after carbon frame?...If not, worth looking at the Trek 1.9...kitted with Ultegra, ally frame and £1000 iirc. Trek do seem to offer very good value for money with this years range, both MTB and road bikes (and I'm normally a Specialized fan)

HTH,
S

[Gooby]

you would spend that much on a bike without riding it and KNOWING how good it is?

[Nick_F]

At first glance I am not liking the clamp-on front mech on a carbon seat tube - may just be me, however.

I wouldn't like to spend that much on an unknown quantity,

[jacobyte]

Yup, I share the nervousness. It's not only the uncertainty about quality, but also you need to be sure it's the right shape for you and that you are comfortable riding it (not just round the block, but a good 2-3hr ride). You really need to try a few frames out before committing to that kind of moolah IMHO.

[hawkespcs]

thank you for the advice. my first bike was off ebay. its a trek nothing speacil. its nice to ride. i do about 100 miles a week. but does not have a triple and been told for the alps its a good idea to have. iam going to have a look at some new bike (trek giant sp) next week to see if i do like any. just thought i would see what people thought about this. you right alot of money and for not know what it ride like its a big jump.

[spenny_b]

Yup, I dont think I'd be quite brave enough to stump up that amount of reddies on an eBay bike, unless it's a known quantity and I viewed it first.

See if your local bike store will let you demo a couple of diff bikes, or at least run them up on a turbo trainer (nowhere near as good, mind) to see if your positioning on the frame is somewhere there or thereabouts.

Agree with thinking on a triple for mountain work though...unless you're pretty fit! Good luck (half the fun's going around and looking at each option!)

[lingus75]

I dont have a road bike but I echo the responses about testing a bike for a couple of hours. I bought my first expensive bike from a place in Didsbury, Manchester, (SP?) called Neil Walton Cycles (still going?) and they let me have the bike I was looking at for a decent test. I ended up buying something different (Orange Clockwork) as the Orange Evo I wanted didn't feel right after 10 minutes.

It is a bit weird with bikes in that many places won't let you test them much, yet, if you go to a decent running shop they put you on a treadmill and look at your running style etc... and advise on the correct footwear. You would think that with a purchase usually 10x that of a pair of trainers they would take more care, but at the moment it doesnt seem to happen.

I think its better to spend the same amount on something which may not be as highly specced, but which actually fits, than getting something blind.

[spenny_b]

lingus75 said:

It is a bit weird with bikes in that many places won't let you test them much, yet, if you go to a decent running shop they put you on a treadmill and look at your running style etc... and advise on the correct footwear. You would think that with a purchase usually 10x that of a pair of trainers they would take more care, but at the moment it doesnt seem to happen.

Up until Wednesday I would've agreed entirely, and blamed everything from immoral parents to the blessed government as the reason for the Country's downfall!!...however, pleaseantly surprised when I popped into a mates mates (!) shop, unannounced, and they simply said "give us 10mins, and we'll do a full bike fitting for you"...So I wandered around and fell in love with the bike that (thankfully) fits me.

What was really nice was that their race bike and measuring area is in a separate room to the side of the other bikes, in much the same way that a nice gents suit shop have their "cooking models" on the rack on the shop floor, but their premium/tailored suits and fitting room are in a separate area...almost by invitation do you enter! I have to say, I felt like a valued customer straight away.

An hour of chatting and measuring, then another 10mins feeding the measurements into the computer, and we got a 2-page printout of what my ideal road frame would look like dimensionally, i.e., if I were to commission a frame builder, this would be what I would give him.

Thanks to me being "Mr ISO9000/British Standards Dummy Model 101", I wasn't a tough customer to match. The shop didnt have the model I was after in the 56cm frame I need, but Trek had 31 in stock, and it arrived in today. Tomorrow, I pick it up, but only after they get me on it, on a turbo trainer for 20-30 mins to see if there are any glaring errors in the setup or their recommendation. If theree are, they're more than happy to send the bike back and we go through the process again. (Although in reality, they said they've never had this happen to them!)

At this point I didnt care if I could buy it cheaper elsewhere - even £100-200 cheaper (which you can't)...that sort of relationship and service is invaluable, and all being equal, I won't hesitate to recommend or go back there - exactly the sort of care and attention I thought I wouldn't get from anywhere, but did, so chuffed.

Bit wary about mentioning them (again!) for fear that people think I have an interest in the business and trying to get free advertising- I don't, just a happy (potential) customer. I'm absolutely sure that there are other bike shops out there equally as enthusiastic and attentive - it was just a breath of fresh air for me the other day.

Right, I'm going to bed now so that tomorrow comes quicker! ...Night!

[CAB]

spenny_b said:

On the surface, yeah, good spec for the money. Seems to be mixed thoughts about carbon frames at that price point though...some say they're perfectly good, others (and I tend to be in this camp myself) say that there's carbon and there's carbon...budget carbon frames worry me slightly insomuch that the likes of Trek, Specialized, Giant, etc have big R&D budgets, ability to do (almost) endless testing and presence on the world stage (ie lots of testing ability plus a lot to lose if they get it wrong) and so on.


S

slightly off topic ... how many manufacturers give a life warranty on carbon frames. i was under the impression trek did. Do the other big names offer anything similar??

[pawsmcgraw]

Giant and Cervelo does now as well as Trek, although a certain bike company loyar was telling me that regardless of manufacturer, in the USA if you are the new purchaser, you have to have a limited lifetime warranty.This means for the life you have the frame.

[CAB]

Thanks - you would have thought somebody size of specilaized would offer a lifetime gaurentee. Hopefully moves by Trek etc will put pressure on others to offer the same....

CAB

Edited by CAB on Tuesday 1st July 18:16