Bought my first road bike...

[Ben Jk]

After not being sure if I wanted a hybrid or road bike, and then deciding on a road bike but not knowing which to go for, i've finally bought a Cannondale Synapse Tiagra.



Got it from http://www.cyclehouse.co.uk

They knocked £100 off the advertised price with not much effort.

Picking it up next week. Can't wait.

[MagicalTrevor]

If I may share your excitement, just got this yesterday and went out for spin now.



It's my commuter bike and I also saved £100 in the sale, £350

[Allblackdup]

Ben Jk said:

After not being sure if I wanted a hybrid or road bike, and then deciding on a road bike but not knowing which to go for, i've finally bought a Cannondale Synapse Tiagra.



Got it from http://www.cyclehouse.co.uk

They knocked £100 off the advertised price with not much effort.

Picking it up next week. Can't wait.

Very nice, just what i'm looking at too! What made you choose this one? (I'm not sure whether to go for the 105 instead but the Synapse Tiagra is looking excellent VFM at the moment, as well as a great bike)

(Please let us know what you think once it arrives )

[Ben Jk]

Must admit, the shop offered me a Synapse 105 for £850 down from £999. This was the top of my budget and I was tempted but I decided to go for the Tiagra at £750. Reason was I'm a newbie to road cycling and would have felt a bit wrong on a bike "worth" a grand.

There's good deals to be had on the 105 with it being a 2011 bike.

Edited by Ben Jk on Saturday 3rd September 21:18

Edited by Ben Jk on Saturday 3rd September 21:19

[Allblackdup]

Ben Jk said:

Must admit, the shop offered me a Synapse 105 for £850 down from £999. This was the top of my budget and I was tempted but I decided to go for the Tiagra at £750. Reason was I'm a newbie to road cycling and would have felt a bit wrong on a bike "worth" a grand.

There's good deals to be had on the 105 with it being a 2011 bike.

You were able to go in the shop and try them were you? Ah, that makes a difference. Hoping to do the same with a LBS near where i work that stocks the Cannondale bikes.

I know what you mean, all i really know is mtb so it'll be new for me going to a road bike and i'm sure i'll have the same decision to make on the Tiagra or 105. The 105 is very tempting if they offered it at £850 but looking at them both online i think i prefer the look of the Tiagra to the 105, but i guess it's all about trying them out (as much as possible) as well.

Have you got the bike now?

Would you say the shop was really looking to give you a good deal to buy now? (One of my other threads was discussing whether to buy now or wait a little bit)

I'm still looking at shoes and pedals - have you already got these to use with the bike and if so what did you choose?

Apologies for all the questions - really appreciate your advice before taking the plunge myself

[Ben Jk]

Another reason I went for the Tiagra was the colour scheme is nicer.

I sat on a 105 but they didn't have a Tiagra in a size 56 built up. Didn't ride any but I could have done if I wanted I think. Also sat on a Trek 1.5 but didn't like it as much as the Cannondale.

Picking it up next weekend. Probably pick up some clipless pedals and shoes
at the sametime. Not sure what I'm going to get yet.

The 2011 bikes are probably likely to be discounted as the 2012 stock comes in. The bikes I was looking at were advertised in the shop at full price but I asked if they could do any discounts and £100 came off the Tiagra and 105 straight away.

Edited by Ben Jk on Sunday 4th September 07:25

[Allblackdup]

Thanks Ben. I'm hoping to look at shoes this week so i'll let you know how i get on, but i'm certain on the pedals as i've already ordered these - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350355291562?ssPageName=...

[shouldbworking]

MagicalTrevor said:

If I may share your excitement, just got this yesterday and went out for spin now.



It's my commuter bike and I also saved £100 in the sale, £350

Sorry if this depresses you, but its £300 at most places online - but then if you bought it in store and got some decent service in helping you choose thats all well and good

[ben_h100]

MagicalTrevor said:

If I may share your excitement, just got this yesterday and went out for spin now.



It's my commuter bike and I also saved £100 in the sale, £350

Can't say I'd have one, but that is a nice looking bike!

[Ben Jk]

Allblackdup said:

Thanks Ben. I'm hoping to look at shoes this week so i'll let you know how i get on, but i'm certain on the pedals as i've already ordered these - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350355291562?ssPageName=...

I'm looking at these shoes

http://www.cyclehouse.co.uk/products.php?plid=m12b...

and these pedals

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/r540-s...

[Allblackdup]

Ben Jk said:

Allblackdup said:

Thanks Ben. I'm hoping to look at shoes this week so i'll let you know how i get on, but i'm certain on the pedals as i've already ordered these - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350355291562?ssPageName=...

I'm looking at these shoes

http://www.cyclehouse.co.uk/products.php?plid=m12b...

and these pedals

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/r540-s...

Looks good, though i'm going for MTB style shoes and will use them on both bikes then. All the advice i've had so far is to try them on if you can - especially the Shimano shoes as they're quite narrow. All the best.

[walm]

Ben Jk said:

I'm looking at these shoes

http://www.cyclehouse.co.uk/products.php?plid=m12b...

and these pedals

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/r540-s...

I have the MTB version of these and really like them:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r1-road-cycling-shoe/

Also - are you 100% sure you want road-style pedals?
If you are commuting and have a bunch of traffic lights the ease of the reversible MTB SPDs is fantastic IMHO.
I just slam my foot down and clip in within one or two pedal strokes - whereas on my road-bike I spend ages trying to align cleat and pedal (perhaps I am just unpracticed...).
Also the shoes will allow you to walk from your bike, say 6 feet without falling over!

[Ben Jk]

walm said:

I have the MTB version of these and really like them:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r1-road-cycling-shoe/

Also - are you 100% sure you want road-style pedals?
If you are commuting and have a bunch of traffic lights the ease of the reversible MTB SPDs is fantastic IMHO.
I just slam my foot down and clip in within one or two pedal strokes - whereas on my road-bike I spend ages trying to align cleat and pedal (perhaps I am just unpracticed...).
Also the shoes will allow you to walk from your bike, say 6 feet without falling over!

So how do the road and MTB pedals differ then?

[walm]

Ben Jk said:

So how do the road and MTB pedals differ then?

Road you can clip into on one side only.
MTB are symmetrical - you can clip in to either side.

Road offers a bigger platform and apparently this is better for power transfer.

Road shoes tend to have almost no grip on the bottom - just a smooth hard plastic surface with the cleat sticking out - a nightmare for walking.

MTB shoes have the cleat somewhat recessed and offer some grip. Also they tend to be a little less stiff so easier for walking.

I just prefer MTB pedals for commuting on my fixie but keep road pedals on my dedicated road bike (not used for commuting).

Clipping into the MTB pedals is seriously easy - just put the ball of your foot on them and press. No need to get the front part of the cleat in first: both the front and back of the pedal are on springs - whereas on a road pedal you have to secure the front of the cleat first and then press your heel down.
As I said, perhaps I haven't done enough practice but I am really crap at clipping into the road pedals.

[Bungleaio]

MagicalTrevor said:

If I may share your excitement, just got this yesterday and went out for spin now.



It's my commuter bike and I also saved £100 in the sale, £350

I've got the sport version too and it's a great bike.

[kieranjholland]

I've just joined the club and got this for training/fitness: