Bike help

[insurance_jon]

HI guys I've got into to cycling as part of my new diet and fitness plan, and I'm loving it.

Currently I have chucked road tyre on my stump jumper and locked the front forks out, but I think the time has come to bite the bullet. Especially with the 2013 models coming out and bargains to be had on 2012 models.

I'm looking for a bargain carbon framed, ultegra equiped road bike. The best I've come across so far is

either the bianchi sempre http://www.wiggle.co.uk/bianchi-sempre-ultegra/

or

The Felt F4 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-f4-ultegra-2012/

are their batter bikes/bargains out there for the money?

[anonymous-user]

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/road-track-bike/...

Ribble Cycles worth a look - good reviews & cheaper!

Pedal Powered Forum will be the best place for this..

[insurance_jon]

actually thats a really good link, many thanks squire

[insurance_jon]

any other pointers chaps now it's in the right forum?

[anonymous-user]

Jimboka said:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/road-track-bike/...

Ribble Cycles worth a look - good reviews & cheaper!

Pedal Powered Forum will be the best place for this..

Looks like the Ribble with Ultegra wins then? The challenge is on!

[dave0010]

Jimboka said:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/road-track-bike/...

Ribble Cycles worth a look - good reviews & cheaper!

Pedal Powered Forum will be the best place for this..

awesome link. How would you rate the Ribble bikes compared to say a boardman team?

[anonymous-user]

dave0010 said:

Jimboka said:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/road-track-bike/...

Ribble Cycles worth a look - good reviews & cheaper!

Pedal Powered Forum will be the best place for this..

awesome link. How would you rate the Ribble bikes compared to say a boardman team?

Ribble are top bikes, they are a very busy company and there are sometimes issues with builds and things, grumpy customers compain and it spreads around the web like wildfire, you would think all their customers have problems but there are hundreds of very satisfied customers out there who you never hear from, anyway, a friend as the sportive bianco which is a very nice bike and another has just ordered the Stealth which is stunning.

the ribble bikebuilder lets you spec them in such a way that you can get good value by choosing parts that you would want to upgrade over time like the drivetrain but you start off with a top frameset and wheels. Spec the Stealth for example with budget groupset and wheels and you have a very good frame and a groupset you can upgrade if you want to over time.

As you can guess I would go with the Ribble but to be honest, there isnt much in it and the Boardman is a great bike. I had one back in 2008/9 and it was very fast and comfortable though that was alu not carbon. Boardman are made by Merida, Ribble source most of their frames from Dedacciai, both have a good reputation.

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 21st August 20:46

[Markp13]

Why do you want a carbon frame?

You could get a well spec'd cannondale caad10 which would ride around many of the cheaper carbon bikes.

Most likely be lighter too.

[anonymous-user]

dave0010 said:

awesome link. How would you rate the Ribble bikes compared to say a boardman team?

Sorry I've not owned a Ribble, but a good friend rates his highly. As others said, you can choose groupset/wheels etc etc & build a great bike for the price. The consensus is that Ribble/PlanetX(SRAM only?) /Boardman all offer great bikes for reasonable cost. But there are plenty more out there.. It's fun spending someone else's money!!

[nammynake]

Why Carbon and why ultegra? Any specific reason or bragging rights? As above you will get better value for money with an Aluminium frame. I would also suggest 105 groupset over Ultegra. Unless you have a large budget then ignore me....but spending an extra £500 will yield no discernable benefit.

[yellowjack]

Good quality carbon frame = more comfortable than equivalent aluminium frame, according to conventional wisdom, however, at the same price point you are often comparing a good aluminium frame with a mediocre carbon one that will be 'more resin than actual carbon fibres'. Often at the bottom end of the carbon fibre scale, the frame will be formed of separate carbon fibre tubes, mitred and 'wrapped' together, adding weight, rather than the monocoque construction method used for higher end stuff.
Personally, I rarely feel any harshness or discomfort on my aluminium Merida Road Race 905 (2010 model), but I have not ridden a Carbon Fibre dream machine to help with any comparison. What I can say is that, having seen and ridden both, if you can afford Ultegra over 105, go for it. It doesn't do a significantly better job of swapping cogs, but boy does it look pretty, especially the 6700 stuff. If you are buying with your head rather than your heart it may be better to go for the best frame you can afford, hung with 105, which can be upgraded bit by bit to Ultegra at a later date. Spend any cash that you save on the groupset on the best wheels you can. They, along with the frame, and your riding ability, have far more influence over performance and reliability than going one step up the groupset ladder.
One way to get onto an Ultegra group at a later date might be to watch the classified ads and fleabay for the inevitable 'bought a bike whilst consumed by Olympic Fever, but got bored' mob. Buy a bike with a little-used Ultegra group, even if the frame doesn't fit, then swap the bits over, and re-sell the other bike. People have been known to up-trade for their upgrades, and if you're really lucky you can break even, and possibly make a profit. There was an article in one of the cycling mags a good while ago where someone effectively built himself a cash-neutral bike worth, I think, about £5K, by selling tat and clutter from his house and garage, and up-trading. I do recall that it wasn't entirely trouble free, and took a hell of a lot of effort, but the author got himself his dream bike without actually emptying his wallet. Worth a thought?

[insurance_jon]

Thats definatly food for thought chaps. The spec on these bikes are bloody confusing.

The ultegra part of my needs, is more from recommendation. The carbon to a lesser extent, thats more of a shiny kit requirment, along with scoring ebay and the net for lighter wheel bargains.

I'll keep you posted to how my search goes.

One thing I have found is that Pizza Express "claim the summer vouchers" give you an extra 10% off 2012 bikes at Wiggle until 1/10/12, and that if you just walk into Pizza express and ask a waitress nicely they give you one without buying a pizza, which is good seeing as I'm on a diet.

more info here

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/h/option/vouchers#pizzax

http://www.pizzaexpress.com/claimsummer/partner/wi...

[Gizmoish]

Or you could join British Cycling and get at least 12% off.

[insurance_jon]

Another good tip, cheers

[crisisjez]

What about this.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

I got a heafty discount of my team Carbon so its possible you would on this too.

[anonymous-user]

a note of caution, even if you are spending big money, most ultegra spec'd bikes have significant shortfalls in other areas such as wheels or finishing kit like bars and stem. to some this isnt an issue but it can affect handling and ride quality if its stuff that will flex or weighs a ton.

Spec'ing a 105 bike from ribble with some good wheels and ITM/Deda finishing kit will result in a far nicer bike than something with ultegra and a load of cheap stuff thrown on as an after thought to keep the price down....

as an example the difference between a 105 and ultegra groupset in terms of weight and performance is marginal but the cost difference is over £200. spend that £200 saving on a wheel upgrade and the difference in terms of weight and cost is far more noticeable.

your best bet is to head to the cycle show later this year, spend a day sat on a few bikes and talk to the manufacturers about your needs.

[CaptainSlow]

When/where is the show?

[insurance_jon]

Well after much deliberation managed to get one of these quite local to me for a smidge over £1500. Had a sit on a few liked the feel of this then haggled

thanks for all your advice guys, and hope to see you on the roads soon.

[Bacon Is Proof]

Looks like a lot of bike, enjoy!

[insurance_jon]

im counting the days down like a kid waiting for santa.