New Road Bike under £1000

[youngricharduk]

Ok so I have always been into mountain bikes and always will be, I can bore most people stupid talking about them, however lately I have fancied a road bike as I've found myself enjoying the longer training rides more and more. I've been riding about 130 miles a week on my hardtail for commuting etc and the odd 50-60mile ride on a weekend.

I've got my cycle to work scheme burning a hole in my pocket and I fancy a road bike for the £1000 limit, the problem is I have no clue at all about road bikes, what bike would you recommend for a £1000 that preferably has disc brakes, I understand most people will say why does it need disk brakes but that's all I've used for years on mountain bikes and I think I would feel happier maintaining/adjusting them over block brakes but I may be wrong, also what should I prioritise at this price point? Also is the Lycra mandatory?

[justin220]

I was in the same position last year and went into Evans cycles to try a couple and ask for advice. Came away with a Hoy bike, which I'm really chuffed with

[Piginapoke]

Cube Attain is definitely worth a look https://www.evanscycles.com/cube-attain-sl-2018-ro...

[LancieArmstrong]

I have a Focus Paralane AL105 - bit over your budget, but you might get one on sale. It has proper hydraulic disks, which is rare at lower price point but so much better if you're coming from mountainbiking. Otherwise maybe spend less, get something like a Specialized Allez, and then trade up if you like road riding after a couple of years. That's what I did. https://www.edinburghbicycle.com/specialized-allez...

[alock]

I was in exactly the same position several months ago. I wanted full 105 and hydraulic disks but that spec is typically over £1200.

Cube then announced their 2018 models and hence the 2017 models were heavily discounted. I picked up an Attain SL Disk reduced from £1300 to £950.

[MOBB]

Cube attain pro disc from Rutland Cycles is what I bought, love it and great spec

[youngricharduk]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I really fancy that Cube Attain if I can find one at one of the approved shops for cycle to work scheme. The main thing I need to do is go and try some to work out what size I need. I'm 6ft1 and always use a large mountain bike but I guess that's most important thing about getting a road bike is making sure it's the right fit. On another note can anyone recommend a Giant as that's the supplier at my LBS so that would be convenient.

[RickRolled]

Don't forget that some shops charge an admin fee of 10% for using the C2W scheme.

[youngricharduk]

This is the front runner at the moment http://www.giant-newcastle.co.uk/gb/contend-sl-1-2... any thoughts?

Edited by youngricharduk on Wednesday 20th June 10:51

[mackay45]

youngricharduk said:

Thanks for the replies everyone, I really fancy that Cube Attain if I can find one at one of the approved shops for cycle to work scheme. The main thing I need to do is go and try some to work out what size I need. I'm 6ft1 and always use a large mountain bike but I guess that's most important thing about getting a road bike is making sure it's the right fit. On another note can anyone recommend a Giant as that's the supplier at my LBS so that would be convenient.

I've got a 2017 Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2, was £1.7k in the sale earlier this year. I really like it, definitely worth a look. Not sure if your LBS will have any 2017 models left but it's definitely worth asking the question. Something like this looks good:

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p7879/GIANT-DE...

I think the 2018 models have a Giant own brand hydraulic braking system which I'm sure works fine, but from memory means an ugly reservoir on your handlebars. Also if you're restricted to 2018 models it means not being able to benefit from sale prices!

[youngricharduk]

mackay45 said:

I've got a 2017 Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2, was £1.7k in the sale earlier this year. I really like it, definitely worth a look. Not sure if your LBS will have any 2017 models left but it's definitely worth asking the question. Something like this looks good:

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p7879/GIANT-DE...

I think the 2018 models have a Giant own brand hydraulic braking system which I'm sure works fine, but from memory means an ugly reservoir on your handlebars. Also if you're restricted to 2018 models it means not being able to benefit from sale prices!

Ooo now I do like that! I'm going to the local Giant dealer after work to see what they've got in and get an idea of the size I need, then I will hopefully pick something. The good thing is if I was choosing a mountain bike I would agonise over the decision for weeks but as for road bikes I'll probably pick the one with prettiest colours

[supersport]

I was in the same position back in January.

I went with the Boardman Road Team Carbon Bike, was £900 and now £800.

Been very happy with it.

[R1gtr]

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/road-bikes/cu...

This is a bargain, mate got one and loves it. carbon, 105 11 speed and Hydraulic discs.
Rutland let you pay the extra on top of your voucher.
Only size 58 left which I think could be perfect, I am 5"10 and my cube was a 56 and fitted perfectly


These 2 may be worth a look as well....
https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p8341/CUBE-ATT...

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p7637/MERIDA-S...

Edited by R1gtr on Wednesday 20th June 14:41

[youngricharduk]

R1gtr said:

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/road-bikes/cu...

This is a bargain, mate got one and loves it. carbon, 105 11 speed and Hydraulic discs.
Rutland let you pay the extra on top of your voucher.
Only size 58 left which I think could be perfect, I am 5"10 and my cube was a 56 and fitted perfectly

Thanks that is really good for the money, I'll have to contact them and ask the admin charge as it's got money off the RRP. Do people think it's worth having hydro disk brakes on a road bike?

[R1gtr]

youngricharduk said:

R1gtr said:

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/road-bikes/cu...

This is a bargain, mate got one and loves it. carbon, 105 11 speed and Hydraulic discs.
Rutland let you pay the extra on top of your voucher.
Only size 58 left which I think could be perfect, I am 5"10 and my cube was a 56 and fitted perfectly

Thanks that is really good for the money, I'll have to contact them and ask the admin charge as it's got money off the RRP. Do people think it's worth having hydro disk brakes on a road bike?

Personally yes, I had a Cube agree gtc race with Rim brakes which was fantastic and no problems with stopping power whatsoever.
I then saw a great deal on a Cannondale CAAD12 Ultegra Hydraulic disc. The brakes are great I must admit but they do add a little weight. I think my next bike will have hydraulics again but mainly for the reason that if doing high miles in poor conditions you will wear down the rim on your wheels with rim brakes.
I fancy a set of fancy carbon wheels as an upgrade on my CAAD and should get years out of them as won't have any brake wear.
If you want a light bike and are not fussed about Hydraulics then the black/blue cube I posted above with Ultegra would be a great bike and you could upgrade the wheels at a later date.
As an all rounder first bike tho I think the Cube at Rutland cycles is a great option.

[MOBB]

youngricharduk said:

Thanks that is really good for the money, I'll have to contact them and ask the admin charge as it's got money off the RRP. Do people think it's worth having hydro disk brakes on a road bike?

The brakes on that are very powerful, it was one of the big reasons I went for it

[youngricharduk]

Just to give an update I went to my LBS (Giant) and I have just decided to get one from there, the main reason is I always feel well looked after plus they will do a full bike fit on collection and a free service. I've applied for the C2W voucher for £1000 but I still have a choice to make when that comes through.

I need to pick either the Contend SL 2 Disc http://www.giant-newcastle.co.uk/gb/contend-sl-2-d...

or the Contend SL 1 Disc for an extra £200 http://www.giant-newcastle.co.uk/gb/contend-sl-1-d...

So the main difference is the groupset either Shimano 105 11-speed or Shimano Tiagra 10-speed, so which one should I choose? Should I pay the extra £200 for the 105? I know there both decent groupsets but what would you guys do? With the 10 speed would I lose any climbing ability? I know I could upgrade myself cheaper but I can't see myself doing that in the near future.

Also thanks again for all the suggestions which at least made me decide to get disk brakes.

[R1gtr]

You won't lose any climbing ability as such as both have 11-32 cassette. The 105 set up is probably a bit lighter ansaybe a bit more future proof, is it worth 200 more? Only you can decide that! Pick the one you like the colour scheme off the most!!

[youngricharduk]

R1gtr said:

You won't lose any climbing ability as such as both have 11-32 cassette. The 105 set up is probably a bit lighter ansaybe a bit more future proof, is it worth 200 more? Only you can decide that! Pick the one you like the colour scheme off the most!!

That's what I wanted to know thank you, so there's a little more jump between gears I guess. Ah well I should probably save the £200 and get the colour I want but me been me I'll end off handing over my bank card at the last second to stop me getting that irritating feeling every time I ride it that I should have had the better groupset. So predictable.

[bakerstreet]

I would advise topping the voucher up. If you add another £500 it will at least give much more choice. You could certainly go carbon/105 from one of the larger manufacturers.

Hang it out a couple of months and you should expect to see numerous bikes in the sales as 2019 bikes will be released in July/August. However popular colours and sizes will sell out quickly, so just be aware of that.

Planet X also do some good bikes in your price range. You won't go far wrong with a Planet X Pro Carbon. Sometimes they drop as low as £800.

My first road bike was a Giant Defy back in 2010 (still got it) and I would recommend one of those in carbon or Ali form. I spent far too much one mine. Ended up adding SRAM Force, Shimano RS80s and numerous other bits. Might end up transferring all the bits to a new frame one day.