Which road bike for me?
Discussion
Yes another road bike thread. Im sorry.
Ive always had MTB's so this is unknown terrority for me. Looking for my first road bike and very unsure what to go for. I dont like rubbish quality bikes so buying something cheap isnt gonna work as i try to buy a good one and keep it for a while.
Do i buy something lovely like a De rosa R838 veloce or anthena at £1900 or £2500 as its the one which excites me the most , but costs alot for the branding ( i realise ribble stealth is same frame) but the componants arent amazing considering the price.
Or do i go for a well specced bike such as a Cube GTC pro (£1550) or race (£1800)or boardman team £1300 or pro £1600? These offer great specs but maybe less exotic. I can get boardmans for a bit less using discount codes and vouchers i get at work.
Bearing in mind ive never ridden a road bike ever, but would like to keep this bike for a few years and cover lots of miles without issue. The boardman team would come out at circa £1000 for me which is great value but i worry about the 105 parts and the fact i ahve to deal with halfords (and maybe im a little bit of a brand snob too)
Ive always had MTB's so this is unknown terrority for me. Looking for my first road bike and very unsure what to go for. I dont like rubbish quality bikes so buying something cheap isnt gonna work as i try to buy a good one and keep it for a while.
Do i buy something lovely like a De rosa R838 veloce or anthena at £1900 or £2500 as its the one which excites me the most , but costs alot for the branding ( i realise ribble stealth is same frame) but the componants arent amazing considering the price.
Or do i go for a well specced bike such as a Cube GTC pro (£1550) or race (£1800)or boardman team £1300 or pro £1600? These offer great specs but maybe less exotic. I can get boardmans for a bit less using discount codes and vouchers i get at work.
Bearing in mind ive never ridden a road bike ever, but would like to keep this bike for a few years and cover lots of miles without issue. The boardman team would come out at circa £1000 for me which is great value but i worry about the 105 parts and the fact i ahve to deal with halfords (and maybe im a little bit of a brand snob too)
Thats a lot of money to splash on a new discipline 
I'd spent 20 odd years riding MTBs and then thanks to C2W I got myself a roady....£1000 was and is sufficient for me to enjoy and appreciate the differences in riding style...
If you have THAT much disposable though, just go with your heart...
I'd spent 20 odd years riding MTBs and then thanks to C2W I got myself a roady....£1000 was and is sufficient for me to enjoy and appreciate the differences in riding style...
If you have THAT much disposable though, just go with your heart...
d8mok said:
Yes another road bike thread. Im sorry.
Ive always had MTB's so this is unknown terrority for me. Looking for my first road bike and very unsure what to go for. I dont like rubbish quality bikes so buying something cheap isnt gonna work as i try to buy a good one and keep it for a while.
Do i buy something lovely like a De rosa R838 veloce or anthena at £1900 or £2500 as its the one which excites me the most , but costs alot for the branding ( i realise ribble stealth is same frame) but the componants arent amazing considering the price.
Or do i go for a well specced bike such as a Cube GTC pro (£1550) or race (£1800)or boardman team £1300 or pro £1600? These offer great specs but maybe less exotic. I can get boardmans for a bit less using discount codes and vouchers i get at work.
Bearing in mind ive never ridden a road bike ever, but would like to keep this bike for a few years and cover lots of miles without issue. The boardman team would come out at circa £1000 for me which is great value but i worry about the 105 parts and the fact i ahve to deal with halfords (and maybe im a little bit of a brand snob too)
Why the worry about 105 parts when you've never ridden a road bike?Ive always had MTB's so this is unknown terrority for me. Looking for my first road bike and very unsure what to go for. I dont like rubbish quality bikes so buying something cheap isnt gonna work as i try to buy a good one and keep it for a while.
Do i buy something lovely like a De rosa R838 veloce or anthena at £1900 or £2500 as its the one which excites me the most , but costs alot for the branding ( i realise ribble stealth is same frame) but the componants arent amazing considering the price.
Or do i go for a well specced bike such as a Cube GTC pro (£1550) or race (£1800)or boardman team £1300 or pro £1600? These offer great specs but maybe less exotic. I can get boardmans for a bit less using discount codes and vouchers i get at work.
Bearing in mind ive never ridden a road bike ever, but would like to keep this bike for a few years and cover lots of miles without issue. The boardman team would come out at circa £1000 for me which is great value but i worry about the 105 parts and the fact i ahve to deal with halfords (and maybe im a little bit of a brand snob too)
d8mok said:
Just been told by a few people that 105 isnt upto much over a long period of time and ultega is much better. Maybe this is wrong? My MTb is 5 years old and the sram X-0 and Xt is perfect still
Largely, yes. it's fine. A touch heavier and cheaper in places, but that's about it.It's all in the setup and the maintenance
d8mok said:
Just been told by a few people that 105 isnt upto much over a long period of time and ultega is much better. Maybe this is wrong? My MTb is 5 years old and the sram X-0 and Xt is perfect still
You are much better off buying a good frame + adequate components than adequate frame + good components. Components wear out. They will or can be replaced before your frame will be. Furthermore, the only component that affects the amount of power that tranfers from your leg to the road is the crankset. And the stiffness of the frame is far more important to that transfer than the crankset.
Cheers for comments guys.
This looks good as recommended in an other thread . But they not local to me so would need to try one somewhere first I guess.
http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/bikes-c5/road-bik...
This looks good as recommended in an other thread . But they not local to me so would need to try one somewhere first I guess.
http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/bikes-c5/road-bik...
d8mok said:
Just been told by a few people that 105 isnt upto much over a long period of time and ultega is much better. Maybe this is wrong? My MTb is 5 years old and the sram X-0 and Xt is perfect still
Absolutely nothing wrong with 105, doesn't give anything away on performance or longevity to Ultegra in my experience - just a little heavier and with less details.
d8mok said:
it is a very heart vs head decision. I already have 3 current bikes so adding a fourth means i might not have so much time to use them properly. In reality the boardman would be perect but i dont get excited about it in the same way as a de rosa or even a cube
I think you should read this: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/editorials/000004...V10Mike said:
I think you should read this: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/editorials/000004...
Great story but....Robsti said:
Bianchi Infinito!
OPIn all seriousness I've not ridden one but they look fantastic and have not read a review that contains the word 'uncomfortable' anywhere.
I've a deep love for Bianchi and have spent my life wanting one. I've now got a 928 Carbon Mono-Q with Ultegra SL and whilst it's a (low end) race bike, is still good for 90 miles (not done a century yet!). I spent more than I have right to (I'm a crap cyclist) but love it to bits and don't regret being a little extravagant. You only live once and whilst I went for Melissa type looks, got the comfort to match. Happy days!
Best of luck with the purchase
pablo said:
To be honest, rather than list a load of nice bikes or give you loads of advice on custom builds, you could do so much worse than the cannondale super six 105 for £1400!.... there is enough geo data on the web to get the right size without having to sit on one.
Yeh the supersix is my current favourite. Im gonna go to sit on one locally and offer them the chance to match the prices ive seen elsewhere. Hoping to get a deal on pedals, shoes , cateye , and bottle cage too.Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff