£1200 to spend, what to buy?
Discussion
I have £1200(ish) set aside for a road bike. It's been 10+ years since I last had one so the game has moved on a fair bit.
I want a road bike for leisure/fitness rather than racing/TT use.
What would you spend your hard earned on?
What brands should I consider and which to avoid?
(My only 'must have' is a Shimano equipped one as my MTB is Shimano and its served me very well)
It's a minefield of choice out there!
I want a road bike for leisure/fitness rather than racing/TT use.
What would you spend your hard earned on?
What brands should I consider and which to avoid?
(My only 'must have' is a Shimano equipped one as my MTB is Shimano and its served me very well)
It's a minefield of choice out there!
dont get hung up on having shimano just because your mountain bike does, by doing so your filtering out a load of choice, and mtb and road components work in a completely different way, so its not like you would find roady shimano kit "familiar".
Without a shadow of a doubt, best bike you can buy for that money is a planet x pro carbon, compare the level of kit to a big name brand bike and you will see its a bargain. They do a sram rival equipped bike for £999 or a campag gran fondo equipped bike for £1199, both bikes use the same frame.
I'm coming up to the 1000mile mark on a pro carbon I got new in may, and its been faultless, comfortable ride, and light.
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FBPXPRORIV12/p...
Without a shadow of a doubt, best bike you can buy for that money is a planet x pro carbon, compare the level of kit to a big name brand bike and you will see its a bargain. They do a sram rival equipped bike for £999 or a campag gran fondo equipped bike for £1199, both bikes use the same frame.
I'm coming up to the 1000mile mark on a pro carbon I got new in may, and its been faultless, comfortable ride, and light.
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FBPXPRORIV12/p...
mikeouk said:
Without a shadow of a doubt, best bike you can buy for that money is a planet x pro carbon, compare the level of kit to a big name brand bike and you will see its a bargain. They do a sram rival equipped bike for £999 or a campag gran fondo equipped bike for £1199, both bikes use the same frame.
Not sure I agree with that. I think my money would go on this:http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=25...
There seems to be a general movement towards the thinking that carbon=best. This certainly isn't true. A top Alu frame will be head and shoulders over a mediocre carbon one.
The Ultimate Al frame was used by the Katusha team
for Paris-Roubaix, which I think speaks volumes about its quality.
mikeouk said:
Without a shadow of a doubt, best bike you can buy for that money is a planet x pro carbon, compare the level of kit to a big name brand bike and you will see its a bargain. They do a sram rival equipped bike for £999 or a campag gran fondo equipped bike for £1199, both bikes use the same frame.
I'm coming up to the 1000mile mark on a pro carbon I got new in may, and its been faultless, comfortable ride, and light.
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FBPXPRORIV12/p...
Still not convinced buying from an internet only retailer is a good thing. Things like sizing and after sales support are two things I would be looking for when spending this amount of dough. You can take all the measurements you like but you will never know if a bike is right until you sit on it.I'm coming up to the 1000mile mark on a pro carbon I got new in may, and its been faultless, comfortable ride, and light.
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FBPXPRORIV12/p...
paulmon said:
Still not convinced buying from an internet only retailer is a good thing. Things like sizing and after sales support are two things I would be looking for when spending this amount of dough. You can take all the measurements you like but you will never know if a bike is right until you sit on it.
It's a tricky one. If you buy purely online, you save money, which would be well spent on a decent fitting to get it right for you. If you're not experienced with the brand though, you might buy one that can't be fitted to you well enough.It's a risk / gamble. Being a (very) strange size and shape, I wouldn't take it. For more normal people, it can really be worth it...
paulmon said:
Still not convinced buying from an internet only retailer is a good thing. Things like sizing and after sales support are two things I would be looking for when spending this amount of dough. You can take all the measurements you like but you will never know if a bike is right until you sit on it.
planet x arnt purely internet based, they have a showroom in rotherham and also offer bikefit.
DuraAce said:
I have £1200(ish) set aside for a road bike. It's been 10+ years since I last had one so the game has moved on a fair bit.
I want a road bike for leisure/fitness rather than racing/TT use.
What would you spend your hard earned on?
What brands should I consider and which to avoid?
(My only 'must have' is a Shimano equipped one as my MTB is Shimano and its served me very well)
It's a minefield of choice out there!
I set out with a similar budget and ended up with a Genesis Equilibrium 20. Just as you describe: sensible geometry, Shimano 105 etc. For 2013 it gets more appropriate wheels (105 hubs, 32h and Open Pro rims, IIRC - better than the 2012 RS10s, which were a little mis-matched IMO).I want a road bike for leisure/fitness rather than racing/TT use.
What would you spend your hard earned on?
What brands should I consider and which to avoid?
(My only 'must have' is a Shimano equipped one as my MTB is Shimano and its served me very well)
It's a minefield of choice out there!
.Jimbo. said:
Gizmoish said:
I'd be looking at a Cannondale CAAD10 with 105 and maybe a wheel upgrade.
To be fair, the Askiums it comes with are more than adequate for anyone returning after a 10 year gap.
It's a slippery slope when you keep thinking that just another £100 onto the budget and I could get XXX instead. It'd be easy to slip towards £2k.
I got a firm grip of the budget and bought a Specialized Allez with 105 groupset, £960 all in. Very happy and it's my first bike for a decade so it'll be a while before I can do higher spec stuff justice.
Had money left from the budget for shoes, pedals and new jacket.
Just ordered a Garmin, back on the slippery slope!
I got a firm grip of the budget and bought a Specialized Allez with 105 groupset, £960 all in. Very happy and it's my first bike for a decade so it'll be a while before I can do higher spec stuff justice.
Had money left from the budget for shoes, pedals and new jacket.
Just ordered a Garmin, back on the slippery slope!
I'd look at Giant, Specialized, Trek. These big three are always competitive at any price point and have bulletproof warranty. Plus they have a nationwide dealer network meaning you won't have to travel far to try one...then you could be a cheeky beggar and buy one cheap off t'internet once you know your size, or do the right thing and haggle with the bike shop where you tried it. Most will do you a deal, whether it's money off the bike or throw in some kit (could be handy approaching winter).
Try a Genesis Equilibrium 20 (or a 10). The 2 guys running my Local bike shop both have a 20 and they swear by this bike. The other Genesis road bikes are great (cyclo Cross ones are good too, I had a Croix De Fer).
You will find each person has their favourite but nice to get some other options on what is out there.
You will find each person has their favourite but nice to get some other options on what is out there.
Oz83 said:
I'd look at Giant, Specialized, Trek. These big three are always competitive at any price point and have bulletproof warranty. Plus they have a nationwide dealer network meaning you won't have to travel far to try one...then you could be a cheeky beggar and buy one cheap off t'internet once you know your size, or do the right thing and haggle with the bike shop where you tried it. Most will do you a deal, whether it's money off the bike or throw in some kit (could be handy approaching winter).
I'd recommend something from the Defy range. My Defy 2 has been very good and when I've had issues, the after sales from the local Giant shop has been excellent. I've been looking at other brands recently, but I still think that my next bike will be a Giant as I can go to the local shop and try out a few within my budget.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff