Commute and Leisure Bike - c. £800 - CX/Adventure Road Bike?

[grahamjenks]

I've signed up to cycle to work (£800 vouchers) and am looking to get something I can cycle to work with a couple of days a week- about 14 miles all on roads/transpennine trail and also use at weekends/evenings for keeping fit and rides with friends if I get quick enough.

I've seen a few adventure road bikes/gravel bikes/cylcocross bikes and am a bit at a loss as to the best option.

I've worked out a few must haves:

• Mudguard mounts , front and back, this is essential if I'm going to use it to get to work. Racks aren't quite as essential as I leave stuff at work, but would be helpful.
• Groupset at least Tiagra feels reasonable for the money I'm looking at. (ideally 4700 version as it seems to be decent improvement over the now quite old 4600) - I have to be honest I've not got my head round the SRAM equivalents yet so there might be options I've not looked at yet.
• Disc brakes - I've been put off Avid BB5s from a bit of reading online, so BB7 or TRP Styre (which seem to get excellent write ups) seem like good options. Are Hayes Comp any good, any other good disc brakes to look out for in this price range?
• Weight to be reasonable - less than 11kg? (Which I guess means Carbon Forks and a reasonable group set). The thinking here is if I want to get out on the roads in the future with Friends (nothing too serious) who road bike then I don't want to be too far behind because I'm on a bike 3/4 kg heavier.

I'd like some money from the £800 worth of vouches to at least buy a Helmet (what's sensible , £30?), Mudguards (£30), Lights (£20), other bits and pieces I'm happy to add more (I know I'll need some decent kit etc but can add this over the next few months).

I've got a few options but each seems to have draw backs!

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fuji/tread-11-2015-adventure-road-bike-ec069179 - Fuji Tread 1.1 - ticks most boxes but a bit heavy and older Tiagra.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/norco/threshold-a2-2015-cyclocross-bike-ec072588#features - Norco Threshold A2 2015 - similar to above

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/grade-tiagra-2015-adventure-road-bike-ec070840#features GT Grade Tiagra - assume this is 4600, can't find much info about it

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/arkose-two-2015-adventure-road-bike-ec071306 Pinnacles Arkose 2 - Seems high spec but only 10 speed - will this give me less flexibility?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products...ra-disc-2015-cyclocross-bike-ec071033#answers Cannondale Caadx Tiagra 2015 - Is this a more premium brand, am I just paying for the name (probably hard to get one that fits as well as out of stock for all but the small size).

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/norco/search-s2-2015-adventure-road-bike-ec072576 - Norco Search S2 2015 - 105 Group - 11kg, does mudguards, are Hayes CX any good?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/eastway-cx20-105-2015/ Easyway CX2.0 105 - 105 Groupset again is a bonus, lower quality brakes

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kona-jake-2015/ Kona Jake 2015 - Gets good reviews, again older groups,

As you can tell I've looked through plenty of options, am I being too fussy, have a I missed an obvious bargain or feature to consider?

Is now the right time to be buying, looks like lots of 2015 bikes are reduced, but are 2016 bikes just around the corner that might include a greater range with the new Tiagra groupset?

If anyone has experience of any of the above it'd be great to hear.

Thanks

 

[addman100]

Hi,
I would certainly add the felt z75 disc to your options;
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-z75-disc-2015/
11 speed 105, well under your weight limit and excellent brakes. I've owned one for a month now and it's been fantastic. The only thing I'm unsure about is the mud guard mounts, I'll check mine and get back to you.

 

[vickster]

Planet X London road? SRAM rival 22 is equivalent to 105 and lovely and smooth. Soon get used to the double tap especially if you've not been riding shimano for years

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRIV/planet-x-london-road-sram-rival-22-road-bike

Think it ticks all your boxes and is around 10kg (albeit a bit over budget once you've added the PX C2W surcharge, assuming you can use Px)

Tiagra seems to be the least seen of the groupsets, i guess because 105 doesn't cost that much more to manufacturers with higher demand etc

Have you been to Evans for test rides on your chosen bikes above? Ultimately it needs to be the bike that you'll enjoy riding most, don't fixate on spec. For example 10 vs 11 speed will make diddly difference, look at the top and bottom gears, especially if riding in a hilly area

 

[alicat]

Where are you based? Edinburgh Cycle Coop with branches in North of England/Scotland have a decent range of bikes at reasonable for the type of riding you describe and are a coop so have your best interests at heart.

 

[Soltydog]

Planet X London road? SRAM rival 22 is equivalent to 105 and lovely and smooth. Soon get used to the double tap especially if you've not been riding shimano for years

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRIV/planet-x-london-road-sram-rival-22-road-bike

Think it ticks all your boxes and is around 10kg (albeit a bit over budget once you've added the PX C2W surcharge, assuming you can use Px)

if you can get down to planet x this weekend there's no admin fee on the C2W scheme http://www.planetx.co.uk/news/plane...271288361&mc_cid=a234400e88&mc_eid=bd88ae766d

 

[outlash]

Have you been to Evans for test rides on your chosen bikes above? Ultimately it needs to be the bike that you'll enjoy riding most, don't fixate on spec. For example 10 vs 11 speed will make diddly difference, look at the top and bottom gears, especially if riding in a hilly area

This. It's worth pointing out that 'proper' cross bikes have a smaller big ring and a larger inner ring (46/36) compared to a compact which you might want to take into account. FWIW, if you've got £800 in vouchers, I'd probably budget around £100 to get the extras.

 

[grahamjenks]

I'm in Sheffield so I might check out Planetx - unfortunately my vouchers haven't come through yet - so can't make the most of that offer!

Definitely will try and get to Evans this week to test ride some bikes and I know I should focus less on the specs - just don't want to regret my decision later if I feel I could've got more for my money.

It looks like the Felt Z75 Disc doesn't have mudguard mounts which is a pain - otherwise would've looked like a good choice.

 

[Venod]

I bought a second hand Cannondale Caadx Tiagra 2015, very comfortable ride, the brakes were a not very good but improved them by fitting linear cables, they now feel OK, its a CX chainset 46/36, don't know the weight but its heavier than my road bikes, its very good both off & on road, I am used to the shape of 105 levers so will change from the Tiagra, but the Tiagra works perfectly well.

 

[Ukmric1]

I purchased Giant Any 2 road 2015 so around £640 in Sale from Giant outlet. I am impressed with it VFM I have Giant TCR again 2015 and the Any road is a great all rounder CX style of bike.

 

[smutchin]

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/arkose-two-2015-adventure-road-bike-ec071306 Pinnacles Arkose 2 - Seems high spec but only 10 speed - will this give me less flexibility?

From your list, this is the one I would go for. Lovely bike.

I wouldn't worry about the number of gears, the range of gears is more important. The Arkose actually has a lower bottom gear than most of the others, so will be easier to ride up steep hills. It also has a much lower top gear, but... quick sums... it'll give you 40km/h at 90rpm and 50km/h at 110rpm, so that's not really a limiting factor. And the 1x10 setup has the advantage of simplicity (easier to use, lower maintenance, less to go wrong - and the bar-end shifter makes it cheaper and easier to fix if it does ever go wrong). Only down side I can see is that you might want different tyres if you're mostly riding on the road.

Personally, I would strike the CX bikes from the list (Threshold, CaadX, Eastway, Jake) - the adventure/gravel bikes are very much designed for the kind of riding you're planning, while CX bikes are ostensibly designed for racing. But try them anyway if you like the look of them - you may find they suit you better.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

From your list, this is the one I would go for. Lovely bike.

I wouldn't worry about the number of gears, the range of gears is more important. The Arkose actually has a lower bottom gear than most of the others, so will be easier to ride up steep hills. It also has a much lower top gear, but... quick sums... it'll give you 40km/h at 90rpm and 50km/h at 110rpm, so that's not really a limiting factor. And the 1x10 setup has the advantage of simplicity (easier to use, lower maintenance, less to go wrong - and the bar-end shifter makes it cheaper and easier to fix if it does ever go wrong). Only down side I can see is that you might want different tyres if you're mostly riding on the road.

Personally, I would strike the CX bikes from the list (Threshold, CaadX, Eastway, Jake) - the adventure/gravel bikes are very much designed for the kind of riding you're planning, while CX bikes are ostensibly designed for racing. But try them anyway if you like the look of them - you may find they suit you better.

As a slight aside from the OP but maybe relevant to the final choice - what's the real difference between a CX and ARB?

 

[djb1971]

my answer will be slightly biased towards the Arkose2

a basic but comfy frame with full carbon fork and steerer, slightly more relaxed geo than a full cx, no toe overlap. I love 1x10, it got me up that steep welsh hill in the pic, with a load. wtb tyres are excellent on or off road. trp hydro brakes are fantastic, bar end is easy but I'm used to them.

 

[smutchin]

As a slight aside from the OP but maybe relevant to the final choice - what's the real difference between a CX and ARB?

They're often superficially similar and there is a degree of crossover but look at the numbers - an ARB is likely to have a longer wheelbase and lower BB, among other differences. A CX bike is designed for sharp handling on tight technical courses, in races that last an hour. Bikes like the Norco Search and GT Grade are designed for a different kind of racing, on a mix of paved and unpaved roads, in races lasting several hours, so are designed more for straight line speed and all-day comfort.

A proper CX bike won't usually have mounting points for mudguards and racks, and sometimes not even bottle cage mounts, though I know a lot of bikes marketed as CX bikes have those features. And the UCI limit on tyre sizes In cross racing means they're usually designed for a max tyre width of 32mm but ARBs often have space for tyres as big as 40mm.

I've used my CX bike for everything from actual cross racing to a 400km audax, and they can make very capable do-it-all road bikes, but unless you actually want to use it for cross racing as well, an adventure/gravel bike seems like a more sensible option.

 

[smutchin]

my answer will be slightly biased towards the Arkose2

a basic but comfy frame with full carbon fork and steerer, slightly more relaxed geo than a full cx, no toe overlap. I love 1x10, it got me up that steep welsh hill in the pic, with a load.

Fab pics. If they don't sell the Arkose to the op, nothing will!

 

[djb1971]

Fab pics. If they don't sell the Arkose to the op, nothing will!

people overlook the Arkose because it's from Evans and not a 'dale etc...

they are excellent vfm bikes and pretty bombproof, mine goes everywhere and over everything. Super comfy too