A more "relaxed" road bike?

[MetalPig]

Hi all, as the title says really, I'm now planning for my next purchase which will be a new road bike. Now, i don't want to be sat with my bum up in the air, nose to the wheel etc so I'm looking for something with a more relaxed geometry, whatever that means! (what am i looking for in that respect?) My old Raleigh was one i bought before i knew anything about this lark and its never really fitted me, so to speak, no matter how well I've set the back end up I've always seemed to be reaching either too far out or too far down for the bars.
My other bike is a Dawes galaxy which i bought following some good advice on here and suits me perfectly as my commuter/shopping/winter/workhorse bike but I'm after something a little lighter/sportier to get me out into the peak district on all those lovely sunny Sunday mornings that will be coming around soon (he says hopefully lol)

My budget is around the £700 - £800 mark...... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[vickster]

Giant defy, specialized secteur, cannondale synapse from the big boys. Ribble and Dolan do more sportive models and there's the cube peloton popular in these parts. Look for a compact double or triple. Ash cycles did have the highly specced 2013 model defy 1 in your budget

You could even find a lower end carbon bike if you fancy plastic

If you find you are between sizes, the smaller one should be more upright as you'll be less stretched. You can also flip the stem to raise you up a bit

 

[vickster]

He also says lighter / sportier for the weekend

 

[MetalPig]

Thanks, been reading some reviews on the defy, looks good. Going to get out to a few shops this week and try some different ones out, see how they feel.

Regarding the geometry, i just want something more upright than a "racing"- type position, i have a tourer and i do like the positioning on that, but obviously i appreciate that a roadie will be a little more stretched out than that

 

[HLaB]

Another option perhaps, the Bianchi C2C (Coast to Coast) series have elongated head tubes for comfort.

 

[Kestevan]

Planet X RT-58 Alloy : http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT58ALUTIA/planet-x-rt-58-alloy-shimano-tiagra-road-bike

 

[MetalPig]

Planet X RT-58 Alloy : http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT58ALUTIA/planet-x-rt-58-alloy-shimano-tiagra-road-bike

this one looks interesting for the price, i work near Planet X too, planning on popping in this week

 

[Fab Foodie]

Genesis Equilibrium.

 

[MetalPig]

Hmm budget could now be heading up towards the £1000 mark so:

I like the look of the Bianchi c2c via narone Xenon 2014 for a grand, never had capagnolo (sp?) before, how does it compare to 105/tiagra? Does anyone have any experience of one of these?

Giant Defy 1 2014 also looks favourite at the same price, but i cant see much difference between that and the 2013 model which is £200 less?

Also looking at Boardmans.....

Blimey, there's just soooo much choice out there!

 

[MetalPig]

Oh, and Cannondale Synapse '14 with tiagra, any opinions?
How much difference is there between tiagra and 105 anyway? (please forgive the newbie questions lol)

 

[screenman]

A road bike should not be a stretch it should fit.

 

[vickster]

As there is so much choice, you should get the shops and try to test ride a few

105 a bit smoother and lighter than tiagra

Campag has a thumb button for shifting now way, while the above shimano shift up and down from the brake/ gear levers

Giant 2013 vs 14, same frame, different colour, would need to check for any componentry changes, but will be minor

 

[HLaB]

I like the look of the Bianchi c2c via narone Xenon 2014 for a grand, never had capagnolo (sp?) before, how does it compare to 105/tiagra? Does anyone have any experience of one of these?

My campag Veloce is much of a muchness when compared to my 105; my veloce is from the era when it was the middle campag groupset, however. Personally, I prefer campag for climbing (I use my pinky to flip up gear, whilst still on the flat of the bar) but I prefer 105 for shifting up in a sprint. Of mine, overall I prefer campag because its more precise but that probably because its on my best bike with internally routed cables. Its also IMO a nicer presentation of cables (gear cables routed up the bar rather than out of the side of the hoods).

 

[MrGrumpy]

Dunno if any of those bikes come with SRAM but after setting this up properly, I`m finding it quite good and easy to switch up or down.

 

[vickster]

SRAM quite hard to find on stock bikes, especially lower end so apex (tiagra) and rival (105). Dolan let you choose, I think Planet X use on off peg, also their Sab range. Otherwise virtually none when I have looked which is a shame