MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
Hi, thought I was settled on my new bike but further perusal of the net has left me indecisive again. Really don't want drops, have tried them and I'm just too old and have some back issues. So:-
Bike Requirements - flat bars including, or will add, bar ends. Must take full mudguards and a rear rack to support a pair of full Ortlieb Backroller Classics. Will be road only, may feasibly slip onto occasional towpath. Carbon forks and seat post for definite, other carbon bits not so bothered. Commute will be 40 mile round trip(am building it up at present), want to minimise punctures and maximise comfort. Frame should be robust and worthy of adding better bits to in the future. Overall setup should cope with the mileage and my not inconsiderable bulk, currently 245lbs, 6ft1. That said would like it to go as fast as poss, given the above, with the least amount of effort
Bike Spend - £1000(can up this to £1500 but will need to reduce my clothing spend accordingly) - this must include the mudguards, rack, bar ends, frame fitted pump, bottle holders, seat/saddle pack with tool kit and 2 spare tubes, pedals, wireless computer(basic is fine, distance and time), additional puncture protection(slime or similar, whatever works best), front and rear LED lights but will add my Fenix to this set up.
Bikes I'm currently trying to choose between:-
Giant - had settled on the CRS Alliance 2009 but am also tempted by FCR Comp 2008, FCR Alliance or FCR1, cannot seem to find if FCR range can take full guards and rack.
Marin - the Mill Valley and the Lucas Valley
Trek - the 7.5, 7.6 and 7.7 FX models also seen deals on the 7.9FX
Specialised Sirrus - the Comp, Expert and Elite
Kona - the Dr Dew and the Phd
Have also glanced at Focus, Boardman and Raleigh.
Have had some very mixed experiences visiting/speaking to LBS's, I live in Farnborough, Hampshire. Have heard good things about AW Cycles in Caversham and am seeing some great deals on 08 models at Ashcycles.com based in Chingford. They also offer very tempting packages for 09 models in the way of extras. I would prefer to actually visit a shop for proper setup but don't want to travel too far just on spec. Would rather be able to sort out a limited choice remotely and then finalise in person.
Would appreciate any and all advice....thanks.....Al
Bike Requirements - flat bars including, or will add, bar ends. Must take full mudguards and a rear rack to support a pair of full Ortlieb Backroller Classics. Will be road only, may feasibly slip onto occasional towpath. Carbon forks and seat post for definite, other carbon bits not so bothered. Commute will be 40 mile round trip(am building it up at present), want to minimise punctures and maximise comfort. Frame should be robust and worthy of adding better bits to in the future. Overall setup should cope with the mileage and my not inconsiderable bulk, currently 245lbs, 6ft1. That said would like it to go as fast as poss, given the above, with the least amount of effort
Bike Spend - £1000(can up this to £1500 but will need to reduce my clothing spend accordingly
) - this must include the mudguards, rack, bar ends, frame fitted pump, bottle holders, seat/saddle pack with tool kit and 2 spare tubes, pedals, wireless computer(basic is fine, distance and time), additional puncture protection(slime or similar, whatever works best), front and rear LED lights but will add my Fenix to this set up.Bikes I'm currently trying to choose between:-
Giant - had settled on the CRS Alliance 2009 but am also tempted by FCR Comp 2008, FCR Alliance or FCR1, cannot seem to find if FCR range can take full guards and rack.
Marin - the Mill Valley and the Lucas Valley
Trek - the 7.5, 7.6 and 7.7 FX models also seen deals on the 7.9FX
Specialised Sirrus - the Comp, Expert and Elite
Kona - the Dr Dew and the Phd
Have also glanced at Focus, Boardman and Raleigh.
Have had some very mixed experiences visiting/speaking to LBS's, I live in Farnborough, Hampshire. Have heard good things about AW Cycles in Caversham and am seeing some great deals on 08 models at Ashcycles.com based in Chingford. They also offer very tempting packages for 09 models in the way of extras. I would prefer to actually visit a shop for proper setup but don't want to travel too far just on spec. Would rather be able to sort out a limited choice remotely and then finalise in person.
Would appreciate any and all advice....thanks.....Al
