Cannondale or Scott road bike, advice/opinions appreciated.

[smokeysmoo]

I do wonder why they continued with the CAAD8 but not the CAAD9?

+1

 

[bully74uk]

Given this is your first drop bar bike then I would say no. They will be almost identical for you and the difference will be more of a placebo effect. If you get serious about it you can always change parts later.

However, if you are a higher tax payer and if your cycle 2 work scheme means you pay back £0 after 5 years of your employer/3rd party owning it, then the extra £150 has only cost you £87 (150 x 0.58)

Thanks for your replies.

I was thinking the same regarding groupsets. My Cube has a mixture of 105 and Tiagra and I have no complaints with that.

And I really don't want to spend more than £1000 on the C2W scheme unless there is something extra special out there thats just over. I do actually prefer the colour scheme of the 105 CAAD8 which comes in at £1049 so we'll see when I go back and try them for size.
You mentioned however about £899 for a 4 year old frame (the Tiagra CAAD8) which kind of puts me off thinking about spending £1049 on the same frame but with 105 instead of Tiagra !

Ive been researching for days on end now to find something with a decent frame, reputation and groupset within my budget and the Cannondale seems to score quite highly. Another thats within my budget (£999) is the 2013 Giant Defy 1. How do you think this fairs spec wise against the Cannondale ?
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb...reen.white.silver/11833/56801/#specifications

Regards

 

[400bhp]

I'm being overly critical and over-thinking about the CAAD8 price really.

As alluded to above, they have stopped doing the CAAD9. My guess is the bean counters have done some research into market saturation for the models and felt that the CAAD9 would hurt CAAD10 sales. Their optimum strategy was to go for a CAAD8/CAAD10 combination.

In reality (and I've mentioned this elsewhere) the differences between models will be hardly noticeable for the average rider.

If I was looking at a road bike on the C2W scheme and I didn't already own one the CAAD8 would be near the top of my list.

 

[Rob3rt]

The CAAD8 is still evolving year on year as far as I know. You aren't really getting a 4 year old design with a new paint job.

Also Cannondale > Giant! You will struggle to find a frame made from alu at this price bracket to rival the Cannondale offering's, they are the lightest in their class and brutally stiff! You might get better VFM elsewhere if you are thinking of the overall package, but IMO the frame is the heart of the bike and should be the number one priority. You can upgrade the groupset bit by bit as stuff wears out.

 

[bully74uk]

The CAAD8 is still evolving year on year as far as I know. You aren't really getting a 4 year old designed with a new paint job.

Also Cannondale > Giant! You will struggle to find a frame made from alu at this price bracket to rival the Cannondale offering's, they are the lightest in their class and brutally stiff! You might get better VFM elsewhere if you are thinking of the overall package, but IMO the frame is the heart of the bike and should be the number one priority. You can upgrade the groupset bit by bit as stuff wears out.

I think its hard not be dazzled by higher spec groupsets etc when your new to the game but whats evident from this thread and many others that ive read is that there is a lot of respect for Cannondale frames. True I can upgrade to better groupsets if and when required and as mentioned above, for my level of riding i'm probably not going to need to unless things break !

The reviews, comments etc put the Cannondale CAAD8 right up there, so I thinkas long as it feels good in the saddle, thats what I will go with.

Thanks,

 

[Robwiz]

Cannondale CAAD8 is a great bike and will still be right up there in two or three years time. Unless you're pushing yourself to the limit in competition, the difference between Tiagra and 105 is negligible on the road. The weight saving on the groupo is tiny (compared to weight-saving opportunity most amateurs carry round their midriff). Spend the saving on another toy!

Taken to extremes, you'd probably have a lot of fun with a £300 Triban 3 from Decathlon with wheels upgraded to Mavic Aksiums or Fulcrum Racing 7s.

 

[bully74uk]

Cannondale CAAD8 is a great bike and will still be right up there in two or three years time. Unless you're pushing yourself to the limit in competition, the difference between Tiagra and 105 is negligible on the road. The weight saving on the groupo is tiny (compared to weight-saving opportunity most amateurs carry round their midriff). Spend the saving on another toy!

Taken to extremes, you'd probably have a lot of fun with a £300 Triban 3 from Decathlon with wheels upgraded to Mavic Aksiums or Fulcrum Racing 7s.

The only competition that I plan to do is a couple of novice sprint triathlons next year and maybe a duathlon or two. The sprint triathlons cover a distance of 20km on the cycle, im pretty sure the Tiagra will get me round !

 

[Cyclist33]

Cheers Jd. The red spoke is standard on the Ksyrium SL wheels. TBH the bikes had a few changes since this pic but I don't have an upto date one

Wheels are now functional OP rims with Hope Pro3 hubs, cranks are now Ultegra grey after I converted the stupid BB30 to Hollowtech II, saddle is now a Spesh Romin Expert, pedals are now DA SPD-SL, computer is now a Garmin Edge 200 on a Fliploc Design mount and rubber is now Gatorskin Hardshells, I did saw a few changes didn't I?

She doesn't look quite as sexy now TBH but she is far more functional and more robust for my fat @rse

Give the OP their thread back!

 

[smokeysmoo]

Give the OP their thread back!

Just trying to help the OP make up their mind by illustrating what's possible.

Ride safe

 

[Buzzinonbikes]

The frame on the 2013 Speedster looks really nice. From the 20 (105) up it has internal routing and a nice redesigned aero shape. I think I will be purchasing one of these after I can get fitted to see if the XXL is large enough for my lanky self. The syncros kit looks quite nice but would be good to see what people think of it after some use.

 

[aces_up1504]

Thanks for the replies.

I'd love to go for a CAAD10 but as far as im aware when using Cycle 2 Work you have to pay rrp even if bike is reduced so I don't think I can benefit from last years models.
quote] .

Just a quick note on the RRP and C2W. If it is being discounted by the retailer its a no go. But if it has been discounted by the manufactuer which might be likely especially if its 2012 model, then you can use the reduced price.

I just bought a 2012 Tricross reduced from £750 to £600 using the C2W as it has been reduced by Specialized

 

[400bhp]

Just a quick note on the RRP and C2W. If it is being discounted by the retailer its a no go. But if it has been discounted by the manufactuer which might be likely especially if its 2012 model, then you can use the reduced price.

I just bought a 2012 Tricross reduced from £750 to £600 using the C2W as it has been reduced by Specialized.

Sorry, what?

 

[aces_up1504]

Sorry, what?

Post ammended, forgot to quote from the orignal poster

 

[400bhp]

That's not correct, sorry.

You can buy any bike you like on C2W at whatever price the retailer is selling at.

You might be talking about a specific retailer who does this or perhaps a particular C2W scheme that has been set up, but it is very unusual.

 

[aces_up1504]

That's not correct, sorry.

You can buy any bike you like on C2W at whatever price the retailer is selling at.

You might be talking about a specific retailer who does this or perhaps a particular C2W scheme that has been set up, but it is very unusual.

Without trying to take the thread off topic, I am not so sure. I typed in google Cycle to Work Recommend Retail price, every return quotes it must be off RRP

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&tbo=...2506c8d69e9ad6&bpcl=38897761&biw=1366&bih=546