first road bike choice

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Hey folks, I have the choice of the below 3 alloy bikes as my first road bike. It will mainly be used for commuting and half day rides at the weekend and next year i'm thinking about doing a triathlon.

I understand the optimo is the only one of these classed as a 'race' so not leaning towards the other 2 with their more relaxed geometry. Would orbea frames be considered decent?

  1. trek domane al 2, rim brake, claris - €800
  2. cannondale CAAD optimo 4, rim brake, claris - €1k
  3. orbea avant H50, rim brake, sora - €1k
 

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
All three are decent enough frames. For the budget 8 speed Claris is quite a step below 9 speed Sora.
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
If it's your first bike I very much doubt you'll notice any significant difference between them. They're all reputable brands with a decent spec.

Most important, buy from a reputable local shop so if anything goes awry, you have come back.

Then, if money's tight, go for the cheaper ones, if not 9 vs 8 speed for sora vs claris.

Alternatively, buy whichever one looks best.

Any spare money, upgrade the tyres, which are likely to be rubbish.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
You can do better. How about this RC520, Sora and HYD discs for £849:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/rc520-disc-road-bike-105/_/R-p-308072
Trouble is out of stock right now but if you're prepared to wait.
I'd get discs not only because they mostly superior and do away with rim wear but because you'll find it easier to sell on as most buyers will be wanting them as rims become less common at this price point.
What @roubaixtuesday means when he says the tyres will be rubbish is that they'll have poor puncture protection which is usual in OE budget brands.

BTW :welcome: to the forum
 
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Kingfisher101

Über Member
I have the Triban RC520 and you would have to buy a new set of wheels if you want to be able to get the tyre on and off the rims. I wouldnt have bought the bike if I'd known there was an issue with the wheels.
If I were you I'd check out Planet X and Ribble and see what they have and locally on marketplace if you know your size and feel confident you can check over a bike properly. Personally I'd want better than a Claris groupset for knocking on a grand.
Ribble Endurance AL Disc - Bikes - Ribble Cycles £999. This is a better deal I think.
 
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si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
One of the guys in my LBS rides the Domane ALR2 as his daily commuter, he says it's a great bike, and having the Domane ALR I'd agree. The rim brake version is limited in terms of tyre size and mudguards compared to the disc brakes but that will be the case across all rim braked bikes.

Mudgards are very very good in UK/Irish/Northern European climates though so worth keeping in mind. The CAAD optimo will allow you to fit them, the Orbea won't. The Domane is the only one which would allow you to fit a rear rack.

I can't comment on the Orbea or the Cannondale as I'm not particularly familiar with either, but a few points about the trek - the wheels are the stock wheels for their alloy bikes, and they're decent, not particularly heavy and are quite durable - they definitely wouldn't need upgrading, the tyres are "OK" for the price, but nothing spectacular but they roll well even if they do lack decent puncture protection and are a little heavy. For your first road bike you won't notice them, and that's probably the best thing to say about them. If you put mudguards on then you'll probably need to downsize the tyres anyway. A point to note is that my criticisms of the Bontrager tyre are exactly the same as those I would have about the Vittoria Zaffiro tyres on the Cannondale or Orbea - the difference is the 28mm on the Trek will be slightly more comfortable than the 28mm, and their grip is better in my experience - the basic Zaffiro is a bit underwhelming.

Overall I think the Trek is the better bike for a number of reasons, firstly to me, the blue with the silver logo looks spectacular - definitely looks like a much more expensive bike. Secondly the lower price means you have a bit of money left over to upgrade the things you'll actually notice such as the tyres, get lights if you want them or mudguards or other accessories, you could even, and this is contraversial, do something non-bike related with the money. Lastly I think the Trek will take upgrades a little better in the long term - I upgraded my Domane to full Shimano 105 11 speed - which is their best value/performance groupset and the frames are very good and take an upgrade really well, so worth keeping in mind for the future.

To be honest - whilst I've written a fair amount so far - all three of those bikes are good, and I doubt you will regret buying any of them, go for the one which you think looks best, in terms of performance, they are all good.
 

biggs682

Touch it up and ride it
Location
Northamptonshire
I have been cycling over 40 years and have never spent anywhere near 1k on a bike or come to think of it i have never wanted to either .

And as for doing it on my first bike and then find i don't enjoy cycling :whistle:

It's a good job we are all different

Welcome @weebeansysbro
 
OP
OP
W

weebeansysbro

Regular
I have the Triban RC520 and you would have to buy a new set of wheels if you want to be able to get the tyre on and off the rims. I wouldnt have bought the bike if I'd known there was an issue with the wheels.
If I were you I'd check out Planet X and Ribble and see what they have and locally on marketplace if you know your size and feel confident you can check over a bike properly. Personally I'd want better than a Claris groupset for knocking on a grand.
Ribble Endurance AL Disc - Bikes - Ribble Cycles £999. This is a better deal I think.

The Ribble looks good but won't be able to get it since using the bike 2 work scheme here in Ireland!
 

RoadRider400

Some bloke that likes cycling alone
For a first bike I would be looking on the used market and spending no more than £400 and probably getting 105 with a carbon fork. A few years ago I picked up a near immaculate 'lesser' brand road bike with a mix of ultegra and 105 for £330. Though prices have gone up since then. The only real downside is you might need to wait for something to appear on the market in your area.
 
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