Help with choosing a road bike

[dodd82]

Hi all

I have read through a number of old threads on here to review some bikes that have been suggested to me by my local, helpful (and seemingly knowledgeable) bike shop.

But I'm having trouble making a comparison.

Basically, I'm a 30 year old who started commuting on a hybrid last year, and am now training for a cycle ride to Paris. I cycle about 18 miles three times a week when I can, live in a hilly area and enjoy going out for 30-40 mile rides on a Saturday. But I don't know much about bikes and am certainly not a great cyclist!

So, when I went to the shop I was given three options:

1. GTR Series - one at £599 and another at £699. His advice was that there would be barely any noticeable difference for the extra £100.

2. Moda Rubato - £999. He told me that this comes with much better tyres that are probably worth a few hundred pound alone, and if I had the money, would provide a noticeable difference to the GTR.

3. Longcliffe - 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 - £939-769-599. I think he felt the middle range was a bit pointless, and it'd be better to go with entry level or the better one.

I'm conscious that you can end up becoming seduced by things that up until yesterday, I didn't even know existed.

I'd like a decent bike and I may well use it more and more after this first challenge, but equally I only want to spend extra money for noticeable differences - not to shave 30 seconds of my commute!

Can anyone offer some advice around the three ranges above?

Thanks

 

[SquareDaff]

Hi all
1. GTR Series - one at £599 and another at £699. His advice was that there would be barely any noticeable difference for the extra £100.

Which model? I've seen the GTR 2 for £799 which looks decent value for money. On the other hand the "5" with Shimano 2300 components not so much so.

2. Moda Rubato - £999. He told me that this comes with much better tyres that are probably worth a few hundred pound alone, and if I had the money, would provide a noticeable difference to the GTR.

£300 wheelset apparently - but uses Microshift components which most people on here think are a little "mushy" when compared to any of the other 3 big players. Don't know about component replacement cost/availability either. My gut instinct would be to stick to Shimano/SRAM and or Camp.

3. Longcliffe - 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 - £939-769-599. I think he felt the middle range was a bit pointless, and it'd be better to go with entry level or the better one.

Had a look at the 2.0 and that has a decent spec.

General comments - if you're going to commute on it make sure you can fit mudguards and possibly a rack. Some of the bikes above don't give this option. For a L2P ride, and the associated training, you want to go for a light wheel set and, as they're going to be taking a lot of hammer, decent components. For the price range you mention you should be able to get at least Shimano Tiagra/SRAM Apex.

Don't be too obsessed with the weight of the bike. You're better off concentrating on the comfort aspect. If you've come from a hybrid you might want to look for a more upright "sportive" position rather than an out and out race one. You're going to be sat in that saddle a long time. Better make it an enjoyable experience.

 

[dodd82]

Thanks for taking the time to respond with so much detail.

The problem is, every way I turn, I just face more questions than answers - many of which are about things I don't even understand.

I wonder whether I'd be better off just buying a second hand bike and see how it goes.

It's a lot of money for something I know absolutely nothing about.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I would try some probably before you buy them. When I bought my first road bike I just thought that I wanted a more comfortable riding position after doing a bit of research on here and other internet sites. I tried a second hand Boardman racing bike that somebody at work was selling to see if I liked the more race oriented position and I hated it. I am sure that I would of got used to it eventually but I really do not think it is for me.

The bike I bought 2 1/2 years ago a Specialized Secteur Sport has a much more relaxed riding position and I have not regretted buying it for one minute. The more I read on here and other places the more not being able to change gears on the drops with the 2010 Sora thumb shifters irritated me. So I got some Tiagra shifters for it that cost a lot of money. 2 years on and I hardly ever ride on the drops and the gear change is marginally slicker, so I consider it a waste of money.

But if you do want the options of riding on the drops easier make sure that you get a bike with the shifters that allow you to do it easily as it is expensive to change further down the line. I am not sure about other manufacturers but 2013 Sora does have paddle shifters that allow this, they just look exactly the same as my Tiagra 9 speed shifters (probably are just re-badged) these work really well. The Shimano 2300 shifters have thumb shifters which make changing gear from the drops a pain, if you require this that is. But as I said always best to have the option as it will cost you more to change in the future.

My bike was a previous years model and had around £200 knocked off it so I do not feel so bad about the extra that I spent on it.

 

[dodd82]

Thanks for the advice - but I guess most shops don't have the bikes in stock, in the right size, to try?

Also, what do you mean about riding on the drops? Sorry, I don't know what that means!

 

[biggs682]

@dodd82 on the drops to me means riding on the lower section of the bars , hoods is when you ride with your crook of your hand over the top of the brake levers .

 

[vickster]

Do you have an Evans nearby, they have a very wide range and are willing to provide testrides if you let them charge a penny to your CC as collateral? Giant Defy roadbikes are popular and there are 5 models in the range from £400-£1000 ish for the alu version. If you have a Giant store, they should let you test ride, at least on a turbo in the shop. Where are you based?

The drops are the bottom bit of the handlebars on a curly handlebar road bike Hoods are the rubber bits over the brake levers and the tops are the flat bit of the bar between the brakes. Shoulders are the curved bit between the hoods and the tops

 

[dodd82]

Right, thanks for explaining. That makes sense, although coming from a hybrid, do you think it's likely that I'll ride leaning over on the drops?

I don't think there is an Evans nearby but I will look into it.

I guess what isn't helping is that the key differences between bike styles mean nothing to me, because I've not experienced them.

 

[vickster]

Style is less important that getting a bike that fits you, although it has to be pleasing for you to ride it

 

[Phixion]

Main differences between bikes as they go up in price:

Better frames
Better groupset (Crank/Gears/Shifters etc)
Better wheels
Better components

In my experience most big brands (Giant, Trek, Specialized etc) are real tight when it comes to a decent groupset, you'll find yourself paying more for one of them than say a CUBE or BTWIN bike.

CUBE bikes have excellent components for the price and tend to use all branded parts rather than generic stuff for things like seatpost/stem etc. They are German made, great paint, some have internal cable routing.

BTWIN bikes are popular as they are cheap, have a lifetime frame and fork guarantee and good components for the price. You can buy these at Decathlon stores. I think they are a French brand.

Boardman bikes are good value for money, they tend to use SRAM rather than Shimano for their groupsets, only downside is you can only buy from Halfords in the UK.

To understand the value for money you are getting from a bike you need to understand the groupset hierarchy, check this for more info. If you are looking at a Road bike (even flatbar) you really want the road groupsets (Sora, Tiagra, 105, Ultegra, Dura-Ace etc) rather than MTB/Cross groupsets (Altus, Acera, Alivio, Deore etc).

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Right, thanks for explaining. That makes sense, although coming from a hybrid, do you think it's likely that I'll ride leaning over on the drops?

You don't know until you get into it really. That is why I suggested getting gear shifters that allow easier shifting from the drops. Its not a necessity, but probably good to have if your budget allows it.

 

[dodd82]

.

Thanks for everyone's help.

I am inclined to buy from my local bike shop, because they're helpful and only 2 minutes away if something goes wrong.

Do you have any opinion about the quality of the ones that I mentioned in my original post, which they are suggesting to me?

Thanks

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

number 2 gets a reasonable BR review

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-moda-rubato-11-43696

 

[dodd82]

number 2 gets a reasonable BR review

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-moda-rubato-11-43696

Thanks - that is interesting.

Although I wonder whether I am being seduced into buying a better bike than I would ever do justice, and perhaps all I need is just something basic?

After all, I'm no racer!

 

[Phixion]

I wouldn't buy any of the 3 brands listed, primarily because I haven't heard of 2 and I don't know much about Moda.

For £999 you have many options, I don't think the Moda is the best option... IMO you'd get better components on a CUBE or FOCUS bike.

There's a lot of love for the BTWIN bikes on here, the entry level BTWIN 3 (Red) is only £299. http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-red-road-bike-id_8274036.html