hmmm,what bike ?

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Hi all

Last year i wanted to get into road biking after riding a hybrid.

Bought a second hand trek 1000 wsd (didn't know it was women specific until someone pointed it out DOH)but it has served me well.

Anyway because I've got a big birthday coming up soon my wife and sons have said they are going to pitch together and give me £600 to spend on a new bike.

i'm looking towards a triple because although i live in essex we still have hills,i'm not getting any younger and i'm getting a bit of gyp on one of my knees.

At the moment i've got it down to three bikes and i would like your input and knowledge on these bikes.

They are the cannondale synapse 2300 triple,specialized secteur triple 2013 and the giant defy 4 triple.

Also i would be interested if anyone thinks a compact would be a good idea as you certainly get more choice with that chainset.

Looking forward to your comments.

 

[cyberknight]

Hi all

Last year i wanted to get into road biking after riding a hybrid.

Bought a second hand trek 1000 wsd (didn't know it was women specific until someone pointed it out DOH)but it has served me well.

Anyway because I've got a big birthday coming up soon my wife and sons have said they are going to pitch together and give me £600 to spend on a new bike.

i'm looking towards a triple because although i live in essex we still have hills,i'm not getting any younger and i'm getting a bit of gyp on one of my knees.

At the moment i've got it down to three bikes and i would like your input and knowledge on these bikes.

They are the cannondale synapse 2300 triple,specialized secteur triple 2013 and the giant defy 4 triple.

Also i would be interested if anyone thinks a compact would be a good idea as you certainly get more choice with that chainset.

Looking forward to your comments.

I think women specific bikes are a bit of a misnomer, they tend to have a bit higher head tube and shorter top tube based on average slight differences in torso/leg length compared to male specific models but nothing a combination of seat setup along with stem adjustment should not compensate for.At the end of the day if a bike fits and you like the colour who are we to say girly pink is wrong, although with the giro on atm you can tell your mates its in homage to the maglia rosa.
Triples do tend to offer more gear choices with a lower bottom range for climbing but you do get some gear overlap with some gears giving the same ratio , a compact double on the other hand can offer a similar top and bottom gear range but with bigger jumps between ratios so if you like to pedal at a certain cadence you might find it odd .
I only ride compact doubles as its what my bikes came with but i get on fine with them and i never feel i do not have an easy enough gear , both shimano and sram offer compact doubles that can go down to a 30/32 tooth on the back combined with a 34 on the front should see you up pretty much anything.
As far as the bikes you have chosen i would say they are all fine bikes, sure people have preferences based on what they ride and magazine hype so i would say the best thing to do is go and try them for size and see what feels the best for you.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

After having a good look around my local bike shops i eventually decided on the giant defy 4.

Thankyou to cyberknight for my one and only reply.