I hate deciding

[Doyleyburger]

Just sold my my bumble bee (Carrera tdf) and looking forward to getting a new road steed. I will probably buy second hand as I can save myself a few hundred on the list prices. I just don't see the point in buying brand new when so many people spend lots of money on bikes to see if they like cycling, just to decide they don't.
Their loss, my gain !!!!
Took time out of the festivities yesterday to visit my LBS, who offered me great advice and allowed me to check out a few of their awesome 2 wheelers they have.
Advice given was to ignore the group set for now as that can be upgraded any time......if desired. Go for a frame that suits my style, which in my case would be a less aggressive style and more upright and comfortable.....but who knows, maybe my style will change as I progress with my cycling.
Love the look of the defy models, particularly the defy 1, which I could save about £400 by buying one privately. Specialized are also taking my Interest, amongst others which include bianchi, boardman, cube etc.....
Damn it I hate choosing, but I ain't gonna rush into buying anything just yet like I have done in the past, what with me being the most impatient person in the world and all that

 

[Roadrider48]

Hope you didn't lose too much money on the TDF mate. There are some good bargains out there to be had.
I am sure you will get a good'n. Put pics up when you do....

 

[Doyleyburger]

No I did well on the tdf tbh.
Although was on ebay 4 times before it sold.
Will put pics on for sure

 

[midliferider]

It is interesting to read the comment
"Advice given was to ignore the group set for now as that can be upgraded any time.."
I am not so sure about that. Tiagra or 105 group set alone cost about £300. Then the cost of fitting.
Any views?

 

[Doyleyburger]

It is interesting to read the comment
"Advice given was to ignore the group set for now as that can be upgraded any time.."
I am not so sure about that. Tiagra or 105 group set alone cost about £300. Then the cost of fitting.
Any views?

What he was getting at was that the frame should be the first thing to look at when buying a bike. You can get carbon framed bikes that come with a lower quality group set or a aluminium bike with 105 etc.... hence the reason why I'm very much undecided on what to go with. Having thought about it I think I'd go with a frame that suits my needs first and foremost and make do with the components for now. I'd quite happily then save for the upgrades as and when necessary ........I think :/

 

[midliferider]

What he was getting at was that the frame should be the first thing to look at when buying a bike. You can get carbon framed bikes that come with a lower quality group set or a aluminium bike with 105 etc.... hence the reason why I'm very much undecided on what to go with. Having thought about it I think I'd go with a frame that suits my needs first and foremost and make do with the components for now. I'd quite happily then save for the upgrades as and when necessary ........I think :/

What you mean by frame here is the material of the frame? Aluminium or Carbon? as opposed to the geometry of the frame.

 

[Doyleyburger]

Both. Although I'm more likely to lean towards an aluminium frame.
I was just trying to say that people that buy a carbon bike could have the same issue with the group set having spent lots of money on the bike. Like you said.....£300 + fitting. Some people, I'd imagine would think that having better components would be the first thing to look at, where as I a was recommended to look at the frame first

 

[midliferider]

I came here few months ago seeking advice to buy a road bike. I learned a lot. In addition, I read various other articles on the internet. In my usual geeky way, I developed my own step by step guide to buying a road bike. Here it is.

1. What geometry? There are two main types. Racing which provides a more aggressive posture and Sportive or more relaxed posture. There are some debate that this is a marketing hype and there is really no difference. I listened to both sides of the argument and decided to buy a more sportive type of frame as it suits my need.

2. What type of gear ratio would you like? I wanted a gear ratio as close to 1 as possible. Therefore I decided to go for a triple in front. You can get compact set up with two in the front (50, 34) and rear cassette of 12-32 which still gives you less than one gear ratio. I opted for triple as I gives me more options.

3. Group set. As a minimum, you must have Tiagra. Some will say that there is no significant difference between Tiagra and 105. In price, there is.

4. Wheel set; I opted for Mavic Askium. Those wheels on its own cost about £200. Therefore it may be false economy to go for a cheaper wheel set.

5. Now think about your budget. Can you afford the same specification in Carbon? That starts around £1100. But you can get Alu one with same specification for about £6-700.
I bought Cube Agree GTC Pro Triple for just over £1100. It came just before Christmas and weather was not so good to test it properly. I have now done about 100 miles in that. So far my verdict is, Triban 3 is much better than this expensive carbon bike.

 

[Doyleyburger]

Fair play that's a pretty good buyers guide but I not sure i agree with the must have Tiagra. On my tdf I had a claris setup which was silky smooth believe it or not and although i haven't ridden my mates boardman team carbon which had 105, my gears seemed to shift a lot quieter and smoother than his. The boardman seemed very clunky and noisy.....perhaps this is down to how we were shifting or the fact that the boardman was due a service ( but then again, so was mine)
Carbon is not a necessity for me right now as aluminium still have plenty to say in the bike market and what with still being relatively new to the sport, I still have a lot to learn. Perhaps 2 or 3 years down the line I might be ready for carbon but for now I'm happy stepping up gradually.
There is so much reading material that recommends this or doesn't recommend that, which makes it extremely difficult to find that happy medium of finding the perfect bike. But we can't help reading it because what else have we got to go by..... apart from cycle chat of course

 

[midliferider]

What I have provided is a step wise way to decide. In each step, you can make your own decision.
As you can see, in my guide, the frame material only come as the last step.
There is some evidence that expensive, lighter carbon bike is not that important. There is very little evidence to show that these expensive bikes has significant impact on a leisure rider or a commuter.

 

[SteCenturion]

Take this with a pinch of salt or FWIW.
Your 1st thought (Giant defy 1) is an excellent choice.
I owned an older Tiagra 9 speed Defy & it was an excellent bike although I made an error in sizing.
You could bag a 2012 or 13 Defy 1 in ace 'nick for a lot less than the £1k new price.
This would have a group set of mostly Shimano 105.
I particularly like the white/blue model from 2012 I believe.
I do own a carbon Race geometry bike with full Sram Force but will be going for an aluminium Cube Peloton Race in a few months (full 105 group) as I am worried about having 'an off' on carbon.
Both the Defy & Cube Peloton come up regularly on ebay so you could have lots of shots at getting the right one for you (main thing being the condition & size).
As for Giant they use a compact geometry & I found the Large too big at 6ft 0' but they now do a M/L which would be perfect.
Cube bikes tend to be slightly under sized so I would need a 58 L or even a 60 XL (inside leg 33').
Hope to be of help &
Good luck hunting.

 

[vickster]

Couple of hundred off a new 2013 Defy 1 here if you'd rather not buy used

http://www.ashcycles.com/site/giant-defy-1-2013-white

They have 17.5% off the 2014 model too

 

[Peteaud]

).
As for Giant they use a compact geometry & I found the Large too big at 6ft 0' but they now do a M/L which would be perfect

Cube bikes tend to be slightly under sized so I would need a 58 L or even a 60 XL (inside leg 33').
Hope to be of help &
Good luck hunting.

6 foot here, my Giant (Defy 2) is a M/L,

 

[Cuchilo]

A new Defy 1 for £800 is a bargin .

I bought the Defy 5 as I liked the defy range and my research led me to this was the right step into a good road bike although it was the starter of the range .
I was looking at other road bikes in the LBS , some more , some less money and the owner kept pointing to the defy and I think he was right .
I did look at second hand but to be honest I would rather buy from new when it comes to bikes . I wouldn't buy a car from new but bikes are cheap enough to spend the extra few quid to have peace of mind and you know there is no history on it . I may buy second hand from here or a friend but not from ebay etc .
Ive just bought a TCR1 Advanced which is a more aggressive ride than the Defy and I prefer it although it is my new bike so I would
I think riding on the hoods is about the same as the Defy but you are noticeably lower on the drops . Although ive only done 90 miles on it over the last few days ( three thirty miles ) I wouldn't call it a more aggressive ride than the Defy . I agree with the comment above that aggressive is a marketing term . I think its the wrong word to use to define the two apart .