Is it the Frame or is it the Name ???

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Grayduff

Grayduff

Über Member
Location
Surrey
In a previous thread i mentioned that i was looking at getting a Specialized Roubaix at £1200(budget limited to that +/- £150 ) , I have ridden and do like the Spesh very much BUT it has Sora componenents, am i being blinded by the Spesh name and reputation because the frame is so good and willingly taking a knock on the components for the price OR should i be looking at other manufactures such as Trek, Felt,Cube ,Giant etc for the same price but better components..
So is it the Frame or is it the name that i am paying for...:smile:
 
PpPete

PpPete

Legendary Member
Location
Chandler's Ford
Plenty of carbon bling in that price range with 105 groupset.
Try and ride some of the other brands to compare before you spend out the money.
And, if you are looking at the Roubaix, is it for long distance comfort? Have you thought about titanium at £1350 you might get a Van Nic Mistral ?
Given your location, I'd recommend a trip to Corridori in Epsom. Based on my experience you'll get a lot of sound advice (and different bikes to try) even if you are not really planning on buying from them.
 
OP
OP
Grayduff

Grayduff

Über Member
Location
Surrey
PpPete said:
Plenty of carbon bling in that price range with 105 groupset.
Try and ride some of the other brands to compare before you spend out the money.
And, if you are looking at the Roubaix, is it for long distance comfort? Have you thought about titanium at £1350 you might get a Van Nic Mistral ?
Given your location, I'd recommend a trip to Corridori in Epsom. Based on my experience you'll get a lot of sound advice (and different bikes to try) even if you are not really planning on buying from them.
Click to expand...
Cheers PpPete i am in Epsom next week so will pop in...:thumbsup:
 
GrasB

GrasB

Veteran
Location
Nr Cambridge
Not knowing spesh that well it's hard to tell. Certainly at that price point you might find you've got a better frame with lower spec components on but you may just be paying for the name as well. As said go out & ride the bikes to find out.
 
black'n'yellow

black'n'yellow

Guest
Grayduff said:
In a previous thread i mentioned that i was looking at getting a Specialized Roubaix at £1200(budget limited to that +/- £150 ) , I have ridden and do like the Spesh very much BUT it has Sora componenents, am i being blinded by the Spesh name and reputation because the frame is so good and willingly taking a knock on the components for the price OR should i be looking at other manufactures such as Trek, Felt,Cube ,Giant etc for the same price but better components..
So is it the Frame or is it the name that i am paying for...:smile:
Click to expand...

The Roubaix is a good frame built to a price point. The other bikes you are looking at may offer more quality components, but with a lower quality frame in order to hit the same price point. "You pays yer money," etc....
 
FreeFlow Bikes

FreeFlow Bikes

Active Member
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
Don't get too hung up on a name. It's the same with anything from cameras to tv's etc.

Specialized are a good make so are Cube, Lapierre, KTM, Trek, Felt, Giant, Colnago............ the list goes on. What to do is think about your max budget and look at the different brands to see what components you could get with your budget. Narrow it down to 2 or 3 different brands then go look at them on the flesh, sit on them and if possible get a test ride on them.

Personally I have the 2010 Cube Agree GTC Pro Carbon Road bike and for the money got a lot of kit. I have since upgraded the brakes to Dura Ace and upgraded to Carbon FSA Bars.
 
A

amaferanga

Veteran
Location
Bolton
If you're buying with cash then for your £1350 budget you could get a high end used bike instead of a bike with Shimano's budget groupset.

For example have a browse here

Planet X also have a few options in your price range with much, much better groupsets.
 
Robwiz

Robwiz

Regular
Choosing a bike ought to be easy (budget, purpose, spec, etc.) Reading reviews isn't always helpful because many reviewers wrongly attribute performance characteristics to the frame when it's more likely the wheels/tyres. For example, Moda bikes are carving out a good reputation by including 'better than expected' quality wheels on their range.

Consumer marketing is at play, so the best-known brands probably offer the worst value for money. The leading manufacturers got to be big by spending money on advertising, sponsoring pro teams and giving dealers big margins and bonuses. On the other hand, in theory they spend more on R&D but whether that delivers better than a knowledgable ex-pro rider who now owns bike maker (e.g. Chris Boardman) is open to speculation.

The bike that's most comfortable will the best choice because you'll want to ride it because it's enjoyable. Only if you're looking to compete seriously and you've pushed your strength and fitness as far as humanly possible will you benefit from the Ultegra/Sora difference.
 
vickster

vickster

Squire
I think corridori sell spesh, bianchi and pinorello. If in Epsom fudges on upper high street had a composite giant with 105 for a grand, have other bikes too. Also Pearson in Sutton have a good range including their own lovely frames to build with
 
ayceejay

ayceejay

Guru
Location
Rural Quebec
The most common components a bike maker economizes on are wheels and saddle it seems to me, if you reckon that you will change these items fairly soon don't forget to include this in your budget. From my experience with trying to adjust the Sora changers on my wife's Cannondale I would look for something better, such as 105. In the end though I think you need to take yourself to a decent LBS such as Pearsons as mentioned above .
 
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