Picking between these 4 bikes...

[Feastie]

I've been bike hunting for MONTHS now and have had loads of help along the way - also from people on this forum who gave me some great tips about going out to see what I could find, and basically I've narrowed it down to 5 bikes. In essence, I'm looking for a women's road bike which is going to get the best bang for my buck in terms of the quality/£££ spent ratio!

Different bike shops keep telling me different things (e.g. both Giant and Specialised apparently have the best frames in the business, which clearly cannot be true - I'm sure both are good but how can both be demonstrably better than each other?!) so I'm after some neutral opinions from people who do not own a Specialised bike shop(!). Also I'm a bit confused by the Boardman bikes as these do not have a comparable spec - I've been checking bikes for things like Sora/Tiagra etc. and Boardman bikes have some other type of spec which I don't really understand fully to know whether it's better or worse than normal bikes.

These are the 5 I'm looking at:
2012 Giant Avail 3
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-Avail-3-Womens-2012-Road-Bike_48710.htm

2012 Giant Avail 2
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/46987/Giant_Avail_2_2012_Womens_Bike

Boardman Road Race Bike
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_789247_langId_-1_categoryId_165710#tab2

Boardman Comp Bike
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_777761_langId_-1_categoryId_165710#tab2

Specialised Dolce Triple 2013
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/dolce-equipped-triple-2013-womens-road-bike-ec040974

I feel like the Specialised bike is probably over priced for what it is, but don't know whether the Giant 3 is a great deal (It's about £500) or there's something wrong with it! The Boardman bikes, as I said, I find hard to compare, so I'd be really interested to see what other people think. Also if I join British Cycling apparently there's 10% off both those Boardmans which is awesome (and cheaper than joining BC) so that appeals to me!

Thanks a bunch for any thoughts!

 

[vickster]

I ride the Avail 2 as does another member here. You are welcome to a ride on mine if you are fairly tall. I* went for it over the 3 as I wanted Tiagra or higher and the 1 doesn't take guards and rack

Don't personally like the looks of the boardmans and no rack lugs but they are meant to be great bikes. I did look at the white one with SRAM Apex. SRAM works in a similar way to Tiagra, except you double tap the lever under the brake lever to shift up and down. With Tiagra, you shift up with the lever below the brake and down with the brake lever itself. Sora is different again (at least on 2012 or earlier bike) in that there is a button for the shift one way

My carbon bike has this and again welcome to try if you are careful

I didn't want a Specialized and again the Tiagra ones were much more money - I paid £700 for the Avail

 

[vickster]

If in London, feel free to join our little pootling association/ club http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/south-west-london-women-cc-group.111185/#post-2038690

 

[Robwiz]

You really have to ride them to be certain. I did extensive research when buying a flat bar road bike for my OH last year and everything pointed to a Giant. When she rode it, however, she hated it – just couldn't get on with it: the fit; contact points; feel of the frame; gear shifting, etc. We looked at the Boardmans, and even though she could only ride it around Halfords' bike department, felt it was much more the bike for her.

SRAM Apex is excellent kit, so don't be put off.

 

[Feastie]

I ride the Avail 2 as does another member here. You are welcome to a ride on mine if you are fairly tall. I* went for it over the 3 as I wanted Tiagra or higher and the 1 doesn't take guards and rack

Don't personally like the looks of the boardmans and no rack lugs but they are meant to be great bikes. I did look at the white one with SRAM Apex. SRAM works in a similar way to Tiagra, except you double tap the lever under the brake lever to shift up and down. With Tiagra, you shift up with the lever below the brake and down with the brake lever itself. Sora is different again (at least on 2012 or earlier bike) in that there is a button for the shift one way

My carbon bike has this and again welcome to try if you are careful

I didn't want a Specialized and again the Tiagra ones were much more money - I paid £700 for the Avail

Actually I think it was on your original advice that I've been checking out the Avail 2! Unfortunately the £700 offer they had in the Cycle Surgery is over as they've run out of M size Avail2's and so if I wanted one I'd have to find some other place - that's mostly why I'm looking at the Avail 3, as they still had one of the right size which I've ordered in to try out and I figure it'll give me an idea of how the 2 would be in the absence of an actual 2.
I'm 5'6 (so not so that fairly tall - how tall is fairly tall?) but thanks for your kind offer! Also as and when I get a bike I'd definitely be interested in some kind of pootling association. I'm keen to join some kind of club and a pootle sounds a suitably not-too-hardcore-possibly-even-enjoyable level of cycling! Do you always meet around Kingston? I'm in Camden so would have to figure out how to get there. I feel lazy for not saying I'd cycle down, but central London cycling still terrifies me.

You really have to ride them to be certain. I did extensive research when buying a flat bar road bike for my OH last year and everything pointed to a Giant. When she rode it, however, she hated it – just couldn't get on with it: the fit; contact points; feel of the frame; gear shifting, etc. We looked at the Boardmans, and even though she could only ride it around Halfords' bike department, felt it was much more the bike for her.

SRAM Apex is excellent kit, so don't be put off.

Point definitely taken, I'm doing my best to arrange to sit on some of them, although so far been unsuccessful in getting any in the right size in a bike shop near me. Got some ordered in though (thanks to a hefty deposit, thank-you cycle surgery...) so fingers crossed!

Thanks both of you for the tip about the SRAM Apex thing, I'll be taking a trip to a Halfords near me then!

 

[vickster]

I think you may find a M too big at 5'6, I am 5'9 (and a bit) and feel stretched on the hoods. jefmcg is around that height and rides a small with a longer stem

I think the new Avail 2 is now out but I assume it's £800 again. There were virtually no M's anywhere when I got mine, Giant had none, I think mine was the last CS had in London - ironically it came from the Highgate store I believe

We have only met once, we are flexible on location - happy to take bikes on trains etc - can always get the Thameslink (FCC) from St Pancras / West Hampstead to Wimbledon