Road bike advice

[Paul82]

I'm looking to purchase my first road bike, probably a 2013 model in a sale and have my eye on a few. The bike will be used for training and triathlons, no more 60km rides. Here are the bikes I've been looking at, max budget of £800;
-bianchi via nirone 7 xenon £800
-Mekk 2G Poggio P2.0 £800
-Planet X RT-58 aluminium frame £600
-Merida Race Lite 904 2013 Bike £650

Any thoughts/advice? The merida looks a good spec for the price, but the bianchi is a good looking bike!

Thanks
Paul

 

[Puntsdog]

Get the Bianchi! Guess what I ride?!

 

[biggs682]

imho they are all a lot of money for a first road bike

 

[smokeysmoo]

The only correct choice is the one that fits you properly, anything else is a potential huge waste of money as chances are it won't get ridden.

So, test ride as many as possible, talk to the guys in store, (I mean proper LBS's and not Halfords though), and then you can make an informed choice of what to get.

FWIW with your budget I'd forget all about a carbon frame TBH. I was once told to buy the best frame your budget will allow, (which at £800 won't be carbon), then everything else is an easy upgrade over time, (if required).

All you'll get from threads like this are personal recommendations, any of which may or may not suit you, but personally I wouldn't be looking at any of the bikes you've mentioned. Why? They're all compact frames with sloping top tubes whereas I prefer traditional geometry on my bikes, like I say, personal recommendations.

You could of course also go down the used route, this way you get a LOT more bike for your buck.

Good luck though, I love shopping for bikes, it's just a shame that it won't be happening anytime soon!

 

[Paul82]

Tried the Merida and bianchi today, wasn't really taken on either, after further research, I've decided I want a 105 groupset as a minimum. Add this in to the mix and it makes a £800 budget very difficult to achieve

I was surprised at how heavy the Merida felt compared to the carbon option in the same range. I'm going to have a trip to Planet X and try their carbon pro, ultegra groupset, full carbon bike, £999. It's above my original budget, but it may be worth stretching to avoid upgrading in the near future.

Anyone got the Planet X?

 

[And]

I've got one, the SRAM version. I'm sure people will get sick of me saying this, but you really cannot go wrong with the Planet X. In my personal opinion for the price, and including the Ultegra groupset, you will not get better. When you can afford it, the only upgrade you may want to do is the wheels - everything else is sorted. They weigh very little, ride really well, climb well; it can feel like there is a little bit of flex in the front end sometimes, but I weigh 14+ stones and I do not ride gently.
Buy one - you won't regret it.
Andy.
p.s. I bought mine second hand, and it came with the SRAM - give me Shimano every time.

 

[SteCenturion]

Hi Paul82 .

If it were my £ (& it ain't) I would go for the Planet X or look at a higher end Aluminium bike like a Giant Defy 1 or Cube Peloton Race (both have a 105 groupset) with the Cube being my personal favourite.
You would be looking for a 2013 model for £800 though.

The Mekk Poggio might be worth a look too but I confess I don't know enough about the brand to give you best advice.

At £1k price point though I genuinely have never seen another model that is as well specced as the Planet X & there are a lot of fans.

The only other suggestion I have for a Carbon bike is the Ribble R872 or Gran Fondo (R872 has a big following).
This will probably restrict you to a Shimano Tiagra Groupset though (unless they have a deal on).

If you have C2W scheme available to you then this is the way to go to stretch your budget.
This will get you a £1k bike for around £700 or less total spend (salary sacrifice).

Good Luck Hunting.

 

[Kestevan]

Planet X every time. The bikes are excellent quality, and the spec is tob notch for the money.

[quote="And, post: 2881334, member: 152"
p.s. I bought mine second hand, and it came with the SRAM - give me Shimano every time.[/quote]

On the other hand, I have a Planet X RT-57, with SRAM rival, and I wont ever willingly go back to Shimano.