Seeking advice on £800-£900 quick bike

[SteCenturion]

@EasyPeez

Ribble do a number of carbon bikes at sub £1K money, however they do have a bit of a poor rep with some for customer service/after sales (although others have had no issues).

Also to consider is that Ribble & Planet X & to an extent Dolan, who all have sub £1K carbon bikes tend to use fairly 'old school' generic frames that are referred to as 'open mould' so same frame used by several brands & open to supply to any brand who will pay.

This is not necessarily a bad thing as it keeps price down & in the case of Ribbles R872 , it's a class frame that is also used by Italian marque De Rosa (at twice the price).

To get to the price Ribble also spec the bikes quite low with basic lower end parts for the wheels, saddle, bar, stem, seatpost, tyres & tubes etc.
When you go into the bike builder option there aren't that many other options & what is there can start to push up the final price considerably.

This is why I recommend a 2014 bike from 'last season'.
You might get 10 speed instead of 11 or have last years colours but you really can save a packet.

Look at deals on Cube, Giant, Focus, Felt & Bianchi in aluminium or carbon from places like www.paulscycles.co.uk or www.winstanleysbikes.com or www.rutlandcycling.com or www.merlincycles.com

 

[EasyPeez]

Won't Evans get some of the Genesis models in for you to look at? Or maybe you could narrow it down to two and give a commitment you would go for one or the other.

They said they'd order a bike in but I would then have to buy it, and the guy said they often struggle to get any Genesis in beyond what they have in stock listed on their website - he said it usually takes 6-10 weeks and then sometimes after waiting that long it will come back that the requested bike is sold out and not available to them. Sounds like a bit of an ordeal to go through without being 100% I actually want one in the first place.

I'll see how the test rides go at the weekend, I might be able to put the Genesis out of my mind after that with a bit of luck!

This is why I recommend a 2014 bike from 'last season'.
You might get 10 speed instead of 11 or have last years colours but you really can save a packet.

Thanks. Have just started in on your advice now. From an initial search this looks good value, and poss just what I'm after - quick, light and well-specced but not as full on aggressive a riding position, and with slightly wider tyres than a 'racing' road bike...

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/synapse-disc-5-105-2014-road-bike-ec054416

Anyone got thoughts on the Synapse?

Thanks again for all your help on this guys and gals :-)

 

[vickster]

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I'll see how the test rides go at the weekend, I might be able to put the Genesis out of my mind after that with a bit of luck!

Don't want to do a thing like that

There are a few synapse disc owners if you do a search

 

[Cycleops]

I'll see how the test rides go at the weekend, I might be able to put the Genesis out of my mind after that with a bit of luck!

You'll be missing out on that lovely steel ride!

 

[nobbyp]

Brian Evesham just posted this puppy at a cracking price on another thread - full 105 for sub £600 - I rip their hands off if it wasnt for the brand new Focus in the garage

http://www.merlincycles.com/felt-f75-road-bike-2014-71825.html

 

[EasyPeez]

Brian Evesham just posted this puppy at a cracking price on another thread - full 105 for sub £600 - I rip their hands off if it wasnt for the brand new Focus in the garage

http://www.merlincycles.com/felt-f75-road-bike-2014-71825.html

That looks an absolute steal at that price - 105 groupset and carbon forks, plus a great looking bike, for £700?!
No good for me though as there are no pannier fixings :-(

There are a few synapse disc owners if you do a search

So there are...thanks, I really need to start searching before I post!

You'll be missing out on that lovely steel ride!

I know, I know...but it seems so damn hard to find anywhere within a 100 mile radius where I can take a spin on one before buying.

 

[vickster]

Evans are the best out there for test rides - free, no quibbles, no expectation to buy, refundable £50 deposit for them to get bikes in that are in stock but not on the shop floor

You can get a reasonable idea on a turbo for a decent amount of time if retailers aren't willing to let you take the bike without some commitment to buy

 

[EasyPeez]

You can get a reasonable idea on a turbo for a decent amount of time if retailers aren't willing to let you take the bike without some commitment to buy

Yeah, I've just spoken to a nearby dealer and they have a Synapse Disc 5 in and have said I can have a go on the turbo if I like so going to give that a go first thing tomorrow :-)
Then I'll test the Treks and the Raleigh on the road. Only trouble is my LBS are asking over £1,000 for a 2014 Disc 5 (yet bizarrely £999 for this year's model?!) and at Evans it's just £850. So will prob end up going to Evans anyway if that's the one I like best.
Am struggling to work out if the Disc 5 has pannier mounts too because the LBS are telling me no and that a pannier rack would be hard to fit due to the "aero frame shape" but the pic on the Evans site and one of the comments suggests it does come with mounts. Given this and the price quoted I'm wondering if the guy on the phone isn't even looking at the right bike...we'll see in the morning anyhow. Cheers.

 

[vickster]

You can mount panniers (albeit light ones) on a seat post rack if needed (as long as the post isn't carbon)

 

[EasyPeez]

Interesting how advice varies so wildly from shop to shop!
Evans in Sheffield tell me a 54cm will suit me fine (I'm just under 5'9") and that the bike has pannier mounts. Minster Cycles in Hull tell me the bike won't take a pannier and that 54cm will be borderline for me, Evans in York say they don't have any in but could order one, but that 54cm is smallest they can get in for the 2014 model and it will be too big for me!
Bonkers. Clearly I need to get myself into some shops as this phone advice is nonsense and just makes the whole thing messier.

 

[EasyPeez]

You can mount panniers (albeit light ones) on a seat post rack if needed (as long as the post isn't carbon)

It's an alloy seat post on the Synapse 5 but based on advice I got in a different thread I really need a proper frame rack. Thanks though.

 

[vickster]

Look at the geometries. I think Cannondale do come up on the larger side, 54cm would be fine if that's the top tube, but you need to see how they measure and ride. See how long the stock stem is, you can always add a shorter one

 

[vickster]

It's an alloy seat post on the Synapse 5 but based on advice I got in a different thread I really need a proper frame rack. Thanks though.

Depends how much you plan to carry, a fixed pannier is better, e.g. if touring but a seatpost one would be ok for a light commute

Advice - if a fixed rack, get the LBS to fit even if it costs a few quid more than buying cheap online! You'll obviously need a disc brake one

 

[Cycleops]

You'll find most road bikes won't have fixings for panniers, plus they might interfere with the disc brakes if put on with "P" clips. So I should forget about the Disc 5 and get a CX bike as they mostly have the braze on fittings and brake clearance would be taken into account.

 

[vickster]

Have you looked at Whyte's disk braked road offerings?