Specialized Dolce Elite - too much bike for casual cycling?

[Zakalwe]

All that depends on your employer. The rental part of it is a legal loophole, as it's a company purchase to be loaned to staff it's VAT exempt, the savings passed on to you. The sale to "transfer ownership" is down to your employer, mine didn't care and I paid nothing. Maintenance and replacement I can't see any argument with, I wouldn't expect my employer to pay for that. No cancellation, I wish I was able to cancel any loans I take out and give them back whatever was remaining with no questions!

 

[jefmcg]

Wow, 4. Sorry we are about to lose Vickster for a month, because if the CycleChat SW London Female Roadie Pootling Association* existed, she would be it's founding President.

Ktp, a quick observation, CycleSurgery don't seem to hold Avails in store. I haven't seen any Giants in CS - been in two recently - and Vickster had to order hers in. FWIW, the Giant store in Twickenham (took my bike in for free service yesterday) still had an Avail 2 in XS which is very cheap I believe, and a 2013 Avail 2. Looks very similar, except for the colour, I'd guess the price would be around £850.

ABV: Sora vs Tiagra - on your bike with Sora, you press a little button with your to change to the smaller cog, and use the brake lever to change to a larger one. With Tiagra or better, you have a second lever under your brake lever, so you can move up or down from the drops.

ABV (part 2): Off the road for most of summer, because of a flat tyre???? Can highly recommend the Richmond LCC maintenance nights http://www.richmondlcc.co.uk/events/maintenance-workshop/ if you need some help finding your way around your bike. Just don't mention my name if you go, I think me (and my folder) drove the poor guy crazy!

joan

* Need to come up with a better name than that.

 

[vickster]

No cancellation, I wish I was able to cancel any loans I take out and give them back whatever was remaining with no questions!

I am sure all the loans I have had have been able to be paid off at any time...other than a fixed-rate mortgage! Never bothered as other than a very small student loan back in the dark ages, they have mostly be interest free so no point!

 

[vickster]

@ jfmcg - mine was ordered in as the Croydon branch had no stock, but they sourced it from the Highbury branch I believe. There are big CS's at Spitalfields and just off Victoria St, may have a wider choice

I hope it won't be a month - will need to see what the surgeon says after he sticks a great big needle in my tendon!

 

[jefmcg]

Barbican didn't seem to have any Giants of any variety in stock, and I didn't notice any in Spitalfields, certainly no Avails, didn't study the other ranges.

I've only seen one Avail 2 on my commute, which makes me happy: both seeing it, and there being not to many. Lots of Defys about.

 

[vickster]

Yep, those blokes get everywhere Not as ubiquitous as Allez'es though

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

ABV (part 2): Off the road for most of summer, because of a flat tyre???? Can highly recommend the Richmond LCC maintenance nights http://www.richmondlcc.co.uk/events/maintenance-workshop/ if you need some help finding your way around your bike. Just don't mention my name if you go, I think me (and my folder) drove the poor guy crazy!

Thanks. I took a maintenance course in Brixton a few months back although it didn't actually teach us how to change a puncture but I'm now a *freakin genius at brake pads and cables. Lexie has sat with the flat for the summer because when I changed the original puncture it took me over an hour to do and getting the tyre off was a pain in the arse. I managed to get it all done, gave the tyre a quick pump at 9am on a Sunday morning as I was running out the door and snapped the valve off. I've lost the will to live with it but need to do it before I take the bike to Glasgow next month. Besides, I use my hybrid for commuting and pootling so I haven't missed the roadie.

*I'm not really.

 

[vickster]

Last puncture cost me £15 to repair including new Specialized tube...I know I know, but frankly my technical ineptitude and ability to get very frustrated with such things (plus the tennis elbow making one arm even more useless) meant this was stunning vfm!!

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

I literally cried through frustration and was just glad that I was working in my conservatory and not by the side of the road in pouring rain or on a night ride with others watching.

 

[jefmcg]

I was with a couple of friends, had 3 flats in a row. Decided I should buy a new tyre, and dropped into Evans. They offered to fit it for another £15, but I'd just done that 3 times, I didn't need their help! That was my introduction to Marathon Plus tyres.

I don't think that any tyre could be harder to fit than 16" Marathon Plus. 45 minutes and 3 broken tyre levers later I was a ball of sweaty obscenities, alone now as apparently I was mean to my friends ... even though it was their fault, somehow ...

(ie, I know what you mean)

 

[vickster]

So if the pootling, coffee swigging posse get a flat, you're our gal!! Luckily I was. 2 minutes from the LBS. I do now have a pump but no tools or know-how

 

[vickster]

Nasty (not really) needle-toting specialist says I can ride as soon as I feel up to it, but mustn't aggravate the elbow - so no lifting the bike upstairs etc...I'll keep y'all posted!

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

I got off my fat backside tonight and sorted Lexie and it was surprisingly easy although I did need a hand getting the last bit of tyre back on the rim. Soap and Glory's Scrub Your Nose In It is a crap face scrub but surprisingly good for getting dirt and grease off hands, even better than Clarins body scrub

 

[Ktp]

Lol at Clarins body scrub used for bike grease :-)) <lost emoticons box>.
So didn't get to try Avail as LBS didn't have my size but have gone for broke and ordered the Spesh Dolce Elite 2012 for £840 which I am pretty pleased about. Now going through C2W system so down to it's and my HR and Finance dept's efficiency before I can get my mitts on it tho...
Have done the maths and is worth me doing to save the tax/NI, and end of term fee to take ownership is 7% of value. Have done 10 years at my current employer so am taking a punt I'll still be around in a year's time (or will have done a bunk to the Alps anyway).
My bike's arrival will hopefully co-incide with your return from Tennis Elbow r&r Vickster and we can get SW coffee/Pootle off the ground.
Thanks for all the insight and opinion - hugely appreciated. Am sure I'll be regularly back with more entry-level questions soon...
Kt

 

[vickster]

Fantastic on the bike !

We can always do the coffee and talk about bikes ... and fancy French face cleansers