Sub £1000 winter bike - through C2W

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400bhp

Guru
I'm after a winter road bike, will be used for commutes (100 miles a week) and weekend rides when the weather is poor. I'd like it to be a reasonably quick bike and not tourer geometry.

I have a CAAD9 and a Carrera subway at the moment, but would like a winter road bike. The CAAD9 is great and I has been through last winter, although it does get tiresome when using it through the week and having to fettle with it to be ready for the weekend (and vice versa). With that in mind I would prefer something that has proper mudguard bosses and hopefully means a few more options for the week/weekend.

The C2W is likely to be with Cyclescheme, although this has yet to be conformed.

At the moment I have:

Ribble winter trainer. Essentially £700 with Tiagra groupset. Positives - cheap, good reviews. Negative - have to fork out a £50 admin fee for using a C2W voucher, can't try it.

Tifosi Ck7 Veloce. £800 odd - best winter bike on review in this months Cycling Plus. Has Campag groupset that I am unfamiliar with? Not sure if local shops will have these in store?

Kinesis T2 - £RRP 950+. Good review in cycling Plus. Can I source one locally?

Thoughts/other options?
 

amaferanga

Veteran
Location
Bolton
Aren't the Ribble and Tifosi just the same frame anyway? Whatever frame you go for I'd get one with a compatible groupset to your CAAD9 so you can swap bits around and move bits from the CAAD9 to your winter bike as you upgrade the CAAD9 (which you obviously will do at some point cos everyone does right?).
 
OP
OP
400bhp

400bhp

Guru
Aren't the Ribble and Tifosi just the same frame anyway? Whatever frame you go for I'd get one with a compatible groupset to your CAAD9 so you can swap bits around and move bits from the CAAD9 to your winter bike as you upgrade the CAAD9 (which you obviously will do at some point cos everyone does right?).

I don't know if they are the same frameset, but this is one of the reasons I ask :thumbsup:

Yes, you're right with the swapping around, although the caad has a triple chainset so a bit more infolved.
 
OP
OP
400bhp

400bhp

Guru
Speak to surosa cycles in oldham. Another take on the ribble/tifosi model but they built cracking bikes.

Oooohh, good one Greg - how did you find out about these?

Are you thinking of the Surosa Toledo bike?
 
OP
OP
400bhp

400bhp

Guru
Thanks - my ignorance means I know nothing of the parts on that bike (microshift bona, barelli alloy). Is it good stuff? what would it be broadly equivalent to in the shimano range?

Microshift stuff is actually pretty good - shimano compatible. My lad uses it on his Moda Major and it works well. Barelli is just the name on the brake capliers, but similar in quality to Tektro stuff, ie perfectly good for winter use..
 

Lee_M

Guru
I have a tifosi ck3 (soon to be sold on) and its an excellent bike, not sure you need something quite so flash as the ck7 as a winter hack!

Great quality bikes, but I think only available online?
 
OP
OP
400bhp

400bhp

Guru
I was tempted with this Dolan Bike

Thanks-I had this one in mind. A guy who works in the same building as me and they looked nice. It was also reviewed in cycling plus last month.

I had a chat with him yesterday and he agreed with what cycling plus said - the ride is very firm., so much so he is going to use something else over winter. Now, all these things are relative and for me it might be fine and it's not something I have fully discounted.

Note Dolan's carbon winter hack too :thumbsup:
 
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