Test ride(s)

[vickster]

Wouldn't be my choice but if it felt good for you, go for it. You do pay for a lower spec with Specialized but you get the lifetime frame warranty while it's in your possession. As Rob says, a bit of pootling on side streets isn't the same as doing a long ride as the Secteur is designed, tough though to go longer.

Plus the added challenge of finding your bike at the bike park amongst all the other Specializeds and having lots of other owners to wave at when out and about

 

[VamP]

I find people's insistence on test riding lots of bikes peculiar. Unless all the bikes in your test are set up exactly the same way to suit you personally, what are you really going to compare over a ten minute test ride? The divergence from your optimal set up is what.

 

[vickster]

The only bike I rode for any time was the Genesis as I wanted to see if steel as a material would work for me. I deliberately found rough surfaces to see how it and importantly my arms coped. I am now building one having bought the frame as I didn't want a Shimano groupset - as I found on the test ride that I can't actually brake from the hoods effectively on 105 brifters, so that was certainly a useful finding! Also wasn't sure what frame size I wanted, sat on both in the shop and just wanted confirmation of those findings

 

[VamP]

That's a bit different to lining up a bunch of similar bikes and then pootling about for 10 minutes on each though.

One way to deal with the 105 shifter issue could be a pair of these:

 

[vickster]

This is true - even my aches and pains take longer than 10 minutes to arrive lol

What am I looking at?

It's fine, the bike is being built with SRAM (and probably crosslevers) - find it far more comfortable and I actually prefer the ergonomic look of SRAM

 

[VamP]

The bar top levers as a way to get over hood braking issues.

Edited: Meant to say, you can retro-fit them to any bike.

 

[vickster]

Oops, I completely missed those lol! It's also useful to have brifters than can be used too. If I get on ok with the brifters I can forego the levers and actually have space on the bars for lights etc - with a 38cm bar, it can get a bit crowded!

I guess it's not a retrofit as the bike is a collection of component-containing boxes currently

 

[inkd]

I understand that 10 minutes is not long enough and on all 3 bikes I did try as many different hand and riding positions as I could. It certainly was`nt my choice of bike either but but I could`nt ignore the feeling of the fit, whether it was just pot luck of the sales assistant`s positioning of the saddle height or the "off the shelf" immediate fit I dont know. One thing is clear to me and that is I needed a bike that was a comfortable commuter, so I look at it as this - is it a bike that I would take out for a good blat around the forest roads now and then? no way. Is it a bike that is a good commuting bike? without a doubt.
I guess the reason for this post is not to try and justify my choice to anyone else but to think logically about my usage of any bike I would of purchased.
Yes I agree with the whole "specialized" over pricing of their product and the commonness but in my local area its the Giant bikes that are common due to the LBS chain.
So if I never made this thread in the first place I would of purchased a Defy 1 and with tweeking of stems e.t.c. it probably would of been a good fit but I would of been none the wiser.
In a few months and a few hundred miles later my thought`s maybe totally different.
Just a thought, whilst I was down the Giant dealer LBS I was shown this bike and was told it would make an excellent commuter. http://www.shopgiant-bicycles.co.uk...gin=pla?kwd=&gclid=CIuqgqWhm7sCFdHItAod9EYAXA

 

[vickster]

The Giant is ugleeeee

Enjoy the Secteur, they are certainly not bad bikes!

 

[inkd]

Having re-read my last post several times I apologize if it came across a tad defensive. I think I surprised myself more than anything. My original intentions for yesterday was to test ride sportive bikes only and I came away with something different, like alot of things these days there are so many sub categories and IMO the secteur I got would be a road commuter. I posted the link to show the similarity to the secteur. Has anybody done that? gone out to purchase a particular item and come away with something different? It`s like going to look at a hothatch car and buying a bog standard ford focus.
Anyway, I guess the whole disc brake thing is new. The sales assistant reckons it might take off on road bikes but I guess the purists will say otherwise

 

[vickster]

The secteur is still a perfectly adequate bike for sportives, in terms of the geometry You'll just stop better when it's peeing down

Actually what is a sportive bike? Probably, other than a roadbike that isn't an out and out racing machine?! People do sportives on MTBs, fixies, flatbars, folders...

 

[inkd]

Crap, just got an email from cyclescheme to say my employer has declined my application, I called HR dept and they informed me that they only take into account basic day rate. I work nights so get a premium on top but it does not count so I have been told my max limit is £750, Back to the drawing board

 

[SWSteve]

Crap, just got an email from cyclescheme to say my employer has declined my application, I called HR dept and they informed me that they only take into account basic day rate. I work nights so get a premium on top but it does not count so I have been told my max limit is £750, Back to the drawing board

£750 will get you a secteur triple (2014) and £100 worth of extras

 

[inkd]

This is true but one of my specifications was a double/compact crank. I have a spesh sirrus and have used the granny ring once in the year, We dont have hills in the forest so its a waste.
I have spoken to Hargroves and have booked a test ride on the cube peleton again but with the stem flipped, also booked a test on the defy again with Cyclexperience but on a size small. See what happens on Thursday, I might give the spesh allez a ride but not sure.

 

[DooDah]

I understand that 10 minutes is not long enough and on all 3 bikes I did try as many different hand and riding positions as I could. It certainly was`nt my choice of bike either but but I could`nt ignore the feeling of the fit, whether it was just pot luck of the sales assistant`s positioning of the saddle height or the "off the shelf" immediate fit I dont know. One thing is clear to me and that is I needed a bike that was a comfortable commuter, so I look at it as this - is it a bike that I would take out for a good blat around the forest roads now and then? no way. Is it a bike that is a good commuting bike? without a doubt.
I guess the reason for this post is not to try and justify my choice to anyone else but to think logically about my usage of any bike I would of purchased.
Yes I agree with the whole "specialized" over pricing of their product and the commonness but in my local area its the Giant bikes that are common due to the LBS chain.
So if I never made this thread in the first place I would of purchased a Defy 1 and with tweeking of stems e.t.c. it probably would of been a good fit but I would of been none the wiser.
In a few months and a few hundred miles later my thought`s maybe totally different.
Just a thought, whilst I was down the Giant dealer LBS I was shown this bike and was told it would make an excellent commuter. http://www.shopgiant-bicycles.co.uk...gin=pla?kwd=&gclid=CIuqgqWhm7sCFdHItAod9EYAXA

I look at the front and I think nice.......I look at the back and I think nice......I look at the middle and say out loud OMG