What Bike Do I Buy?

[greasychipbutty100]

Hi

i am looking at buying a bike that i can use to get me to and from work (approx 20miles a day) and also that I could use for long distance rides across britain and possibly at some point next year places in europe (approx 100-150miles a day)

I'm not very knowledgable about bike specifications etc, so don't really know what is good for me.

I am wanting to not spend more than around £600-700 for now, maybe more in a year or so. Can anyone direct me to a bike that would be ideal for my needs that is really good quality

Thanks

Chris

 

[MattHB]

the specialized alez is a great bike. I dont have one, but many of the club riders I ride with do. Even the entry level models are good quality.

 

[cyberknight]

Do you want to hve the abilty to add a rack and panniers ?

 

[defy-one]

Get a road bike with lugs for a rear rack as your hoping to tour on it at some stage.
You can't go too far wrong with a spesh,trek,felt,giant,cube.
The key is to sit on as many as you can and go for what feels right. At that price point make sure it has Tiagra gearset

 

[greasychipbutty100]

Yeah i would like to fit those at some point. Does fitting these effect which bikes i can buy??

 

[Sittingduck]

To a degree, yes. Having said that - there is an option to fit a rack to bikes without braze-ons on the rear seatstays (the little holes you screw a pannier rack into, on the frame), using p-clips. Clearance between brake calipers and tyres needs to be sufficient, for conventional mudguards but again there are also other options, such as Crud Road race and SKS Race Blades. I would have a good test ride of a few available models and look for something thats perhaps built for comfort, over flat-out speed (eg. Specialized Secteur, over an Allez).

 

[greasychipbutty100]

What is Tiagra gearset??

 

[Sittingduck]

Shimano mid range road bike gears. The latest version are 10spd, although previous are 9 spd. Better than Sora but not as good as 105...

 

[defy-one]

Gears and type of sti changers. They go Sora,Tiagra,105,Ultegra,Di2

From tiagra onwards you have the double levers for gear changing and brakes all in one unit. Stays the same as you upgrade in quality components

 

[redcard]

Shimano mid range road bike gears. The latest version are 10spd, although previous are 9 spd. Better than Sora but not as good as 105...

In what way is it better than Sora?

 

[Sittingduck]

10 spd vs 9 spd, for starters. I would also suggest that the paddle 'upshift' is better than the thumb switch utilised by Sora and that Tiagra may well be lighter. Having said all that, I read something this morning that says the 'new' Sora (2013 model) is to be a paddle jobbie but I'm not sure if that's true and if it's available, just yet...

 

[greasychipbutty100]

is there a specific retailer or online cycling shop that you would recommend for a bike purchase??

 

[Rob3rt]

In what way is it better than Sora?

Instead of that awkward thumb shifter for shifting up which you cant reach from the drops (at least not in any practicable way), you get a nice convenient shifter that you can reach easily from the drop and the hoods the same way you would shift down on Sora. Furthermore, with the latter version of Tiagra it is 10 spd over the 9 spd of Sora, previous versions, it was 9spd as opposed to 8spd (2300, the bottom of the line Shimano groupset is still 8spd). Also it looks a bit nicer cosmetically and is also probably marginally lighter.

Both suck in that the brake blocks are not cartridge type like those on 105, so every time you change blocks you have to completely reset the brake, wheras with 105 you can slip the brake block out without altering the brake set up, so you can get away with altering the cable tension a bit to accommodate the fresh pads and that's about it.

All of the Shimano groupsets work well and are usable, even the bottom of the line 2300 is perfectly useable, but when you start paying a certain amount of money for a bike, you come to expect a certain level of componentry. For a given price range, what you get will still vary though. If the frame is better, you will usually get a lower end groupset, in order for them to meet the price point, if the frame is a bit more average you might get a better groupset. Same goes for brand names, more prestigious brand names tend to come with a lower groupset for a given price range, because they value their brand name more highly than other brands. Then there are those odd occasions you find a bike that is just incredible value for money.....

 

[Broadside]

The latest Sora shifters (2013) have got rid of the thumb shifter, a friend bought a 2013 Secteur with the latest Sora on Saturday.

 

[Rob3rt]

The latest Sora shifters (2013) have got rid of the thumb shifter, a friend bought a 2013 Secteur with the latest Sora on Saturday.

It was inevitable that it would happen eventually as the technology trickle's down through the groupsets. It is a big improvement for that groupset.

Basically I am thinking that now, 2013 Sora is approx equivalent to 2010 Tiagra (in 2010 Tiagra was 9 spd, as opposed to the current 10 spd version).