What road bike with 2k budget?

[OskarTennisChampion]

I see. Have you ridden all the bikes I mentioned? (I have.)

I have ridden a Trek and a Merida,but your comment did make me think.
I rode the Trek and the Merida 10 and 8 years ago respectively,and bikes get progressively better by the year
So that time frame is huge in terms of bikes and innovations.
So,I hold my hands up and say I was wrong to judge them as such.

 

[shanta]

Yeah seen another Solace with Dura Ace (2015) for £2199. This just goes to highlight the problem I have, so many good bikes all with reach...just need to decide which suits best.

 

[vickster]

Go. Try. Them. Out

 

[shanta]

Not as easy as you may think.

 

[vickster]

Not as easy as you may think.

Any good bike shop wanting to sell a 2k bike should at least be prepared to put it on the turbo

Evans for example will let you take any bike out on the roads, for a £50 or 60 refundable deposit, they'll get any bike in from their warehouse

If you are looking for an online 'bargain', then less so but you're not paying for that service ultimately

 

[shanta]

I have had a Propel and TCR both at the same time for 4 days which was a very good demo as I did a 10 mile loop , back home , then jumped on the other bike and did the same for comparison. Turned out neither wowed me. Up and till that point I was dead set on a propel. So the demo was very useful. Some shops either don't have the model (sale bikes) or only let on a turbo or around there car park, pointless I feel. As I'm after something from the sales most are online companies only or are the other side the country. But yes, I totally agree, demo is the way to go, just not always doable.

 

[vickster]

I guess then try bike radar or magazine reviews. Problem is one man's meat is another's mustard and all that!

 

[shanta]

Yeah, Ive had review overload don't worry hence why I thought it would use full to get some feed back from actually owners of bine I'm interested as you can tell if the press get payed to praise certain models. I've also said I will get the missus a carbon bike too in the sales (budget 1k) and a decent womens specific is even harder to find.

 

[smutchin]

Any good bike shop wanting to sell a 2k bike should at least be prepared to put it on the turbo

I don't know what meaningful information you can gather about a bike from sitting on a turbo, beyond whether it basically fits or doesn't.

You'd get just as much insight into how it rides from reading the spec sheet and geometry.

Even a test ride is of limited use. You need to gather information from a variety of sources, and even then there's a chance you won't like it after six months ownership.

 

[Andrew_P]

There is a shift happening in the bike industry towards the more practical non race machine road bike. A bike that might perform slightly less than a full on race bike but is more comfortable barely any heavier can take wider tyres and even dare I say it mudguards. In other words more suited to most purchasers of road bikes. I would not discount any of these bikes in your search.

 

[vickster]

Yeah, Ive had review overload don't worry hence why I thought it would use full to get some feed back from actually owners of bine I'm interested as you can tell if the press get payed to praise certain models. I've also said I will get the missus a carbon bike too in the sales (budget 1k) and a decent womens specific is even harder to find.

Why does it need to be women's specific? Is she very petite?

She should go to Evans in January and look at what they have if it needs to be wsd plus a giant specialist, then you'll all the mainstream brands covered. Planet X do a good looking wsd version of their entry level carbon model too at around £900

Personally I buy bikes I like the look at, around the budget I want to sons from a shop that gives me the service I expect...that isn't from an American company I wouldn't spend £2000 on anything mail order, and especially not a bike. Service is much more important to me than saving £50 or even £100. Get it wrong it'll cost far more than that if you have to sell it on at a loss in 6 months

I'm probably lucky in that there are probably 50+ bike shops within a 15 mile radius of here and I can get pretty much anything I could ever want bike wise

 

[shanta]

Your very lucky id say.

No, in my opinion it does not need to be womens sopecific and no she is not petite at 5'6. She has had numerous mountainbikes, non of them women specific but for some reason she is set on a WSD (curremt road bike is WSD). Fit is very important, but trying to convince her that a WSD may still not be bang on fit wise for her is a challenge.

 

[vickster]

Your very lucky id say.

No, in my opinion it does not need to be womens sopecific and no she is not petite at 5'6. She has had numerous mountainbikes, non of them women specific but for some reason she is set on a WSD (curremt road bike is WSD). Fit is very important, but trying to convince her that a WSD may still not be bang on fit wise for her is a challenge.

I can't imagine there's a shortage of bike shops in the West Midlands either

Definitely look at the Planet X, or Scott. See what Pauls cycles have for example

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s134p0/Road-Bikes/Racing-Bikes-Women-Specific

 

[shanta]

Not a shortage but finding with what im after is the prob, then the issue of test rides.

 

[smutchin]

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s134p0/Road-Bikes/Racing-Bikes-Women-Specific

Did you realise that every bike listed on that page except for one (a solitary Cube) is from an American brand?