[G1_lo]

Hi i'm looking for a decent road bike with good components, i know the season is coming to the end so just wondered if anyone had one or knew someone with one for sale?
Looking for a 53-54cm frame.
If you could let me know if you have anything would be appiciated :ILU:

 

[AdePen]

I have a few to sell, but they are all slightly too big for you.

How much did you want to spend ?

Have you looked at the Planet X website ? Some of their deals are almost too good to be true. Very cheap, and very well regarded.

 

[Mog]

Another recommendation for Planet X here, too. £800 for an Ultegra/105 kitted out alu frame & carbon forks. Probably the best value for money you'll find. Also worth a look are Focus (wiggle.co.uk). Only problem with both of these is they're mail order so it's a bit hard to try them first. I think there's a couple of places though for Planet X you could try. The Boardman range at Halfords (don't be put off) is good value too.

Otherwise, most will be reduced over the next month or so as the 2010 models come out. Bike prices are going up each year at the moment though so great deals are becoming harder to find

 

[G1_lo]

Hi guys,
I've got a budget of about 700, seen a 2nd-hand ribble that looks good value.
Have loked at the focus on wiggle and they offer 7 day free trial,
Also have some good cycle shops local but need to be looking at 1000 to get good components on it.

 

[AdePen]

If you could stretch to £800 for the Planet X, you would be getting a lot of bike for your money. Its hard to see how they are doing their bikes so cheap. But its a company run by dedicated cyclists, for dedicated cyclists, and they are getting it right.

Ribble bikes seem ok. I haven't heard any complaints about their products. Their own mail order service can be poor, but if its secondhand you're ok there.

The end of the racing season is coming up, and there will be loads of bargains in the cycling classifieds, as people get rid of bikes with one seasons racing, and buy a new one for next season. Thats how I always bought my winter training bikes.

The cycling forums, like

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?act=idx

have good for sale sections, but you may already know about them.

 

[Mog]

For £700 second hand you should be getting something almost a bit special. If I had £700 I think I'd buy new from the Focus or Boardman range as mentioned - full warantee, back up service from retailer etc...

Ribble build nice frames and are good vfm but you could easily get new for £700. They have a bike-builder on line so you can spec a bike with whatever you want - worth a play with. Be careful with Ribble though - there's lots of unhappy mail order customers around, not a great reputation. If you can visit them in-store though they seem to be fine (although I must admit it's only what I've heard, I have no experience of them good or bad).

Have a think about what you're actually going to use it for. Do you need 105 over Tiagra? Will you notice a few grams less etc..... That's not intended as an insult but it's easy to get swept away 'needing' certain kit & components - it happened to me when I bought my latest bike - a Cube AMS. Although it's great kit and brilliant vfm I probably could've bought the model down and not noticed the blindest bit of difference!! It's more bike than I need.

I'm guessing if you've got a budget of £700 you've already got pedals, shoes, shorts, helmet (your choice!), bottles, cages etc.. If not, bear these in mind or got your haggling boots on!

Finally - might be worth exploring the Cycle to Work schemes that your employer can sign up to getting you tax free kit via monthly salary sacrifice, although you could be tied in to certain brands.

Let us know what you pick - always interested in new bikes, even if they're not mineT:

 

[cheeky_dieter]

I got a Planet X Ti Road recently at a give-away price. I can't fault the Planet X bikes, great bikes and exceptional value
I upgraded from a Specialized Allez which was a great 1st road bike but the Planet X are killer value and very light

 

[G1_lo]

Is there any other good calssifieds places.
As for the budget looks like its gonna be £900 all in with some new shoes & a helmet etc.
Thinking of getting some sidi 5's, good or ?
As for noticing the differnce between the rest i probably wont, but i'm looking for a bike that i'm going to be able to use to compete on next year so dont want to buy a dog then have to spend again next year if you get me.
Are there any pics of the PLanet x bikes ( i know i know) LOL
Cheers for the help & advice guys

 

[AdePen]

If you want to race, you need the best frame you can afford, then the best wheels you can afford. The rest is not so important.

Most of all, it needs to fit right.

As for shoes, forget fashion and appearence. Go for a good brand, and make sure they fit. Not just length, but width and across the top of the foot. And if you are new to racing, you don't want them super stiff. It takes time to get used to that. Sidi are great, but not so good if you have wide feet. Carnac are best for wide feet. Northwave, Lake and Shimano also very good.

If I was you, I would get the best Planet X bike you can. You won't go wrong there. I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about them. And you wont be the only one in the peloton on a Planet X. Check out their website.

You could buy a very expensive bike, say 3k and upwards, and you are paying for image, marketing, fancy paintwork and subsidising the pro team. I have ridden the very best bikes available. Colnago, Pinarello, Giant, Cyfac (probably the very best bikes inthe world), BT, Specialised, Olmo etc etc, and the difference between them is slight. And the difference between a 5k bike and a 2k bike is not as big as you would expect.

If you are new to racing, get a good frame, good wheels and learn how to race well, then upgrade when you need to.

I have raced at the top level, and in Europe, and made all the mistakes. 27 years of racing has taught me that a bike thats 'good enough' is all you need. I am a bike tart...I admit it.......but I know its my legs that let me down. Never the bike.

 

[AdePen]

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=35823


For instance ?

A lot of kit for very little cash !

 

[G1_lo]

Right ok guys narrowed it down to either the
SL Pro Carbon Race2Work Build PLanet X bike
Or
Focus Cayo 105 2009
Any help plus how do i know what to choose if i go for the planet x from all the variants?

 

[Mog]

Good point about not wanting to upgrade at a later point.

If I had to choose between the 2 I'd plump for the Planet X. I like the SRAM groupset.

If you're ordering the Planet X, leave all the options at the default setting, unless you want them to build it for you (+£100). If you're unsure about sizing, give them a call - they're a good, enthusiastic bunch who'll make sure you get sent the right size.

Although, I'd happily take the Focus too, especially as you can have it on a 7 day trial.

No, no, the Planet X. Yep. Almost definately. Go for the Planet X.

Oh, and avoid Sidi's unless you have narrow feet!

T:

 

[AdePen]

Planet X

Without a doubt ! T:

 

[G1_lo]

Yeah thinking of going for the PLanet X as didn't realise until closer inspection threre only 1hr 30 away & when i spoke to them they said they could do a fitting so can get all the best fittings etc for my body, thought that was worth the extra £200.
Plus do you need speacilised tools to build them the sales guy seemed to think so ???
Any ideas on a better shoe then? And are cleats or the push in ones better?

 

[AdePen]

A bike that fits you correctly is very important. If you have the chance to be fitted, its a good idea.

You don't really need specialised tools, but you need the correct tools. A hammer and bent screwdriver isn't any good these days ! If you don't know, or aren't sure how to fit a bottom bracket, ergo levers etc, its best to leave it to an expert.

Sidi are great shoes, but only if they fit your foot shape. Do you have wide or narrow feet ? I usually use Carnac, as I have wide feet. But Carnacs are very expensive. Shimano are quite good, and their best shoe uses a vacuum heated fitting system that moulds the shoe to your foot. Best to try a few different brands, and see which is most comfortable. A badly fitting cycling shoe can be a misery.

What type of pedal are you going to use ? That will determine the type of pedal fitting on the shoe.

 

[G1_lo]

Right ok, another question i have is, what is the differnce in ride etc between a carbon frame & a alloy one? Is the carbon worth the extra or are you paying for pimp value?

Also not sure which type of pedal as the bike doesnt come with any, i suppose there's pros & cons for both types are there ? O i have small but broad feet

Also is there any other good cycling forums apart from the timetrial one?

 

[Mog]

There's a few things you'd need depending on how much building's already done. Problem is they're tools you're unlikely to get much use out of for the price you'd have to pay - headset press, for example.

To be honest if you're not sure what tools you'd need, I'd got them to build it for you. Besides, it'd be great just to pop in, get fitted on the actual bike you're buying and wheel it out of the factory. As stated, a bit of time and money is money well spent in terms of getting the bike fitting you properly.

Pedals - do you mean clips & straps by 'push in?' If so - go with the cleats. Again, a fair few to choose from but all doing essentially a similar thing. Wouldn't go far wrong with Look KEO or anything by Shimano. They'll take a bit of getting use to - practise clipping in and (twisting) out against a wall for a few goes, but you'll be much more efficient when you're racing - particularly when climbing. After a while clipping in and out becomes second nature.

I've got wide-ish feet and have always gone back to Specialized shoes for both my road & mountain bikes - just comfy for me. Doesn't necessarily make them better than Sidis, Northwave, Carnac etc... just means they fit my feet better. With helmets and shoes you're always better off trying a few on first - they may be the most technical pair of shoes in the world but they're not much use if they don't fit your feet!!

Sounds like you've got a fun few weeks buying bikes and bits coming up!

 

[jane/rob&dennis]

try specialized shoes, i know i'm a girl but i've got size 7cornish pasty wide feet and have on and off road specialized shoes and they fit a treat.........

can also recommend a good leg shaving cream hee heeI:

Jane

 

[Mog]

I think I'm a reply behind!!

If you've ridden an alu frame and then a carbon you'll notice the difference. If you've never ridden a carbon frame, you won't! Seriously, the bike you need is the one that meets your needs. Save yourself a couple of hundred ££s and go for the £800 Planet X if you're not sure - pop in and see them and have a quick play. If you're happy to spend the cash, go carbon. However - titanium opens up a whole new can of worms. Not as noisy.....

They're lighter, more responsive and more comfortable - take the 'buzz' out of the ride. With a proper carbon frame (full weave) you're not paying for pimp value, it genuinely is a better ride.

Pedals - I've always used Look KEOs and have always been happy.

Cycling forums - roadcyclinguk.com, bikeradar.com, roadcc (through singletrackworld.com).

 

[AdePen]

Right ok, another question i have is, what is the differnce in ride etc between a carbon frame & a alloy one? Is the carbon worth the extra or are you paying for pimp value?

Also not sure which type of pedal as the bike doesnt come with any, i suppose there's pros & cons for both types are there ? O i have small but broad feet

Also is there any other good cycling forums apart from the timetrial one?

In my opinion, carbon is the perfect material for bike frames. Alloy is light and stiff, but tends to transmit more vibration and road noise to the rider. Carbon tends to be more comfortable. Also, very light alloy frames can have quite a short life, especially scandium frames. Whereas carbon seems to last forever. I have a 12 year old Colnago C40 carbon frame that is as perfect as the day it was born.

I would choose carbon over alloy any day. But having said that, a cheap carbon frame is rubbish compared to a top-line alloy frame. So its not as a simple an answer as it should be. A quality alloy frame from a good builder will give you a very good bike. And unless you are a very good cyclist, it won't make much difference when compared to a carbon frame.

Pedals.....most people seem to ride well enough on Looks. Thats where most of us start off. Then you either stick with them, or try other brands as you become more experienced. I started with Look, then after ten years tried Time. But found they were not as good as Look. Then I tried Speedplay, which I think are amazing. So I would never use anything other than Speedplay now, but they don't suit everyone.

Partly, pedal choice depends on how much movement, or float you like. Different amounts suit different people. I would say to start with Look, and see how you get on. Plenty of Tour de France have been won on Look.

Small, broad feet ? Dont bother with Sidi. If you have the money, go for Carnac. But Northwave may be your best bet.

I only use the Timetrial forum, as I am too idle to ride road races these days. But I would say its still the best, even if you dont ride time trials. Still lots of advice and expertise. Cycling is cycling, whatever name its got !