Road Cyclists - upgrade help! (Not slagging them off)

That Ribble is pretty much my commuter bike :) Though 105/ultegra mix. There's no real reason to get better than 105 unless you're a pro cyclist, but i'd definitely not get anything lower if you want to use the bike in anger.

Most of my bike knowledge comes from friends in the teamgb cycling and triathlon teams - and they swear by planetx and ribble :) I think Alistair Brownlee uses a planet-x bike - if it's good enough for him, it's more than good enough for everyone :p

You'll find major brands (fuji/giant/bmc/scott/any italian manufacturers) are significantly more for the same kit (often even the same frame underneath).

The key really - is to go and ride them, most decent shops will let you go out for 10 mins on a bike. Make sure you're getting a proper fit - handlebar width, seat height/position/angle etc will affect you much more than brand/design. There's nothing wrong with Alu, or Alu/Carbon(fork) frames - if you're riding in shittier weather on bad roads, some form of audax bike may be better suited (i should of got this for commuting... but i'm a fool and i like bike bling) http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/pu/road-track-bike/ribble-winter-training-audax-bikes/specialedition/1rw
 
lux,

My little brother is a keen cyclist. Lives in Chamonix so riding some big hills. He came back home so he could get a Ribble and highly rates it. Spent 2 weeks touring the South of France and Corsica covering about 2,000 km's. Bike never missed a beat.
 
Thats the thing, you can buy a carbon framed bike for £800 now and if you really get into it which doesn't take long you will regret buying the Aluminium one.

The link gives you the option to upgrade all the parts to a spec you feel comfortable with from low to high end and means you can upgrade it as you go, but I would buy a better bike that you can grow into rather than an ok bike that you will quickly outgrow and end up spending more money as bikes are worth nothing second hand.

Worth doing a little bit of research on all the different parts to see which will suit you. I love the scotts simply because A its my name, B they make some of the best bikes you can buy but they are more expensive. Both mine are all carbon fibre including seat post and head set is richey etc etc both high end and tbh I prefer riding the CR1 to the foil, the carbon fibre wheels make a wishing noise which is really annoying! Also my carbon fibre frame cracked fortunately under warranty so had it replaced about a month ago, very disappointing for a bike that price. My CR1 must has around 25,000 miles on it and the foil maybe 4,000. Had the CR1 about 8 years and has been a brilliant bike, been all over the place most of UK, europe did london to paris on it, virgin money cyclone, couldn't recommend it more but the newer CR1s aren't as nice as the older ones. Scott started putting a lot of their own gear on them instead of the more bespoke stuff and they are still a similar price but don't perform as well.

One thing is you will get fitter quicker with the aluminium one! More weight harder etc lol! Use my mountain bike a lot to train as its a lot harder, getting on the racer is then like a feather and 100 miles feels like nothing!

My friend who just bought the Ribble did the same as you, he bought a mid range felt which had carbon forks a poor compact set and an aluminium frame. Quickly regretted it, spent about 700 on that bike 12 months later bought the ribble after about 5k ruined the felt.
 
Thats a point i was going to mention actually - the downside to carbon is it's quite easy to damage, and a crack in the frame is a writeoff, much easier to damage than alu (if you fall off etc.. which if you're a new cyclist clipped in.. you might :D).
 
Just for jonny ;) Full kit wankers

Virgin Money Cyclone last year.

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I'm already clipped in and no falls.....yet!! :D
I didn't won't to spend a fortune just yet so a mid range alu or carbon with 105 groupset would probably suit me. I do like that Fuji Gran Fondo :wub:
 
Saying that my dad was hit by a HGV on his CR1 same as mine, he was a wreck, the bike was fine not a scratch went straight under the front wheels took him a year to recover :cry:

Problem with all these country roads where I live, you fly on the bike and nip round a corner and meet some lorry from the netherlands crawling no idea where he is on roads completely unsuitable. He decided it was best going under than head first into it, was clipped in lacerated all his left side and the lorry ran over hit foot. He has Carbon fibre shoes and cleats they saved his foot from being crushed. He said the lorry driver had to reverse off his foot… with the cooling fan wuring in his face as he's under the lorry. Very scary air ambulance was called was a horrible experience.

But on a positive note the carbon fibre bikes are really strong but if there is any weakness in the frame they are fragile unfortunately there is no way of knowing unless you use ultrasound.
Just make sure it has a good warranty for the first year and do lots of miles on it so if it happens it happens quick :thumbsup:

Very rare tho, cracked wheels are pretty common.
 
I like the first and second ones lux :)

I know with Ribble you can go to their factory and they'll measure you up professionally, and help you customise parts to suit your build/size/comfort etc.
 
I do like the look of the Fuji's. 8) Not that I know anything about modern bikes. It's was Harry Quinn's and Holdsworth's in my cycling days, the knows lad. :wink:

Still got one of our old Holdworth's hanging in the Garage. :tumbleweed: :roll:
 
Quality vintage bikes are worth some money, there's a resurgence of interest due to events like L'Eroica for oldies...
 
Hi. I ride specialized s-works bikes now but have always ridden the middle range specialized bikes. The single most important thing before you look at price, is get measured and find a bike that fits you. Then when you've bought it, get the bike professionally fitted for you. A good dealer would throw this in if you buy a half decent bike. Don't go lower than 105 group set if you intend to use the the bike a lot. In general, the more you spend, the lighter and stronger the bike and better componants. Don't get carried away though as my main bike cost £7.5k!!! 8)
 
Evans set the bike up with you on collection.
I've gone for 105 group set and full carbon frame, so hopefully this one will last me a while :?
 
:thumbsup:
Wifey's latest bike (Liv Avail) has Tiagra, surprisingly good, very quick and slick changes.
 
Dav the wheel nut said:
lux said:
I've been bitten by the cycling bug and need some advice....
Click to expand...

Here's some advice..........
Don't cycle for mile after mile two abreast and make it dangerous for motor vehicle drivers to pass.
Don't cycle out towards the centre of the road believing that when you have a head on with my pick up truck you are going to survive
Don't ride along shouting to the people you are cycling with, everyone else is not interested in your conversation.
Wear a helmet, one day you are really going to need it.
Don't come cycling in Somerset, we've got enough irritating people here already.

Enjoy your new bug :wink:
Click to expand...
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :thumbsup:
 
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