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Hi all. I'm thinking again about getting a road bike so could do with the STW Brains Trust advise.
I keep toying with the idea of getting out on the road as I just don't get time to MTB much at the moment and when I do I'm limited to a few local routes that are fun but involve a fair bit of tarmac. Thought process is if I'm spending a lot of time on road I may as well get something suited to the job.
I don't think I want to go down the gravel bike route as I bought a Orange RX9 a few years back and never used it. Part of the reason was it was a hefty lump so in my mind gave very little advantage over a MTB so I sold it and got a hardtail.
With this in mind I think I need to try a proper road bike. Don't think I need disc brakes as they add unnecessary weight and I really want to keep it as light as possible. They also seem to increase the cost unreasonably. I think I'll be buying from Evans simply because I have a load of Tesco vouchers to spend and I really don't want to go over 1k. These two have caught my eye:
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-laterite-3-2019-road-bike-EV299415
https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized-allez-e5-elite-red-hook-2018-road-bike-EV321203
Which would be the better buy? Should I be considering anything else? I would shop elsewhere but it would have to be a amazing deal due to my vouchers. Going down the alu frame with better parts rather than carbon frame with duff groupo. Good move?
Any help would be appreciated as I know very little about road bikes.
I have one, so am bound to say the Specialized Allez Elite.
But, it really is the best alloy bike Ive ever owned. Its as comfy as some of the best carbon bikes ive had. The frame is good enough to worth spending on upgrades in other areas if you get the bug. Wheels first of course.
I bought a nice mid-range carbon road bike but always wished I’d bought a CX to give the flexibility for mixed on/off-road rides.
Then I bought a bargain CX off ebay and it’s almost as light, almost as fast on the road and loads of fun off-road.
I don’t do club rides or races and I hardly ever ride my road bike instead of the CX these days.
Check out the spec diverge officially an adventure road bike (between Cruz and Roubaix/Allez
it’s a really comfy ride wide tyres and eats the miles
A good breakdown info on specialized drophandle bikes www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tests/specialized-bikes-349138/amp
Thanks for the responses. At 6’ 2” and rider of a XL MTB would the 61cm Specialized be ok? From what I can gather I’m about on the lower limit for the frame size.
Appriciate what some have said about CX type bikes but having had the RX9 I’d really prefer a proper road bike this time. The other option would be a MTB frame with rigid forks and narrow tyres as I have plenty of decent parts hanging about and I could convert it to a HT if the road riding doesn’t take off. I still think the proper solution is a road bike thoughto see if I can get in to it.🤔
You might want to re-think evans - I'm not sure they take tesco vouchers anymore since the take over by sports direct
Cheers Stu but it seems they are accepting them again. Hope so as I have £450 worth!
Maybe something like this?
if i was buying from Evans i'd be in the store actually holding the bike before parting with any money. too many horror stories of deposits lost and Bike companies grabbing bikes back due to unpaid debts for me.
That Planet X looks smart. Bit reluctant to deal with them though.
As for Evans, yep i’d Make sure it was a trip to Leeds and physically collecting it.
Having had CX and road bikes in the past, if you want to ride on the road then definitely get a road bike. If you get into it, and start riding with others, I think you will definitely regret being on a CX bike.
Have you thought about 2nd hand? Decent road bikes seem to go for peanuts, and now is probably a good time to buy.
The Planet X bikes are a good deal though, and I would go carbon frame if you can afford it. Make sure you get something with decent clearance for modern tyres (most people on 25mm/28mm now)
Thanks for the responses. At 6’ 2” and rider of a XL MTB would the 61cm Specialized be ok? From what I can gather I’m about on the lower limit for the frame size.
I`m 5.11 and am on a 54cm, not that that helps much. You really need to sit on one if you are not able to size a frame from its numbers.
Cheers all, food for thought. Think I'm defo leaning in to doing it properly and going road with the Specialized above top of the list.
Although I know there's plenty of value in used I've got a huge downer on the sellers of second hand bikes after recently getting scammed and losing over £850. So much so I've decided to swap bikes less and buy new when I do. I've bought and sold loads of bikes over the years but getting a proper whooping like I have recently really knocks the stuffing out of you.