Help me choose a road bike

blorg

Looking to get a new road bike which I'll reserve for sunny day use. My current bike, a Specialized Sirrus converted to drops, is despite my best efforts getting ruined from commuting in nasty weather.

Looking for something to do weekend spins (40-100k), Audax/Wicklow 200 type events, and olympic-distance triathlons (40k.) I'd like something a bit faster than my current bike but comfort also important for the longer distances. Only starting with the competition so right now I am not really concerned about shaving seconds.

Budget is €1-2k and I think I would like to go Carbon for the reputed ride quality (have never tried carbon before.) I'm 6ft/170lb so not sure that weight is going to be a very important factor, there would be more in my breakfast than the bike.

Now I am a sucker for a bargain and so am looking at the 2006 model sales on the internet. Bikes I'm considering include the Trek 5000 @ €1,300 and a 2006 Specialized Tarmac Expert @ €2,000 (including delivery.) I'm also planning on poking around the sales in Dublin this weekend.

What issues should I be considering in making a decision here? Would you do 100k happily on one of these bikes, or should I be looking at something like the Specialized Roubaix?

Anything else I should be considering? Planet X? Felt? Steel?

Itsfixed

blorg wrote:

Looking to get a new road bike which I'll reserve for sunny day use. My current bike, a Specialized Sirrus converted to drops, is despite my best efforts getting ruined from commuting in nasty weather.

Looking for something to do weekend spins (40-100k), Audax/Wicklow 200 type events, and olympic-distance triathlons (40k.) I'd like something a bit faster than my current bike but comfort also important for the longer distances. Only starting with the competition so right now I am not really concerned about shaving seconds.

Budget is €1-2k and I think I would like to go Carbon for the reputed ride quality (have never tried carbon before.) I'm 6ft/170lb so not sure that weight is going to be a very important factor, there would be more in my breakfast than the bike.

Now I am a sucker for a bargain and so am looking at the 2006 model sales on the internet. Bikes I'm considering include the Trek 5000 @ €1,300 and a 2006 Specialized Tarmac Expert @ €2,000 (including delivery.) I'm also planning on poking around the sales in Dublin this weekend.

What issues should I be considering in making a decision here? Would you do 100k happily on one of these bikes, or should I be looking at something like the Specialized Roubaix?

Anything else I should be considering? Planet X? Felt? Steel?

My favourite magazine, Cycling Plus, strongly rated the Specialised Roubaix for longer distance runs or audax events - its either fully carbon or a mixture of the two and was a good combo of comfort and speed.

try evanscycles.com - they have a 2006 specialised roubaix elite for £1099 (€1650 or so) reduced from £1299.

Morgan

It's not an easy choice - since there are hundreds of great bikes in that price range. Just buy the Roubaix and get it over with.

copacetic

i wouldn't go for the roubaix elite as it has the older 9 speed setup. lovely bikes though, I had a similar budget and requirments to you when I bought last month. looked seriously at the focus cayo on wiggle for 999, full carbon. had a look at the trek and also the tarmac comp. The felts do look good. In the end I decided to put my money into higher spec wheels and groupset and went with the spesh allez expert. got it for £999 reduced from £1699 from UK. very happy with it so far..

on an aside I wouldn't go with evans myself, they have a terrible rep for customer service, check out cyclingplus forums for info. The guys over there have good things to say about the planet x ultralight as well..

tunney

blorg wrote:

Budget is €1-2k and I think I would like to go Carbon for the reputed ride quality (have never tried carbon before.) I'm 6ft/170lb so not sure that weight is going to be a very important factor, there would be more in my breakfast than the bike.

A cheap carbon bike will ride like a cheap bike. If you're going cheap go aluminium.

Morgan

Is €2000 cheap for a road bike these days?

copacetic

Morgan wrote:

Is €2000 cheap for a road bike these days?

not really, don't think tunney is being fair at all there. 1-2k is the sweetspot for value. the focus, planet x, spesh tarmac, cannondale synapse, trek 5000 etc can all be had in this range and are great value (esp 06 models on sale). They are all really good bikes, with fantastic reviews and awards.

tunney

Apologies I was referring to the lower end of your scale as cheap (i.e. €1000) 2k will get you a lovely road bike with race worthy spec (bar wheels).

tunney

Again I know €1000 is not cheap but in terms of getting a bike that fits your requirements.........

copacetic

tunney wrote:

Apologies I was referring to the lower end of your scale as cheap (i.e. €1000) 2k will get you a lovely road bike with race worthy spec (bar wheels).

would agree with this more, you really have to get up to 1500 or so, 999 sterling to get into the good bikes. but there are some great deals out there, i can't stop talking about mine which worked out a 1600 and is full ultegra. perfect for me, although maybe the wheels could be better, but ultegra wheels are at least a step up from 105 or askiums.

blorg

I think I am leaning towards the Roubaix here, for the comfort over longer distances... Any competing bikes to this that I should consider?

copacetic

blorg wrote:

I think I am leaning towards the Roubaix here, for the comfort over longer distances... Any competing bikes to this that I should consider?

i think the direct competition for the 'comfort' bikes are the giant scr and the cannodale synapse. the synapse won bike of the year in cycling weekly and the scr in cycling plus (or came second, can't remember exactly). You can get the synapse on sale from 06 at the moment..

blorg

Tunney, appreciate that, cheapest I was considering here was the 2006 Trek 5000 @ €1,300 (reduced from €2,000, or indeed €2,350 RRP in Ireland), wasn't really expecting to get anything at €1k! This Trek is the non-OCLV one (TCT, made in Taiwan,) Ultegra/105 mix with not great wheels (Bontrager Select.) On the other hand if the frame here was decent I could always upgrade later.