Decision time

THEWHELO

Ok I've been deliberating this decision for many, many months now and I had virtually come to a decision but with the old credit crunch and all my dream to buy a nice road bike went out the window until I could actually afford it!

I had my heart set on a Specialzed Allez '09 but through different setbacks I couldn't get it and missed the opportunity to buy a really nice bike. So now I'm kind of back to square one but if I don't buy a bike soon I'll just spend the money and I'll be walking to get fit.

So my question is this: what bike would you recommend for a 6' 3" 15st (hopefully 14.5st with a bit of exercise) who will use this bike for commuting but with an eye to use it in the mini-triathlons during the summer. I really want to get the best for my money (Max €750) and before you mention it no I can't do the whole cycle to work scheme as I'm self-employed and I freelance for work. So this is all out of my own pocket and I really want to get my ass out on two wheels on the road. I'm not getting any younger and the more I look at my ever-expanding gut in the mirror the more I want to get my cycle on!

So any suggestions? I've checked out the Giant Defy and the Lapierre but I do like the Specialized. One thing and feel free to have a go at me for this, I like the Specialized '09 model because it was black. The garish colours on some of the bikes really to put me off and call me fool but I think they really bright coloured ones can attract a little too much attention from those pesky bike thieves.

Anyway that's about all I have to say, any advice would be warmly welcome.

Many thanks

Greyspoke

While I'd certainly never hesitate to recommend Specialized bikes for their quality (I've had a few and still have three!), they aren't always the best value for money and even when you do get reductions they're often not much reduced. For better value it might be worthwhile looking at the big mail order websites such as Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles as they tend to have a lot of bikes of less well known brands that are pretty much as good as the big brands like Giant, Trek, Specialized etc. For example, check out BeOne bikes on CRC. Assuming the frame is sound enough, you need to compare the quality of the components, particularly the groupset which generally includes all the gears and brakes. For an all round package, I'd imagine that a BeOne of similar price to a Specialized would be better equiped but the Specialized might have a slightly better frame leaving you with the option of upgrading components over time.
I hope that's of some use and not just confusing!