injured runner ,clueless about cycling

gearoidol

Hi All

Haven't cycled with years but a recurring running injury has side-lined me from running for 4-8 weeks so I have taken to the bike. i am quite fit middle/long distance runner (17:20 5k runner) but am clueless when it comes to cycling.

I have borrowed a bike for the moment (pic attached ) of which I know nothing about except its carbon apparently and feels ridiculously light and a little fidgety/scary on the faster down hills .it has a dura ace groupset I believe and is a carbon frame.



Im looking to buy my own bike and have narrowed down to these two models as they are examples located in local bike shops.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/ie/bikes-propel-advanced-disc

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/ie/tcr-advanced-pro-1-2019

I do about 20 miles each evening in about 80 minutes with a fair amount of hills and would expect to do maybe 2-3 hrs on a sunday ,family permitting.

My question,is the propel a bit too racy /fidgety for normal cycling and would the tcr be an all rounder or would I regret not getting a really fast bike later on if I decided I liked cycling and wanted to join a club.

Is there any other bike anyone would suggest ,I usually like to buy once cry once ,wont be able to purchase till jan 19 as that's when I can use my bike to work for the second time

Many Thanks

Macy0161

Both are race bikes, just ones an aero bike. The TCR Advanced Pro is a harsher ride than the level down TCR Advanced 1*, which was Bike of the Year in a couple magazines/ web sites as a good all rounder. I'd try and take a spin on each to be honest.

*I have the advanced 1, but in the interests of balance I really wanted the Propel. Ultimately I'm happy with my choice, as I'm not sure I'd enjoy the propel on long/ normal spins to be honest. N+1 though...

magicbastarder

you have use of a vitus vitesse (which was the an post CRC team bike) with sean kelly's name on it?

gearoidol

magicbastarder wrote: »

you have use of a vitus vitesse (which was the an post CRC team bike) with sean kelly's name on it?

yes ,I have an option to buy it ,ive done a bit of googling but couldn't find that exact model. any idea what its worth (heritage aside ) and is it a bike I should be interested in ? How would it compare to the two giant bikes above in comfort and spec do you know ?

Peterx

No help on which bike to buy* but as a runner who came to cycling I would like to spare you a winter of coldness.

Get a set of proper cycling kit, and gloves.
Your running clothes are designed to let the wind though and the cycling clothes will try to stop the wind. You will be so much more comfortable and more likely to keep it up if you are comfortable.
Enjoy

*disc brakes will probably be more future proof in terms of selling on but if you intend to buy once and not sell that doesn't matter

saganfan

Far be it from me to tell you not to buy a beautiful expensive bike like the Propel or the TCR, but if you're starting off wouldn't it be better to perhaps fork out for a Giant Contend? Perhaps the SL model if you fancy it a bit lighter. It was my first serious bike and I have nothing but good things to say about it, and it gets very good reviews. A loooot cheaper than the Propel or TCR, meaning if you got back to running you wouldn't feel so bad about it gathering dust.

gearoidol

saganfan wrote: »

Far be it from me to tell you not to buy a beautiful expensive bike like the Propel or the TCR, but if you're starting off wouldn't it be better to perhaps fork out for a Giant Contend? Perhaps the SL model if you fancy it a bit lighter. It was my first serious bike and I have nothing but good things to say about it, and it gets very good reviews. A loooot cheaper than the Propel or TCR, meaning if you got back to running you wouldn't feel so bad about it gathering dust.

I dont mind spending to money to be honest, I like to buy once and buy right if I can.. someone in the family will end up using if I don't but hopefully once I can go back to running again id like to continue using the bike if even on the turbo trainer to supplement my training and encourage me to cross train more.

Anybody have any opinion on using the propel as your daily bike ,will it be desperately uncomfortable/hard as an everyday bike ?

Also anybody hazard a guess what the vitus is worth ?

Alanstrainor

gearoidol wrote: »

I dont mind spending to money to be honest, I like to buy once and buy right if I can.. someone in the family will end up using if I don't but hopefully once I can go back to running again id like to continue using the bike if even on the turbo trainer to supplement my training and encourage me to cross train more.

Anybody have any opinion on using the propel as your daily bike ,will it be desperately uncomfortable/hard as an everyday bike ?

Also anybody hazard a guess what the vitus is worth ?

I don't think that phrase of 'buying once and buy right' applies in this circumstance. The likes of a Giant Contend would do all you could possibly need and more for a third of the price brand new. If you ended up joining a club and racing, it would be more than enough even. For a relative beginner the difference in these bikes would not be hugely noticeable. Perhaps I am underestimating your experience however...

magicbastarder

my main concern is you are correct about buy once, buy right - to an extent. but spending over 3k on your first bike, before you're familiar with what sort of bike you actually want, is a bit premature. what you're considering is the sort of bike many here would keep as a summer/racing bike - first of all, do you want a bike you can use in the winter when there could be rain or standing water on the road? if so, mudguards need to be considered.

ED E

gearoidol wrote: »

Anybody have any opinion on using the propel as your daily bike ,will it be desperately uncomfortable/hard as an everyday bike ?

When you say everyday can you clarify if this is evening spinning or includes commuting?

Macy0161

gearoidol wrote:

Anybody have any opinion on using the propel as your daily bike ,will it be desperately uncomfortable/hard as an everyday bike ?

As others have said, it's a pure race bike. Speed not comfort is the aim of either of the two options to be honest. My own tcr advanced probably won't see much action from here on in - I'll be back to my endurance framed defy with mudguards for over the next few months.

Just to follow on from another thread, if I wasn't racing and was looking for a one bike does all, I'd actually be looking at gravel bikes or something like Ribble cgr. May be marginally slower than an outright race bike on the road but gives a lot of flexibility, especially the new titanium version.

magicbastarder

with three grand (or more) to spend, you would possibly get more utility out of two different €1500 bikes which are 90% as good as a €3000 bike, than you would out of the more expensive bike alone.
anything after the first grand you spend anyway is all your own money, so there's no loss to the value of the BTW scheme this way.

if commuting to work by bike is an option, this is a good way of keeping the motivation going to get out on the bike over the winter.

CramCycle

If the Vitus fits you, buy it. How is this even a discussion.

That looks like the 2012 model but in really good nick, if your gettign it for a good price, take it. Don't waste money on two bikes you may or may not like, this one you know.

magicbastarder

the OP did say it was a bit scary on downhills - whether this is the bike or just nervousness has yet to be decided possibly!

gearoidol

CramCycle wrote: »

If the Vitus fits you, buy it. How is this even a discussion.

That looks like the 2012 model but in really good nick, if your gettign it for a good price, take it. Don't waste money on two bikes you may or may not like, this one you know.

the vitus is spotless,actually looks brand new. The current owner has never actually used it id say. He asked me for €1750 when I was borrowing it . I offered him that last week but now he is now unsure he wants to sell it . The seat post is stuck so the bike is a little too high for him , the seating postion is good for me but the handle bars are a touch low and it looks like they have used all the spacers but im sure this could be remedied. I am entitled to the btw scheme again from January so obviously I cant claim on this if im buying private.

gearoidol

magicbastarder wrote: »

the OP did say it was a bit scary on downhills - whether this is the bike or just nervousness has yet to be decided possibly!

I have been out on it a lot of evenings since and im getting a little less nervous. I ventured down top of coom (cork/Kerry boarder) some evening during the week so I am getting a little more adventurous.

gearoidol

ED E wrote: »

When you say everyday can you clarify if this is evening spinning or includes commuting?

I will never use it for commuting .
20 miles or so most evenings
with a long spin on Saturday or sunday
Once the hour changes next month I will be mostly using it on the turbo trainer outside of the weekend.

TheShow

gearoidol wrote: »

the vitus is spotless,actually looks brand new. The current owner has never actually used it id say. He asked me for €1750 when I was borrowing it . I offered him that last week but now he is now unsure he wants to sell it . The seat post is stuck so the bike is a little too high for him , the seating postion is good for me but the handle bars are a touch low and it looks like they have used all the spacers but im sure this could be remedied. I am entitled to the btw scheme again from January so obviously I cant claim on this if im buying private.

assuming you're working for an Irish company the BTW maxes out at €1000. so if your looking at a €3k bike then you will still need to put €2k towards it.

You know the Vitus and can get it for €1750. Seems a no brainer to me.

In fairness everything that you're looking at seems to be a lot of bike for what is proposed. If it were me I'd be looking at a cheaper bike as a beginner, but each to their own. Be safe on out the roads.

magicbastarder

gearoidol wrote: »

the seating postion is good for me but the handle bars are a touch low and it looks like they have used all the spacers but im sure this could be remedied.

you can't undo the steerer tube having been cut down, unfortunately, your main option would be a stem with a bigger rise to it.

i'd be wary about a bike you can't adjust the saddle height on too!

gearoidol

TheShow wrote: »

assuming you're working for an Irish company the BTW maxes out at €1000. so if your looking at a €3k bike then you will still need to put €2k towards it.

You know the Vitus and can get it for €1750. Seems a no brainer to me.

In fairness everything that you're looking at seems to be a lot of bike for what is proposed. If it were me I'd be looking at a cheaper bike as a beginner, but each to their own. Be safe on out the roads.

thanks for the help .. I am a company director and got a bike on the btws 4 years ago so can apply again in January,so I know the story there.

The vitus owner has decided he doesn't want to sell for his asking price and I doubt money would sway him nor do I want to as the heritage of the bike would be wasted on me.

gearoidol

magicbastarder wrote: »

you can't undo the steerer tube having been cut down, unfortunately, your main option would be a stem with a bigger rise to it.

i'd be wary about a bike you can't adjust the saddle height on too!

Me too ,im clueless about the mechanics of a bike so would rather buy new so there is a greater chance of everything working on the day I acatually want to use it.

CramCycle

magicbastarder wrote: »

the OP did say it was a bit scary on downhills - whether this is the bike or just nervousness has yet to be decided possibly!

Presumably from being a decent Carbon Fibre bike, I feel the same on higher end carbon, one of the reasons I don't have one. He possibly will have the same issue on either of the Giants

gearoidol wrote: »

the vitus is spotless,actually looks brand new. The current owner has never actually used it id say. He asked me for €1750 when I was borrowing it . I offered him that last week but now he is now unsure he wants to sell it . The seat post is stuck so the bike is a little too high for him , the seating postion is good for me but the handle bars are a touch low and it looks like they have used all the spacers but im sure this could be remedied. I am entitled to the btw scheme again from January so obviously I cant claim on this if im buying private.

If the seat post is stuck, I'd leave it, even if it is a good deal. What you feel is a good fit now, and what is a good fit when you get into cycling may mean the bike is not suitable, and you will have a harder time selling it on. Unless he drops the price a bit more I'd leave it.

gearoidol

CramCycle wrote: »

Presumably from being a decent Carbon Fibre bike, I feel the same on higher end carbon, one of the reasons I don't have one. He possibly will have the same issue on either of the Giants

If the seat post is stuck, I'd leave it, even if it is a good deal. What you feel is a good fit now, and what is a good fit when you get into cycling may mean the bike is not suitable, and you will have a harder time selling it on. Unless he drops the price a bit more I'd leave it.

that makes since ,thanks for posting.

gearoidol

went for this one in the end, picking it up next week,


https://www.giant-bicycles.com/ie/tcr-advanced-0