Advice on a new road bike please!!!

[Draeger]

Hi,

Looking for advice on a new road bike.

Our Fire & Rescue Service has just introduced the "Cycle To Work Scheme" and I'm going to take advantage of it.

I used to cycle to my work about 10 years ago, was a round trip of about 22miles. Really enjoyed it and thought that it would grabbing a road bike under the scheme might be both useful and also a bit of a break from my usual gym training which consists of Concept II rowing and mild weights.

So I'm looking for some advice on buying a roadbike.

To some, for myself as a "newbie" to road bikes, the choices of bike I have been looking at may appear to be a bit "over the top" but I'm thinking that since it's through the scheme, why not push the boat out somewhat and go for something a bit more expensive?.

Mate who is also a firefighter, has just got one of these through the scheme:-

http://www.awcycles.co.uk/brands/Bianchi/1885_Hydro_Carbon_-_Veloce,_2008/11903/index.aspx

Good choice?. He's a bit of a mountain bike freak and owns a Titus, but this is his first foray into road biking. He says the Bianchi is a cracking bit of kit and loves it to bits.

Thoughts?.

Had a look at some of the Trek Madone stuff through a couple of catalogues that a local dealer had sent to the fire station after we enquired, but it seems a bit expensive.

This is going to probably be a daft question, but again, as a "newbie", what is the difference between a "Performance Road" bike and a "Time Trial/Triathlon" bike?.

I'm looking to spend ( through the Cycle to Work Scheme and the financial assistance they provide via it ) , approx £1k.

Thanks.

 

[fatherdougal]

Best advice would be to visit your local bike shop and take a ride on a few different bikes in the price range that you are looking at. For instance I have a Bianchi and I test rode the bike that your friend has but decided on getting one of the C2C ones instead as the geometry suited me more, and the bike is designed for the type of riding that I do.

I would also take a look at the Focus bikes that Wiggle sell. You won't be able to test ride them, so you need to be pretty sure that the style and size is right for you, but they offer excellent value for money at the moment.

Keep us posted on how you get on.

 

[PlatinumFX]

So you want it for commuting but what else might you use it for? Long distance rides? AUDAX? Racing? Touring?

If I understand the cycle to work scheme correctly, generally the employee can only use the retailer selected by his/her employer. In the OP case, I presume thats AWCycles?

I think Wiggle is off the cards. As good a deal as the Focuses represent, test riding and being properly fitted for a bike is so much more important than a component upgrade.

Performance road bikes as opposed to triathlon/TT bikes? Tri / TT bikes will have subtley different geometry and a special type of handle bar/controls set to suit comfort and control in the aerodynamic TT pose. Be aware those bikes can have difficult handling due to the handle bar. Because of this reason, these bikes might be frowned upon or outright banned from use in some cycling club group rides, organised bike rides (sportives, charity rides) and definetly all road races (except time trials obviously!).

Bianchi's are cracking bikes. I had a 2008 C2C Via Nirone and currently have their Cyclocross Axis model. The 1885 your mate has Draeger will be different from the C2C bikes in the following ways:

- A slightly more agressive geometry. If you don't have pretty good flexibility and core strength, you would need to work on that to get the most out of your bike riding and to find some comfort. Again this is why its so important you get fitted in a bike shop and test ride as much as you can.

- Stiffer frame with sharper handling. Especially around the bottom bracket, this frame will have less flex when your really hammering a hill or sprinting on the flat. With less flex, comes greater efficiency and potentially greater speed.

If you could stretch to some thing in the four series (or better even if you have the cash) of the Madone range, you'll find a bike similarly or perhaps even more stiff, but appreciably lighter. I have ridden and am getting a Madone from higher up the range. The geometry is pretty much the same throughout and I can vouch for the Madones reassuring handling. In the nearly 50 miles of test riding my bike shop kindly granted me, I had the opportunity to throw the bike and myself into some sharp corners. It felt like it was on rails! It held its line precisely and was a pleasure to push for the limits on.

 

[Draeger]

Thanks guys.

I'm looking at this and trying hard not to stop drooling :-

Link to spec HERE

Ducati by Bianchi, I'm off to take a look at one this week.

 

[fatherdougal]

That Ducati looks really nice.

Not sure whether it still stands but I know that they tightened up the cycle scheme last year. Before you were able to make up the difference in cash if buying a bike that was more than a £1000. However now my LBS, and whoever they were using for the scheme, were refusing (citing a few examples of repossesions that became really difficult) to go over a grand. I can't speak for other places though.