Cube Peloton Race 2013 v Boardman Team Carbon

cloneddie · 04-10-2013 12:55pm #1

http://www.bikestore.ie/featured-products/cube-peloton-race-bike-2013.html
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/road_team_carbon.html
Hi all, I did a couple of triathlons over the summer and am hooked. I did them on a borrowed bike and so for next year and winter training etc I want to invest in a decent bike through the bike to work scheme. A local shop is selling the Cube Peloton 2013 for €1200 on sale which is carbon fork, alum frame and full 105 group set, cassette and levers so overall a good spec and good value I reckon. It also gets decent reviews but I have seen Halfords selling the Boardman Team Carbon full carbon with 105 cassette and Tiagra levers etc for same €1200. I dont intend any serious biking but just want a decent machine and want to buy once not have any regrets. Does anyone have an opinion of Cube v Boardman or Alum v Carbon for a novice?? Will I even notice the difference etc? Thanks.

slideshow bob · 04-10-2013 2:08pm

In similar circumstances a couple of years ago I spent a few months training on a borrowed road bike and bought a Cube Peleton Pro subsequently. The 2012 Pro I bought is close to the current Peleton Race (same wheels, frame, fork, Tiagra groupset seems to be only obvious difference). I found it great, but when I replaced a damaged ZX tyre for a GP4000 it was way nicer to cycle: easier to handle, felt safer and faster. I've minded the bike well and apart from a squeak that eventually went away with a replacement bottom bracket, had no trouble with it.

Can't speak for the boardman.

In some ways it's a shame to put a new road bike through a winter of training. A cheaper bike would be better training as you haul it up hills after your training buddies and might suffer the abuse of winter weather better. A smart 2nd hand buy now would be easy to offload in the spring when you'd also have the pleasure of a new bike for the dry roads and tri season!

cloneddie · 04-10-2013 2:14pm

Thanks Bob. Any opinion on aluminium v carbon for a novice and one that really wont do too much training in winter or summer...
One of my fears is that for my €1200 spend am I only getting a bottom end carbon bike but is it buying me a top end aluminium bike?
And also I know the guys in the local shop for back up etc but halfords strikes me as a box in box out kind of place and after sales may not be great?

ericzeking · 04-10-2013 2:26pm

For that 1200 and if you were willing to buy online, you'd get a full carbon Cube GTC, see mhw-bike.com, you could also look at Planet x or Ribble.

In terms of 'low end carbon', the difference between a E1200 carbon bike and a E2000 carbon bike is normally the components. Have never ridden anything too fancy or expensive to compare that.

On the Carbon vs Ally debate, carbon is alot more comfortable and more responsive but also more brittle if you take a tumble. Ally is more durable.

Kind of agree about putting a good bike through a winter, my ally winter bike is waiting patiently to be brought out of storage in the next week or two and my good carbon race bike will be cleaned and put on the turbo.

slideshow bob · 04-10-2013 2:35pm

If you don't have any other demands on your money spend as much as you can on the bike. It'll look lovely and ride lovely. But by the sound of it you're not going to notice much difference between the two bikes you link to. I have ridden several alu bikes, all a touch below the top-end, and a couple of carbon bikes. Cycling one of the carbons was truly lovely, but that was on a cycling trip to Mallorca with beautiful road surfaces, good weather and excellent company. I didn't come home and buy a carbon bike.

If you've any kind of decent LBS I would suggest you go with it. Any new bike I've bought has come out of a LBS and that has been worthwhile. He dissuaded me from spending €1300 on my first road bike, and for that alone I'm grateful. It was good advice. I've bought more bikes since, have established a good relationship with him and get a good deal on most of the components and spares I have to pick up. He also sorts out the things I cant on the bikes I bought from him and a fleet of others used by the rest of the family that I've picked up 2nd hand.

kingoffifa · 04-10-2013 2:51pm

well to start you off i raised a thread here before groupset or frame - which is more important. the majority if not all said the frame.

so carbon wins.

i have a few boardmans. so maybe i am biased but fine bus.
my 2009 comp is still going strong.

the value on that boardman is not as good as previous years , and rose and canyon probably offer even better value for your cash.

google them if you can do the BTW scheme with an online company.

c50 · 04-10-2013 7:35pm

you wont notice, ive cycled bikes of every level quite literally in the past 3 years and its all componentry base unless youre looking at a carbon frame tailored for comfort or extreme lightweight for racing. that said, as mentioned above you cant beat ribble/planet x prices for carbon entry level. i have to admit to turning into a carbon snob, this means if the carbon frame isnt specifically good, its worthless in the sense that you might as well stick with a good alu frame.

something else to think about is all cube peloton frames are made the same throughout, just the componentry changing.

focus, kuota, and actually, cube all do a lightweight alloy frame but this doesnt incl the peloton.

componentry is everything i love the first decent frame i got back a few years ago, a kuota corsa lite. its sat as a frame idol at the moment but sometimes i get the thought of why not build it back up with top end parts, so i do and it feels great. probably a bit too much detail but point being you wont notice frame difference- you will notice componentry difference

if you dont know a whole pile about bikes, i would suggest avoiding halfords like the plague. most bike shops (not halfords-theyre a supermarket)are very compensating if theres a fault in the bike or you have an general queries.
halfords have just people. bike shops have bikies

cloneddie · 07-10-2013 8:49pm

Just to update this thread I made a decision today and put a deposit down on a 2014 Cube Agree GTC. It wont be in stock until early December as its next years model but at €1260 full carbon with Tiagra components I felt it was good value. Cheers.

cyclic · 07-10-2013 9:51pm

how can you possibly have the delayed gratification muscle to wait 2 1/2 months for a new bike. Definitely made of sterner stuff than me.

c50 · 07-10-2013 10:53pm

cyclic wrote: »

how can you possibly have the delayed gratification muscle to wait 2 1/2 months for a new bike. Definitely made of sterner stuff than me.

2.5 months? thats least of issues, wait till its january and the bike shops are still scratching their heads waiting for delivery!!

Cube Peloton Race 2013 v Boardman Team Carbon

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