Lapierre S-Tech 200 '07 - Opinions

DirkVoodoo

Hey all,

well, i bought a Carrera Subway back in October from halfords. Nice bike, but it was really an entry level commuter to see if i could get back into cycling after many years.

Anyway, I feel I'm ready to move on, not too much, but I feel I could use something a bit nippier and with some better components.

Also, I'd prefer to move to a racing geometry. I don't cycle in and around town, my route is N11 from UCD to Foxrock in the morning and evening, along the cycle lane unless road works or bad paving prevent me. So I'm only doing about 60 km minimum per week, not getting into any racing either, I just prefer a bike over a car.

So, to get to the meat of it: I have had my eye on this bike from cyclesuperstore and have heard a few people on here talk about lapierre's before. It's not too expensive ( I consider it expensive enough!) and as bike's aren't really my forte, I can't tell one set of brakes or gears from another. Is it any good? I'm familiar with the pros and cons of a racer setup, I believe I would prefer it over the more upright position of the carrera.

thanks

copacetic

the spec on that looks a little poor for the price. have a look at the specialized allez and trek 1000/giant scr. Better specs for same price. They'll all have sora/tiagra shimano.

the 2200 are absolutely bottom of range shimano, then sora, then tiagra and up from there. I think the allez has tiagra rear mech, sora front, sora chainset and better brakes, fully integrated headset etc. it is 499BGP so should get it for about the same as above.

I'd go for the allez myself, although I'm a bit biased. Any of the above get fantastic reviews and would go well for you. As would the Lapierre I'm sure but you can get better value for your money.

DirkVoodoo

Cool, they both look pretty neat. Like I said, I know little about components, poor on my part, so thanks for the crash course.

I'm a little disappointed with the lapierre now, thought they were a bit more up the midrange. Having said that, I have never heard of specialised, does anyone stock them in Ireland?

copacetic

DirkVoodoo wrote:

Cool, they both look pretty neat. Like I said, I know little about components, poor on my part, so thanks for the crash course.

I'm a little disappointed with the lapierre now, thought they were a bit more up the midrange. Having said that, I have never heard of specialised, does anyone stock them in Ireland?

well it's definitely mid range compared to your average bike, but bottom of the range or therabouts as far as road bikes go.

Specialized are one of the top 3 bike brands worldwide, you'll see them everywhere. They are probably the most popular road and mtn bikes in Ireland. If anything they are a bit too common! cycleways in parnell street stock them.

BeardyGit

copacetic wrote:

well it's definitely mid range compared to your average bike, but bottom of the range or therabouts as far as road bikes go.

Specialized are one of the top 3 bike brands worldwide, you'll see them everywhere. They are probably the most popular road and mtn bikes in Ireland. If anything they are a bit too common! cycleways in parnell street stock them.

I wouldn't say they're the most popular mountainbikes to be honest (Kona, Giant & Trek are more common), but they are nice machines, if a little too pricey for my liking.

Dirk Voodoo, what's the budget for the bike? And have you considered a cross bike instead of a pure road machine? Better clearance for mudguards etc....

DirkVoodoo

Gil_Dub I would be willing to go up to 800. I already own a hybrid. Its nice but I would prefer the aerodynamic position and light weight of a racer. I find once I pick up some decent speed my drag increases exponentially and im just wasting energy.

Following on from Copacetic's advice, I'm gonna look at the trek 1000D. A bit pricey for my tastes, but still a hell of a lot cheaper than a car.

There is a Giant OCR for sale on adverts, but the asking price is too high for a second hand bike IMO.

crashoveroid

http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360027214
http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360027214
http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360027029

Here are a few you may like not too badly priced either they are in sterling but all well in under the 1000 mark

robotfridge

Im looking at a lapierre bike myself for triathlons and i must say ive heard good things about them. Id advise you to stay away from cycleogical or cycleways in town as they are very overpriced.
Keep searching the internet for what you want and cyclesuperstore is a great place to start.
Id also advise you to be aware that for some bikes like specialized, giant etc youre just paying for the label.

Hope my advice wasnt too negative!

copacetic

robotfridge wrote:

Im looking at a lapierre bike myself for triathlons and i must say ive heard good things about them. Id advise you to stay away from cycleogical or cycleways in town as they are very overpriced.
Keep searching the internet for what you want and cyclesuperstore is a great place to start.
Id also advise you to be aware that for some bikes like specialized, giant etc youre just paying for the label.

Hope my advice wasnt too negative!

seems a bit negative to me, you are plugging a make that only superstore sell and then plugging them as a shop, whats up with that? Any bias you would like to tell us about. Good shop, but no better than cycleways and cyclelogical, they all sell at the RRP.

this bike for example is very poor value imo and a specialized/trek or giant would be much better value at the cycleways or cyclelogical prices.

BeardyGit

I'm with Copacetic on that one. The superstore are a good shop, but really no better than many others. I've had good and bad experiences there, on pricing and service. You pays your money and you takes your chances I guess.....But do yourself a favour and really look around a bit, online and in the local shops before making a decision on what to buy.

DV, I was actually suggesting a 'Cyclo Cross' bike, as opposed to a hybrid

PrideWinner

I just bought a new road bike.I had a look at the lapierre but couldnt believe how poor the spec was for the price.I really think its worth spending a few hundred more and get something decent.Just bought a trek 1200.cost 990 euro.Fine piece of kit,105 rear rerailer,carbon fork,seat post.

Hungrycol

Have a look at Fuji in the Bike Rack on the South Side. Decent bike with good spec.

I have a Cannondale CAAD5 (tiagra), which is an excelent alu frame and well worth upgrading on components as time goes by.

While I'm here Bianchi are good too. For about the €1k mark you're looking at very entry level but remember components can be upgraded easier than frames so make sure you're buying best for your budget on 1st, Frame, 2nd Wheels, 3rd Components.

But most important of all be comfortable and enjoy the ride...