Cycle to Work Scheme - Chain Reaction Cycles

damoz

Workplace has announced they will be bringing this in. Only theres a catch or two.

Bikes must be bought from chainreactioncycles.com, and the limit is €1000 for bike and accessories.

So my question to the Cycling boardsies... how would you best spend €1000 - what bike, shoes, helmet, etc would you recommed. I would be interested in a bike which could also be used in triathlons (as a beginner). I simply dont know any of the brands they stock - BeOne, BH, Vitus etc - so would need some advice from those in the know. I was looking at a Focus Varido on wiggle before this was announced - so how would these compare etc.

DirkVoodoo

damoz wrote: »

Workplace has announced they will be bringing this in. Only theres a catch or two.

Bikes must be bought from chainreactioncycles.com, and the limit is €1000 for bike and accessories.

So my question to the Cycling boardsies... how would you best spend €1000 - what bike, shoes, helmet, etc would you recommed. I would be interested in a bike which could also be used in triathlons (as a beginner). I simply dont know any of the brands they stock - BeOne, BH, Vitus etc - so would need some advice from those in the know. I was looking at a Focus Varido on wiggle before this was announced - so how would these compare etc.

You are lucky compared to a lot of folk, CRC is a good retailer to be tied to. Definitely great for accessories. Granted the bike brands aren't the best, I haven't looked in a while (well, BH are good) but if you are looking for a hybrid or road bike, the cubes are quite nice.

blorg

As Dirk says if you have to be tied CRC are a good retailer to be tied to. Cubes are good road bikes, Tom had one before his Planet X. BH are very well known and are ridden in the Tour de France etc.

If you are planning on racing seriously maybe try to get a double- although a compact double would be best if you were a beginner. Triples don't shift quite so well in a race situation. This looks like an option although I would probably rate BH and Cube above BeOne (AstraMonti has a BeOne also before a Planet X, he may disagree.) Viper are a bit of an unknown to me.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31040

AstraMonti

Beone was nice when they were on the 50% offer, they are decent bikes (have done more than 3000kms by now and only needed to change a spoke on the wheels), but they are averages bikes, at least not for racing. If they were on the same price with BH and Cube at that time (and i knew what i know today) i would have bought either a BH or a Cube.

Reading reviews about the Beones will tell you the same thing, decent bikes but can't get the maximum out of the rider - meaning a trained racing rider. I am actually really happy with mine, great for first road bike.

lukester

I have a Cube Streamer, a very good package for the money, last year. Got lots of good reviews, which I can't seem to find right now.

Looked at BeOne before that, they are getting favourable reviews, one here

damoz

Thanks for the feedback so far..... based on it, and a quick look at the site this one springs to attention.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31039

What pedal and shoe combo would be best for the remaining €150 or so.

damoz

Ok attached is my shopping list from CRC (attached) - have i made good choices / bad choices.

Would appreciate any alternative opinions or advice - bearing in mind the magic €1000 budget for as much bike as i can get.

blorg

Regarding shoes, ones with a ratcheting closure system are better if you can get them.

zzzzzzzz

damoz wrote: »

Ok attached is my shopping list from CRC (attached) - have i made good choices / bad choices.

Would appreciate any alternative opinions or advice - bearing in mind the magic €1000 budget for as much bike as i can get.

Have you tried on any cycling shoes before? I've never used shimano ones myself but I vaguely recall someone saying they were quite wide (anyone care to correct that?)

Also, what made you go for the shimano pedals? They're out of stock there at the minute so you might be waiting a while - which would be painful with a new bike sitting there with no pedals!

damoz

wrt the pedals.. i assumed it made sense to stick to 105 as most other components are. but im no expert. CRC are coming onsite next week, so will see what their Rep says.

Not tired shoes - ever. Have only ever used flat pedals, so will be a new experience. Have cycled alot on flat pedals though.

zzzzzzzz

In addition - the shoes you picked are for SPD pedal systems - the pedals aren't.

damoz

damoz wrote: »

but im no expert

see... i told ya ! thanks.

Edit - at this point i should of course seek advice. What shoe and pedal would you recommend - for approx €150

ednwireland

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

In addition - the shoes you picked are for SPD pedal systems - the pedals aren't.

you sure says spd-sl on the desc
• SPD-SL, SPD-R/SPD (with adaptor SM-SH85), and Look* cleat compatible

zzzzzzzz

damoz wrote: »

see... i told ya ! thanks.

Edit - at this point i should of course seek advice. What shoe and pedal would you recommend - for approx €150

SPD pedals are usually used on mountainbikes. The advantage being that you can clip in both sides of the pedal and a lot of the shoes have recessed cleats so you can walk in them easily enough. They're great for getting used to clipless pedals as they're easier to clip in & out of.

If you decide against SPDs, there are various systems out there - the most popular being Time or Look.

I use Time pedals myself and I can't fault them.

You need to figure out if you have narrow/wide feet before you decide on shoes really.

zzzzzzzz

ednwireland wrote: »

you sure says spd-sl on the desc
• SPD-SL, SPD-R/SPD (with adaptor SM-SH85), and Look* cleat compatible

Sorry - I was just going on the image posted. Didn't look them up.