Bike advice - Lapierre any good?

austinbyrne21

Hi all,

I'm just starting to get into cycling, with the intention of doing some triathlons down the road. Called into CycleSuperstore recently and they're trying to push the Lapierre R-Lite 200 on me. I've kind of taken to the Giant Defy 3 that's on their website but seems like gold-dust to get. The nike itself is gonna be part of the bike2work scheme so I presume it has to be bought in a shop rather than online.

I love the look of the Trek 1.5 (both appearance and spec.) but it's out of my price range. Anything else you's fine people can reccommend?

Oh yea, I'm 5' 7". Any ideas on frame sizes?

Cheers in advance,

Austin

blorg

You can buy from anywhere on the bike2work scheme, including online- as long as your employer is happy to do it, it is fine with the Revenue.

penexpers

blorg wrote: »

You can buy from anywhere on the bike2work scheme, including online- as long as your employer is happy to do it, it is fine with the Revenue.

bike2work could also refer to http://www.bike2work.ie/

OP : CSS are the only supplier of LaPierre bikes in Ireland which is probably why they push them so much.

thegom145

I got a lapierre from the bike2work program through cyclesuperstore, they do push them on you alright

I've had it for four months and its ok, not amazing but not terrible either. The only problems I've had with it are a fair few punctures (which isn't too surprising as theres a lot of broken glass and other ****e on my route to work so its more that and less a fault of the bike, I replaced the stock tyres with armadillos and haven't had one since) and the ****ty plastic toe clips that came on it one of which broke very easily, I'm probably going to get some tough metal ones to replace them.

Is the R-Lite 200 the black one with the gold trim? I'm in work and my bikes locked up outside and can't remember what model it is, but thats what it looks like.

As to frame size they should measure you in the shop and give you an appropriate one, they did that for me.

I'd say look around some other shops until you find something in your price range that really appeals to you.

petethedrummer

thegom145 wrote: »

As to frame size they should measure you in the shop and give you an appropriate one, they did that for me.

Yeah they give you a fair bit of time with sizing in cyclesuperstore even if you're not definitely buying, which is nice. Try to go when its not likely to be busy.

L'Enfer du Nord

penexpers wrote: »

bike2work could also refer to http://www.bike2work.ie/

OP : CSS are the only supplier of LaPierre bikes in Ireland which is probably why they push them so much.

Nigel's in Galway also sell them, I'm sure they are good bikes, but they're slightly over priced in my opinion. I get the impression that Giant 2009s are pretty much sold out.

DePurpereWolf

just wait after the rush of the summer. (and the rush of the bike scheme)
My university still hasn't figured out the bike scheme yet, so I guess that's some sort of weird blessing in disguise.

You can definitely try a couple of bikes and have them order a bike with slightly different specs. There are so many different bikes, that no one has them all on stock.

BostonB

Watching the duathlon in the park tonight there must have been 10 or more Giants bikes most of which I think were new Defy's. One Boardman in there too. Have to say I'm not a fan of the look of the these compact frames (of any make) . I like the older designs better. Old fogey I guess.

austinbyrne21

Cheers everyone for the comments. Called into CycleSuperstore this evening to try and narrow down the options. It looks like the lapierre is the only thing worth looking at in my price range but I don't just wanna buy it for the sake of getting something.

Blorg, that sounds great about being able to buy online. I tried Googling it to find out how to go about it but couldn't find any info. Can I buy of UK websites as well, no?

penexpers

austinbyrne21 wrote: »

Blorg, that sounds great about being able to buy online. I tried Googling it to find out how to go about it but couldn't find any info. Can I buy of UK websites as well, no?

Your employer has to agree to allow you to purchase the bike off the shop in the UK.

blorg

@austin- yes, unless your employer restricts it you can buy from anywhere including online from the UK. There is no Revenue requirement to buy in Ireland.

@BostonB- to be honest very few manufacturers make non-compact geometry frames any more, although Giants are more compact than most.

austinbyrne21

@Blorg - I found that information on the internet that says it's fine to buy wherever so I'm good to go. The place I work will be fine with that.

So now, to everyone else... Does anyone have any reccommendations of a good road bike for around €700-€800 (want the leftover money to get gear) either in a shop or online? I still rate the Trek 1.5 which, online, seems to come in at the maximum of my limit. Is this good value? I also like the Giant Defy 3 but seems to be impossible to get. Are these my best bets do you's reckon?

Does EvansCycles.com deliver to Ireland? Any other good websites you's can reccommend to buy the whole package (bike and gear) from?

Cheers for any advice,

Austin

stuf

remember for the cycle to work all the gear and bike have to be a single purchase - you can't shop around and make multiple claims.

Lumen

BostonB wrote: »

Have to say I'm not a fan of the look of the these compact frames (of any make) . I like the older designs better. Old fogey I guess.

I share your preferences.

It's still quite easy to find good frames with traditional geometry, unfortunately they're often not cheap because they cater to the old fogey market who are prepared to spend €1000+ on a frameset to last them another couple of hip operations.

penexpers

austinbyrne21 wrote: »

Does EvansCycles.com deliver to Ireland? Any other good websites you's can reccommend to buy the whole package (bike and gear) from?

Evans deliver to Ireland and they assemble most of the bike for you. However they won't deliver Trek to Ireland (not allowed under dealer agreement).

BostonB

blorg wrote: »

...@BostonB- to be honest very few manufacturers make non-compact geometry frames any more, although Giants are more compact than most.

Heres one!
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Charge_Juicer_Mid_2010/5360044279/

and another...
http://road.cc/content/news/1195-exlcusive-first-ride-charge-skewer
http://road.cc/category/image-galleries/eurobike-2008/charge
http://road.cc/category/image-galleries/bikes/charge-skewer