Another Opinions thread

tagoona

Hi All,
I'm looking to upgrade my bike for around the 1000-1200 price range via the back to work scheme.
If possible, I'd like to get it from a local bike shop, but the best offers I can come up with are

Giant Defy 2 (Tiagra) for 1100
Claude Butler Strada (105) for 1100 ish (waiting for exact price)
Trek 1.7 (105) last years model for 1235.
Willier Trestina (not sure with groupset - still waiting for a call back) 1100 ish
Kellys(full carbon, not sure which groupset) for about 1100

I'm 6'1" and 14 stone, so I'm not small.
I've done olympic tris, but am heading for half ironman (if that's any use).
Don't laugh, but my current is a BeOne Briza 1.0 with triple ring. I know, I know, but I didn't want to buy an expensive bike if I didn't stay in the sport.

Someone suggested that Giant is very suitable for a big plank like me. I'm not so sure.
I really do feel I'm paying through the nose for the Giant and Trek brands.

The only problem is I know there's much better deals to be had on the net:
Wiggle have a Focus Cayo 105 with triple ring (is the third ring worth the extra)
Planet X have the full carbon ultegra (I'm afraid of all the options when ordering though).

Does anyone have an opinion on the local bikes mentioned, or on the internet deals? (The internet deals will make it hard to go through the bike to work scheme though).

Cheers for your thoughts.
Paul

blorg

The Planet X is the best deal to be honest, followed by the Focus 105. If getting the Focus I would go for the compact rather than the triple as the former is reduced more at the moment and you will have better front shifting. You certainly won't need the extra triple ring while racing triathlons. 6ft1 would put you on a large Planet X I reckon or a 58cm Focus (I am 6ft and have or had both of these bikes in these sizes- if anything they were slightly on the large side so should be right for you.)

Lumen

If your employer buys a bike from the UK on the bike to work scheme they shouldn't pay UK VAT on it, but will have to pay the Irish VAT.

This will up the price a little, and may break the €1000 limit on some schemes.

Dr_Colossus

tagoona wrote: »

Kellys(full carbon, not sure which groupset) for about 1100

Paul

Hi, what model Kellys were you looking at and where for that price. I've been doing research on the Kellys and the cheapest full carbon frame model is the URC 6.9 for €2,050 from WorldWideCycles.com which has 105 groupset and a carbon seatpost.
Think it might be the IRC 3.9 you were looking at which is €1,050 on WorldWideCylces.com and €1,195 in Cycleways. This is not full carbon but has a carbon fork and carbon seat stays with a Tiagra groupset.
Nice looking bikes and well finished but can't find reviews of how they cycle anywhere.

tagoona

I'm waiting for a call back with the full details of the kellys (will let you know when I get it).

As for the 1000 limit - that's only a limit that the government will cough up cash on. The rest is up to me!!

Quigs Snr

If you must buy local you could look at the Boardman Team Carbon from Halfords. Its a decent machine according to the reviews if you make sure its assembled correctly.

Acoustic swears by them.

No wait, swears at them.

tagoona

Am I right in thinking that the Trek 1.7 is overpriced at 1245?

Lumen

tagoona wrote: »

Am I right in thinking that the Trek 1.7 is overpriced at 1245?

It's worth what you think it's worth.

IMO bikes are largely commoditized. When you're buying a car, you might overlook the appalling VFM of a BMW because the engines are fab. There isn't really any equivalent USP in bike terms, because the components are largely interchangable and compatible.

When I look at a Trek I see a nice bike that costs a bit too much. That extra pays for the dealer and distributor network and all the marketing etc. If you have a good local bike shop that sells Treks you might pay the extra to develop a good relationship with them, but I don't really see the point of "remote Trek buying" because you're not getting the local dealer relationship and there is better value to be had from the Focuses, Boardmans and Planet-Xs.