Narrowed it down to 3

mccutchie

Hey guys,

I'm hoping you can help me make the right choice. I'm loooking to buy a road bike to join some friends of mine who cycle regularly on weeknights and weekends. I have narrowed it down to 3 bikes and i'm willing to spend between 600 - 800 euro.

The bikes I like are the Specialized Allez Sport 27, Trek 1.2 Triple 2010 and the Giant Defy 3.5.

The guys I will be cycling with are just starting to prepare for a charity cycle in September so now is a good time to join them.

Any opinions on the bikes above appreciated

Cheers, mccutchie

blorg

All about the same, ride them and see which one you prefer/fits you best.

beara biker

hi my thoughts on the bikes you have chosen the allez 27 is the best of the three or another option is the defy 3. it retails at 775 euro

Thekingofhearts

Out of the three you have listed the Specialized is best value.

The Trek is over priced for what it is.

The Giant is nice but still not as good value as the Allez.

Is there a specific reason you want the Tripple chainset?

The Allez sport double comes with a 50/34 chainset plenty of gears if you ask me.

The allez also comes with a two piece Sora Chainset.

Giant with F.S.A rubbish and Trek with Bontrager crap.

I back up my last remark with the fact that these chainsets are quite flexy.

The Allez has been upgraded this year with shimano brake calipers.

I would say 1. Allez 2. defy 3. 1.2.

Hope this helps


The King

mccutchie

Cheers for the responses guys, i appreciate it. The reason for the Tripple chainset was advice from one of the lads i'll be cycling with, i'm no expert on bikes at the mo, so depending on advice from others. I'll have a look at the defy 3 tomorrow, but my mind now is swayed toward the specialized allez sport.

Thekingofhearts

A tripple chainring can give you a bigger range of gears.

Although the shift is not as nice as a double compact.

Plus the double is stiffer and lighter

The King

mccutchie

Thanks to The King for all the advice.

Its between the Defy 3 now and the Specialized Allez Sport. The Defy 2 is just beyond my price range.

Please feel free to comment, as to tell the truth I'm very unsure which to go with. The Specialized comes with slick typres which i find a bit strange for Irish roads, then again i'm far from being an expert, and the shop said they can fit other tyres to it.

Help me to decide please !!

blorg

These two?

http://www.specialized.com/gb/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=47324&eid=4350&menuItemId=8096
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/model/defy.3/3882/37101/

The Specialized is substantially better spec of the two of them. It is one groupset up with an extra speed and the chainset in particular uses a more modern interface. Specialized finishing kit tends to be better than Giant at the entry-level too.

Not sure what you mean by slick tyres and Irish roads? Slick tyres give the best grip on road and in any case both of those bikes come with slick tyres; the Giant ones are just slightly wider. If there is a tread on the edges it is entirely cosmetic (I had them myself on a Giant Bowery.)

Thekingofhearts

Blorg knows what he's talking about regards the tyres. Peoples commom misconception seems to be that a ''Slick'' tyre has less grip in the wet and can puncture easier. This is not the case. The mondo tyre that comes on the specialized is a grippy tyre although pretty rubbish so is the kryterium that comes on the defy. I wore a mondo out in 3 weeks brutal tyre . I would seriously think of upgrading the tyres. Maybe to a Panaracer Ribmo or All condition Armadillo. Very grippy long lasting tyres.
I personally ride the Panaracer extreme evo T's and I swear by them 14 months without a puncture and a soft grippy compound.

Kissy Lips

I had the same choice and took the trek 1.2. Absolutely love it, feels great. Upgraded the wheels. Didnt like the defy much, the ride between the allez and the trek felt the same.
Go trek 1.2.

thebouldwhacker

I bought the 1.2 just under a year ago and as an entry level bike I cant complain about it. I will upgrade though when I get the cash together. I did try an buy second hand but couldnt find one in my size. If getting a used one first is an option it would be a good move, you would get a 2009 trek for €400 or €500 and can upgrade if you wish without taking a hit on the sale price.
Before I bought I also looked at those bikes too, I found the giant sluggish, I liked the Specialised but I found the Trek at a very cheap price so the money made up my mind, and she has never let me wanting.

Best of luck with whichever bike you decide and enjoy!

blorg

I think you should take from this that you should try them out and see which one you prefer.

The Specialized is better value than the Trek and higher spec on paper (particularly the crankset as Thekingofhearts notes) but it is a relatively minor point compared to the bike fitting you so if you take the Trek out and it works for you get that over the Specialized.