Bike Decision

BeepBeep67

Going to buy a bike this weekend through the B2W scheme.
Looking at spending max €1200 for an entry level road bike to supplement my running training and maybe the odd Duo, probably doing max 2.5 - 3hrs spins.
Have been looking at Felts mainly:
F85 @ €1100 (have had a test spin and it feels nice)
Z85 @ €1000
both in Wheelworx and there's an F75 knocking around for €1299, but I need to tell the OH some porkies to get that one.

Thoughts anyone - or other options on the best way to invest?

Tnx

Dom

BeepBeep67

Had a look at a Trek 1.5 today - anyone have any experience on one of these?

Donie75

I bought a Specialized Elite and I'm very happy with it. Very comfortable and decent spec too.

funkyjebus

have a felt and very happy wih it, great fame upgrading to ultegra atm.

BeepBeep67

Donie75 wrote: »

I bought a Specialized Elite and I'm very happy with it. Very comfortable and decent spec too.

Thanks - where did you get that?

BeepBeep67

funkyjebus wrote: »

have a felt and very happy wih it, great fame upgrading to ultegra atm.

Thanks - Which model do you have and out of interest how much does it cost to upgrade to ultegra?

seanie500

boardman team Carbon you should check it out EUR 1,250 carbon Frame and SRAM Rival groupset have one a few months and its top notch

BeepBeep67

seanie500 wrote: »

boardman team Carbon you should check it out EUR 1,250 carbon Frame and SRAM Rival groupset have one a few months and its top notch

only in Halfords I believe - they don't cooperate with bike to work ltd - whom I have to use with my company scheme

funkyjebus

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Thanks - Which model do you have and out of interest how much does it cost to upgrade to ultegra?

I went for the 2009 f95, which is alot better than the 2010 version, which they have skimped down. It had a sora / tiagra mix, so ultegra was a worthwhile upgrade (SL btw), Im doing it secondhand, although half of the components have never been used, overall upgrade should cost me 300ish.

I would recommend either the f85 or f75, not too keen myself on the z series geo. The f85 team issue is one sexy bike (looks very similar to my f95), but I'd go with the f75 for the 105 components, if you dont want to upgrade anytime soon. Ultegra wouldn't been too much of any upgrade from 105 to make it worth your while.

Edit: Found a pic of my bike. I shoudl be one in a million when im done with it. The best thing is Ive never seen anyone else with one, ever.

funkyjebus

seanie500 wrote: »

boardman team Carbon you should check it out EUR 1,250 carbon Frame and SRAM Rival groupset have one a few months and its top notch

Nice bike, if I could do it all again, would be my choice.

BeepBeep67

funkyjebus wrote: »

I would recommend either the f85 or f75, not too keen myself on the z series geo. The f85 team issue is one sexy bike (looks very similar to my f95), but I'd go with the f75 for the 105 components, if you dont want to upgrade anytime soon. Ultegra wouldn't been too much of any upgrade from 105 to make it worth your while.

Edit: Found a pic of my bike. I shoudl be one in a million when im done with it. The best thing is Ive never seen anyone else with one, ever.

That's very tempting alright - waiting on a reply from the shop on stock.

Nice looking bike BTW - think I'm narrowed to the F75 and F85.

funkyjebus

cheers, whats the price difference?

BeepBeep67

funkyjebus wrote: »

cheers, whats the price difference?

€1299 for F75 and €1099 for F85

funkyjebus

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

€1299 for F75 and €1099 for F85

oh, thats a tough one, there is no doubt that 200 extra for the 10 sp 105 is imo work it, i do prefer the f85 frame (team). glad it you rather than me. one thing to note, the fact that the f75 is a 10 sp should be easier to upgrade bit by bit later on if you want (i assume its 10 sp).

let know how you get on.

Hail 2 Da Thief

seanie500 wrote: »

boardman team Carbon you should check it out EUR 1,250 carbon Frame and SRAM Rival groupset have one a few months and its top notch

Price increased to 1,500.

Glad I bought mine a couple of weeks back!! :cool:

Donie75

I bought my Specialized Elite in Buckley Cycles in Athlone. I paid €1250. It's a triple and it suits me fine for my first roadbike. I'm doing 3 or 4 spins per week of 30 to 40km and it's really a comfortable bike. I'm fairly heavy (but getting lighter) so I didn't want to buy a low end carbon bike to start with. I comes with Mavic CXP22 wheels, a 105 groupset except for the brake calipers and a few other nice touches like the zertz inserts in the carbon forks.

BeepBeep67

mmmm - looks like there is a Z70 in stock for €1099, with a 105 set up - sounds like good value.

BeepBeep67

What's the main differences / benefits in having a double over a triple?

Trying to get up to speed so to speak in all of this

blorg

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

What's the main differences / benefits in having a double over a triple?

A standard double shifts better and is less likely to throw the chain; that is the main benefit. It is also slightly lighter but that is not so significant. Irish races are generally flat and even where they hit a bit of a hill if you are going to be competitive and not get dropped you will be able to get up it with the gearing on a standard double. The Q factor (distance between the pedals) is also slightly less which is thought to be biomechanically more efficient although I am not sure how big an issue this is. IMO, a standard double is the best choice for racing but if you don't race I would not get one as you lose the low gears for climbing hills while not really needing the benefits.

A triple gives you a wider gear range by adding a smaller third ring. Climbing is easier in this third ring. If you are not racing the worse shifting and slight weight penalty really don't matter. Especially the weight; if you are on a gradient where it matters you will probably appreciate the extra gear more. Perhaps the only serious issue with a triple is simply an aesthetic one, that you may feel it doesn't look great on a road bike. While you can race on a triple I have thrown the chain on occasion; a double really is better for racing. Not racing, triple is fine.

A third option recently available is a compact double which has two rings but spaced further apart than a standard double, generally 50-34 rather than 53-39. This is probably the best choice for most cyclists these days IMO. You get almost the gear range of the triple (effectively minus only one gear at either end) with shifting almost as good as the standard double, and that weight saving that doesn't matter anyway. Q Factor is the same as a standard double. It looks good like a standard. It is also perfectly raceable on although not quite as good as a standard; if you were only racing I would get a standard but if you also want to use your bike to go up hills get a compact.

The only real downside of a compact is that due to the very big gap between the rings when you shift at the front you get a massive change in cadence compared to either standard or triple. I feel you get used to this and can compensate by shifting at the rear simultaneously.

funkyjebus

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

mmmm - looks like there is a Z70 in stock for €1099, with a 105 set up - sounds like good value.

Thats great value, too bad about the looks imo. not keen on the z series felts. does it have 105 shifters as well, is it 10 speed. where do you have to buy from?

BeepBeep67

Need to buy from this list

The Z70 is gone so that's off the radar, but getting tempted by an F65D, with carbon seat stays and an Ultegra compact set up (50/34T) - would cost a tad over a grand through the B2W, about 300 more than planned - but some future proofing guaranteed with that investment I think.
Going to take a look tomorrow - need to sort by Tuesday to hit July's pay run.

funkyjebus

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Need to buy from this list

The Z70 is gone so that's off the radar, but getting tempted by an F65D, with carbon seat stays and an Ultegra compact set up (50/34T) - would cost a tad over a grand through the B2W, about 300 more than planned - but some future proofing guaranteed with that investment I think.
Going to take a look tomorrow - need to sort by Tuesday to hit July's pay run.

Where are you looking at the felts? How much for the f65 pre btw scheme? It a nice bike, with great components, the exact one im uprgrading to Ultegra SL.

BeepBeep67

funkyjebus wrote: »

Where are you looking at the felts? How much for the f65 pre btw scheme? It a nice bike, with great components, the exact one im uprgrading to Ultegra SL.

Down in Wexford, it's on hold until Monday - in the region of 1400 - 1500.

BeepBeep67

Ok - the journey is over got seduced by a Ridley Orion 1005A today - deposit paid, will collect in a few weeks.
Carbon frame with Ultega 6700 double - beans on toast for the next few months.

funkyjebus

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Ok - the journey is over got seduced by a Ridley Orion 1005A today - deposit paid, will collect in a few weeks.
Carbon frame with Ultega 6700 double - beans on toast for the next few months.

Nice bike, would love a ridley myself. Enjoy

kennyb3

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Ok - the journey is over got seduced by a Ridley Orion 1005A today - deposit paid, will collect in a few weeks.
Carbon frame with Ultega 6700 double - beans on toast for the next few months.

ha ha welcome to the forum. you will never have a credit card statement again without a cycling item on it!

BeepBeep67

Picked up the bike today + shoes, pedals, garmin mount, seat bag, gloves and tri bars - took it for a short test spin to check how commutable work is.
Bike is great different world compared to the MTB, need some practise with the gearing and me ar$e needs some TLC - overall very pleased.
Summary: 34.56k @ 28.9km/h

c montgomery

Hail 2 Da Thief wrote: »

Price increased to 1,500.

Glad I bought mine a couple of weeks back!! :cool:

New model out start of next month, price 1200 euro.

I dont know why there increased the price of the soon the be older model when the new model will be cheaper.

snollup

blorg wrote: »

A standard double shifts better and is less likely to throw the chain; that is the main benefit. It is also slightly lighter but that is not so significant. Irish races are generally flat and even where they hit a bit of a hill if you are going to be competitive and not get dropped you will be able to get up it with the gearing on a standard double. The Q factor (distance between the pedals) is also slightly less which is thought to be biomechanically more efficient although I am not sure how big an issue this is. IMO, a standard double is the best choice for racing but if you don't race I would not get one as you lose the low gears for climbing hills while not really needing the benefits.

A triple gives you a wider gear range by adding a smaller third ring. Climbing is easier in this third ring. If you are not racing the worse shifting and slight weight penalty really don't matter. Especially the weight; if you are on a gradient where it matters you will probably appreciate the extra gear more. Perhaps the only serious issue with a triple is simply an aesthetic one, that you may feel it doesn't look great on a road bike. While you can race on a triple I have thrown the chain on occasion; a double really is better for racing. Not racing, triple is fine.

A third option recently available is a compact double which has two rings but spaced further apart than a standard double, generally 50-34 rather than 53-39. This is probably the best choice for most cyclists these days IMO. You get almost the gear range of the triple (effectively minus only one gear at either end) with shifting almost as good as the standard double, and that weight saving that doesn't matter anyway. Q Factor is the same as a standard double. It looks good like a standard. It is also perfectly raceable on although not quite as good as a standard; if you were only racing I would get a standard but if you also want to use your bike to go up hills get a compact.

The only real downside of a compact is that due to the very big gap between the rings when you shift at the front you get a massive change in cadence compared to either standard or triple. I feel you get used to this and can compensate by shifting at the rear simultaneously.

Thanks for this explanation blorg, been meaning to ask about compacts for a while now.