New Road Bike - Help Please!!

Cecil Mor

Hey Folks,

I'd appreciate any help you can offer.

Looking to source a new bike having been re-bitten by the cycling bug.

This weekend for the Tour de Burren I'd the loan of a Principia (58cm frame) with which I just gelled unlike most of the bikes I've had the loan of over the last few events.

Now I know that tracking one of these minxes down is gonna be less than easy compared to finding a suitable Trek or Giant so can you point me in the direction of any less than obvious sources of second hand bikes?

The d'deals, adverts & gumtrees I'm scanning but perhaps there may be a few cycleclubs etc that may not be so apparent?
Not all the club websites that I've checked seem to have a For Sale section or if so often are not up to date.

Frame or bike is considered, equally any alternatives suggested would be considered too.

Thanks Guys!!

Rovi

There's at least one Irish dealer carrying Principia:
www.fitzcycles.ie

Go on, you know you want to!

petethedrummer

I've read up a bit on Principia, apparently up until 2005 they made some of the best alu frames going. They were made in Denmark. Then the operation moved to asia and supposedly the quality went down. But that could be internet rubbish talk.

Chainreactions have a few them: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=principia

I presume though it's a carbon frame you're looking for so ignore the above.

Cecil Mor

Alloy frame is preferred. The full carbon is overkill at this stage if I'm honest.

The bike is a 2004 model but gotta return it after the TriAthlone next month although I might get to stretch it out until after the Cork run in September if I'm lucky.;)

petethedrummer

Oh right, so those old principias are as good as they say. They'd want to be for the RRPs on them.


The cannondale CAAD series is supposed to be the best riding Aluminium frame at the moment. And they're not ridiculously expensive.

Lumen

petethedrummer wrote: »

The cannondale CAAD series is supposed to be the best riding Aluminium frame at the moment. And they're not ridiculously expensive.

Annoyingly I don't think you can buy the frames separately.

Cecil Mor

Been perving over the Caad series of late but is there still the difficulty in finding an Irish dealer? I know this was discussed previously but wondering if its still the case.

Outside of finding a Cannondale I'm veering towards a Planet X SLPro but unfortunately didn't get a chance to chat to the guys after the Waterways TriAthlone last weekend.

Has anyone dealt with the lads in Athlone?
There's usually quite a few Planet X's in use in the transition area but due to us doing the Olympic event we were off earlier that when we did the Sprint last year, this meant I didn't get the chance to stroll 'round the holding area bothering other cyclists with inane questions re. their two wheeled steeds.

dazmund156

I bought a Nanolight in Athlone about eight weeks ago , the delivery time was longer than expected but I have about 1,200 klms on the bike now and I love it

petethedrummer

Cycleways do Cannondales. They have plenty of them.