Which bike advice..

Bassboxxx

I'm getting a road bike and have narrowed it down to these two.

http://www.thompson.be/th-web2014/engels/race-r7200.asp#!prettyPhoto

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bikes/model/2014.giant.defy.1.black.red/11833/66132/#specifications

The Thompson will have full Tiagra and the Giant is as listed.
There will be a difference of about €200 with the Giant the dearer.
I'm new to cycling and plan on doing a fair bit of recreational/commuting cycling.

The reason I'm asking is I never heard of the Thompson and can't seem to find any reviews. I was all set for the Giant but seeing the Thompson has me thinking again......

Thanks...

New2bike

Giant all the way dude! The Giant is running Shimano 105 so defo worth the extra €200 also Giant are one of the biggest bike manufactures in the world so have a solid reputation

not yet

As above plus...

I assume you're buying the Giant from LBS, which means you have a back up service etc. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable buying on the net and trying to get a problem sorted afterwards.

Oh, and one more thing, if you're buying local never give full asking price, always haggle you'll get either 5-10% off or a few bits thrown in like helmet gloves etc.

Keep us udated on what you decide.

Bassboxxx

Thanks for the replies,

I'd be buying either from a LBS. The thing that was attractive about the Thompson was that the bike will be made to fit me (different handlebars etc) while the Giant will be adjusted using the existing parts. However I'm not sure if this will make a noticeable difference to me.

Another point was the fact that the Thompson has full Tiagra while the Giant has the Tektro breaks. Are they comparable to the Tiagra?

I have to say I'm leaning towards the Giant as I know I'll get a better discount on it.

codie

tribikes in Limerick city are a Thompsom dealer.Give Hugh a ring although they won't say anything bad about but you might get a little more info on them.
(061) 484923

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Bassboxxx wrote: »

I'm getting a road bike and have narrowed it down to these two.

http://www.thompson.be/th-web2014/engels/race-r7200.asp#!prettyPhoto

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-GB/bikes/model/2014.giant.defy.1.black.red/11833/66132/#specifications

The Thompson will have full Tiagra and the Giant is as listed.
There will be a difference of about €200 with the Giant the dearer.
I'm new to cycling and plan on doing a fair bit of recreational/commuting cycling.

The reason I'm asking is I never heard of the Thompson and can't seem to find any reviews. I was all set for the Giant but seeing the Thompson has me thinking again......

Thanks...

I just placed an order on R7200 in an LBS in Waterford...FULL 105 Compact group set for 1300.

People seemed turned off these bikes because they are lesser known but feedback is solid and they have great components at the price point.

New2bike

Yes there doesn't seem to be too much talk out there about Thomson bikes but there is a shop in Cork doing them also McCarthy Cycles looking at their Facebook some of the images of the bikes look pretty sweet and as you said great components for that price I will however stick with my Cube Agree Gtc Race purchase from O mahony Cyles just got the email from travelhub to say I have been approved. Tis like waiting for Santa at Xmas

Bassboxxx

I went with the Giant in the end. The extra's thrown in were the deciding factor. I also considered the resale value.

Not getting the Full 105 was a bit of a niggle. Also looking at the workmanship/finish on the Thompson frame it seemed to be amazing, (not that the Giant isn't very good).

I'd defo look at the Thompson again in the future, let me know what you think of it having used it.

lenihat

Thompson all the way. It's a great build, triple butted, v good group set (I went with tiagra). It's a bike that every Tom, dick and Harry ain't on as opposed to a giant or trek.