Road Bike recommendations - budget c.€1,200

bbari

Thanks Tony04.
I came across this site Bike Sizes which has a database of many brands/sizes. Stack height of Defy M would be 567 and M/L would be either 586 or 591, so the stack height of Defy M is same as Canyon S.
I remember stem length of my M/L was 100mm and Canyon S comes with 90mm. Should I change that to 100mm? I assume Canyon would let me swap the stem from 90 to 100mm at the time of purchasing.

Tony04

bbari wrote: »

Thanks Tony04.
I came across this site Bike Sizes which has a database of many brands/sizes. Stack height of Defy M would be 567 and M/L would be either 586 or 591, so the stack height of Defy M is same as Canyon S.
I remember stem length of my M/L was 100mm and Canyon S comes with 90mm. Should I change that to 100mm? I assume Canyon would let me swap the stem from 90 to 100mm at the time of purchasing.

Yeah definitely seeing as bike geometry is designed for the middle of the size a 90mm stem on that frame is for someone who's 175 so yeh a 100mm stem is your best bet. Unless you want a really relaxed position or if you want a bit more of an aggressive position you might consider a 110mm stem.

bbari

I always used pedals which had toe clip/cage on.

I do have a set of these SPD SL pedals which came with my old bike but I never used them. I see MTB shoes been suggested as you can walk in them also. Can I buy MTB shoes for these SPD SL road pedals or I can only use road bike shoes with these?

shaveAbullock

Unfortunately not. MTB shoes have the cleat recessed into and the screws in a different place.
Road cleats for that pedal will not fit on MTB shoes.

Tony04

You can walk in road shoes, grand for going in the house, coffee/maintenance stops, it's just difficult if that offers you any help.

shaveAbullock

Yeah, road pedals are fine if you just want to go for a cycle with maybe a food/coffee stop.
But if you want to use the bike as transport to go somewhere and do some other activity, MTB pedals are the way to go.

mfceiling

shaveAbullock wrote: »

Yeah, road pedals are fine if you just want to go for a cycle with maybe a food/coffee stop.
But if you want to use the bike as transport to go somewhere and do some other activity, MTB pedals are the way to go.

When you say MTB pedals, are they clip in as well ie. do you need a special shoe for them?

shaveAbullock

mfceiling wrote: »

When you say MTB pedals, are they clip in as well ie. do you need a special shoe for them?

Yes they both clip in but use different systems. The MTB shoe will have a recess so the cleat does not hit the ground if you want to walk in them.

The advantage of the road system is that it's lighter and has a bigger platform for sprinting. But for anyone who does not race it makes little difference.

bbari

mfceiling wrote: »

When you say MTB pedals, are they clip in as well ie. do you need a special shoe for them?

I'm just learning this now myself. The one on the top is clip in road bike pedal (SPD SL) and the one at the bottom is clip on mtb pedal (spd)



PS: They both clip in and are called clipless!

Tony04

So basically theres 5 types of pedals.
Basic-flat pedals not really worthwhile as your feet slip off them easily
Toe clips- keep your foot in place and also allow you do drag up with your feet which is more efficient.
Road clipless- the sole clips in to the pedal more efficiently than toe clips in turn you pedal more efficiently requires shoes
Mtb clipless- same thing as road accept you can pretty much run in them
Mtb flats- have pins that prevent your sole from slipping but easy to take your foot off for corners etc.

Tony04

The advantage of the road system is that it's lighter and has a bigger platform for sprinting. But for anyone who does not race it makes little difference.

I'd prefer road shoes on a road ride when I'm going to be clipped in for a long time as they're more comfortable tbh.

bbari

I picked up toe clips earlier today for €10. Although I always had the clipless road pedals I never used as I was afraid to use 'em, I still am . As the bike delivery is two months away, I'm going to keep an eye out for road shoes. If you are size 8 on normal shoes, would you be 8 on the bike shoes also?

shaveAbullock

bbari wrote: »

I picked up toe clips earlier today for €10. Although I always had the clipless road pedals I never used as I was afraid to use 'em, I still am . As the bike delivery is two months away, I'm going to keep an eye out for road shoes. If you are size 8 on normal shoes, would you be 8 on the bike shoes also?

Difficult to advise on that. Most the road shoes have European sizing only on their labels so so make sure to find out your European size.

I see many people saying you need to go one size up, especially for Italian brands. But that has not been my experience. I am a 44 in a regular shoe and also a 44 in any road bike shoe I've tried.

What many people do is order more than one size online and send back the ones that do not fit.
If you do this put a towel on the ground under where you try them as the underside can be easy to scratch.

Tony04

bbari wrote: »

I picked up toe clips earlier today for €10. Although I always had the clipless road pedals I never used as I was afraid to use 'em, I still am . As the bike delivery is two months away, I'm going to keep an eye out for road shoes. If you are size 8 on normal shoes, would you be 8 on the bike shoes also?

I bought these recentlyhttps://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-rc7-spd-sl-road-shoes-101523.html. At that price they seem to be best performance to price shoes out there. I'm usally size 45eu and got 46eu which fit fine. I find reading reviews looking at size comparisons on some websites helpful for choosing the right size.

Tony04

Also dont forget to buy cleats.

Tony04

Also dont forget to buy cleats.

bbari

Do shoes come with the cleats or do you buy that separately?

Edit: Sorry, didn't realise you had already answered this.

shaveAbullock

bbari wrote: »

Do shoes come with the cleats or do you buy that separately?

Normally a set comes with the pedals they never come with the shoes.
If the pedals came on the bike sellers do frequently forget to include them.

magicbastarder

another reason SPD pedals are more general purpose - bar them allowing the cleat to be recessed into the shoe - is that the pedals are double sided, so easier to clip into.

You can even get pedals that are spd on one side and flat on the other. Ideal for say a bike you would use for both long spins and short ones to the shops etc. when you might not be bothered changing your shoes. Good option for starting out too if the new bike doesn't come with pedals.

The Shimano EH500 ones are an example. They go for around €60 I think.

byrnem31

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You can even get pedals that are spd on one side and flat on the other. Ideal for say a bike you would use for both long spins and short ones to the shops etc. when you might not be bothered changing your shoes. Good option for starting out too if the new bike doesn't come with pedals.

The Shimano EH500 ones are an example. They go for around €60 I think.

Yes. I got them recently with a pair of shimano spd shoes that are very comfortable. I'd honestly go to a shop and get measured and speak to the assistant about what you need.
I would have saved €20 buying online but I would have bought the wrong sized shoes. The shop knew what size I needed and also threw the pedals on for me for free saving me a lot of hassle. I got mine in penny farthing cycles in dublin city.

Buying clothes online is a false economy as it's a lottery as to what will fit you or not. You cant beat going into a shop with little knowledge and getting good sound advice and the correct product.

magicbastarder

Deleted User wrote: »

You can even get pedals that are spd on one side and flat on the other. Ideal for say a bike you would use for both long spins and short ones to the shops etc.

i have a pair of wellgo pedals that weepsie lent me which are copies of the above - but the minor issue is that combining the clip with the cleat makes a difference to the actual pedal height. i'm most comfortable usually at the top end of saddle height, so the extra 5+mm of leg extension when using the flats is noticeable.

byrnem31

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjHvd6hoarpAhUC7u0KHX5yBNQYABAEGgJkZw&ae=1&sig=AOD64_1obPQPNMQt1GRLqQFU_iPedz7XbA&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiUydehoarpAhVMSBUIHfJaD6wQwg96BAgLEB8&adurl=https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-m324-combination-pedals/rp-prod5937%3Fgs%3D1%26sku%3Dsku19998%26istCompanyId%3D0f15660a-f13e-4c09-a701-b55d8c3f2e59%26istFeedId%3D21ccdaa5-24f7-4b32-9ec6-ac7081b9b50b%26istItemId%3Diwxrmxipt%26istBid%3Dt%26pgrid%3D55940684381%26ptaid%3Dpla-397438324727%26utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_term%3D%26utm_campaign%3DPLA%2BAll%2BProducts%26utm_medium%3Dbase%26utm_content%3Dmkwid%7CsHixoXcdk_dm%7Cpcrid%7C294740729969%7Cpkw%7C%7Cpmt%7C%7Cprd%7C19998IE%26gclid%3DEAIaIQobChMIx73eoaGq6QIVAu7tCh1-cgTUEAQYAiABEgIFZfD_BwE

dinneenp

Hi,
Read this thread with much interest. Did you bite the bullet yet?
I'm also looking for a road bike, got some advice on boards (thanks Tony04 & others.)
Was looking at Specialized Allez Elite, Giant SL1 & others (haven't sat on any of them mind you)
Had mind made up in Canyon Edurance AL7 but then saw the Ribble 872 disc for €1250.
Seems like a great bike-carbon, disc brakes, Tiagra.
The Décathlon one (Ultra 920 seems excellent too)
I'm wandering into the quicksand that is analysis-paralysis....
Would this be better than the Canyon? Or is it a case of half a dozen of one, 6 of the other. I just want to have a bike picked! (I know it's subjective but does one bike from those or other stand out? )

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

i have a pair of wellgo pedals that weepsie lent me which are copies of the above - but the minor issue is that combining the clip with the cleat makes a difference to the actual pedal height. i'm most comfortable usually at the top end of saddle height, so the extra 5+mm of leg extension when using the flats is noticeable.

I've them on the commuter bike and barely notice to be honest. Though the Shimano ones have 8 holes on the flat side you can screw in grips to which I have done and those would be 2-3mm maybe.

There is a very bad habit you can get into with them or maybe it's not? and thats clipping on right side and riding flat on the left. I did find myself doing that with them when I was new to clipless.

bbari

dinneenp wrote: »

Hi,
Read this thread with much interest. Did you bite the bullet yet?
I'm also looking for a road bike, got some advice on boards (thanks Tony04 & others.)
Was looking at Specialized Allez Elite, Giant SL1 & others (haven't sat on any of them mind you)
Had mind made up in Canyon Edurance AL7 but then saw the Ribble 872 disc for €1250.
Seems like a great bike-carbon, disc brakes, Tiagra.
The Décathlon one (Ultra 920 seems excellent too)
I'm wandering into the quicksand that is analysis-paralysis....
Would this be better than the Canyon? Or is it a case of half a dozen of one, 6 of the other. I just want to have a bike picked!

Decathlon Ultra 920 looked like a nice bike, I added it into my basket and was to place my order next morning as i didn't have work cc with me. It was sold out by the time I logged onto place my order the following day.

Same as everything else, there is no limit on how much you can spend. For me disc breaks and CF isn't very important for now thats why I went for Canyon AL 7.0. After reading thru here and other sites, i thought disc breaks are good if you cycling in wet conditions, i know i won't be. I'd perhaps gone for CF 7.0 only if it was in stock but it had delivery date in mid of Aug v AL in mid of Jul.

I am not sure about Ribble but SL1 (old Defy 1) and Allez have good reviews too.

I see from your other thread you do have a bike so get what you really like i guess. in contrary, I sold my bike before getting a new one :eek:

Tony04

dinneenp wrote: »

Hi,
Read this thread with much interest. Did you bite the bullet yet?
I'm also looking for a road bike, got some advice on boards (thanks Tony04 & others.)
Was looking at Specialized Allez Elite, Giant SL1 & others (haven't sat on any of them mind you)
Had mind made up in Canyon Edurance AL7 but then saw the Ribble 872 disc for €1250.
Seems like a great bike-carbon, disc brakes, Tiagra.
The Décathlon one (Ultra 920 seems excellent too)
I'm wandering into the quicksand that is analysis-paralysis....
Would this be better than the Canyon? Or is it a case of half a dozen of one, 6 of the other. I just want to have a bike picked! (I know it's subjective but does one bike from those or other stand out? )

Alright from reading your posts you want a road bike. For anyone who wants a decent road bike at your budget I would reccomend 11 speed, it was always nice to have the same features at the top of the range bikes and also 11 speed allows for up to 34t on your cassette which is nice for steep hills. You could get 10 speed but then if you get more into cycling you'll probably want to upgrade to 11 speed but to do that you need to change wheel most likely. In your situation I'd consider aluminium vs carbon, theres no real need for carbon you can even race on aluminium imo, disc brakes vs rim brakes, discs are undoubtedly better at stopping the bike and are the future, that being said rim brakes are much cheaper and are so good anyway you dont really need discs, although buying a bike with rim brakes mean you cant change to dosc brakes and vice versa.

In terms of bike recommendations you've already tried local with your giant which isnt in stock, you could also try merida scultura 400(105 rim brake alloy at €1250 in Dublin) in Galway I believe your merida stockist is westside cycles. You might try specialized ireland in Dublin for the allez as well. At your budget online I'd go for the canyon endurace al 7 even if there is much better value out there, simply because the canyon already is really good value and theres so many of them out there that you can trust you wont have much trouble with them.

dinneenp

Tony04 wrote: »

Alright from reading your posts you want a road bike. For anyone who wants a decent road bike at your budget I would reccomend 11 speed, it was always nice to have the same features at the top of the range bikes and also 11 speed allows for up to 34t on your cassette which is nice for steep hills. You could get 10 speed but then if you get more into cycling you'll probably want to upgrade to 11 speed but to do that you need to change wheel most likely. In your situation I'd consider aluminium vs carbon, theres no real need for carbon you can even race on aluminium imo, disc brakes vs rim brakes, discs are undoubtedly better at stopping the bike and are the future, that being said rim brakes are much cheaper and are so good anyway you dont really need discs, although buying a bike with rim brakes mean you cant change to dosc brakes and vice versa.

In terms of bike recommendations you've already tried local with your giant which isnt in stock, you could also try merida scultura 400(105 rim brake alloy at €1250 in Dublin) in Galway I believe your merida stockist is westside cycles. You might try specialized ireland in Dublin for the allez as well. At your budget online I'd go for the canyon endurace al 7 even if there is much better value out there, simply because the canyon already is really good value and theres so many of them out there that you can trust you wont have much trouble with them.

Cheers. The Merida does seem like a very decent bike, but virtually no reviews online. Any reason why?

Tony04

Going to have a guess and say it's marketing. As merida owns a share and makes framesets for specialized they dont want to compete against the allez. Definitely a brand you can trust though. Usally with merida you find really good value frames with maybe cheaper components. I think in the sculturas case the only downside is you might want to upgrade the wheels as stock one might be heavy.

shaveAbullock

The budget is on the high end for an aluminium bike.
105 group set with a name brand frame, it's hard to go wrong.
It's the kind of bike I like to rent when outside of Ireland and I've yet to find one I don't like.