So, also decided against this today and cancelled my order. I'm not very good at this deciding lark. Was a bit miffed when I nipped into their store to see the bike £150 cheaper in store than online. My fault I suppose, I should have gone in anyway but still. Was close to ordering a different model with Team 35 wheels on (sweet) but decided to try my new local specialist store, Full Gas Bikes. Anyway, had a test on a FOCUS Izalco Ergoride Tiagra Premium 2016 and bought that instead. Pick it up tomorrow.Originally Posted by senwar
So didn't go with any of these. Decided to up my budget and gone for a Planet X Pro Carbon. Just over £200 off the normal price
Seems very good spec for the money
The groupset isn't as good as on the Planet X but the frame felt a lot better and also has integral cables that I like. With the store being on 5 minutes away that feels better too.
I also decided to try the clipless pedals and they've thrown in some Shimano R540's. Not the best but they'll do to start me off. May go for the Time linked earlier if I can get on with them
Experienced quite a number "cheating" up Mount Ventoux a few weeks ago and zipping around the hills of Provence. Likewise loads at it up Col de L'Iseron last week and on nearby mountain bike trails above Tignes. Did Col de la Madeleine today and I'm pleased to report that there were only "real" cyclists on the road. Seems to depend on prevalence of local bike shops renting these battery assisted bikes out, ie. Not many seem to actually own them yet.
i've been pondering a bike for months and after a couple of footy matches cancelled decided I'd take the plunge and have something to do at weekends.So, also decided against this today and cancelled my order. I'm not very good at this deciding lark. Was a bit miffed when I nipped into their store to see the bike £150 cheaper in store than online. My fault I suppose, I should have gone in anyway but still. Was close to ordering a different model with Team 35 wheels on (sweet) but decided to try my new local specialist store, Full Gas Bikes. Anyway, had a test on a FOCUS Izalco Ergoride Tiagra Premium 2016 and bought that instead. Pick it up tomorrow.
The groupset isn't as good as on the Planet X but the frame felt a lot better and also has integral cables that I like. With the store being on 5 minutes away that feels better too.
I also decided to try the clipless pedals and they've thrown in some Shimano R540's. Not the best but they'll do to start me off. May go for the Time linked earlier if I can get on with them
Popped into the local Evans, explained to the 18 year old, flesh tunnelled, tattoo'd moron that I'm a novice with a decent budget. Stick me on something for a grand that is easy to ride, repair and has bits that won't fall off if I look after it. I thought this was pretty clear that I wanted the easy option and he could pretty much put me on what he wanted to........
half an hour later i'm bored, confused and a tad p'd off as he's barely got past the frame; so i went home via the pub!
So back to square one and I'm just going to punt for one online in the sales as the process is too laborious for someone that just wants to go for a hack a couple of times a week and then upgrade as and when I feel the need; might be 2 weeks, might be 2 years. Surely when they advertise a bike online you should be able to just buy the bloody thing? Took me less time to spec and order a new car last month.
can't really go down the Ebay route as I need an XXL frame being 6'5" and there aren't many around (also got a bit touchy when advised I might be too heavy for a carbon frame; haven't seen anywhere else advise of this and i'm 'in proportion' hitting around 16' which isn't too bad; no need for a 'wide vehicle' sticker on my arse. FML!
Although I've been riding and building bikes for 40 years, I decided 3 years ago that I wanted to buy a shiny new bike instead of building my own, albeit that I enjoy working on bikes. After a lot of research I ended up buying a Rose Pro SL-3000. Very light, quality components and a joy to ride. A little more than your budget, but you'll soon forget the price when you're flying around on it! The ordering process was simple and easy, some questions I had were very well answered by Finlay Paton, the chap in their UK office. Don't get fixated on a carbon frame, quality alloy is just as good. If you do go for one I would suggest an 11-32 cassette, and as I did upgrade the seat post to a carbon model for comfort. https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/ros...now/aid:821262
F.T.F.A.
www.cyclefit.co.uk have some money off Cervelo and Trek bikes
Although I've been riding and building bikes for 40 years, I decided 3 years ago that I wanted to buy a shiny new bike instead of building my own, albeit that I enjoy working on bikes. After a lot of research I ended up buying a Rose Pro SL-3000. Very light, quality components and a joy to ride. A little more than your budget, but you'll soon forget the price when you're flying around on it! The ordering process was simple and easy, some questions I had were very well answered by Finlay Paton, the chap in their UK office. Don't get fixated on a carbon frame, quality alloy is just as good. If you do go for one I would suggest an 11-32 cassette, and as I did upgrade the seat post to a carbon model for comfort. https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/ros...now/aid:821262
ha ha; not bothered about the frame material, more that he implied that i'm fat! A slight lack of sensitivity in his wording.
just looking at that bike at seems to tick a lot of the boxes; thanks for the guidance.
Must be honest it's not an easy process is it.
I actually asked re: the weight and carbon myself (I'm 14 1/2 stone) but was advised it will be OK. But yeah that's a little off
What I have found is that if you're a novice (well don't understand the technology of it all as I don't) it takes some understanding. I've had bikes for years but I'm a real novice when it comes to components.
I've just picked my Focus up from Full Gas bikes. What a lovely experience. Bike was under wraps when I arrived, they'd fitted cleats to my shoes and showed me how to use them on a turbo trainer and ensured I was set up right and comfortable. Then went through a handover. Felt like it does when you get a new car sometimes. very impressed. A real bonus they are so close. Instead of feeling like someone who didn't have a clue and being talked to that way they dealt with the whole thing brilliantly
[QUOTE=magirus;4065786]Although I've been riding and building bikes for 40 years, I decided 3 years ago that I wanted to buy a shiny new bike instead of building my own, albeit that I enjoy working on bikes. After a lot of research I ended up buying a Rose Pro SL-3000. Very light, quality components and a joy to ride. A little more than your budget, but you'll soon forget the price when you're flying around on it! The ordering process was simple and easy, some questions I had were very well answered by Finlay Paton, the chap in their UK office. Don't get fixated on a carbon frame, quality alloy is just as good. If you do go for one I would suggest an 11-32 cassette, and as I did upgrade the seat post to a carbon model for comfort. https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/ros...now/aid:821262
oh well, ordered and paid for!
hopefully you have just sent me down the path of cycling nirvana.
just need to buy the new wardrobe to go with it now!
sounds like a fab place to do business with. I've spent a few hours looking, pricing up and generally fannying around. If this one doesn't work out to be 'the bike' then i can rest in the knowledge i didn't waste another 20-30 hours looking; which could quite easily happen and ended up with the same result!
who can recommend some padded pants then?
Anything good from wiggle (dhb?) will work and it's easy returns.
[QUOTE=westberks;4065927]Although I've been riding and building bikes for 40 years, I decided 3 years ago that I wanted to buy a shiny new bike instead of building my own, albeit that I enjoy working on bikes. After a lot of research I ended up buying a Rose Pro SL-3000. Very light, quality components and a joy to ride. A little more than your budget, but you'll soon forget the price when you're flying around on it! The ordering process was simple and easy, some questions I had were very well answered by Finlay Paton, the chap in their UK office. Don't get fixated on a carbon frame, quality alloy is just as good. If you do go for one I would suggest an 11-32 cassette, and as I did upgrade the seat post to a carbon model for comfort. https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/ros...now/aid:821262
oh well, ordered and paid for!
hopefully you have just sent me down the path of cycling nirvana.
just need to buy the new wardrobe to go with it now!
I'm sure you'll enjoy the Rose. It'll arrive perfectly set up, all you'll have to do is fit the wheels and bars and off you go! Re shorts, I find the DHB as already mentioned very comfortable. I also have some from Lusso which are just as good and made in the UK. Make sure you get the ones with the thickest padding. Jackets and jerseys I find Altura a good fit, well made and reasonably priced. If you have a Halfords nearby they usually have a good selection of Altura along with several other makes. For my feet it's always been Sidi MTB shoes, great prices here http://www.bikechaincafe.com/quality-cycle-brands/sidi , along with Shimano SPD pedals. In the winter I wear Northwave Celcius winter boots.
At heart I'm a mountain biker. I've had several since their popularity over here in the early 90's.
My last, most expensive, and favourite bike was a Santa Cruz Nomad which I used nearly every weekend until selling it 6 years ago when my first child was born. I've had road bikes since for commuting but always fancied another MTB.
Now my baby's 6 and she loves riding her (Isla) bike, I thought it's about time for me to get something I can ride along with.
I'm not in the market or need to spend several thousand pounds on a bike these days so I started looking on ebay at the cheap end of the market and amazed what you can find.
Last night I picked up a nice condition Santa Cruz Superlight, similar to the one pictured below for £230!
Fox RP3 rear shock, Fox RLC 100mm Forks, Thompson Seat Post, Mavic Rims, Hope Hubs, XT/Middleburn Drivetrain and Avid Elixir Disc Brakes.
Really looking forward to getting out on it.
Very similar to this:
And my riding buddy:
A set of Mavic rims and Hope hubs would setyou back £230 , at that price its a steal.
Steve
I know, it was on eBay at £250 and go no bids so the minute the auction ended I emailed the seller and made an offer. It's over a decade old but rides well.
I suppose people want bigger wheels now and think 26" mountain bikes are of no use anymore.
My wife would love one of those, preferably without a chain attached to the front crank.Was it a Hase Pino? I've always wanted one of those but they're not cheap.
Cracking bike you've picked up there!
26 isn't quite dead yet, but you can pick up some bargains because of the newer wheel size trend.
Both my HT and FS are 26".
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My CAAD12 with some new wheels (RS81 C35's) - had Zondas before, but they need some TLC and thought I'd try semi-aero...
I hired a CAAD12 for a week whilst out in France recently and was really impressed at how it rode for an alloy bike. Really like the all black stealth look of yours.My CAAD12 with some new wheels (RS81 C35's) - had Zondas before, but they need some TLC and thought I'd try semi-aero...
Mark Williams on IPhone Taptalk
La Vuelta just got interesting:
11:40 HUGE LEADING GROUP
About 40 riders are now leading the way. Team Sky pulls the peloton to get back.
11:50 OVER 1 MINUTE
The gap is up to 1'20 at km 27.
12:00 41 LEADERS
It's now 12:11 and the gap is over 3½ minutes. This is early in a mountain stage (and there's another one tomorrow).
Seeing as I know little about watches I thought id make my first post here.
My 2 current toys , still rollin on 26's :)
I just picked this up this morning - an Orro STC Gold Disc. Orro are quite a new brand, beautifully made and good value too. I think this one is a bit of a looker in carbon and gold. I haven't ridden a road bike in 10 years so looking forward to getting out on it this afternoon!
Those Orro's do look good. I must confess I do like skinny tubes and just can't get used to all these different shapes on the carbon bikes.
Westberks - did you get your bike?
Yep, went for the Rose from Germany. They were a doddle to deal with, had it just over a week; odd sensation riding a bike again after 30+ years!
Could have kept researching but couldn't be arsed as id wasted enough time already. Thanks to you and others for the advice.
Please can someone recommended me a bike tyre around 700c x 35 ish? It could be slightly wider or narrower. I need them for bike trails coastal paths etc not mud. The bike is a Genesis Equilibrium. Thanks in advance.
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Vittoria Voyager Hyper - folding ones, which are cheap at Planet X, come highly recommended by friends.
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVIVOH...r-folding-tyre
For those using Strava, have you come across Relive.cc yet?
Go to the site, click to link to your Strava account and a few hours after you've uploaded a ride you'll get an email with a link to the Relive file... looks a bit like this one complete with any photos you've added to the strava file...
https://www.relive.cc/view/726875272
Very neat bit of software written by a couple of Dutch blokes who I expect will shortly be significantly wealthier...
Look good. Not seen it myself......do you have to be a premium account holder?
Thanks. I will have a look at those.
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I just re-read, I am not sure the genesis equilibrium will take 35c, I think 32 maybe max on the disc equipped bike.Thanks. I will have a look at those.
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The caliper one just may take 28.
The Croix de fer can take them slightly wider.
Got my new steel Enigma frame the other day and recently finished the build. I wish I had bought steel earlier as it is so nice to ride.
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Started the build now I'm home...
That's is going to be one cool stealthy looking ride!Started the build now I'm home...
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Almost there, just need to wait until I have some funds for the mechs!!
Will you finish it with some pink bar tape?
You know what, that's a marvellous idea!Will you finish it with some pink bar tape?
Methinks your funds would be better spent on a lawnmower.
Joking aside, that's an awesome looking machine. Thank god for changing fashions and the move from the bright garish logo's everywhere trend of a few years ago.
Very nice. If I was going carbon I think I'd like a similar look. I'm sticking with titanium for now. Here is mine this summer after a very memorable climb:
Almost there, just need to wait until I have some funds for the mechs!!
I was reading somewhere that a lot of the 'stealth black' look was inspired by Italian bike owners covering their bikes with black tape to make them less attractive to thieves. No idea if that's really true though... Looking at the bike shops, I'm seeing a lot of bright (solid) colours coming back e.g. orange, red, lime green etc
Speaking of bright colours....!
Just finished building up a new hardtail for the winter, and took it out for a test ride today. Hard to believe it's Halloween, 19 degrees, shorts and t-shirt weather in the Surrey Hills!
Bike, (custom Commencal Meta HT 29) was great and so were the views
Last edited by warns74; 31st October 2016 at 23:02.
Dhb aeron shorts are very good quality for a reasonable price.
Can any mountain bikers recommend a dropper seatpost for me?
I've tried 3 local bike shops, none of them have been any help whatsoever. I have a 2011 Cube LTD Race, which already has a fork lockout by the left grip, so I guess I need the switch on the right? And can I do internal or will it have to be external cable routing?
Looking for as cheap as possible really as it's not a multi-thousand pound bike, just something to help with going up and then down hills. Many thanks.
Not easy to answer without a bit more detail, for example what diameter is your current seat post? Once you know the answer to that you can start to investigate likely models that are compatible. Most current dropper posts are likely to be too big a diameter for a 2011 bike but some dropper posts will be smaller in diameter such as an X Fusion 100mm hi lo, but you then may need to purchase a shim to make one of those fit as it may be say 5mm thinner than your current seat post for example. It's very easy to make a smaller diameter work with shims, obviously impossible to make a larger diameter work.
Regards the switch you may do best to switch your fork lockout to the right side of your handlebar and then purchase a dropper with a right handed remote that allows you to fix this under the bar on the left hand side, the benefits of doing this is that it offers better protection to the remote in a crash and makes things quite tidy and more natural feeling as will be aligned to the rear brake offering better bike control than pairing with the front brake. An alternative is a dropper post with a switch under the saddle, means less cable mess in the cockpit area, usually a little cheaper to purchase and a cleaner simpler install.
Internal routing or stealth as it is commonly termed will be unlikely with a 2011 bike I suspect. You would need to have the requisite exit hole in the frame near the bottom bracket to accommodate a stealth post. External routing is no bad thing as droppers can require a fair amount of maintenance at times.
Last edited by dustybottoms; 1st November 2016 at 20:05.
Had this a couple of weeks now...love it. The hydraulic brakes are awesome.
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Hi. I am getting into cycling at the moment and currently cycle a hybrid.
My question is around clothing. I am not a fan of lycra, and am not be a member of a professional team! I am looking for some jacket and pants recommendations? This is for commuter use and also some weekend useage.
Thanks.
Useful looking piece of kit - what model is that please?
Hi Si, don't have the specific model no. but it's a 2016 Cube Cross. Full Ultegra too. Got a good deal on it as bought it after they launched their 2017 range. Not too many around now though.
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http://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/city/category/cityriding
Rapha do a City range.
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Thanks - hope you have many good miles on it. I’d like to get something like this - riding position not too extreme, room for 28 or 32s, hydraulic discs.
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Thanks - hope you have many good miles on it. I’d like to get something like this - riding position not too extreme, room for 28 or 32s, hydraulic discs.
It's a Cube Cross Race SL 2016 which I bought from www.ukbikesdepot.com I checked earlier and they only have a 59cm frame left now.
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Built for speed! Just finished my 12th season on this bike. I reckon it's 5mph quicker than my road bike for the same effort.
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