First road bike, can't decide..

Tim Timmens

I am looking to buy my first ever road bike. I currently have a Cube mountain bike that I love but it's just too heavy and not practical for everyday road riding.

I have narrowed down my list of options but for someone normally decisive, I just cannot make a decision.

Any help would be very welcome:

Planet X Pro Carbon - It's got a carbon frame and Ultegra 6800 groupset. I don't know the quality of the wheels. £1200

Cube Agree GTC Race Compact - It's got a carbon frame and Ultegra 6800 groupset. I think the wheels are okay too. Pretty much a complete bike but pricy. £1400 but with British Cycling discount price reduces to £1260.

Ribble R872 (custom build) - It's got a carbon frame and Ultegra 6800 groupset. I don't know the quality of the wheels. This would be a blind purchase as this is online only! £1200

Boardman Road Team Carbon Bike - It's got a carbon frame but everything else seems lower quality that will need replacing at some point. The wheels on this bike have bad reviews. £1000 but I can get it from Halfords for £700 after various discounts.


I am heavily leaning on the Cube simply as I like my existing Cube and aesthetically I like the red

Any tips would be extremely appreciated

PSM1

To be fair there is not much to choose between them. Planet X and Ribble do offer good value for money and the Fulcrum wheels on the Planet X are comparable to the Cube. To be honest none of the wheels in this price bracket are going to have great wheels and all would benefit from an upgrade in that area at some point. The boardman is also a good deal at the price you state. I would not worry about Tiagra as it is more than adequate for any normal rider. All the Ultegra gives you in reality is a little less weight and a fancy finish. In terms of operation there really is not going to be much difference and would be no need to replace it anytime soon. I have tiagra on my road bike which I have had for over 5 years and still performs well. I have Ultegra on my TT bike but really can not tell the difference. The wheels are not great on the Boardman but with what you are saving you could buy some really nice wheels and still be under the cost of the other 3. Spend £300-400 on wheels and you will have a really nice setup with the Boardman.

Tim Timmens

Thanks, I will go to my local Halfords and have test ride on the Broadman.

Moving from a mountain bike to road bike, do I need to worry about sizing any more than inside leg?

PSM1

That gives a start but some will have longer top tubes than others which is why you need to sit on one yourself to see how your whole body fits.

bubs999

Make sure you test out the size of bike you need. I bought my Boardman based on internet searching and what the guy in Halfords said..... Mines slightly too big, but I'm stuck with it (they didn't have any in stock for be to test and my deadline was running out)

andyjsg78

I wouldnt recommend buying from halfords, the boardmans are good but i have had terrible builds, same with evans when they changed my bars on my tt bike it was actually dangerous with the way they set it up afterwards. Btw it is only a month or so from sales so your average 1500 bike will be 1000 so keep an eye out at your local bike shop for deals on the old models.

PSM1

Halfords can be a bit variable in terms of quality of the staff so there are good ones and poor ones. So if you happen to be near a good one then all is good. As said Boardman bikes do offer good value for money.

Tim Timmens

I visited my local Halfords store just over a week ago. It was an exercise in patience as the staff there seemed clueless.

I have decided to go the Chinese carbon route now. £400 Chinese carbon frame and build a bike around that. Will post some pics soon.

Thicas15

Thanks for an information, very interesting!
My first bike was Schwinn Phocus 1600
- Schwinn aluminum road frame with Carbon fiber road fork
- Shimano Claris 16 speed derailleur with Micro shift integrated shift/brake lever combo
- High profile alloy double wall rims with paired spokes are lightweight and strong with front Quick release.
Some more info Best Road Bikes 2017 - Reviews and comparisons on BestAdvisor.com
After Schwinn, I have used a lot of more expensive bikes, but actually, I noticed no difference in quality.. So If you're looking for a great starter bike then I completely recommend this one.

Delvey

Maybe look at planet X. They have some very good carbon frame bikes. As do decathlon