Every bike shop seems to have another brand of bike to show but I reckon one of these will be a good thing.
The Giant has a mix of 105 and Ultegra and the Specialized has Sram. Both very similar price but will have to wait to until early March to even see the Specialized in the flesh. Have jumped on a similar Specialized to see how it feels and it was fine and have ridden the Giant and it was good too. So there isn't much to differentiate between the two when it come to feel when sitting on it.
Any good or bad things to say about either of these two bikes will be gratefully accepted.
Will be doing weekend rides and olympic sized triathlon rides (around 40km distance) throughout the year.
There is not a whole lot of difference between the bikes. Both companies have had some small frame quality problems in the distant past and have them ironed out now. The Giant has a slightly better mix of components, not because they are Shimano but because the Shimano 105 and Ultegra components are a step or two up from the grade of SRAM components on the Specialized. Shimano Customer Support is better than SRAM, but since these are new bikes, you will probably be dealing with the bike shop on warranty issues, so this is a moot point at least until the warranty runs out. The biggest thing that you want to look for when buying any bike is to make sure that it fits you before you buy it. If your bike shop does nothing more than have you stand over the bike as a form of fitting, go to another bike shop. Fitting gets a little more involved than just making sure that you can stand flat footed over the top tube of the bike. If they don't get out a measuring tape to start, then are are scrimping on the fit.
Don't forget, you will need to add pedals to the Giant and you will probably want to change out the pedals on the Specialized. You will also probably want to upgrade the tires on either bike and you will probably eventually want to upgrade the wheelsets.
My friend has a new Specialized Tarmac and it is a lovely bike and he's well pleased with it, although sure the Giant would be lovely too. I would swap my Cannondale Caad 8 for either of them!
Love my four-year-old Giant TCR Composite, so I'm prejudiced. It beats everything I've ever ridden since 1970.
The TCR frame is also considerably lighter than the Tarmac Elite. I haven't seen SRAM Apex yet, but this year's 105 is very impressive.
One point for the Tarmac--the geometry is a little more accommodating to a more upright riding position, if you're into that sort of thing. Get the Giant.
Well, I have had a small change in financial obligations, which kind of made me rethink what I needed, and the end result is an Oppy C5 2011. Can't say I am disappointed and not sure why I rejected them when I first saw it. Could have got the 2010 C6 for the same price but I just love the newer internal cabling of the 2011 Shimano gear.
It goes well, it has full 105 (fine for what I need) and it was easily $200 rrp cheaper than everything else out there.
So we are no where near where the post started but I can say I am very happy with my purchase and hanging to get out on the road.
Thanks for all the advice, which I have obviously ignored, and I might see you out on the road someday.
Good choice! I think that you did the right thing getting the internally routed cables and Shimano 105 over the one year old Ultegra model with external cables.I really don't think that there is a whole lot of difference between the groups except in the higher levels of racing where a hundredth of a second of shift lag could cost you the race.
