Best road bike under £400

iy ya local to Notts my mate has a claud butler Milano ( I Think)

campag 9 speed and wand £150 for it..its unmarked

D@vo

cheers

"Matt Woodthorpe" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

OK, what's the best road bike under £400.
I have looked at Claud Butler's Roubaix at £359, Saracen's Morzine at
£386, Trek 1000 at £349 and Fausto Coppi's Torino at £359.
They all seem to share the same basic components, the Coppi is the
designer label with snob value, and is a great bike, shame about the
colour scheme.
I thought Claud Butler was a great make until I noticed no one ever
mentions them on this site or any other come to mention it, and all the
write ups I have seen give their range of road bikes grilling.
Saracen is rarely mentioned, although their bikes do receive good
write-ups and look pretty cool.
Trek, I know as an American icon, however are their budget bikes any
good for me.

The last point I should mention is that I am 6 foot tall and weigh 16
stone (absolutely not fat, honest) so I need a bike that can take some
punishment as I do around 150 miles a week.

So if you have one of these bikes, or are in the know, please give me
the benefit of your knowledge and put in a reply.

Matt

PS. It's got to look good, don't want to spoil my image?
😕

--
Matt Woodthorpe

Matt Woodthorpe said:

OK, what’s the best road bike under £400.
I have looked at Claud Butler’s Roubaix at £359, Saracen’s Morzine at £386, Trek 1000 at £349 and Fausto Coppi’s Torino at £359.
They all seem to share the same basic components, the Coppi is the designer label with snob value, and is a great bike, shame about the colour scheme.
I thought Claud Butler was a great make until I noticed no one ever mentions them on this site or any other come to mention it, and all the write ups I have seen give their range of road bikes grilling.
Saracen is rarely mentioned, although their bikes do receive good write-ups and look pretty cool.
Trek, I know as an American icon, however are their budget bikes any good for me.

The last point I should mention is that I am 6 foot tall and weigh 16 stone (absolutely not fat, honest) so I need a bike that can take some punishment as I do around 150 miles a week.

So if you have one of these bikes, or are in the know, please give me the benefit of your knowledge and put in a reply.

Matt

PS. It’s got to look good, don’t want to spoil my image?
😕

Dunno but I went for a Claud Butler Milano as it has a very comprehensive specification and I managed to get a price match deal and ended up parting with £410 for a brand new Milano! as I was gobsmacked by the price of the likes of Cannondale etc.

Had it for a year now and it seems to be going well, although the stems was a bit loose and the gears needed a minor tweek which was fixed under warranty. Rode in in the rain a couple of times and there si no rust (although I care for it like a child). The brakes are great and the only thing I'd really like changing is the plastic xenon brake and gear levers for chrome metal ones (even though the plastic ones seem to be quite stronng).

If that Milano is in good condition, its a steal at £150, sooo much bike so little £££ in my opinion.

Matt Woodthorpe said:

OK, what’s the best road bike under £400.
I have looked at Claud Butler’s Roubaix at £359, Saracen’s Morzine at
£386, Trek 1000 at £349 and Fausto Coppi’s Torino at £359.
They all seem to share the same basic components, the Coppi is the
designer label with snob value, and is a great bike, shame about the
colour scheme.
I thought Claud Butler was a great make until I noticed no one ever
mentions them on this site or any other come to mention it, and all the
write ups I have seen give their range of road bikes grilling.

I have the Roubaix.

Comfort wasn't good till I changed the saddle for a Specialized Body
Geometry. I changed the bar tape to Specialized Bar Phat.
I changed the tyres for Specialized Armadillos, which have been doing well.
The original tyres were too soft for me, and punctured. One finally split.
I can tell you more about the bike if you like.

Also why not put a Decathlon bike on your list? They regularly get good
reviews in Cycling +, and from what I've heard have good
value for money.

John Hearns:

Quoted message said:

Also why not put a Decathlon bike on your list? They regularly get good
reviews in Cycling +, and from what I've heard have good
value for money.

I notice one of the teams in the TdF - I forget which - is riding Decathlon
branded bikes. Does anyone know if they are production models, or are they
special builds sponsored by Decathlon?

d.

Matt Woodthorpe said:

OK, what’s the best road bike under £400.

Normally, your LBS's special offer on one of last
year's (newly non fashionable) models.

BugBear

davek said:

John Hearns:

Quoted message said:

Also why not put a Decathlon bike on your list? They regularly get good
reviews in Cycling +, and from what I've heard have good
value for money.

I notice one of the teams in the TdF - I forget which - is riding Decathlon
branded bikes. Does anyone know if they are production models, or are they
special builds sponsored by Decathlon?

d.

AG2R use Decathlon bikes and I think Cofidis might too. There is one reviewed in C+ so it certainly is possible to buy a top end Decathlon bike. The review model is more than £400 though.

davek said:

John Hearns:

Quoted message said:

Also why not put a Decathlon bike on your list? They regularly get good
reviews in Cycling +, and from what I've heard have good
value for money.

I notice one of the teams in the TdF - I forget which - is riding Decathlon
branded bikes. Does anyone know if they are production models, or are they
special builds sponsored by Decathlon?

d.

there are two teams with decathlon bikes in the tour. Ag2r Who use a
Decathlon frame, campag groupset and decathlon wheels, and Cofidis (GO
O'GRADY) who use a Decathlon frame, campag groupset and campag wheels.

Cheers

Michael

Matt Woodthorpe said:

OK, what’s the best road bike under £400.
I have looked at Claud Butler’s Roubaix at £359, Saracen’s Morzine at
£386, Trek 1000 at £349 and Fausto Coppi’s Torino at £359.
They all seem to share the same basic components, the Coppi is the
designer label with snob value, and is a great bike, shame about the
colour scheme.

A mate of mine has one for sale, he is over 6', so this seems a little
small for him, but he may have got the size wrong, e-mail him,not me,for
more info:

Fort RO7005 Road Bike 54cm, Alloy Frame, Full Shimano Tiagra 9 Speed
Groupset, Mavic MA3 Rims, Very Little Use, Excellent Condition, Dark Red
Colour, Mudguard Clearance & Eyelets, £300
Call: Pete Johnson 01332 603890
Email: [email hidden] - for more info/photos

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.
http://www.dvatc.co.uk - Off-road cycling in the North Midlands.