Help buying a new road bike

[Alecmac]

Hi,

Sorry this has probably already been asked many times. I have been using a Boardman hybrid over the last year, and just completed the Scottish Coast to Coast. I feel I am ready to benefit from upgrading to a road racer, with the view of doing distances of circa 60 to 100 miles. So I want comfort and speed. But it is so confusing, which bike do I buy.

I thought the Bianchi Impulso, or a Specialised Tarmac Elite, or the Trek Medona 3.5, I cant really tell what the difference is?

Any feed back would be helpful, I would prefer to budget around £1500, but if I am better over the longer term spendning a bit more I will.

I have just moved to denia Spain, so lots of hill climbs!!

Many thanks

 

[alfeng]

Without looking up the specs on the various bikes which you have listed, 'I' would choose the Bianchi ... just because it's a Bianchi!?!

BUT, presuming the Bianchi & Specialized are similar to the Trek Madone, then you may want to consider that the tyre size may be limited to 700x28, or smaller, on the Road bikes which you are considering ... and, many Carbon Fibre Road forks cannot handle anything larger than a 700x25 tyre.

Is THAT a possible consideration?

Will you ever want to mount mud guards?

FWIW. Changing from FLAT to DROP handlebars (and eventually, narrower tyres) may be the change which will actually satisfy your need for a new bike ...

Regardless, you can put DROP handlebars on almost any bike (recumbents may be the only exception).

Without seeing your Boardman, I would say that a few small changes can transform it into the bike which will better suit your needs for the next riding season, or two ...

• a rigid fork will be beneficial if your bike currently has an inexpensive suspension fork.
• I recommend Campagnolo shifters because they can be readily made to be compatible with a variety of Shimano drivetrains ... that translates as less money out of your bank account. I also think that Camapgnolo shifters happen to work better, BTW.

Without knowing what your Boardman looks like, here are two examples of bike frames which would normally have been outfitted with FLAT handlebars ...

The first began life as a MONGOOSE Hybrid ...



The Hybrid build is currently incomplete -- It needs cables + housing AND I'm planning to move the particular CX fork (no eyelets & limited tyre clearance) to a different frame because I want to be able to use any size tyre from 700x19 up to the 700x52 which the frame can already handle and which a different fork will be able to handle ... I'll probably use some MINI V-Brakes instead of cantilever calipers.

A Hybrid frame with a Rigid fork + Drop handlebars is essentially what a TOURING bike was 30+ years ago -- a good option for most of us, IMO..

And, the following began life as a MONGOOSE Hardtail (26er)



The wheels are 700c. I needed to lace a 700c rim onto a MTB hub.

The width of the chainstays meant that if I wanted to use a Road crank that I would need to use a BB which would normally be used for a Triple otherwise the 52t chainring would not clear the chainstay. Most recently, I've opted to go with a MegaExo crank -- it is a Triple sans Granny (at least, initially).

The forward opening of the theoretical fender mounting hole was enlarged to accept a recessed nut. The brake calipers are Tektro LONG REACH which happen to work with the particular Carbon Fibre front fork, too.

If you are a wise shopper & can DIY then YOU can easily convert your Boardman to something similar to the two bikes you see pictured above for LESS THAN £200, possibly a lot less than that.

 

[curby]

Your first road bike is really a great experience, you will love the ride... for what its worth: I have rarely heard anyone say that they bought the wrong bike unless they bought the wrong size. I really can't say I knew what I liked until I road my 1st road racing bike for several years, then I bought another and didnt like it as much, then I bought a carbon frame based more on my 1st bike's size/geometry and was really happy with it! So even tho I hit on what I liked on my first try, in many respects you're trying to hit a moving target (the bike/geometry you love). hope this helps.

 

[Alecmac]

Many thanks for the detailed reply, I have been away with work, but will look into your suggestions tomorrow. Although I think by having disk brakes it makes it difficult to switch to drop bars.

 

[Alecmac]

Many thanks I know exactly what you mean in regard geometry, I'm only just realising how important this is, and how minor differences can have quite an impact.