Help choosing a GOOD road bike please.. Sub £1000 choices..

[odessouky]

I am taking on cycling, hoping to get fit and lose weight. I am 5'10", and weigh 97 kilos..

Went in to my local Evan's and tried out some of the bikes there.

A friend of mine has a bike with 105 full group set,and I tried out his bike, and loved the gears, even though I did not feel comfortable on the bike in general.

So, I aimed for finding a nice bike with nothing lower or of less quality than Shimano 105.

Unfortunately, the chap at Evans showed me quiet expensive options, considering this is my FIRST ROAD BIKE!!:

I need URGENT advice on these choices, as I put down a deposit yesterday, and they called me today, saying that my bikes have arrived. Here are the options:

Specialized Secteur Comp: £1350!!
very comfortable, but felt I had to put in a lot of energy to go fast

BMC Street Racer SR02: £1599!!
very stiff ride, but enjoyed the gears and power

BMC Street Racer SR01: £1099
Very uncomfortable, but MASSIVELY powerful and fast. Felt that I put little work in, and got a lot of speed.

Specialized Secteur Elite: £999
very very comfortable, but SLOW, and HATED the SRAM apex gears...

ALL the above options have light Alu frames, with carbon forks....

A friend of mine advised me to try less commercial brands, as I might get MUCH more for my money. He suggested BIANCHI, FELT, Willier etc....

He suggested a FELT Z6 2011, £1080, which is a FULL CARBON FRAME, with shimano 105?

Another option is a Focus Cayo 105 Ltd 2011, £999, also FULL CARBON FRAME, with shimano 105?

Can some one please advise, apart from: if you enjoyed riding it, buy it?

I'm hoping for advice on aspects that I might be missing, or not aware of?

Many thanks

 

[davereo]

Not what you want to here but.
Buy the bike that your feel the most confident on. Stick to your guns about the 105 components. Aluminum is a wonderful bike frame material.
You never mentioned what your intended use would be other than regaining fitness. With that in mind any of the bikes you listed would be good.
Good Luck

 

[odessouky]

I am hoping to ride it DAILY after I get back from work, for an hour or so....then gradually as I get more confidence, want to use it for my daily commute to work, about 9 miles each way....

I just need to build my confidence, as traffic in London is not cycle friendly at all!!

 

[odessouky]

I am curretly leaning towards the "FELT Z6 2011 @ £1080", which is a FULL CARBON FRAME, with shimano 105 group set.

I am struggling to find ANY reviews or details about it on the internet.

 

[davereo]

Thats a nice bike. Keep in mind that if you do plan on commuting to work you wont be able to mount racks and most likely fenders. You will have to carry everything in a back pack.

 

[odessouky]

Oh...I thought that ALL road bikes cant be fitted with rack, fenders etc..?

 

[kvrancken]

Ribble have descent bikes with surprisingly good reviews. Have a look at the Sportive Racing
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/assets/images/NewSportiveRacing_Review.pdf