Need advice on road bikes

[scho047]

Hi,

I am in process of upgrading to a proper road bike from Specialized Sirrus which I had for few months. I guess it was a cheap way to taste the waters of the sport to see if I like it....and the bottom line is that I would like to upgrade to take cycling more seriously.
One of the bike I am looking to get at this stage is Scott Speedster S30. Obviously I am a newbie to this whole road cycling scene and I realise that sky is the limit when it comes to how much you can spend. So my budget is around $1500 NZ dollars....and got a good deal from one of the local bike shop.
Would be much appreciated if some of you with experience and knowledge in this matter could give me some pointers. Thanks

 

[KellyT]

I's be slow to move away from Speciliazed. I have a Bianchi, 2 Trek's and a Specialized. I bought my Specialized as a 'winter bike' that I wouldn't mind riding in poor weather and attached to a trainer. It's turned out to be my favourite in most ways, it climbs well and basically feels really good. It pretty much makes me want to ride more than the others. I would give the Specialized at your budget a good look before you go for anything else. Personally (and it is only my personal view!) I would steer clear of the flash, 'premium' brands, because I would say you stop paying for components and development and just pay for a badge. Nice badge won't help you get up any hills.

 

[scho047]

Thanks for your comments its much appreciated....and will also take that whole issue of big brand into consideration when making my final decision....
but just to let you know...i am upgrading from a hybrid bike so i think it will be much faster...

 

[fauxpas]

OK, $1,500 NZD ... that's about $250 AUD... but seriously...

I did the same thing. I bought a budget bike to see if I like roadies, and then bought a better bike. The good thing is I learned much more that just whether I like road bikes or not. I also learned about proper fit.

As for you in NZ, why not stick with local product such as Avanti? Or does every 2nd person have one in NZ?

I personally love Felt road bikes. In Aus they are all on special and a Felt F80 will be around $1,200 AUD with Shimano 105 gear and carbon forks. A Felt F75 is around $1,500 AUD with Shimano Ultegra gear, carbon forks and carbon seat stays... (Like a lot of bikes, the lower the number on the name, the better the bike)

Colours and aesthetics are personal and the best bike for you may not be on your list purely for the way it looks...

No fear though, $1,500 NZD will be enough to secure a 105 component ride with carbon forks... That's all any semi-serious/semi-racer needs...

 

[scho047]

well for some reason avanti here in nz is pricy for what it is.....and hence looking at other brands.... i mean something like avanti giro - with 105 gear sets carbon forks etc....similar to like what you are suggesting and also what i am going to look at this saturday is slightly cheaper...so then why would you not consider it eh...

i dont get felt bikes here i dont think.....
do you prefer road bikes over the hybrid / fitness bike?? i think i will definitely....cos my firends i ride with all have road bikes and its hard to keep it up with them!

 

[fauxpas]

do you prefer road bikes over the hybrid / fitness bike??

Any compromise made to make a bike more comfy, like tyres, suspension seatpost, plushy saddle, MTB type front suspension, comfy riding geometry etc etc all go to making the bike slower... Also there is usually no consideration for weight, as those bikes have no need to do 40+ kph.

That said, it doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable on a road bike. Proper size frame and riding position and seat will go a long way to making a proper roadie as comfortable as it needs to be...

 

[KellyT]

do you prefer road bikes over the hybrid / fitness bike?? i think i will definitely....cos my firends i ride with all have road bikes and its hard to keep it up with them!

Definitely better with a proper road / racing bike, there isn't any comparison. Most hybrid's are like trying to cycle a panzer tank around, compared to a good road bike.

 

[scho047]

thanks for your comments......i hope i will enjoy it also.....

 

[scho047]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your advice.....I went back to the bike shop today and test rode few bikes and bought the one that I liked the best and that was sort of in my budget...
I ended up with Scott Speedster S30....with full 105 components....
went for a test ride and I love it to bits!!!

 

[bobbyOCR]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your advice.....I went back to the bike shop today and test rode few bikes and bought the one that I liked the best and that was sort of in my budget...
I ended up with Scott Speedster S30....with full 105 components....
went for a test ride and I love it to bits!!!

close to full 105..... you are missing out with the crankset, 105 cranks are amazing, stiffer than dura-ace

 

[scho047]

well yes...good spotting! hehe....that was done to bring the cost down....but as a new comer i did not see the point in spending few extra $$ to get that and the local bike shop offered to give me the cranket that i have to suit my budget... so over all am not too fussed!....
although just now my bike was standing the bike stand by itself and tire just went flat with loud psssss noise....am not too sure what happened...and it will not inflate back up....i did nothing and that happened....any idea?

 

[fauxpas]

You got the most important thing tho... the floor pump... A $10,000 bike is useless on 50psi rubber...

 

[dm69]

Yer if you had the 105 cranks I would be drooling at that price. Very nice cranks but Truvativ are nice aswell. Wanted to ask you how popular avanti are in NZ? Over in Oz they are quite frequent. I have the Vivace and it goes OK but I would much prefer the ride you have!

BTW...go clipless and get rid of the junk ie lights, saddlebag etc

 

[scho047]

avanti here are quite a common bikes also but tends to be on a slightly expansive side tho.... not too sure why tho...im sure avanti vivace is not too bad...
i must say i do love my new toy tho
i would like to get clipless only if i can use it but i have knee that has had 2 operations already thus dont wanna aggrevate it again when im only 24 so hence the clip pedals for now....

 

[fauxpas]

Dunno about knees and clipless pedals... I think if they have sufficient float they should be fine. I have 2 shot knees from some football and 9 motorcycle accidents. I can't run 20 metres without my knees doubling in size, hence, why I ride.

My Shimano 105 clipless pedals have a little float, don't know what the official line is but I think its 11 degrees if I remember right. When out of the saddle pumping side to side up a hill, they don't bother me at all... love them...

Just don't get pedals with zero float...

 

[alfeng]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your advice.....I went back to the bike shop today and test rode few bikes and bought the one that I liked the best and that was sort of in my budget...
I ended up with Scott Speedster S30....with full 105 components....
went for a test ride and I love it to bits!!!

NICE bike.

 

[bobbyOCR]

For the price that is pretty spectacular. I am quite fond of Scott's fork design. And the truvativ cranks should be fine, I just appreciate the stiffness when racing, but if you aren't racing, then that is an excellent choice of bike. For dodgy knees, go for Time's RXE/RXS pedals. Durable and designed for complete lateral float, not just angular.

 

[scho047]

Went out for a good test ride....and this felt so good! was such a smooth ride compared to the few other bikes i had owned....and the gear change was excellent....with the budget i had set myself...i think it was the best deal i could get out of!

along the flat road i was going around 45km/h with no real big effort put into it!..... looking forward to enjoying the long hours of ride i will do with this bike...

oh fixed the problem tire blowout...dont know why but it just blew out and did it again when it was not even used beforehand...and so took it to the shop and they have kindly replaced the tire, rim tape and tube for me and it seems ok now
so all i need now is to enjoy it!

 

[pod]

OK, $1,500 NZD ... that's about $250 AUD... but seriously...

I did the same thing. I bought a budget bike to see if I like roadies, and then bought a better bike. The good thing is I learned much more that just whether I like road bikes or not. I also learned about proper fit.

As for you in NZ, why not stick with local product such as Avanti? Or does every 2nd person have one in NZ?

I personally love Felt road bikes. In Aus they are all on special and a Felt F80 will be around $1,200 AUD with Shimano 105 gear and carbon forks. A Felt F75 is around $1,500 AUD with Shimano Ultegra gear, carbon forks and carbon seat stays... (Like a lot of bikes, the lower the number on the name, the better the bike)

Colours and aesthetics are personal and the best bike for you may not be on your list purely for the way it looks...

No fear though, $1,500 NZD will be enough to secure a 105 component ride with carbon forks... That's all any semi-serious/semi-racer needs...

Where do you get a 105 equipped bikes for $1,200 in Aus or an Ultegra equipped for $1,500?? I've been to several shops in Sydney recently with a friend who is looking to buy something and 105 level seems to be $1,700 (on special end of model) to well over $2k and Ultegra equipped are more like $3.5k. Plenty have the odd upgraded part for those prices such as the RD but with Sora or Tiagra brifters. Should we be travelling out of town to the Central Coast?

 

[fauxpas]

http://www.cellbikes.com.au/ are a real shop in Sydney. They currently have a special on their Felt stock as they will no longer be a Felt dealer. They will obviously still service them (components are components afterall) and warrant them.

One of the ways Felt are able to reach that price is to not offer an entire set. They will offer 105 brifters and derailleurs, but not the cranks and brakes etc. To me, the gearchange is the most important thing and if the cranks are up to it, I don't mind them not being 105 or whatever... You still save a lot of money... The F80 and F75 are my picks... fwiw... I think the F75 is a mixture of the good components...

CELLBIKES is no longer a Felt dealer, and we will be offering our remaining stock at reduced prices for our members. All prices are genuis clearance price. Please check the table below for available models and sizes.

FELT BIKES CLEARANCE PRICE LIST AND AVAILABLE MODEL&SIZE

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To order or enquire about availability of FELT bikes
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please give us a call on
02 9565 1599
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