Ridley Bikes

[monsterke]

I'm looking to by a Ridley ...

Damocles / Scandium or Boreas

I'm a beginner in cycling ... I started cycling last week (after a full 12 years not being anywhere near a bike)

I try to ride every day and I do about 35 Kilometers a day and around 60 K on a weekend day

Am I worthy of riding a Ridley yet ? or should I stick to my old Merckx bike (it's a bit too small for me ... and shifting is not on the steering wheel and the parts are old)

 

[Tuschinski]

Originally posted by monsterke
I'm looking to by a Ridley ...

Damocles / Scandium or Boreas

I'm a beginner in cycling ... I started cycling last week (after a full 12 years not being anywhere near a bike)

I try to ride every day and I do about 35 Kilometers a day and around 60 K on a weekend day

Am I worthy of riding a Ridley yet ? or should I stick to my old Merckx bike (it's a bit too small for me ... and shifting is not on the steering wheel and the parts are old)

First off:

Everyone is worthy of a good bike!

Ok... more seriously, Some key-points:

Those are three high-level frames, that's for sure.

1. How big is the chance you stick with it? The bigger the chance, the more you can safely spend. It would be a shame if you spend 3k Euro and then decide it isn't for you.

2. Can you afford an expensive bike? For your wants/needs a cheaper bike is plenty... but I fully understand the "ohhh shiny" factor. I hold nothing against people buying a 5k Euro bike and riding only in the weekends. There are worse things to spend you cash on. I think a lot of us here are guilty of the "ohhh shiny" factor one way or the other.

3. Then to the bikes themselves: Whats your length/Weigth? This has some bearing on your choice. Especially the Scandium is very lightweigth and might not be the primary pick, all depending on your build. A good LBS (Local bike shop)will advice you on this.

4. The Boreas can be found cheaper than the Phaeton/Scandium. As I assume you are Belgium you might check out www.salden.nl, a Dutch bikeshop (Limburg) with pretty good prices. There are other price busters, but that's the one I am familiar with. Anyways, as it is cheaper, you can keep the money in your pocket or do like most of us would(laughs) and spend it on a better Group. It's a matter of taste really... a bit better frame or a better group.

In the end it all boils down to your financial position really... You might not need a profesional bike, but it just feels wonderful to have one. It's the "tussen de oren" feeling. With a beautiful bike you feel compelled to be worthy of it, so it can be a stimulant for more disciplined excercising.

 

[monsterke]

thank you for your remarks...

you are right about the "oooh shiny" feeling as you describe it...

I thought of equiping the bike with a SHIMANO ULTEGRA as a group or a 105

I don't want to spend more than 1500 EUR ...

 

[GuyStevens]

Originally posted by monsterke
thank you for your remarks...

you are right about the "oooh shiny" feeling as you describe it...

I thought of equiping the bike with a SHIMANO ULTEGRA as a group or a 105

I don't want to spend more than 1500 EUR ...

Unless you know something I don't you can't even get the Damocles frame for that price, let alone fully built up (maybe we in the UK are paying over the odds). They are very nice frames though.

 

[monsterke]

Damocles is 1800 EUR...

but I saw someone selling his Damocles with Dura ACE 10 Speed for 1000 EURO !!

 

[Tuschinski]

Originally posted by monsterke
Damocles is 1800 EUR...

but I saw someone selling his Damocles with Dura ACE 10 Speed for 1000 EURO !!

That's suspiciously cheap...-Damocles 2004 listed as 2000 Euro, last year model even 2500 Euro.That person makes a HUGE loss there.

Considering the 1500 Euro. If you want a new bike: I would think that would give you a nice 105 Pegasus.

 

[monsterke]

pegasus frame is 470 EUR in my Local Bike Shop Ultegra group is in promo for 499 EUR (complete group)

steering ? Saddle ? I have no clue on those prices

I have click on pedals from my old bike

 

[Tuschinski]

Originally posted by monsterke
pegasus frame is 470 EUR in my Local Bike Shop Ultegra group is in promo for 499 EUR (complete group)

steering ? Saddle ? I have no clue on those prices

I have click on pedals from my old bike

Highly personal.. But I'll give my choices:

Steering: Deda Magic Stem+Handlebar. They fit perfectly on a thick tubed frame as the Pegasus.

Saddle: I got an Aspide, but I am a hardcore racer. Generally you want as stiff a saddle as you can stand. Soft saddle's give problems on longer rides. Anatomical saddles with a hole in it are usually not a good choice as you would have problems- I have to use a Dutch word: Doorzitten-

Wheels: Cpx 33 Rims, Ultegra hubs, Sapim Race spokes and Continental GP3000 are solid, reasonably comfortable wheels. Don't go with the Cheapo "aero" wheels... they are rather harsh with an Alu frame as the Pegasus.

This whole kit will probably set you back about 1500 Euro. That is if the hubs are included with the group, thats not always the case in the Netherlands/Belgium, if not it will be 100 Euro more.

 

[monsterke]

I went to the store and I think I will go for the following :

Ridley Icarus with Cosmos wheels Ultegra group with Dura Ace Shifters and Look pedals

Complete bike including assembly is offered to me for 1890 EUR

what do you think ?

fair deal ?

 

[Tuschinski]

Originally posted by monsterke
I went to the store and I think I will go for the following :

Ridley Icarus with Cosmos wheels Ultegra group with Dura Ace Shifters and Look pedals

Complete bike including assembly is offered to me for 1890 EUR

what do you think ?

fair deal ?

It's a fine deal. I am sure you could do cheaper somewhere(Germany), but it would be a stretch... and there is a LOT to say for a closeby LBS

I would go for it if I were you. But do consider if you want normal spoked CPX33 wheels over Cosmos. I prefer handmade custom wheels anyday.

 

[BIANCHI_EURO]

I only see comments on buying a new bike. And of course you wouldn't have placed this thread if you weren't already half way convinced of the need to buy a new bike. You just need us to give you that final push towards the bike shop, right?

On the street I see a whole lot of cyclists here. And what I see is that a really high percentage of those cyclists ride bikes of less than a year old. When I look at their speed, probably my grandma would do better. I don't understand why they buy a bike that expensive when they already know the bike will not be used as frequently as a bike of that price should be used.

What's wrong with an old Merckx? Merckx= style. You can tune up the bike and buy some new parts on it. If you fine tune an older good bike it can still do very well. Make sure all bearings and especially the chain is in superb condition. The advantage of an older bike is that you can try out anything on it repair wise.
With an expensive new bike the threshold is a lot higher to do major repairs yourself. So an older bike is good to learn on.

I guess you're from Belgium, right? In Belgium the hype for this season is the retro shirt. Well you already have the retro bike.
The bike you describe looks ok. 105 is a really ok group.

Germany....Cheap??????!!

 

[monsterke]

I do like the Merckx bike but the biggest problem is that the frame is too small for me

it's a 58 center center and I am 1m94 ...

I do intend to ride very often so the argument of the bike being too expensive for the amount of time I am going to spend riding it is not an issue for me.

I drove 48 Km/hour for the first time in my life (not downhill )

I will picture of the bike when I have one ... but first I have to make sure I can afford it properly )

 

[BIANCHI_EURO]

With your body length you would need a 62 to 64 size frame for the optimal race position and that is centre-top (European size).