Hey guys! Should I go for a Specialized Allez Comp (2015) with

Get a used bike for half the money and use the rest to fit it to your style and needs.

I don't know anyone who bought a factory bike and did not end up replacing stock components.

>>1011048
>Are there great differences in riding, or is it just brainwashing?

The difference is just Grams.

Do you need your bike to be lighter to win a race? I doubt it.

Get the cheaper one and beat the hell out of it. If you get really strong on it and want to compete, compete with it. Then if you like that, spend the big money on a full carbon ultegra roadie

Although note it's not all about groupset. The quality of the wheels is important. Most bikes also need their tires and saddles replaced, but some higher price models come with stock tires that are good enough to use

105 is the benchmark and that's the one I'd go for but I wouldn't rule out the Tiagra if the crankset suited my needs better.
For example, if the Tiagra was a compact and I lived in the hills then I'd seriously consider the Tiagra, if those were my only options.

But I'd much prefer 105 for smoother shifting and less weight.
But better components could be more attractive to theives if you plan on using it for commuting.

>>1011062
>ultegra
thats not how you spell 'dura-ace di2' anon

pick tiagra and with the rest of the money upgrade something like tyres/saddle or buy a pair of nice pedals/shoes,or spend it on cycling clothes, good clothes can make a great difference. I say tiagra because as far I know, it is a reliable and cheap groupset, really good for budget bikes and it's only 1 speed less than 105 so it's not a big deal in terms of gear ratios.

>>1011048
Why not get the DSW Sprint?

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I have pic related, allez comp 2016. As much bike as you'll ever reasonably need in my opinion. Wheels are heavy but strong and seem durable which is good for winter use. My Cyclocross bike is previous gen (10 spd) 105 which I'll stick my neck out and say is this years tiagra and it works well. AFAIK the geometry of the frames is slightly different between the expert and the comp, the later having a better fork and lower stack headset for a more aggressive position.

Thank you all for your replies :)
I do MTB-racing, and am planing to get a comfortable roadbike to cover up long endurance tours. The Specialized felt really really nice but probably due to the reversed stem? So, I'm a bite concerned in what >>1011124 said. Are there brands who provide good comfy roadbikes for a reasonable price ? Last but not least: There is a 12y.o. used Cube with complete Dura Ace (indcluding rims) for about 600€. Looks (despite the pretty boring optics) in quite good shape. Would it make a good bargain?

>>1011164
If you're touring, get something that can take a rack and fenders if it rains where you're at. Buying used is only a good idea if you know what you're doing. Even then most of the time you're gonna end up replacing the cables, bar tape, tires, and chain. If it's been ridden a lot expect to also end up replacing the cassette and maybe even the chain rings. Used bikes are a money and/or time sink unless you land the jackpot. That isn't to say it can't be done, but not every deal is really worth it in the long term. Steel rusts, aluminum fatigues, and carbon cracks. That is a fact of life.

If you go new definitely get the Tiagra and buy some wheels or Tiagra and carbon frame. That shit is seriously good. Most aluminum 105 bikes start at 1650+ and often cut corners to get to that price point. Now the new 105 is nice but the difference in shift quality is minimal if it's set up properly.

>>1011164
what do you consider long endurance tours? Touring for days and carrying luggage? Or centuries and randonneuring events?

>>1011307
>>1011317
Just planing to do 150-250 km rides. No touring, just riding.
So, I've got perhaps two good bikes in sight: One is a Scott Speedster 30 with Tiagra and Tektro-brakes for 800€, one is a Cube with 100% Taigra for ~750€ and one is a Giant Defy with complete Ultegra for ~1050€.All of them are factory-new. Are there known differneces between those brands in terms of stiffness and comfort?

>>1011398
What year are the Scott and Defy? In terms of comfort, theyre both aluminum with a carbon fork. Differences are gonna come down to geometry. The Defy is pretty upright, haven't ridden the Scott. Check out Cannondale's Synapse.

>>1011124

sweet bike anon

>>1011048
>Are there great differences in riding, or is it just brainwashing?
The main difference is that 105 is 11SPD. You get the same cassette (ratio and range-wise) as the Ultegra and DA.

Less sprockets means bigger jumps between gears which might be fine on MTB where you constantly change your pace, but on road you want to be able to select an optimal gear/cadence for each situation since the climbs are long and you usually just stick to a power output/cadence and adjust your gearing accordingly. It's really annoying if you find yourself in-between gears where one is sprocket is too light and the other is too hard.

The Tiagra will be cheaper in the long run (chains, cassettes) but has the aforementioned disadvantage. If it's going to be your only road bike I'd go for the 105.

>>1011124
That's a nice bike but... HOLY FUCK!!! that price is in the TCR Advanced range. Specialized be tripping hard.

>>1011124
I've got the same bike, but its stock wheels were fucked so Specialized replaced them with Roval Rapide 35s. That bike is a fucking awesome bike, anon.

I also happened to get it at $750, which is one of the perks of working at a bike shop.

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This seems as good a place to ask as any, I was planning to get this bike shown here, I'm on a strict budget so i can't go much higher than the cost of this one but i mostly want to ride a bike for fitness reasons as i am getting quite porky.
I currently ride an old ass single gear bike that is getting quite old and unreliable due to so much use as it is my main means of transport i, i will keep using it to go to and from work and maintaining it but i wanted something a bit better to exercise with.
This would be my first road bike and i was wondering if it wasnt just me throwing money down the drain
According to the side its a Triban 500 if that helps

>>1011849
I have the 2014 triban 3 which is basically the same bike (same geo), but has a curved fork. I must say that the triban is a fucking beast for the price, probably the best bike in the world on that price range. I have over 3500km on mine and zero problems, the microshift stuff works, all those distance and I haven't adjusted it yet. The frame is pretty strong, I have read blogs of people who have toured on that bike, one guy has over 20.000km on a triban 3 as he uses the bike as ghetto/beater tourer.

The bad parts of the bike are the wheels and the front deraileur.The deraileur is a fucking bitch and mine almost never change to the smaller ring, but I really don't care since I don't need such a small ring. The wheels are kinda cheap, but durable, mine remains trued since day 1.

If you want a pretty nice bike with a low budget, buy it, it's cheap and has a lifetime warranty/2yr for frame/parts.

Aditional info, I think the clearance is pretty small, I think the max is 28mm on the rear wheel, and 25mm on the front.

>>1011894
Thank you very much that is pretty much what i wanted to know, will get it later

>>1011048
There's more differences.

The sora one doesn't have the DSW frame. The tiagra and 105 one have the DSW welding which makes the frame lighter and stiffer and shit.
Personally id go with the 105 but that's coming from a cyclist. So maybe if you doubt you'll ride it a lot sure step down to the tiagra. but i wouldnt go as far as the sora

Honestly 105 is an incredible groupset. It performs fantastically and the jump up to the next higher set, ultegra, is pretty marginal. 105 is where you start to get really great shit, and dont lose out on anything. You get more speeds, lighter and more reliable components, stiffer cranks, etc.


It's just better to get the nicer bike. It'll be able to grow with you better, no worries about upgrading parts a year later after you start getting into cycling more. I work at a bike shop and i hear constantly people regretting buying the cheaper option and not stepping up to get the nicer version. I've literally never heard anyone regret getting a nice bike wishing they got something cheaper. never in my life.

>>1011105
It can be a pretty "extreme" bike and too aggressive and twitchy for some people. I mean I own one myself and love it, but for a beginner cyclist? nah.

>>1012021
Why is it twitchy?

>>1012073
It's for criterium racing, which means short courses with tight turns. You want very responsive handling, which means short chainstay and wheelbase, steep seat and headtube angles.


Video related.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSYXPsPsvLc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVImlGQpzKk

>>1011849
It's the cheapest new road bike in all of bongland. Just understand it's weaknesses.

>>1011048
I would go with the 105 but the tiagra is also very respectable. But for that price I would expect the comp to come with a better wheelset. I'm not sure if it actually does.


>>1011398
Brand doesn't matter for frame quality at that level.

Just for letting you know:
I'm probably and hopefully going to buy a Giant (where it all starteted #memories) Defy LTD. Either the Ultegra-Meme-one (which looks nice), or the brake-disc-one with 105 (which is cheaper).

Okay, shit. The Defy isn't available anymore. Back to start once more it is. Too much thinking doesn't lead to anything but unknowing.
Thing is, as mentioned: I do want a comfy roadbike. Yet, I discovered that my area is full of roadbike-races. Are the racier ones -by which I don't mean Crit-bikes or TT ones- more stressful on long runs, or are they just more nimble? Does geometry have a greater affect on handling than it does on comfort? And, more substantial: Which size do I have to get as a manly 1.83m person? Is ~56 fine (I tested some bikes in this range), or would ~58 be better?