Superior bike brands???

[Corms]

Hi guys,

I've been browsing the forum for a long while, just got around to signing up as I have afew questions.

I'm planning on buying my first road bike as I am missing this football season due to injury, I have quite a high level of fitness and looking to buy something that I can happily put 5000+ Kms on in relative comfort.

The main question I have is I have noticed that there are afew bike brands that do not have their own section on this forum. I understand that this will always be the case with smaller brands, but there are some brands that I have seen a lot of on my travels and in my noob opinion would class them as large brands for recreational cyclists.

These are brands such as Avanti and Lapierre (the sensium 200 is on my list to look at). I see quite afew of these for sale but are they not worth my time? I didn't know if there was a reason for them not having a specific section.

I work 6 day weeks so getting into my LBS is still on my to do list but im sure that you guys will have as much of an idea as them and the more opinions the better!

Thanks guys!

[AUbicycles]

A fair question, the brands with their own section are either one of the top brands (sales) or have a following (cult).

Any brand not listed is just as worthy so check out the Bike Brands Owned by Members thread which will give you a better 'rough' idea of ownership.

Avanti and Lapierre are both well known brands so certainly worth your time if they have what you want.

[Red Rider]

Happy shopping! There are loads of great bike brands, and everyone has their preference, have a look at Bike brands owned by members, it is very eclectic and one of the great things about the range on offer these days, you can pretty much get any variant you like.

I suggest posting in the 'Buying bikes' section and giving a bit of a brief of what you are looking for, budget, your weight. Giving an idea of where you live, members here may know some reputable bike shops to get reliable advice when going to the store.

[Duck!]

Lapierre is well-established in Europe, but until recently virtually unknown here. From what I've seen there isn't really any reason to avoid them.

Similarly, Avanti have been around for yonks and are pretty dependable.

[rjk]

when you find something you like the look of, go take it for a ride and your bum will tell you whether it is right for you.
you will ride quite a few and when you finally do find the right bike, your bum will sing to you.
dont ignore this, because a bike your bum likes will mean you will take it out more and more

a bike your bum doesnt like means it will sit in the shed gathering cobwebs.

my pearls of wisdom for new bike purchases

[Corms]

A fair question, the brands with their own section are either one of the top brands (sales) or have a following (cult).

Any brand not listed is just as worthy so check out the Bike Brands Owned by Members thread which will give you a better 'rough' idea of ownership.

Avanti and Lapierre are both well known brands so certainly worth your time if they have what you want.

Ah awesome, I didnt see that thread, should make for some good reading.
Not many of the Avanti bikes tick all my boxes but the lapierre seems like a nice package for the price.
Im a little bit cautious about the availability of parts to suit less common models (I have had this issue with motorbikes before). Im not going to build a bike from scratch for my first sled but am more than happy to work on it and upgrade parts as I go along.

when you find something you like the look of, go take it for a ride and your bum will tell you whether it is right for you.
you will ride quite a few and when you finally do find the right bike, your bum will sing to you.
dont ignore this, because a bike your bum likes will mean you will take it out more and more

a bike your bum doesnt like means it will sit in the shed gathering cobwebs.

my pearls of wisdom for new bike purchases

Im honoured that you have such a high level of care for my bum
Im hoping that my LBS lets me ride afew, im quite tall and that will limit my options to some degree but I have a highly regarded LBS near my house in Adelaide who should be able to help me when I can get in there

[Duck!]

Im a little bit cautious about the availability of parts to suit less common models (I have had this issue with motorbikes before).

Not really all that much of an issue. The vast majority of the components on any bike are sourced from other manufacturers, so there is very little stuff that is restricted to whatever bike you end up with.

[Corms]

Im a little bit cautious about the availability of parts to suit less common models (I have had this issue with motorbikes before).

Not really all that much of an issue. The vast majority of the components on any bike are sourced from other manufacturers, so there is very little stuff that is restricted to whatever bike you end up with.

Yeah it seems a bit like that. Im just hoping that I don't get stuck with something that has decided to use something rediculous like a weird size bearing or something that is near impossible to replace.

I work in the automotive industry and I know that car and motorbike manufacturers love doing things like that!

This will all come with research I guess.

[AUbicycles]

The only thing would be a derailleur hanger though as Duck! mentioned, as long as it isn't too exotic or cheap (supermarket) then you generally wont have issues.

[il padrone]

Yeah it seems a bit like that. Im just hoping that I don't get stuck with something that has decided to use something rediculous like a weird size bearing or something that is near impossible to replace.

I work in the automotive industry and I know that car and motorbike manufacturers love doing things like that!

Then don't worry about the bike manufacturers..... worry about the big S - they do have a record for doing such things*. The bike industry is not like the car industry, the component manufacturers have much greater market power than any individual bicycle manufacturer.


* Search for Shimano ax cranks and pedals, Biopace rings, Positron, yada, yada.... a long time ago I know but there are probably other more recent examples.

[Corms]

Yeah it seems a bit like that. Im just hoping that I don't get stuck with something that has decided to use something rediculous like a weird size bearing or something that is near impossible to replace.

I work in the automotive industry and I know that car and motorbike manufacturers love doing things like that!

Then don't worry about the bike manufacturers..... worry about the big S - they do have a record for doing such things*. The bike industry is not like the car industry, the component manufacturers have much greater market power than any individual bicycle manufacturer.


* Search for Shimano ax cranks and pedals, Biopace rings, Positron, yada, yada.... a long time ago I know but there are probably other more recent examples.

Very good point! Makes life much easier when if comes to modifying!....my missus is going to hate this :p

[Red Rider]

....my missus is going to hate this :p

You learn very quick

[Strawburger]

The only thing would be a derailleur hanger though as Duck! mentioned, as long as it isn't too exotic or cheap (supermarket) then you generally wont have issues.

And these are pretty easy to get if you are willing to shop online!

[AUbicycles]

Perhaps - there is a UK online retailer who just do derailleur hangers but indentifying exactly what you have and then the replacement can be a saga.

[marckietan]

I bought a bottecchia (exotic) and couldn't get the derailleur hanger easily. Euride, oz importer, we're absolutely useless...In fact I think I am still expecting a call back from them. In the end managed to source 2 (1 spare). One from Singapore and one from the UK but it was getting depressing when for about 3 weeks, no one seemed to have one.

Lucky the bottecchia is a great bike.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Tapatalk

[HappyHumber]

Bike Fit > Bike Brand.

Ignore the marketing hype about branding. Research bike fit. Be prepared for contradictory and confusing information with regards this from different sales staff. However, a little bit of research into your own proportions and the ball park proportions you'll need in a bike will go a long way. Spend a little time with a ruler, tape measure and your SO and punch your numbers into Competitive Cyclist free fitting tool.

Be wary that sometimes Sales staff will be just trying to move floor stock and be less concerned, if at all, about your fit. They might knock some good $ off but......

A bargain is not a bargain unless it fits.

[edits: hilighting ]

[clackers]

I see quite afew of these for sale but are they not worth my time? I didn't know if there was a reason for them not having a specific section.

+1 to getting a bike that fits and that you like enough to be proud of.

All bikes are assembled from components purchased wholesale, so the difference between brands is often only the frame - and even then, those may be produced in the same factory as other brands.

The major manufacturers know it's a buyer's market. They price match similar specced rival machines, so if something's $200 cheaper it's missing something, even if you can't tell at first.

The smaller manufacturers try to defy that sales model, because they can't buy the parts in the same quantity as, say, Giant, and get the same discount. They may target enthusiasts instead of the price-sensitive average consumer.

[2ndeffort]

I recently went through the same thing. Spend some time test riding a few. Don't be tempted by the 'this offer is only good for the next 30 mins' etc. I rode maybe 8 bikes and in the end bought the 1st one I tested. As HappyHunter mentioned above, fit is the most important thing. I bought a Trek Domane, partly because I thought the whole iso speed decoupler in the frame sounded like a clever idea but mostly because it felt the most comfortable (but still light and fast) of all the bikes I tested. I'd like to think the comfort was partially due to the iso speed, but at the end it was the feel/fit.

What I did notice was that the shop I bought it from spent a while fitting me up and adjusting the bike for the test ride. Other bike shop straight across the road from them (trying to sell me a Cube bike) literally just had a bit of a guess and raised the seat a bit whilst I stood next to the sales guy. In the end the Trek felt way better than the Cube. At the time I thought it was the bike and it might have been, but now I reckon getting the fit closer probably played a bigger part. The Cube felt cramped, the Trek felt 'right'.

I also tested a Willier, a Giant a De Rosa a Specialized and a couple of others I can't remember much about. I had made arrangements to test a Focus and a Cervelo but the search was dragging on and the Trek felt 'right' so I went with it. No regrets, loving it, very happy.

[Corms]

Thanks very much for the feedback guys! Looks like I will have to spend the rare Saturday off work cruising the Bike stores and test riding some potential investments! Im not looking to spend a fortune, probably 2-2.5k but I will hopefully find something that will work for me and I can improve on!

[HappyHumber]

probably 2-2.5k but I will hopefully find something that will work for me and I can improve on!

That's a more than adequate starting budget. A lot of people start tonnes more humbly than that. Just spend it wisely!

[Corms]

I don't want to end up with a lemon but I won't be riding the tour next year. That sort of budget seems to get you something that you can rack up several thousand Kms on at a decent pace in comfort. As I have done with my race car and motorbikes I won't be telling the boss how much im spending, im sure you guys know the drill!

[clackers]

I don't want to end up with a lemon but I won't be riding the tour next year. That sort of budget seems to get you something that you can rack up several thousand Kms on at a decent pace in comfort.

If you know you'll love riding, don't buy something you'll have to upgrade or replace later.

Buy nice, not twice!

[GaryJ]

I got a Sensium 200 just the other week. First ride to work on Tuesday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It comes down to what fits you and what you feel comfortable on though. Check out 2013 stock if you can too as you'll normally get some good deals.

[rodneycc]

Some food for though here....

http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... =9&t=74281" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Corms]

Great read!