Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Hi all.

Ive been tricked into doing a 200k ride next year and I'm looking for some advice on a new road bike.
I'll be riding around my area (west Brisbane, really hilly) at weekends mainly to train.

I'm 5'9" (175cm)
105kg
I've been measured up at a LBS and they reckon a medium size frame.

So....
Do you think I should get the Fuji Altamira 3.0 ex demo for $1600 or is there another bike in that price range I should look at?

http://australia.fujibikes.com/bike/det ... tamira-302

Going for a test ride tomorrow night so if it's all good I'll probably go for it and get fitted out unless you reckon Otherwise.

Cheers in advance
Chris

Fuji rocks!
Go the SST if you can..much stiffer and maybe suited to your weight a bit better.

Already at max budget unfortunately. Have to get one for the missus as well!!

Nice bike though!!

Fuji make some eye catching frames! & giid value bikes..saw the same bike at the Lbs the other week. best price was $1800 (new). Was trying to convince my cousin but a little out of his budget. 2012 sst 3.0 to me is a stunner.

buy it, but you may want to consider a compact crank instead of the 53/39.

I assume the compact crankset would make it easier on hills?

I'm currently using a 21speed mountain bike on the lowest gear to get up some of them!!
Should I be looking at a different bike completely?

Cheers

Flecky wrote:Should I be looking at a different bike completely?
Cheers

You should be looking at EVERY bike in your price range (up to the $2500 mark ?).

For that sort of money there are SO many bikes you could consider (and some aren't that expensive).
Most road bikes around $2000 (give or take $500) will be decent bikes and the extra money you pay for will be for things like better components (Ultegra or 105 instead of 105 or Tiagra), and wheels.

On any ride, the biggest contributing factor will be the rider (not the bike), so I'd advise you test ride as many in your price range as you can and then go with the one you like the feel of and like the look of the most....and make sure the bike is the right size and gets fitted to you properly.

Once you have a bike that rides well and you find comfortable, then it's all about building up your strength and endurance (which only comes with lots and lots of km's on said bike).

Dave

Cheers Dave,

Budget is $1600

I guess what i'm asking is does anyone have an opinion on which bike i should test ride before purchasing the fuji (if nothing else feels better).
And ill definately be getting whichever bike fitted out to suit.

That's a good looking bike!! It is well specced but does give you some areas for improvement over time (wheels, group set) if that's what you want to do. When I bought my bike years ago I aimed to buy the best frame I could afford as the other bits wear out and can be replaced. This looks like a great bike to start with.

In relation to other bikes, there are too many to name!! Giant, scott, trek, Merida...the list goes on and all have bikes in your range but some may be worse specced than the fuji. Everyone says you should try lots, and I agree but I didn't bother. I knew mine was the right one from the get go and didn't want to waste time shopping around. I've had itn5 years now and it's still my favourite bike

Ere are some advantages though to shopping around. 2013 models a being released so you may be able to pick up a bargain in the 2012 range. That's why Dave suggested trying bikes slightly outside your price range as most shops will bend over backwards to move old stock. That being said, you might need the most common size and not find any left to fit. To give you an idea, I recently bought a full carbon tt bike. List price was $3400 but I paid half that. Right spot at the right time

Do you need better gearing for hills? Who knows!! Your local shop would know the area and may be able to provide useful guidance. I ride mostly flat ground so wouldn't dream of running a compact. I have needed to walk the odd hill, but this was on a bike tour and rumor has it the hill in question peaked at 16% so a little outside my normal range!! When you take the bike for a test ride, give a hill a crack. There will be a big difference in a mtb to roadie in climbing. Lighter bike, tends to travel faster etc so you may be ok.

I've gotta say it again...the fuji is very nice looking!! Enjoy the test ride on the weekend

Cheers Moosterbounce,

Ive set up a couple of rides tonight at diferent shops.

2012 Cannondale Caad8 5 105
And
Orbea Aqua T105.

I'll let yous know how it goes

I was in a similar situation and looked at the Fuji, Cannondale, Specialized and Orbea Aqua.
The Orbea and Specialized for the money was what it came down to and wasnt to sure in the end about the oversize bottom tube on the Fuji and reading a few reviews on them, so for me went with the Orbea Aqua T105 and im really happy, goes well on hills and long rides. Im looking to get a set of carbon wheels in 50's cant wait.

Bike purchased.
I tested a few bikes mentioned above. But ended up getting the Merida reacto 907.
$3500 down to - $1750
http://www.merida.com.au/2012-bikes/roa ... to-907.htm

And the Merida Scultura Evo 904 Juliet for the missus.
$2400 down to - $1199
http://www.merida.com.au/2012-bikes/roa ... et-904.htm

Boggo road bike hub in Briabane have 50% off full carbon Merida 2012.
http://www.boggoroadbikehub.bikeit.com. ... ory/2-road.

Love it!!

Really loved the bike on the test ride. But there wasn't enough hills to test the gears.
Took it out around my hilly circuit at home and had to get off and push on one of the hills.

Even with that (and stoping twice to catch my breath) I managed to knock 5mins of my best time on the mountain bike.

The bike shop suggested changing the cassette over at the first service in a couple of weeks would definately help.

Does any one know what ratio I can go to match up with the ultegra crank (53-39).
Currently it has 11-25. Would going to 11-30 make a big difference?.

Again, thanks for the advice and suggestions.

Flecky wrote: Would going to 11-30 make a big difference

sure would, the girlfriend went from compact crank to a 53-39 equipped bike
and struggled with 11-25 so I swapped it with a 12-27 cassette and she loves
it now and couldnt turn an 11 tooth anyway

Flecky wrote:Really loved the bike on the test ride. But there wasn't enough hills to test the gears.
Took it out around my hilly circuit at home and had to get off and push on one of the hills.

The bike shop suggested changing the cassette over at the first service in a couple of weeks would definately help.

Does any one know what ratio I can go to match up with the ultegra crank (53-39).
Currently it has 11-25. Would going to 11-30 make a big difference?.

Sorry I didn't get involved in this earlier.

You did need a compact crankset (50/34) and 12-28 cassette if you were already having trouble with the MTB. A 11-30 tooth cassette will help the problem (34.8" gearing compared with 41.8" currently) but usually requires a longer caged derailleur too. The other option is to sell your crankset while almost new and buy a compact crankset (36.5" gearing with 25). The advantage here is you can get a crank length closer to ideal for your leg length, but you may require a new front derailleur (cheaper than the rear derailleur). If your ideal crank length is about right, then the new cassette would probably be the better choice as the bike shop said.
http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.html
http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/b ... lator.html

Ride your wife's bike and you should quickly see the advantage of more appropriate gearing.

I run a 50/34 with a 14-25 and find it serves me well on hills, but I've been riding a while.

I'd leave the crank alone, when I first got a road bike I loved the fact it had a compact on it, but once I got a bit of fitness I found the compact was WAY too small for me. I'd change the rear to a 13-28 (or something similar like the 11-30 you mentioned). I personally don't like the sound of a 11-30 because there is a big gap between the gears. This means that when you change gears there is a bigger "jump" or "gap" between them, so its harder to maintain the "no chain" feel and keep your tempo. You'll probably start getting a bit of fitness by the time you wear your cassette out, so you won't need the smaller gears. It will also give you a bit of time to decide if you really need a compact. If you're still struggling after you wear this cassette out, it may then be worth considering to get a compact.

usernameforme wrote:... but once I got a bit of fitness I found the compact was WAY too small for me.

Depends how you ride it. I'm in the 50 almost all the time as it is more efficient until I need a "bail out" gear. By that stage, the_lower_the_better often applies. Maybe a 53 is slightly better if you ride in groups, but most wouldn't miss the extra three teeth while pushing their own air.

One advantage of a 53/39 is replacement rings appear easier to get. Also as counter intuitive as it sounds, if I spent a lot of time climbing in a 34, I'd consider a standard and a bigger cassette. This is because the 39 is more efficient and should also reduce chainring wear (matched with a bigger, more stepped cassette). I suppose you have to balance gearing range against efficiency for the terrain. I prefer a less stepped cassette where I ride.

I think the compact is worthwhile because it allows me to have more chainring range to be able to better tune my cassette for the conditions I face.

Nobody wrote: I think the compact is worthwhile

It is worthwhile, I'm just suggesting to the op that he may want to hold off the change to a compact as it is expensive and he may regret it later.

Too bad no-one mentioned the possible problem with the gearing before he bought the bike. It doesn't matter how good it looks or how wonderful the wheels are etc if the gearing doesn't suit the application.

You can buy compact cranksets relatively cheaply if you hunt around on the online stores.
As far as a compact running out of top end, you are pro tour material if that is happening. A 50-11 is a bigger gear than a 53-12. Unless you are sitting on 50 km/h on the flat regularly you wont run out of top end
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... himchar245
http://www.this link is broken/shimano-tiagra- ... -chainset/

Nobody wrote:Too bad no-one mentioned the possible problem with the gearing before he bought the bike. It doesn't matter how good it looks or how wonderful the wheels are etc if the gearing doesn't suit the application.

i made a mention at the beginning of the thread

_mike_ wrote:Fuji make some eye catching frames! & giid value bikes..saw the same bike at the Lbs the other week. best price was $1800 (new). Was trying to convince my cousin but a little out of his budget. 2012 sst 3.0 to me is a stunner.

buy it, but you may want to consider a compact crank instead of the 53/39.

For me the compact crank (11-25 casette) gives more 'useable' gears & reduces the times i have to swap to the small ring.

^agreed, regarding the 50+ comment warthog.

Riding at 35-38km/hr the chain on my bike sits relatively straight

_mike_ wrote:i made a mention at the beginning of the thread

_mike_ wrote:buy it, but you may want to consider a compact crank instead of the 53/39.

Um, sorry mike. Obviously didn't read it that well.

no worries

warthog1 wrote:You can buy compact cranksets relatively cheaply

I meant a compact of comparable quality. One of those Tiagra chainsets might be a good idea, Get a set of those then put your ultegra's in the shed for the time being, ride the bike to death with the 50-34. Feel yourself get stronger, then make a choice from there... If you feel the 34 is too small, put the standard back on, if you feel the 34 is just right, sell the ultegra and tiagra chainsets and get yourself a new dura ace crank for all the hard work you've done . Alternatively you could flog the compact of your wife's bike that may not end so well when she notices

Thanks again guys,

Ive got no one to blame but myself...no patience to wait (and i couldnt look past 50% off).
I did mention to the guy at the shop that i was down to the lowest gear on the MTB and he also knew the evil hills i was talking about but he seemed to think that the rear cassette would sort out the problem.

The plan is (after looking at your suggestions and my budget)....

Swap over to the best ratio ultegra cassette (11-28 by the looks of it)

Eat some cement!! - Train like crazy on the spin bike during the week and hit those hills all weekend!!

And lose another 10 Kilos.... hopefuly that will be like another gear!!

A Tiagra 10 speed 12-28 is half the price and I doubt you'd be able to tell the difference while riding.
http://www.this link is broken/Mode ... elID=67228
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... himcass926
Keep in mind that you'll need a longer chain too.