Question for the geared boys. Carbon frame S*it group or alu with good kit

Oh and Roberto has a Time RXS and Wilier Montirola he wants to off load, medium/large, will go on the bay soon though.

I agree with dogsballs in one respect. At your pricepoint, if you're going OTFP, consider frame+wheels rather than frame+gruppo (that's assuming your bottom line gruppo is 105 or Centaur (or Veloce at a push).

I've owned steel, alu, and carbon bikes:

The carbon bike did have a certain 'inverse-buzz' quality about the ride, but it had a hellish speed wobble around 38-40mph. It also felt a bit flimsy when sprinting/accelerating uphill. However it survived a bastard crash doing 30+mph going round the penultimate bend at an Eastway crit, where someone clattered my rear wheel and I was suddenly twisted through 90 degrees before slamming into the ground. At that point, parted company with the bike and rolled about 20m into the rough, but saw a large bloke somersault over his handlebars and land squarely on my frame. The force of the crash also ripped both wheels out of the drop-outs, and mangled my titanium saddle rails. The frame and forks were fine, so carbon seems pretty tough to me.

(The steel audax bike was non-descript, until it snapped just above the bottom bracket shell during a big gear stomp, but I think that was builder error)

The alu audax bike is super comfy, felt stiffer than the carbon bike in the same crit series, but was heavier and less responsive (but that's what you get riding a crit with 25mm tyres).

The current alu bike (with carbon forks and carbon wishbone seatstay), marketed as a crit bike, is stiffer and more responsive than all the above, tracks better round corners, and is comfy enough on the average 50-75 mile clubrun with 105r/100f tyre pressure, and didn't beat me up on some century rides with 95-100r/90-95f pressure. It's got all my favourite contact points, a carbon Centaur gruppo, Campag Neutron wheels, and cost me about a grand to put it together. 7.5kg :)

Bike Hut do a Carrera full Carbon with Dura Ace for under a grand - no idea if its any god though

And groupsets, if you're looking for quality components, SRAM is faultless - but don't dip down into Shimano or get robbed on Campag if you can help it

Fixed...

cheap demo blank carbon frame
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110281771603&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Nowt wrong with 105. I'd personally prefer a better made Alu/carbon frame over a cheaper full Carbon one though.

Oh and fuck Sram

I want to try SRAM.. it'd be like being OS Warp in the Mac vs. Windows debate :)

BeOS on linux

I got one of those carbon frames dogsballs gave the link to and I love it. It's the same as the Ambrosio Celcius without the paint job. Built it up with new Campagnolo Chorus and Centaur stuff I got on Ebay and at Whiskers for reduced prices and a set of second hand Mavic Ksyrium SSCs and it cost me 1150 all in. Rides lovely and pretty light, the frame's a bargain at £299.

i believe it's the same as the claud butler carbon frames as well ;)

Cheers for all the advice, so I recon carbon with OK group for me.

I'm now thinking maybe cycle to work scheme, 49.8% saving apparently, but only though evans :-( Let see what they have...

Wiggle also do the ride to work scheme and their own brand of bikes called Focus always seem to score very high in reviews and seem to tick a lot of your boxes.

Gizmond,

R2W is a great deal for everyone involved, means you can raise the ceiling and will extend to accessories and additional stuff you get stung on.

Although limited to shopping at Evans - not such a bad thing, they offer a reasonable spectrum of brands - the Shimano/Campag debate will probably be decided on your choice of manufacturer; big brand Americana (Trek, Sp, Cannondale) or Classic Italian/Euro (Bianchi, De Rosa, Colnago). Putting the 'wrong' groupset on just looks plain weird!

...Maybe I shouldn't point out they've got a sale on at Sigma with some absolute steals... Couldn't resist a S-Works E5 frame/forks/headset/post for £300 in the awesome red/white colourway. Woohoo, winter training here I come.

Have you narrowed down any choices yet? Or even a persuasion towards any brands??

keep an eye on this baby on ebay. massive bargain to be had ;)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Scott-Addict-R1-DURA-ACE-GROUPSET-FSA-RD400-nearly-new_W0QQitemZ280259482186QQihZ018QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

fancy titanium?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Airborne-Zeppelin-54cm-with-shimano-9sp-Dura-ace-group_W0QQitemZ330263908148QQihZ014QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

cheaper end, nice felt
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FELT-F5-Carbon-Road-Bike-56cm-2007_W0QQitemZ150287359765QQihZ005QQcategoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

planet x do some nicely priced carbon bikes and bits + they can upgrade/downgrade the parts you choose. i think page where you can choose each part of the bike to built on the site.

you could always go for a an alu frame with carbon parts, forks, seatpost, wheels etc. stiff frame but still light as fudge

(also make friends with someone in a bike shop, if yer lucky you can get stuff at trade price instead of retail.)

I want to try SRAM.. it'd be like being OS Warp in the Mac vs. Windows debate :)

SRAM is dreadful OS 9.

Sram Red passable, but prefer Record.

Definitely not Dura-ace.

for people who are not riders of gears
what are the differences between sram, rival and dura ace?

The differences are moot if you are not a rider of gears :S

(Real answer: dunno, apart from SRAM's doubletap system, compared to Shimano's lever/flipper setup)