Road bike recommendations

Saddle

tyres and saddle

Contact points, both rider to bike and bike to road.

Most people have a favourite set of pedals/bars/saddle and the tyres on most OTP's are shite so will repay a quick change.

After that I guess wheels and cassette.

The 4ZA wheels don't seem great to be fair, but then you're going to be compromising at any bike under £1k and at £720 you make the decision about upgrading straight away or using the wheels until they're fucked.

Elsewhere under £1k with reasonable wheels: http://www.canyon.com/roadbikes/series/roadlite-al.html

If I was spending £1000, I'd want most of the money in the frame, a cheap but upgradable groupset, and solid training wheels.

So I can bitwise uprade the group, and invest in flash fine weather wheels, when finances allow.

Cheers Smallfurry, your argument would steer me towards the Canondale CAAD8 seeing as that is the only alu frame I ever noticed anyone being genuinely excited about.

But how about the opposite tactic, buy an OTP with relatively more money put into exciting components, then shift (the best of) these components onto a mid-range Planet X Carbon frame a year or so later when I have more money? Can't immediately think of which OTP that would be though...

Components get trashed quickly.
Don't bother getting decent ones. Unless its your sunday best bike. Or you want electronic.

Force/105 is all you need. Honestly. ANything else is being flash/money dropping. Not worth it unless it's sunday best or your loaded.

Against your opposite tatic is the fact of components compatability issues .. let's say you get an OTP with a 27.2 seatpost and upgrade to that Planet X immediately your seatpost, seat clamp and front mech if it's band on are of no use and so the upgrade cost esculates. SF's way you can literatly ride the parts until they break and spread the cost.

105 is all you need. Honestly.

This.

But I went electronic this time :P

buy the best thing you can afford, then ride it. Replace stuff that breaks or you don't get on with, keep riding it... and repeat.

Force/105/Veloce is all you need. Honestly. .

fixed.

No. Powertorque can GTFO

Cheers guys, this advice is so much better than "just try a few different bikes".

Powertorque can GTFO

This so very much.

Least you can have different crankset.

Why the hate for powertorque?

You need a 14mm allen key to fit the cranks. To remove the cranks, you need automotive crank pullers. There's an explanation of the process by Leonard Zinn here. Compared to SRAM and Shimano cranks (SRAM in particular, which require only one 8mm allen key to install and remove) it's a massive PITA.

And it's Campag.

Because you cannot easily remove the cranks once fitted.

Why the hate for powertorque?

You need a 14mm allen key to fit the cranks. To remove the cranks, you need automotive crank pullers. There's an explanation of the process by Leonard Zinn here. Compared to SRAM and Shimano cranks (SRAM in particular, which require only one 8mm allen key to install and remove) it's a massive PITA.

And because Campag do Ultratorque which also just needs an 8 mm allen key to install and remove.

And still no refund from planet x.

I had no idea about all the faff with PT cranks. Thanks for the info. Wish I hadn't bought them for my tourer now. Oh well, I won't worry about it just yet and will cross the removal bridge when I need to.

And still no refund from planet x.

Still? did you send the frame back?

I had no idea about all the faff with PT cranks. Thanks for the info. Wish I hadn't bought them for my tourer now. Oh well, I won't worry about it just yet and will cross the removal bridge when I need to.

Just take it to the shop and get a mechanic to change the bearings, or buy yourself a bearing puller:

Still? did you send the frame back?

They recieved it last wednesday.

And still no refund from planet x.

They recieved it last wednesday.

More than a bit rubbish... sort it out fellas.