roadies

top_aussie

gday fellas
at the moment im looking at buying a road bike, what i would like is a full carbon fibre bike, but it may end up too expensive, at least i want carbon seat post and front forks but rear forks would nice aswell, probly the Shimano Tiagra or 105 running gear.
any recomendations

sogood

Why do you want carbon seatpost? Do you think it's that beneficial? Have you checked the price/weight/performance triangle on a carbon seatpost?

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Morphed Bianchi Camaleonte IV 2006, Ridley Damocles 2006, Garmin, Mac

top_aussie

nvr checked mate
but i have been informed that carbon reduses the shock of a bump.
plus iv seen that carbon seatposts seem to be the first piece of carbon companys will put on the bike.

sogood

Sorry to say this, but carbon in the wrong places are for suckers.

The first place for carbon on modern bikes are in the front fork. If you read more, you'll find carbon seatposts are of limited benefit. The cost benefit just isn't there unless you have money to burn.

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Morphed Bianchi Camaleonte IV 2006, Ridley Damocles 2006, Garmin, Mac

top_aussie

ahhhh

rightyo
thanks for that
start recomending me some bikes then.
about the 1400 range, used for getting to school, weekend rides and long rides like the great vic

sogood

For $1400, you are definitely in the Alu alloy price range.

For a road bike, check out the base road bike offering from Trek and Giant. Cell has some cheaper road bikes you might also want to check out.

If I were you, I would check trading post, eBay and Cash Converters for second hand road bikes. You may get a low mileage mid range model.

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Morphed Bianchi Camaleonte IV 2006, Ridley Damocles 2006, Garmin, Mac

top_aussie

iv been lookin at the OCR 1's or 2's

Ronanmk

OCRs are a good beginer's choice. You'll get carbon forks, allu frame, and decent components.

Don't get your first bike off ebay / cash converters / etc. Get it at a local bike shop. SIZE and FIT are far more important that frame material, and a LBS will be able to get a bike that fits (try that on eBay!).

cheers

lance99

I think the Giant OCR is a excellent bike. Ive been riding mine for a year now a few thousand miles and no worries.........

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Giant OCR

sogood

I don't see anything wrong with getting a bike at Cash Converters given the buyer will be able to try the real thing. Of course, this is under the proviso that one knows the size range that'll fit oneself. After that, it's a matter of making adjustments which all of use have to do, and there are plenty of info on the web on this subject.

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Morphed Bianchi Camaleonte IV 2006, Ridley Damocles 2006, Garmin, Mac

artemidorus

Carbon frames offer no real advantage over aluminium; the only real difference is that they cost more. I think that there will soon be a strong and entirely justified retro movement towards metal frames. Composite popularity is all about marketing and perception, with many manufacturers such as Campy and SRAM cynically making all sorts of bits on their groupsets out of composites to make them look bling. The difference in ride quality between frames depends much more on design than materials - an alloy frame can be more comfortable than a composite.
That said, a composite item that happens to be on the bike that you buy is not a bad thing, if you're happy with the overall price. I've had to put up with composite fork, stem, spacers and seatpost because they were on my chosen bike
Aluminium forks are nominally at risk of sudden failure due to fatigue, so forks need to be steel or composite (or titanium? not sure about this material for forks). Of readily available brands, only the cheapest bikes seem to come with steel forks, so such bikes are best avoided - composite reigns supreme in the fork world.
I would choose 105 as it is the cheapest groupset that is not obviously inferior to DuraAce. Tiagra will work, however, if it comes on the bike of your dreams. Avoid Sora. I can't comment on Campy.

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."

sogood

Campag and SRAM don't make bike frames. AFAIK, their choice of CF tend to relate to weight reduction more than anything else. So there is logic in their choice.

In the Campag range, Veloce is the desirable starting point for serious cyclists. However, for OP's budget range of $1400 new, I'd say forget it. I have never seen Veloce groupset equipped bike at that price range (well, never say never).

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Morphed Bianchi Camaleonte IV 2006, Ridley Damocles 2006, Garmin, Mac

top_aussie

thanks fellas
i think im set on the giant ocr 2, and if i can get a bit more money ill get the ocr 1.
unless somebody can recomend me sumthin else in the same range that isnt giant, cos thats all they have round here and i dont particuly like em.

artemidorus

I didn't realise that the frame was part of a groupset...

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."