Going High/ Going Low
Get the most out of your money when shopping for a new bike
Choosing a new bike can be a daunting task. Because there are so many great options, it can be difficult to know what sets one bike apart from others on the shop floor. Here’s a breakdown on some of the subtle differences between machines to help you when you’re comparing bikes, whether road or mountain.
Road Bikes
Getting into road riding is easier than ever with a bike like the Ridley Fenix A60 ($1,450). It has everything a new rider should look for: an aluminum frame that uses variable tube thickness for a comfortable-yet-efficient ride, a carbon fork to smooth out road noise, an oversize head tube and bottom bracket for stiffness in the areas where you want it, internal cable routing (which was only available on premium bikes not that long ago) and a full Shimano Tiagra component package. Tiagra is a mid-level group that has a lot of the features of high-end Shimano parts, but not quite the same level of performance or featherlight weight. That said, a bike with this spec is a great way to get into road riding without dropping a ton of cash. The parts can be upgraded when they wear out. Buying a bike from mec also means you’ll easily find a lot of support when you need it. Not a bad thing at all. ( mec.ca)
Giant Bicycles has always delivered great value for money; the Propel Advanced 1 ($2,799) is no exception. This aerodynamically shaped road-race bike features Giant’s Advanced-grade composite (carbon) frame, a carbon/alloy fork with the proprietary Overdrive steerer, Giant’s P-A2 aero rims with Performance Tracker hubs, a smattering of Giant-brand parts where it makes sense (bar, stem, seatpost and saddle), a full Shimano Ultegra 11-speed component package and Giant’s Speedcontrol brakes. Those brakes are custom to the machine to work with the frame’s unique shaping, which won’t accept traditional road calipers. That you can get your hands on the same frame technology and shape that the pros ride in Grand Tours – set up with premium components – for less than three grand is pretty amazing. An added bonus: Giant makes its own carbon fibre, so the company oversees the quality-control process for its own bikes. ( giant-bicycles.com)
Pinarello is a storied brand in the road cycling world. Some of the biggest names in road racing – Miguel Indurain, Nairo Quintana and Bradley Wiggins, to name a few – have ridden bikes from the Italian company at one time. The Gan RS Ultegra ($6,950) is Pinarello’s full carbon mid-priced bike, which is positioned as a more forgiving ride than the race-oriented Dogma series but not an endurance bike. As you’d expect with the model name, the bike comes with a Shimano Ultegra drivetrain, along with Mavic Ksyrium Equipe 25 wheels, Mavic wts 25c tires and Pinarello’s Most house-brand bar and stem thrown in for good measure. There is one word that comes to mind when looking at a Pinarello: cachet. You’re buying this bike because you want to stand out from the rest of the two-wheeled crowd. You want an Italian road bike and you like the story behind the brand. And that’s all good. If your wallet is up for the challenge, you’ll get a top-performing bike. ( unoimports.com)