First bike - Bianchi vs Trek? and best bike storage? Advice appreciated

Following on from my post the other day re pedals (very helpful advice thanks!) I spent the morning at bike shop trying out the entry level bikes.  It's between a Trek Lexa and a Bianchi Dama Sora (the Bianchi is more beautiful in my view but I'm sure there are other things I should be taking into account - both felt good to ride, the Bianchi marginally better but slightly more expensive too...).  Any opinions?  I think they both had 16 or 18 gears, is this enough to get me up steep hills??!

Also, we only have a narrow passage at side of the house for storage and it already has 4 bikes including 2 kids bikes in it.  Looking at ways of protecting my new purchase....  seen on amazon this 'gravity' stand for 2 bikes which leans against wall and you can put one bike up high on, the other hangs at bottom.  Failing that a bike 'cover' tarpaulin like thing.  Any views - or might there be another solution?

Thanks again

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Comments

  • Whichever it is make sure it is secure and secure enough to be covered by insurance

    I dont have an opinion on the bikes, I would go for th best colour   image

  • I think I am seduced by the paintwork on the Bianchi!  But big investment so don't want to miss some vital element....

  • where i live the only LBS is a trek dealer so every other bike is a trek so i would never go there - Bianchi is nicely carved - thats where my money would go

  • groupsets? what is the groupset for each bike?

  • You're surely not thinking of leaving it outside?
    Hang it on the wall, and polish it lovingly.

  • i should say that i would probably go Bianchi myself, but i'm trying to be practical....

    oh and why haven't you come over to the Fatman to Ironman thread yet WW, we're a nice bunch of newbies just sharing the experience together... youd be very welcome

  • just looked at both on evans... Bianchi for me

  • Help!  What on earth is a groupset...???

    I may pop over to Fatman to Ironman...but must say I have NO intention of doing an Ironman!  Running a marathon in isolation is enough of a challenge for me....!

    The bike will be in a locked side passage.  Husband will not tolerate having it inside depspite the fact he keeps his golf clubs in the bedroom.  Grrrrrr.

  • The groupset is the collective name for the gears. Do you know the name of these components? 

    Personally, it'd be the Bianchi for me too. But it would be a TRAVESTY to keep it outside (never mind that you may struggle to insure it if it's not indoors!).

     

  • joddlyjoddly ✭✭✭

    Bianchi. But you can't keep it outside, I'm afraid, 

  • go with the Bianchi...

    Groupset, the combo of all the following brakes, gears, chainrings etc... bascially the mechanical components enabling the wheels to turn and stop. Every bike has a set of components and groupsets vary wildly in quality and may or may not be linked to bike price. Personally I like the look of the Bianchi personally, I don't like the STI gears on the Trek

    but that's my view

    Storage if not in house then I would buy a small storage shed and have a wall anchor inside it to look the bike to... I certainly wouldn't be just leaving it outside with or without a tarp - i'd want it secured to the house and properly sheltered

  • but i'd be having REALLY strong words with the hubby, what golf clubs in but bike out? how much did the clubs cost? I mean there's probably more chance of the bike being stolen than the clubs... equal rights for bikes!

     

  • Hmm, still a bit fluffy round the groupset thing, what is a good or bad one like???



    I'll never get away with having it actually inside the house but it will be in a locked side passageway with roof and doors at each end, more worried about it getting scratched by other bikes than anything else!!! But I'm feeling the passion on here,,,
  • Bianchi is cool. Trek is not though they do some decent bikes. I can't see a bespectacled accountant with bicycle clips and plus fours, reflective strips, a child seat, towing one of those child half bikes with a child called Tarquinette, more hi viz than an airport and a bank of Evans lights dimply glowing away shwing off their refelctive stick riding a Bianchi.

    But they do ride Trek.

     

     

  • My bike stays inside the house in the room now known only as T1 (used to be called the dining room) along with all other essential gear... I'm currently in negotiations with landlord as she wants the dining room back, I think turbo "shed" is where it's at... Thinking playstation, flatscreen telly, sofa, fridge heater fan broadband iPod dock mood lighting and a disco ball personally
  • Oh crap and a cupboard for my Tri gear, my bike and a turbo of course...
  • its a sora groupset - she said in the first post image

    if you get on with the way the sora gears change and your thumbs are ok with them = job done - happy days 

  • Dustboy, thanks for that... No way am I buying the trek now!



    Gasted I am chuckling now! Guess come winter I would need one of those turbo thingys too so maybe converting the dining room is the way forward, or make the kids share a room and use the other bedroom...
  • That's the Spirit!

    My turbo lives in the garage, with a TV & DVD player, platform for remote, fuel and cup of tea.

    Currently working on the idea of fitting as games controller into a set of aero bars and turbo a mammoth session of an X box or summat.

    But that would need a beer fridge and piping to the drinks bottle!

  • Even in my college days I hung my touring bike on the wall, due to a lack of floor space. My new bike (30 years later) cost more than the second car I bought, and shares the same garage. The bike is hanging up. The aforementioned car is covered in a protective dust sheet. The original bike is still available for use.

    Even in the locked garage, the bike gets a lock and chain. After all, someone might just get in.

    I'd suggest using the golf clubs as a bargaining tool. Check out the make, model, specification and price first. There's no hiding in these days of internet. I bet that they aren't insured as a named item. £830 worth of bike is not cheap.

    By the way, have you tried a Specialized Allez? I'm biased here, but they are comparable, but get higher spec mechanicals for the same price. Biased? I just bought one this year.

  • groupsets

    Anything less than a Tiagra and your not getting your monies worth.

    A friend of mine is also buying her first road bike. She looked at Trek and Cannodale also Bianchi. The Bianchi one was silly expensive and looked deadly fast. Knowing her she would die going  down hill no hands. The Cannodale was sexier than very sexy stuff but was not available in her size and the Trek was just right for miss Goldilocks.

    Go for the Trek I say and use money saved to by some rather nice cycling gloves

    Go on you want.

    You do.

    Go onimage

     

  • Love those gloves but out of my league these days moneywise. 

    Jokes aside, the best bike is the one that fits you best and you feel most comfortable on. Full stop.

     

  • I understand the need to compromise on where to store the bike - some things are more important (not golf clubs though - get that sorted! Should be easy - either he shares the bedroom with the golf clubs or you!!!).

    You need 3 things when storing the bike - to keep it dry, secure and safe. I keep mine in the shed (brick built outhouse really). It's not quite as dry as I would like but hey-ho, it's better than a divorce and if it does corrode a bit quicker I'll be able to get a new bike sooner! There are 8 other bikes in the shed plus other stuff, and 4 not very careful kids getting their bikes in and out, so I have hung it up on the wall. I looked at various stands etc. then thought it was silly to get a special hanger, when I was also storing one of those carriers for the back of the car. I just rigged up some hooks to hold that securely to the wall, and then hang my bike on that.

  • Might i add another option..get down to Halfrauds and look at the Boardman range, esp the Team bike for £899...got 105 group set and is light years ahead of it's rivals...at the moment anyone spending over £700 gets £70 off...making it £830....join the British cycling Association for one year for £24 and get a 10% discount for Halfords taking off another £83 taking the whole cost down to £740....bargain if you ask me.

  • HappychapHappychap ✭✭✭
    And all of our bikes live in the house. In fact, they have their own bedroom (the kids are in the garage).
  • I think the problem is that despite how many ultra running and triathlon books I've managed to get the lovely missus to read (which is good and means she understands terminology and training requirement) she hasn't quite found the bug/passion which means my plans to a) move kids into garage have failed b) she won't let me sell/rent them for medical experiments to finance a better bike



    Her view is she is on the couch to IM programme, and current she's reading about it on couch whilst eating biscuits so that when I'm training for an IM, she can tell when I'm slacking and what I should be doing...
  • Stephen E Forde wrote (see)

    Go for the Trek I say and use money saved to by some rather nice cycling gloves

    Am I the only one who finds them gloves really, really sexy? image
    ...on the right hands!

  • SlowEngineer wrote (see)
    Stephen E Forde wrote (see)

    Go for the Trek I say and use money saved to by some rather nice cycling gloves

    Am I the only one who finds them gloves really, really sexy? image
    ...on the right hands!


    Er - yes!

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