Hi All,
I bought a Peugeot Road bike back in '99 (£750 - full 105 and Mavic CP wheels) to provide some extra training for mountain bike races. I soon realised that road biking was more fun, even in the UK, and the mountain bike hasn't left the garage in over a year.
A couple of months ago I noticed that the paint was bubbling on the front forks, the bridge between the seat stays and around bottom bracket shell. Also, the front end has been vibrating for a couple of months now and I can't cure that (it has the old quill? design stem).
So, as we're closing in on the summer months I thought a new bike was in order. I started looking at the Cannondale 800 and Trek 1500, but I didn't like the chainset or the wheels on the 'dale and I was dubious about the frame quality of the Trek.
So I wandered down to my local bike shop (Samways in Derby) to have a look at the 'dales. When I got there, the shop assistant said they didn't stock them anymore because they'd had problems with their after sales service.
As I didn't really fancy a green Bianchi I started looking at the Pinarello and Fondreist frames. I asked what I could get for around £450. They said the Pinarello Augliru (7020 Alu with Carbon Fork) and the Fondriest Mega Plus (7003 Alu with Carbon Fork) frame.
Does anyone have one of these frames? I must say from a purely aesthetical point of view the Pinarello looks the best. But which would be the best performer?
My only gripe with my current bike is the frame, so I'm thinking I could just buy the new frame and swap everything over. Possibly get some Ksyrium Elite wheels and upgrade other bits later on.
So I'm left wondering, would I be better off buying the 'dale or Trek or building a new bike. Frame and wheels will probably set me back £750, but is this a false economy?
Thanks,
Peter M