Which brand offers best value for money?

Wow - that's not the kind of issue I thought would arise when robots are building them in a factory in the far east?

it depends what you class to be a bargain.

we had a planet-x in the other day which had dropouts that were so far out of alignment it was scary. that and the l/h dropout was too large so the axle moved inside of it.

i think the more mainstream seem better bets despite not getting the higher groupsets as they'll have a better quality of frame.

There are some fab bikes listed and i would recommend looking at Ribble to create up your own special bike - my bro has one and it's lovely and smooth.

I, however, have a Felt bike. Not commonly mentioned as there aren't many suppliers in this country but Garmin used them before joining with Cervelo and £ for £ they are spot on.

Mine cost just under a grand.

I don't know if you've read what I said on another post, but consider the Cervelo S1.

I know what you're thinking: A CERVELO!! VALUE FO MONEY?

But this bike is proper chopper. They were using them in the pro peleton in like 2006, and it's the cheapest bike you can buy that's had full on aero treatment in a Wind Tunnel.

So:

Frame, forks, headset and Seatpodt for £798.99 of the Tri Store
SRAM Apex or Rival off ribble for either £360 or £436
Planet X finishing kit, Stem, Bars, Saddle, tape for less than £100
Wheels, Shimano R501 for c. £80 off ribble.
Tyres, Schwalbe Ultremo R1s for £20 each.

That, dear reader, is a bargain.

Oh, and if anyone's interested, they're selling Ui2 on Ribble for a penny less than £800.

That, too, is a bargain.

Ribble are another one worth a look
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikebuilder.asp?action=showframes&sub=conf...

Planet X will do you a carbon bike with SRAM Red for that price.

Felt or Focus would also provide good bang for your buck.

I got a Fuji Team Pro, full Ultegra, Ksyrium Race, Conti tires, and a decent saddle for under 1400 quid. I think the nearest Trek with a similar spec was twice the amount.

You're gonna get as many answers here as there are bikes I think.

If you are looking for value for money I'd certainly take a look at the german brand Cube.

They usually stick some sweets on their bikes that belong on models on a click or two above the designated price range.

Dolan, for sure.

I'm looking at Dolan bikes ATM, seem bargainous...

If you don't mind taking a punt on line then Canyon are worth considering. Carbon:

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2507

Alu:

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/roadbikes/bike.html?b=2504

Or possibly stick with Boardman if want something you can get your hands on before buying?

Rob

Great first budget. My first road bike was 500!

Having done the same in January with my first road bike, I went for Planet X. Chuffed to bits with it (RT-57), done everything I want it to do. Can't go wrong at their prices.