Hi there,
Looking to buy a first road bike, narrowed my options down to these 3.
Trek Domane AL 2 – https://www.evocycles.co.nz/Product/526073/2023-trek-domane-al-2-disc-black
Giant Contend AR 4 – https://www.evocycles.co.nz/Product/557716/2024-giant-contend-ar-4-cold-night
Merida Scultura 200 – https://www.99bikes.co.nz/products/merida-2021-scultura-200-metallic-black
Which bike is the most worth?
Thanks 🙂
by Powerful_Cat
3 Comments
Have you considered second hand market? Not saying that you cannot have fun with those bikes, but the scenario I fear for you is that you will like road biking and get very soon frustrated with those bikes, mainly due the 8 or 9 speeds rear derailleur, also maybe the weight. For this budget, you can find a second hand bike with 105 or even Ultegra 10 or 11 speeds (or Sram Rival/Force), with lighter frame/wheelset.
The Scultura’s tyre clearance maxes out at 28c, if that’s an issue for you. If you’re looking for an all rounder, something that you can use for light gravel, or even just running 32c road tyres, that counts it out.
The Domane and Contend are very similar bikes. I took both of them for a test ride recently when I was looking for an all-weather commuter. Being 172cm, I’m on the upper end of small or the lower end of medium. I think that the Domane is the better looking bike. It just has better proportions in a size small, or, in all sizes for that matter.
Despite this, when I tested them both, the Contend was a far nicer ride. It just felt faster and more agile. Add to this, in size medium the Contend comes in at about 500g lighter than the Domane. The one drawback is that the Contend has a D-Fuse seatpost, which limits future seatpost upgrades, but, it’s pretty negligible in the grand scheme of things. Oh also, at the time of purchase, I was able to get the Contend AR4 for $1050aud, compared to like, $1600’ish for the Domane.
I’d recommend checking Bikeexchange or calling dealers to see if you can get a better deal on pricing for either of those.
I would look for a bike with the newest Shimano 105 (not di2) drive train. You are looking at bikes with Shimano Claris, that’s a bit worse and you can definitely feel the difference.
You would want an aluminium bike with shimano 105 and possibly even rim brakes, they are easier to look after and much cheaper to replace if needed.
You may want to consider second hand market, however here in Europe I know for sure that the bikes I am describing can be bought for more or less the same budget