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Anchor vs Bianchi

Taffmonster

Warming-Up
Mar 2, 2011
160
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Im looking at buying a road bike and am currently torn between spending 127,000 on a Tiagra equipped Anchor RFA5 or spending around 94,000 on a Bianchi Via Nirone 7 with SORA, although the Tiagra Bianchi is about the same price as the Anchor.

They both feel nice to ride. but im not sure which to go for. I also tried a second hand Felt Z85 and a second hand Via Nirone. The via nirone was in pretty bad shape, the front derailer woudnt shift properly but it was only 76,000. Also rode the Felt Z85 which was even cheaper at 69,000. It was a little worn but generally nice.


Im so confused.

Its basically my first road bike, but I do get in a lot of miles. I recently bought a cross (giant escape RX3) which has already travelled a fair bit, but i relly want drops and something more comfortable for the long rides. I did a 6 hour the other week.

Any advice ? or any good shops i might not know about ? I check Y's road and Seo, also tried a few bikes at cycly.

any advice would be appreciated
 
The first thing I'd do is get a Pro Bike Fit done so you know what to look for, it would be money well spent.

I saw this link.....

http://www.geocities.jp/bikehiroad/english/index.html

.... on another thread here. I'm sure some other will chime in with their opinions :D
 
Mate, between me and my riding buddy we have basically a full bike, in spare parts, based around a Tiagra group set.

Send me a PM if interested. I am near Omiya, so really close to you.

Cheers.
 
Bianchi Via Nirone 7 with Campy Veloce

That sounds like a nice offer, but if you are set on the brands or size is an issue, I got a Bianchi Via Nirone 7 with Campy Veloce in February as my first road bike and am very pleased. I have been working up my endurance and my best yet was 176km on Sunday. My but was fine, and I was fine the next day, the only issue was not being able to find food along the way (it was my first time on the Arakawa and I did not see any combinis), but I survived.

I agree with the bike fit advice. Early on, I went to Y's Road in Futako Tamagawa because it is close and they have a decent selection. They have some contraption, and took my measurements, weight etc, put it into their computer and gave me a print out with all the measurements of what my new bike should be for a thousand yen. I was pleased with that. It might have been more accurate to spend more time on the fitting, but I have no regrets.

The next step was asking the staff there to show me some bikes in the size they determined, as I wanted to see what it would feel like. The guy said they didn't have anything in my size, which was 57cm, which by Western standards is not huge. It was near the end of the year and I was looking to save a few bucks by buying on-line anyway, so was not too disappointed.

After that I went to the Giant shop in Nikotama and told them I wanted to try a Defy 3 in my size. They also said they did not have anything 57cm, but that I should try something smaller that they had in stock. I had never been on a road bike before so was interested, and the staff were saying how great it was, but I was suspicious - weird vibe in that shop. It was interesting though.

I did a ton of research on bikes before buying (including starting the ''Hybrid or Road'' thread on the TCC and got a lot of great/friendly advice), and decided I did not want Sora. I must have read about 20 peoples' reviews on bikes they bought with Sora and none seemed to say they were that happy with it. I did some mountain biking in the past and played the game of working my way up in components until I found something that worked to my liking. That was Shimano XT. I remember having to fool around with changing gears and sympathizing with biking buddies who had inferior stuff and did not want to play that game again. As it was near the end of the year, I was able to get a bike in my size in the color I wanted in Veloce (comparable or better than Shimano 105, but subject to opinion) for just under ¥100,000 delivered from the UK.

I had to wait 3 weeks to get it, and it was not put together well, but, the bike is awesome. It looks extremely beautiful and is very comfortable. I have about 800km on it and have had to adjust the front derailleur a couple times, also have been playing with truing the back wheel a little and trying to get the rear brakes centered, but except for the wheel which seemed to have some loose spokes were issues with Evans, not the bike.

No strong opinion here, just letting you know the route I took and that I am happy with it. If you have any specific questions about the Bianchi, feel free to fire away.
 
I'd go for the 105 group. It's the best value / performance out there. As for size - just post your crotch-to-floor, overall height and arm length (grip to shoulder peak) and I'll tell you what will likely fit in terms of shelf bikes. Compact sizing is very consistent and straightforward.
 
Unrelated to my previous post, but related to the topic in hand;

Don't worry too much about the components. Road bikes are a drug, and you will soon be spending money on upgrades. In less than a year, the only original component I have on my bike from when I bought it is the frameset.

Get something with a good frameset, so you can upgrade.
 
Ok,

My own personal advice on frame sets at this level is go for the "eye candy" Both of the frames are mass produced out of Taiwan and more than likely by the same OEM manufacturer so go for the frame that is most pleasing to the eye.

As for a "Pro Bike Fit" I would actually go against this for now and go and get "Fitted at Y's. They will charge about 5,000 JP for the basic Biometric fitting that will tell you everything you need to know for now. Save the mega bucks fitting for that 1,000,000 Dogma or Colnago you will by. (Trust me Owen is right!)

GSAstuto is also spot on here, I would ask the shop to upgrade to the 105 groupo. Actually most stores will do this at minimal cost and should only charge you the OEM cost difference for the group set. (105-Taigra = price you pay for groupo.) IF they don't then go to Sagami Cycles on the Sotetsu Line as they will do this for you (They will put the old groupo on another bike)

Regarding Shimano Vs Campagnolo I would suggest Shimano, its cheap as chips here so if you do shred anything then its cheap and easy to replace and maintain.


Also one thing to note about these flagship stores.... Cannondale, Trek, Giant are actually franchises.... they aren't run or managed by the manufacturers and they are probably the more shadey out of all the bike stores on the market as they have to maintain a level of sales to retain the franchise the following year..... Yair has a few stories about the TREK store near him :D


But at the end of the day go for the bike YOU like.
 
I haven't read the whole thread here....

My 2 cents.

Bianchi have sold the name out and are not the company they once were.

Anchor although owned by Bridgestone are continually improving and putting out quality innovative product.

Bianchi are just using the good name to sell their product.

As far as components, you can switch them in and out any time in the future.
 
Bianchi have sold the name out and are not the company they once were.

Bianchi are just using the good name to sell their product.

In so much as they don`t hand make frames from steel but have them mass produced in China/ Taiwan from Carbon.
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!

Taiwan isn`t only cheaper... their carbon tech is better!
 
end of the day go for the bike YOU like.

this, but shimano is better than campy in japan imho. 105 you will enjoy a heap before it starts to suck, sora and tiagra will start sucking pretty soon. Remember in your budget, gloves shorts and helmet and you should be able to negotiate some discount on these when you buy the bike. Oh pump and simple repair kit as well. Let us know what you get. Good luck.
 
Plus, 105 is 10 speed and will make for much easier upgrading when the time comes (about half an hour after buying the thing.)
 
this, but shimano is better than campy in japan imho. 105 you will enjoy a heap before it starts to suck, sora and tiagra will start sucking pretty soon.

I think you missed this part:

Regarding Shimano Vs Campagnolo I would suggest Shimano, its cheap as chips here so if you do shred anything then its cheap and easy to replace and maintain.
 
I think you missed this part:

Regarding Shimano Vs Campagnolo I would suggest Shimano, its cheap as chips here so if you do shred anything then its cheap and easy to replace and maintain.

hey, I'm on holiday, my brain aint werking:confused:
 
Plus, 105 is 10 speed and will make for much easier upgrading when the time comes (about half an hour after buying the thing.)

Another thing, is that tiagra is being upgraded from 4500 to 4600 (should be starting to appear anytime soon) and the new group will be 10 speed so if you get current Tiagra you might have problems sourcing replacement parts. I have the new 105 on my bike and have no complaints and will see me through til I get the Ui2. And if you do want to upgrade from there, it is easily mixed and matched with Ultegra/Dura Ace stuff.

It`s easier to advise bikes to look at if you post budget range and also what material do you want - aluminium, or carbon fibre. At your price range, a good aluminium bike is probably the best bet: quality aluminium frames surpass entry level carbon - I wouldn`t swap my CAAD 9 for anything. Now the CAAD 9`s aren`t available, then Specialized Allez, Trek 2.1 or CAAD 8 are worth a look.

Basic advise is don`t be in a rush to buy a bike because of some special offer or other, there will be another one along any minute. Beware of stores trying to shift stock, like the Giant dealer mentioned. Basically, just ride as many different bikes as you can to get a feel for what you like. As FarEast said, looks are important, as a better looking bike will make you want to ride it more, which will have more of an effect on fitness than the quality of the bike.
 
I have the new 105 on my bike and have no complaints and will see me through til I get the Ui2. And if you do want to upgrade from there, it is easily mixed and matched with Ultegra/Dura Ace stuff.

Be a bit careful about that; Dura Ace is not totally compatible with 105. Consult the Shimano charts. I know what you are saying though.

It`s easier to advise bikes to look at if you post budget range and also what material do you want - aluminium, or carbon fibre. At your price range, a good aluminium bike is probably the best bet: quality aluminium frames surpass entry level carbon - I wouldn`t swap my CAAD 9 for anything. Now the CAAD 9`s aren`t available, then Specialized Allez, Trek 2.1 or CAAD 8 are worth a look.

True. There is, however a 52cm Black CAAD9 frameset sitting on a shelf in Omiya SEO which needs a good home to go to... ;)
 
True. There is, however a 52cm Black CAAD9 frameset sitting on a shelf in Omiya SEO which needs a good home to go to... ;)

ga hoshii :love: Being serious, I love the bike that much I would be tempted to buy another as a spare (wrong size though) as my biggest fear is I have to get a frame replacement and they give me a CAAD 10 :cry: Have to persuade the wife to get one and then if mine gets damaged, nick hers, and persuade her how much better the CAAD 10 is! :angel:
 
Thanks for all the great advice people.
It`s easier to advise bikes to look at if you post budget range and also what material do you want - aluminium, or carbon fibre.

Basically I want an alloy carbon mix if possible (ie fork and seat post carbon) and Tiagra is fine by me, as much as I would like 105 at my level its not really going to be that much noticeable. Also it seems the only real difference is the cable.
I want something light of course but something that is comfortable and fast would be perfect.
As for getting sized the guy in my local seo seemed to do a good enough job for free. I think my legs are quite short. I can ride a 50 no probs with the arched top tube geometries. Ive been looking at 45-50 frames (Im 5ft 6). the best fit so far has been a 50 height and 52 top tube length although the smaller 46 as also nice as i had more room (a good 2 inches) to lift the bike when standing on the floor.

The main problem is my money worrying brain is saying buy the 69,000 yen felt z85 that was second hand and buy a nice bike down the road when your milage has earned it a bit more that and the fact I only just bought a Giant Escape RX3. but the other half of me is saying buy the Tiagra groupset bianchi in black because its gorgeous.

I thought about trying to convert the RX3 to a road bike from a cross, but having the cross is really fun and quick for around town and converting to drops on that thing would probably be a pain in the ass.

Basically, I am like a kid in a toy shop. I want everything :eek:
 
OK, well the whole game has changed. Today on my ride home from work, i popped into Seo cycle. There are two in my town, one is road bikes only and the other is more of a mami chari place. Anyhow i stop at the mami chari place because they some times sell road bikes and low and behold they have two Anchors at a mega discount.

Both bikes were 110,000 but i think i could get a bigger discount if i tried. anyhow the first was an Anchor RCS5. Carbon front fork and carbon rear fork Tiagra groupset (except the hub which wasnt tiagra). It felt a little on the ehavy side compared to this years RCS6 but wasnt bad.
09rcs5_sp_L.jpg

Its ugly as hell but a good groupset and high spec frame for the price.

The second was the anchor steel frame. RCN3. Id never ridden a steel frame. It feels alot different to the alu frames Ive ridden. Its pretty heavy though and by no means a light bike (i think its 10.2kg) but was a nice ride despite being a little slow feeling. I also liked the top bar extra brakes. But the steel was a SORA groupset.
RNC3EX-black_L.jpg


どうしよね
 
Go for the Bianchi!

If I had to do it again I'd get another Bianchi. With Sora from Evans for about what you say you can get it for here... with Tiagra for 110,000 yen delivered. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bianchi/via-nirone-7-tiagra-compact-2011-road-bike-ec025813 Bianchi is good value for money, has great designs and is super cool, and if you are looking for comfort on long rides... just go for it. Be sure to pick up some cheap SPDs, cycle computer, shoes etc. while you are at it.
 
Yeah, as we speak, 111,000円 is 826 queen quids.


If you can find someone who has a Platinum Wiggle account, you have access to a whole world of rad bikes...
 
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