# Help me chose a new bike. Bianchi vs. Specialized



## beaconshome (Apr 18, 2015)

Hey Everyone. New to the forum. I'm looking at getting my second road bike and believe I have narrowed it down to two choices. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. 

2015 Bianchi Intenso Ultegra 







2015 Specialized Roubaix SL4 Comp Ultegra


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

The Specialized because I hate celeste.

You will get more useful replies if you say what kind of riding you do, your experience, and your goals.


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## robt57 (Jul 23, 2011)

2014 + Infinito CV. I have an SL4 Roubiax and had test rode the CV. I got the SL4 with Sora for a lot less than 1/2 and popped on a 7800 mint groupo I had. Then built 400.00 worth of parts into better wheels. There is not a question in my mind I would rather have the comfort of the CV. But too much coin and between sizes for me. The Roubiax 58 may as well be a custom geom wise for me. This means a lot.

Is there a CV with a lower groupo in the price range?


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## beaconshome (Apr 18, 2015)

Well I typically do endurance riding. I try to go for a ride about 3-4x/week, about 20-30 miles each ride. I've only been riding since about 2011. I currently have a 2.3 Trek Comp. I'm looking to get my first carbon bike that has a decent frame so I can upgrade the components and wheels over time. I would eventually like to complete one race just for the fun of it.


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## Father Guzzi Obrian (Jan 31, 2015)

I have both a spesh Roubaix with 105, and a Trek Domane with Ultegra, both are excellent, and tough for carbon... Wheels are all they need


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## triggerg22 (Apr 19, 2015)

Go with the Specialized Roubaix, I've competed in time trials, road races, and duathlons with this bike. I have the sora groupo, I then stripped it down to the frame and replaced the wheels, Handle bar, seat, seat post, brakes, chain, stem. Some parts I purchased new and used off EBay. Saved a lot of money this way. This bike is great for long rides in the saddle like centuries and grand fondos. The Roubaix geometry is a little longer than racers for the above stated reasons.


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## Winn (Feb 15, 2013)

Get them both that way later on this year when some asks which bike they should buy you can give a comprehensive comparison. 

Seriously though, if they both fit and you can't decide because neither ride bothers you but the one you like to at. I like Specialized but the Bianchi is prettier this round.


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## cnardone (Jun 28, 2014)

As been said, assuming they both fit, flip a coin. When it is in the air you are probably going to hope for one or the other. Ignore the coin and get the one you want deep down. Either bike is going to be a great bike.


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## Roland44 (Mar 21, 2013)

ericm979 said:


> The Specialized because I hate celeste.
> 
> You will get more useful replies if you say what kind of riding you do, your experience, and your goals.


+1 for Specialized,

You can't go wrong with either though.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

I have not looked it up but I think the Roubaix may have a taller head tube. Which you may or may not want.

If you can test ride both bikes, do so. 

At only 20-30 miles a ride you don't need an endurance bike unless for some reason you need a tall head tube.


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## Golfguy (Nov 20, 2010)

On the other hand, I like Celeste and would always choose it over anything else. So, Bianchi.


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## GOTA (Aug 27, 2012)

robt57 said:


> 2014 + Infinito CV. I have an SL4 Roubiax and had test rode the CV. I got the SL4 with Sora for a lot less than 1/2 and popped on a 7800 mint groupo I had. Then built 400.00 worth of parts into better wheels. There is not a question in my mind I would rather have the comfort of the CV. But too much coin and between sizes for me. The Roubiax 58 may as well be a custom geom wise for me. This means a lot.
> 
> Is there a CV with a lower groupo in the price range?


The CV frameset a list price of $3,700. It's incredibly expensive.


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## Shuffleman (Sep 4, 2013)

beaconshome said:


> Hey Everyone. New to the forum. I'm looking at getting my second road bike and believe I have narrowed it down to two choices. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
> 
> 2015 Bianchi Intenso Ultegra
> View attachment 305293
> ...


They are both great bikes but I like Bianchi much better. That is very subjective though.


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## Donn12 (Apr 10, 2012)

for endurance bike the roubaix and the synapse are probably the best available. the main thing is to get the one that is right for you from the right shop wight the right fit. I talked to a guy on a ride this weekend on a 6 month old Pinarello that hadn't gone for a fit and really didn't know what i was talking about.

If you can ride all candidates back to back and get the one that you decide on after that. I do a lot of research before I get a bike and I sometimes end up with something different after the test ride.


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## bigjohnla (Mar 29, 2010)

I ride a 2011 Infinito. It is a beautiful bike and rides very well. But, to be honest, there are a lot of bikes out there that ride and look just as nice. I personally enjoy owning an old school brand and really like the styling. Lots of little details that are purely cosmetic but make me want to jump on it and go for a ride. They are made in Taiwan now like most of the others. That is not a bad thing though. I would let my gut rule my brain here. Buy the bike that you like and forget the minor details. One that "speaks to you" as the Italians might say. There isn't a modern bike from any of the major manufacturers on the market that doesn't ride like a dream.


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## Shuffleman (Sep 4, 2013)

Donn12 said:


> for endurance bike the roubaix and the synapse are probably the best available. the main thing is to get the one that is right for you from the right shop wight the right fit. I talked to a guy on a ride this weekend on a 6 month old Pinarello that hadn't gone for a fit and really didn't know what i was talking about.
> 
> If you can ride all candidates back to back and get the one that you decide on after that. I do a lot of research before I get a bike and I sometimes end up with something different after the test ride.


I would definitely ride them both back to back and I would pay close attention to the fit details such as the stem length of both of them. Little things like that can turn us off of a bike for the wrong reason. Too long of a stem can make the bike feel like it is stretching you out. Hopefully the shop will pay attention to the details.
I too do a ton of research before I buy and have had mixed results with LBS. I bought a Felt from a LBS and the fitting was terrible. At least, I got the right size bike though. I educated myself with that bike. My next bike, I bought was a custom build out where I bought the bike site unseen. With the help of my current LBS owner we figured out the frame size and then ordered it. I went through a few stems but in the end, it is absolutely perfect and I could not be happier.
My finalists were the Bianchi Infinito, Colnago CLX and the Wilier GTR. I would have been happy with any of them but in the end the CLX was the frame that I went with.


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## kukula (Feb 23, 2008)

celeste FTW


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## masont (Feb 6, 2010)

Get the Roubaix Comp, but get the disc version.


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## GKSki (Nov 12, 2014)

You may find it worthwhile to compare warranties.


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## Shuffleman (Sep 4, 2013)

GKSki said:


> You may find it worthwhile to compare warranties.


I see this quite a bit on these forums and I am curious about it. It is extremely rare that a warranty is ever called into play for a bike frame. In addition, I have not found the warranties to be worth much even when called on. I have only cracked one from in my mtb days and it was a Specialized. I cracked it while jumping over oil barrels. I can assure you that my 6mth old was not replaced and nothing was done for me. I do not blame the company as I do believe that it was excessive abuse and not a manufacturing defect. Regardless, I have rarely seen the warranty actually given with no hassle from any bike company.
I honestly pay zero attention to the warranty on a frame because I do not believe that they are worth much. Specialized and Bianchi are both excellent bikes. I would buy either one regardless of the warranty.


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## GKSki (Nov 12, 2014)

To each his own. Your opinion is akin to those who have never had their automobile stolen. Completely different opinions from those who have. Personally, I have "snapped" 3 frames with none of them involved in crashes or jumping over something.


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## Corenfa (Jun 9, 2014)

GKSki said:


> To each his own. Your opinion is akin to those who have never had their automobile stolen. Completely different opinions from those who have. Personally, I have "snapped" 3 frames with none of them involved in crashes or jumping over something.


Sorry. I disagree. 

If you've snapped 3 frames just by riding them, you're doing something terribly wrong or you are a case study in statistical anomaly. 

Can you imagine the lawsuits that would flood the market if snapping frames were that common? 

I was flying down hill at over 50MPH on rough chip seal with 50 other cyclists pitching up rocks all over the place earlier this month. If I thought for one second that my bike even had the remote chance that it would snap at random from that, I wouldn't ride it. 

For me to take a statement like "I have snapped 3 frames with none of them involved in crashes or jumping over something," with any seriousness, I would want to see pictures and hear the exact details and histories of the bike. Otherwise, sorry, I call BS.


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## GKSki (Nov 12, 2014)

O.K. First was Columbus Chromor and I snapped the chainstay in the middle towards the dropout. Did not go down as first thought I had snapped a rear axle, which too has happened before the days of cassettes and their enhanced rear axle support. Second was a Columbus SBX frame where the dropout snapped where the chainstay meets. Finally, TIG weld, or better yet seat tube at the TIG weld "tore" on a Alu frame. Again did not go down as I noticed it when cleaning junk from the BB cluster. I will give you that I was a pretty serious sprinter.

Warrantys and customer service have ended up being very important to me and I am grateful of them. Were I purchasing again, they would come into play with my decison. That's all my point is.


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## Shuffleman (Sep 4, 2013)

GKSki said:


> O.K. First was Columbus Chromor and I snapped the chainstay in the middle towards the dropout. Did not go down as first thought I had snapped a rear axle, which too has happened before the days of cassettes and their enhanced rear axle support. Second was a Columbus SBX frame where the dropout snapped where the chainstay meets. Finally, TIG weld, or better yet seat tube at the TIG weld "tore" on a Alu frame. Again did not go down as I noticed it when cleaning junk from the BB cluster. I will give you that I was a pretty serious sprinter.
> 
> Warrantys and customer service have ended up being very important to me and I am grateful of them. Were I purchasing again, they would come into play with my decison. That's all my point is.


I will take you a face value for this. How long did you own the bikes before the cracks? What was the warranty on the bikes? Did they honor the warranty? (I am not familiar with Columbus bikes so forgive me.)

The few people that I do know that have had a warranty issue had more problems than it is worth. The replies usually centered around a percentage off of a new frame. By the time you pay to ship the frame out and pay a shop to take off the parts and replace them on the new frame, it just seems worthless. Not to mention the down time of not having a bike to ride.
I have seen very, very few cracked frames in my riding time. Bikes from the major brands are all well made. That is not to say that there are not some issues, because there are. I am simply stating that by the time you go through the process, I have found most warranties to be worthless.
This is not like the old days, when you buy a tool at Sears and it breaks 20 years later and they give you a new one no questions asked.
Again, you are right. It is just my opinion but opinions are what was being sought. My personal one is that I never pay attention to the warranty on a bike in making my decision to purchase one.
To display the basis for my opinion:


3-Year/36,000-Mile New-Vehicle Limited Warranty.
5-Year/60,000-Mile Powertrain Limited Warranty:
OR


5-Year/60,000-Mile New-Vehicle Limited Warranty.
10-Year/100,000-Mile Powertrain Limited Warranty:
The first one is for Honda, while the second one is for Hyundai. I am sure that there are some people that go for the Hyundai for the warranty. I will take the Honda any day of the year. Their history and their reliability reports are superior. In my opinion, it is nothing more than a marketing ploy.


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## GKSki (Nov 12, 2014)

I think we are going to have to agree to disagree. I will submit that there will be many here that will agree with your take while many will agree with me. I can tell you that Bianchi has been very good to me and while I do not believe their frame should have failed at all, at least they have stepped up THREE times for me. I have also heard great things about the warranties provided by the bigger manufacturers, Trek and Specialized.

I guess to prove we will never agree. I would never, ever, ever purchase another Honda especially considering the months and months that I have been wating for air bag replacement. Their main number tells me of the severity of the problem and that they will take care of it right away while the individual dealers I have tried tell me that they cannot get the parts. So for me, I would buy the Hyundai over the Honda in a second. But, I digress.

Columbus is not a bicycle brand, rather a manufacturer of the steel tubing used to build steel frames, most usually by Italian brands.


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