From the picture it looks like a pretty darn good looking bike. Componentry won't impress bike snobs but is really pretty decent enough.
CARBON FIBER FORK And Internal Cabling at this price point!! Those are what surprised me when I read their description.
There's no mention of weights on their marketing materials but I doubt it would be total rubbish in that department.
IMHO - a pretty flash-looking beginner road bike that won't break the bank.
Because a lot of people who don't know much about bikes don't want to have to learn about bikes to go and buy a better second hand one. All the time and effort required to learn enough to do due diligence is worth enough to people to consider this a good deal.
I for one have no idea what a 105 Groupset bike is, and it's likely that a lot of other people on here don't either.
You will know alot about bikes when you try and put this one together yourself or pay a bike shop ($150) to do it properly which I highly recommend as the parts need correct torque. Dont get me started on adjusting the gearing using the H and L screws lol. Total $550.
Also if your a newbie, I would strongly recommend you remove the pedal cages as you will end up in emergency with broken bones when you eventually come off at low speed.
Love Adli and most of the my riding gear is crane.
I think sour patch kids jelly babies are too sour.
Please post a deal with more than 10 units factory refurbished road bike that has 105 group set and i will upvote your deal.
It is always nice to buy new. I would suggest the Shinano 105 groupset would be a better long term option for anyone doing a lot of riding, though any 105 bike would cost more.
The Aldi bike seems a good deal for anyone starting out, though don't look past bargain bike stores like Reids who will also give you advice and customer service.
Looks like the $999 Reid bike with Shimano 105 derailers (not groupset) is currently $300 off at $699 and comes with a free $59 helmet.
https://www.reidcycles.com.au/falco-advanced-road-bike.html
And the $1300 full 105 groupset bike down to $1000
https://www.reidcycles.com.au/falco-elite-road-bike.html
Anyone serious about buying a cheap entry road bike, talk to someone you know who is a rider and discuss what would be the best value for you.
My thought is buying from a store and for a bike with better components and a free helmet, the price difference is not going to be that great.
I would also question the response you will get from Aldi if you have an issue in 6 months time when you start riding it more (or finally unbox it) in summer.
Anyway, food for thought.
These are some of the things you will miss from Aldi….
FREE WITH EVERY REID BIKE
FREE Servicing for 12 Months
FREE Shipping – to most of Australia!*
LIFETIME Warranty on Frame & rigid Forks
2 YEARS Warranty on Parts
TEST RIDE in store and have your bike built by our skilled mechanics
*** disclaimer, I do not own a Reid or Aldi bike, I usually spend a bit more on my bikes. But I do know servicing, warranty and quality parts are worth paying for.
Also worth reading up on what you get for your gearing at this price. I believe the Aldi bike has 16 speed Claris.
The $699 Reid bikes is 20 speed.
The $1000 Reid has the full 105 (5800) is 22 speed and this groupset gets rave reviews.
https://www.evanscycles.com/coffeestop/advice/the-complete-g…
The Reid's also have disc brakes on their endro / gravel grinders…….
Where are there wonderful places where 105 bikes in reasonable condition go for 400$? Every time I search (ebay/gumtree/forums), it is 800$+ or people just keep them for themselves as backup (even without mentioning that I'm in Canberra).
place your bets, 5 bikes per store ?
For beginners looking for road bikes I got a pretty good Reid road bike with a flat handle bar in the 200s a year ago. still going strong. not sure how it compares to this
Claris drivetrain for $400, this is not a bad starter/casual rider bike at all. Even a decent commuter if it fits you properly. Amazing really.
They should have put a triple crank up front, would be a much better range of gears then. Still very good pricing though.
There's the key. "If IT FITS YOU PROPERLY"
where is this specific bike lane you are talking about?
i.e. sydney - the green bike lanes built by Clover Moore
Oh, the ones that are about to be ripped apart by Duncan Gay?
Cyclists have every right to use the road. Get over it.
How many motorists would like 6 seconds to cross in a 2 minute traffic light cycle?
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/city-east/cyclist…
Bet they'd be driving through alternatives if that happened to them as well!
Is it hard to assemble?
According to the review, it can be tricky for the 2 thumbs brigade. I'm thinking its not something that a bit of youtubing or googling can't resolve…
get yourself a torque wench and a bike repair stand. You will need it when doing the gearing.
Or just flip the bike upside down when tuning the gears. Bike stand approx $150 a bit pricy.
ALDI sold a bike stand a while back for $40. I have one and I'm forever thankful I actually dropped the cash on it.
Still, over 2 decades of just flipping the bike over or having someone else hold on to it, I still managed.
What exact operation requires torque wrench with this particular bike? I have a big one (yeah, from Aldi too but 1/2" for a car) - will it do or I need something smaller?
@aik:
I'm not familiar with the size, but generally the torque wrench is important when fastening the carbon stuff. Too tight and it could fracture the carbon, too loose and it'll obviously come loose.
I'm sure the other folks here can come up with more detailed answers.
@tebbybabes: A torque wrench isn't at all necessary for adjusting gears. This thing only has carbon forks, so there is only one bolt likely to need a torque wrench, being the one that holds on the front brake, which should be installed correctly at the factory.
Most bike box assembly includes turning the handlebars straight and tightening the bolts installing the pedals (make sure you left and right correct), putting the wheels on and adjusting the seat post height. Not difficult.
@Euphemistic:
Good call. I was merely stating where a precise and accurate application of the proper torque would be important. :) And you're right, I'm definitely NOT suggesting that a torque wrench is necessary for gearing adjustments. :) The bike stand however, would make gearing adjustments heaps more comfortable to do.
I just realised from what you said, that this is a boxed bike and as such, the fork/steerer/stem would all already be attached.
Also considering the price, the fork would most likely have a aluminum steerer tube rather than full carbon.
Looks like @aik: might have little need for torque wrench on this bike after all. Anyone more knowledgeable, please do correct me if I'm wrong.
The review mentions the handlebar face plate and the seatpost clamp. However those parts are aluminium, not carbon fibre. In my opinion you can get away without a torque wrench if you are not too heavy handed.
Appears to be a great value bike - if suggest if you have a bike friend you could do a lot better on something second hand but no warranty etc etc
I'd imagine you could expect zero support from Aldi in case she needs a tweak etc which you might get from Reid et al
Why wouldn't you buy an entry level brand name bike instead instead? While the review is well written, I think a few gimmicky features don't necessarily elevate this from a "supermarket bike" - for around the 400-450 mark you'd be wiser to go see a real bike store, who will usually assemble it and maintain it for you.
In my experience (and I am by no means a bike enthusiast) I have purchased a few aldi bikes, they've ended up in the tip.. I spent around 400 at a Ivanhoe Cycles and got a last-year-model entry level apollo and I am 100% happy.
PS: I do want an extra loud bell though :(
Here is some article on different groupset/drivetrain
http://www.bikeroar.com/articles/what-to-look-for-when-buyin…
Groupset Purpose Quality Cost
Dura-Ace Race Excellent $$$$$
Ultegra Performance Very Good $$$$
105 Performance Better $$$
Tiagra Enthusiast Good $$
Sora Recreational Average $
Claris Recreational Beginner $
The not so good! row
Claris: Cheap. Long-term durability is questionable.
Yeah, the 16 gear limitation is also a bit much. Definitely entry level, so if you're riding more or plan to be I'd be looking at something better.
Don't see why 16 gears is a limitation. You probably wont find a wider range of gears on high end stuff, they are just closer together. I have a 20year old bike with 14 gears. Works fine, has the same overall range as modern high end stuff, just bigger spacing between gears.
Claris level is the cheapest for bike shop level stuff, you find even worse on dept store bikes. Given it is developed from older model high end gear it should be reliable enough. It won't be light though ;)
It all depends what the spacing is, but it certainly can be a limitation.
Going off the review linked earlier, they pointed out that there was a significant limitation in the high end. Said it was fine for a beginner, where you're not going hard, but couldn't go higher speeds.
Can't compare it to your bike as it all depends on the range. You may have had a broad range of gearing for that time, and hence it has higher gearing than this one.
@odysseus: of course this is a bike suitable for a beginner. It is priced for a beginner, it is sold at a place that a beginner might shop.
For beginners you need to be careful off what is recommended, there is no point telling a beginner to go and spend over $1k just to get better gearing that they won't need. A beginner is not going to run out of gears at the top end on this bike.
@Euphemistic:
Your initial statement is aligned with what I wrote to begin with:
"Definitely entry level, so if you're riding more or plan to be I'd be looking at something better."
Of course that means it is suitable for a beginner, and I didn't say a beginner without ambition should spend more.
Conversely I added though that if you had plans to use it more, even if you were a beginner, it would be worthwhile looking further. This is rather than being limited, and having to upgrade again in the near future. No point having someone buy something too limiting if they have plans to use it substantially more. Just like a beginner pianist with serious intent choose something better than the entry level piano, or an apprentice tradesman choose something better than entry level tools. Just because it's fine for them right now doesn't mean the future should be disregarded.
@odysseus: I'll still stand by that it won't be the gearing that limits a rider on this bike. the gearing won't be that different to a top spec bike, except that there will be less steps between top and bottom.
No worries. I stand by my experience, as well as that of the experienced rider on the bicycle net review, that the limited number of gears does cause a limit. Its part of the configuration as to where the loss of gears is done; it could be done at the top end, the bottom end, or throughout. The review pointed out that the limitation was on higher gears (speeds).
Supporting comments from the review:
"In practice this bike provides a good range for beginners, though experienced riders would miss the range of gears in the high end."
"On downhills, however, you miss out on the higher gears and higher speeds."
"For higher speed cycling and downhill I easily ran out of gears and had to be content coasting. "
It has a 11-28 cassette. 50x11 is a higher ratio than 53x12 and works out at 63km/h with 110rpm cadence.
I think the reviewer is doing a humblebrag because most entry level road bikes come with a 50 tooth chainring these days.
@trongy: If that is the case it would be exactly the same overall range as a high end bike (with a compact chainset) with more gears. It's just the steps between that are smaller.
@Euphemistic:
Correct.
For the record, I read this off the PDF linked on the Adli site under the Road/Race Bike additional information tab
How would this compare to the Reid falco advanced at $699 ?
$300 cheaper.
But Claris and 8spd, vs 105 and 10spd.
But a beginner probably doesn't need 105 or 10 speed.
@wtfnodeal: it compares, the 105 is the $300 increase in price.
Yes, also bike is for beginners who mostly don't need 105 10spd
Just see what you are paying the extra money for…
What is the group set on that bike?
Can you confirm these will be fine for the bike? Sorry newbie to this, are they all standard?
yeah, they'd be totally fine. I'd be super surprised if they didn't fit - bikes use a universal standard screw,thread pattern for attaching the pedals. I bought a pair of these pedals for my road bike about 8 months ago. (bought a pair of barely used clipless shoes for $25 delivered)
Just picked one up at Parramatta (Syd) still had two left there in Med and Large
How do you find the quality of the bike? Did you take it for a ride yet?
Not yet! I wish, will need some help to assemble I suspect. Found a guy online waiting for a response, keen to get it setup right first time. Will update once I know more but expect a +ve review as I'm moving from a k-mart hybrid mountain/road bike to this…guessing it will be a world apart so prob can't fairly compare to road bike as I have no experience with them (yet!).
You could ask here if you are having problems putting it together.
Thanks 28Degrees appreciate it! Looking for someone in Syd who can assemble this correctly, gearing etc. Right now, just waiting for a response from a guy who advertised online to do this nearby.
Have a go yourself, you will learn a lot about your bike that way. Watch some video's on youtube also, ThebikemanforU is awesome or do a search like Assemble Road Bike.
Cannot tell about quality vs. bikeshop bicycles as I was riding 6+yo MTB Merida Dakar which is different category.
On Aldi bike, I had to realign all brake pads, pump the wheels, adjust a bit a front gear switcher (easy - there is thingy on a cable to do this), and that was it, ready to go - it rides nicer than my old bike :)
2 Large left at Edgecliff
2 Large and 2 Medium left at Bondi Junction East Gate
30min ago
Warrawong, NSW only had 4 in red this morning, but Warilla, NSW still had about 10 this evening in various sizes and colours. I ended up grabbing a medium blue one. Damn you Aldi for your random sales and making me want to buy all sorts of things!
Well after putting mine together last night, I took it for a spin and found that when some gears on the rear cassette were selected the chain was rubbing on the front derailleur. I was thinking that it would just need some adjustment and would be good to go, but no it turns out the larger of the two front chain wheels was warped a reasonable amount and enough so that depending what gear on the rear was engaged it would actually throw the chain off.
It was a shame because otherwise the bike rode nicely and required much less effort than my MTB with slicks. I wasn't prepared to muck around on warranty only to potentially have the new one fail prematurely as well, so I dismantled and returned the bike tonight…
easy fix of adjusting the limiter screw
V_V
The actual chain wheel was quite noticeably warped…how exactly is adjusting the limiter screws on the derailleur going to fix that??
Finished assembling mine tonight. Medium (in blue) - perfect side for me - I'm 175cm. If anyone is worried about sizing there are lots of calculators and guides online. Replaced the toe clip pedals with a set of Shimano SPD clipless to fit my mountain bike shoes. Only part that really needs to be torqued is the the handlebars onto the stem. Had to check and tighten a few other things that were pre assembled and adjust the brakes etc. All the other torque requirements for initial assembly are so high, just do them up tight without overdoing it (Nothing needs you leaning on the 35cm handle out of your Sidchrome socket set!). For those that have bought one of these bikes, look at the white sticker on the down tube that says Bicycles Online 374 Pittwater Road and then look at their website at this bike - 2016 Polygon Strattos S2 - Shimano Claris Road Bike on special for $579 (https://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/2016-polygon-stratos-shima…). Ignoring the different colour scheme, handlebar tape and slightly different crankset, it seems very familiar to me! I think the $399 I paid is even more special.
Nice can't wait to ride mine, likely Tues night :)
The guy that will help me assemble mine is a bike expert, suggested this was a bargain and he went in store to look at it himself due to price point appeal of it but backed off as he had a large number of bikes at home already.
His mates got it too and unlike the other advisors suggesting go for a little more expensive bike shop one (which I completely get if you align to that BTW) his view was it's a perfect bike for road bike rookies like me moving up from a k-mart mountain bike.
Thought this may add further context for others in future too :)
On pedals you went for standard ones to replace the orig setup? I am thinking the same I wear sneakers most of the time. Where from please and cost?
I picked the last large black/red Crane at Ferntree Gully Aldi, is there any of these bike experts still floating around that can help me build mine as well? I haven't ridden in nearly two decades but after getting my bike cage pass and helmet I'm looking forward to this again.
Do it yourself. What's so hard about it?
Not a lot really, the torque wrench was all that I needed for the handle bars.
Now that it's complete I'll use it for a year then send it to Christmas Island, it's made in Indonesia after all, and watch the local Bike industry fall to ruin.
Those who are born rich can afford their service rates but for everyone else there's OzBargain.
I'm off to Aldi to buy a few more of these epic deal set of wheels.
Ok, who got the bike, how do you find the breaks, are they smooth and stable enough?
Usually when I see some of those bikes at that price point I find the breaks to be on a flimsy side.
*brakes
They aren't the typical brakes you see on a bike sold in Kmart. They are equivalent of what would have been sold in bike shops a year or two ago as the group set is designed from older higher spec stuff.
The Brakes are pretty standard Tektro rim caliper brakes that grip and stop perfectly fine when adjusted right. Out of the box the cable tension and pad alignment wasn't set so be sure to do that before going for a ride. Rim caliper brakes are standard on road bikes and are a lot better than V-brakes on older or low end mountain bikes.
Here is the video for anyone who wants to know how to assemble the road bike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjhYoA43jR8
I've taken mine for two rides now around Centennial Park and I overtook many. This is my first experience with a proper road bike having always ridden mountain bikes and the bike really glides.
I did my research before buying and I've got to say its a really balanced package, no way am I able to afford a full carbon road bike and features like the carbon fork and internal cable routing are sweet. The brakes work fine (when adjusted!!) and the Claris groupset is really impressive for being Shimano's lowest road tier, 16 gears is plenty if you aren't doing serious races.
I did all of the setup myself, I've never properly worked on a bike before but I am mechanically inclined and coming off cars etc it wasn't too much of a challenge. I have a torque wrench for working on cars but it doesn't go nearly low enough to the 5-10Nm specs for a bike so I just used best judgement when tightening stuff down and its fine, not at all loose but not bolt snappingly tight, if you cant make that judgement then use a torque wrench.
YOU NEED TO ADJUST THE BRAKES first and foremost once you've got the handlebars and front wheel on otherwise its just plain unsafe! The bike has had no prior adjustments and if you're not confident or capable enough to do it then have a professional or at least someone who knows what they're doing do it for you or just buy the Polygon Stratos from BicylesOnline https://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/2016-polygon-stratos-shima… because as mentioned above it is the same bike, even the Aldi bike's manual says them on it.
Much like the brakes the derailleurs needed adjusting too or else your chain will grind if it even shifts properly. Its not hard and I recommend these short videos to show you what to do: Front derailleur https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfBiXgf8JxI and rear derailleur https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQncKmddahk . I adjusted mine front then rear then front again. The front actually has a half way click so you can use the large rear sprocket (slowest, easiest) in combination with the large front sprocket (which you will be riding in most of the time unless you are going up a hill or taking off), I learned this on my first ride and set full tension of my large drive sprocket to work with the smallest (fastest) cog on the cassette. It might take a bit of fiddling but the videos will show you how to set it up and it will all work together well.
A point of note on quality, the only unexpected adjustment was that two rear spokes were loose, I just tightened them slightly just so that they were straight and wouldn't rattle anymore when wiggled, I know enough to know you don't want to over-tighten spokes. It may have been due to the way it was packed but now I cant' remember if there were things tied to the spokes. The rest of it feels solid and at this stage I have nothing bad to say.
I got my bike in Edgecliff at 8:30am Wednesday morning and got the first one off the stack, by the time I had chooked around to get accessories and chocolate and made it to the register more than half were gone. I went by the Aldis in Eastgardens and Maroubra yesterday (Sunday) and they still had a few left, 2x large ones in Eastgardens and probably 3x large and 2x medium left at Maroubra so They're definitely still out there if you're still considering it.
I just got this bike myself.
There is no problem with brakes, it was very easy to adjust them BUT be prepared to spend good time with front and rear derailleurs!
You will need to have some kind of basic bike stand to lift the rear wheel up, if you don't have it you might need one, for sure.
Once you perfect those derailleurs then you are good to go. Also may ask your local bike shop, how much they would charge to fine tune those derailleurs.
When i got the bike out of the box, the chain were coming off all the time, so the front derailleur were not aligned.
Good luck!
Still 3 medium & 2 large at Aldi Dee Why Grand in Sydney.
As an experienced bike mechanic who hates on local bike shop ethics of upselling you unnecessary shit or telling you to bin it coz they cbf fixing or have no idea how to fix something or simply want you to spend money I want to clear up a few things.
So far I've built 3 of these bikes and yes from factory on all 3 bikes the brakes are loose and out of alignment and needed adjustment, the front derailleur required pretightening of the cable before fine tuning of barrel adjuster and the limit screws needed to be set, saddle angle needed to be flattered, tyres pumped to 100psi.
But does it make it a shit bike for $400? Hell no! Brand new bike running claris 16 speed (none of this thumb shifter Sora BS!!) is more then sufficient for any beginner rider or person wanting a bike for commuting. The 8 speed rear cassette has same range (11-28) as other high end road bikes as well as a 50/34 compact crank. but yes there will be gaps in the gears meaning sometimes one gear will be too easy and the next too hard since there only 8 gears at the back as opposed to 11 on modern group sets but are you racing? No!
Claris group set is built strong/heavy to take all sorts of punishment from recreational riders and certainly less temperamental then my 105 group.
Yes there are some tiagra / 105 mixed group second hand road bikes on gumtree for around $400 but are they rusted, neglected and need work anyway? Likely..
So should you have bought this bike? Well that depends, Reid have "flat bar" urban bikes for around this price range $400 but if you want to step into the world of drop bar sti shifter/brifter road bikes, and want a new virgin unmolested bike with 1 year warranty on parts then yes this is great value.
I highly recommend you watch a ton on YouTube videos before attempting to assemble the bike your self for the sake of a pleasurable riding experience, alternately if you're in western Sydney area I offer bike assembly services for $30 a bike. (Shameless plug I know lol)
And lastly did I use a torque wrench? Yes, but did I need to? Not really… It's aluminum bike just wing it but don't over tighten if you haven't got a torque wrench…
Please fly to Melbourne so I can book your services in.
I don't know much about groupsets but this video says that Shimano Sora is a step up from the entry level Claris.
Older generation Sora (still being sold by local bike shops) used a thumb shifter for shifting up a gear, this meant you could not reach gear up shifter from the drop bars.
Claris is basically shimano Dura Ace gear tickled down from maybe 10 years ago.
Ok, just to clarify so I know the difference - the new model Sora is a step up from Claris?
An example would be this more expensive Polygon bike, which has Sora -
2016 Polygon Helios C3.0 Shimano Sora 3500 $699.00
and this cheaper one has Claris -
2016 Polygon Strattos S2 - Shimano Claris $579.00
Thanks for the detailed write-up. I getting really keen to assemble and give it a spin now, even though it isn't for me. Haven't taken mine out of the box yet but your experience tallies with other boxed bikes I've assembled. :)
Went to my local bike shop asking to help with the front derailleur, he spend some time but could not perfectly align it. On some gears the chain still rubbing the sides of the derailleur. He said that it is normal even expensive bikes have similar problem. He took $20 from me.
Mate what a load of crap! He's clearly a shit mechanic who doesn't know how to properly adjust the front derailleur in order to account for cross chaining. There's 2 clicks in the left shifter and it needs to be setup so that when you are riding cross chain the front derailleur can be half shifted to stop the rubbing.
This is why I hate LBS so much, you think you're paying for experienced service but some of the guys have NFI!
I guess they don't like when you bring your bike from Aldi…
Maybe you can make a video for all of us.
My first problem was that the front derailleur was not in parallel to a chainring and it was a bit high a few mm, as well. I did what i could, but then I thought i just take it to professionals :) they should be able to fine tune and adjust with closed eyes…
I try to take it to other shop and see what they can do. Some shops can easily charge $50-$80.
I would need to get a bike stand, otherwise it is pain in a …. lifting it all the time.
So from your experience, if you do it properly there should not be any scratching or rubbing with the front derailleur at all?
I thought I'm going to return the bike and go for 105 groupset instead, thinking that gears will be more silent. :)
I've had my share of BS from LBS from many years ago, but thankfully my local LBS is an absolute keeper. He's aware I work on both fancy shmancy bikes as well as department store and junk shop beaters. He's been totally open with advice and shares tips and even shows me how to do stuff if I've never encountered it before. I've even borrowed tools once. I love my LBS.
I guess what I'm saying is, just like all things, YMMV. :(
GTR4N are you still offering to assemble the bike? I'd be interested in your service, if available??
On a different note went aldi Wednesday morning of the sale to check out how much hype there was on these bikes, I was first person in the store and they had 2 bikes 1 red L and 1 blue M, that's it!! What a joke Typical Aldi special buys stock levels!!
I'm beginning to think different Aldi's have different stocking levels. On Wed morning, mine had 6 large blues and 6 medium reds. Had to go to a different store to get a med blue, but I reckon 12 bikes on the floor was pretty decent.
Yeah Aldi Auburn NSW is either holding stock out back or just gets low supply. The same thing happened when they had the half decent MTB for about $300. Auburn had 2 1 in each size.
GTR4N are you still offering to assemble the bike? I'd be interested in your service, if available??
1 more thing, when you start to grow out of the bike and want to go faster or get serious, don't throw it out or sell it, upgrade the wheelset with something from wiggle.com for $250-$300 and you'll instantly notice how much quicker the bike accelerates and the lower rolling resistance of better bearings, because the wheels which come with the bike are strong/heavy as hell enough to crush a child if you threw it at them!
I would leave the groupset upgrade as the last thing you'd do as the bang for buck of a wheel set upgrade is far more significant then group set upgrade.
This bike with a $250 wheel upgrade is far superior then a local bike shop branded bike of same value ($400 + $250 = $650)
Picked up this Torque Wrench for only $23 shipped from Taiwan.
hope you paid by paypal, seller has 0 feedback in last 12 months… i paid $49 for the same torque wrench
Im not sure why everyone thinks this is a great deal considering you can get something much better 2nd hand and already assembled. I've seen 105 groupset bikes go for less.