Four bikes battle it out for my £1000 Cycle Scheme voucher

Today has taken longer than a childhood Christmas to arrive but at last, with a Cycle Scheme voucher burning a hole in my Lycra, it's time to buy a new bike. I've skilfully timed the event for a Friday for two compelling reasons - firstly, my wife works on Fridays so it's much easier to smuggle £1,000 of gleaming aluminium and carbon into the shed without the purse-string monitor paying too much attention. And secondly, I want to be served by professional staff at the bike shop, not the Saturday schoolboy substitutes.

This is a bike that's going to cover hundreds of miles, some of them in a single day. It's going to pedal me to work and join me on the Tour de France etape in the Pyrenees. So I want a bike that's comfortable for a commute, utterly reliable, and appropriately brisk when mixing it with thoroughbred two-wheelers. And I'd like some pro guidance on fitting it to help my stiff back and recuperating knee. A hint of red carpet treatment wouldn't go amiss either - I get to choose a new bike about every eight years, so this is a moment to savour.

Not that I've rushed in. The past few months I've pored over catalogues and bike reviews, and felt rather guilty each time I've hit the Tarmac on my aging Trek 1000. Its frame is still flawless, the Shimano Sora gears shift smoothly after a service, and the original Vuelta Airline 2 wheels remain remarkably true. But regardless of its inherent goodness, I'm convinced it's not the best to ride and I've got my eye on a shiny new model. Just like Ashley Cole.

With my gym membership cancelled to afford the monthly bike loan scheme payments, I've got £1,000 to blow / invest (delete according to which side of the family finances you sit on), and a shortlist of four bikes.

The first and obvious choice is the Boardman Team Carbon at £999, an intoxicating package of carbon everything and SRAM Rival gears (equivalent roughly to Shimano Ultegra). Sadly, it's only available from Halfords, which doesn't participate in my employers Cycle Scheme, so I've had to rule it out. The only consolation is that the riding position looks aggressively low for me.

Next up is the Trek Alu 2.1, with carbon forks, Shimano 105 / Tiagra componentry, and a forgiving riding position for long distances. It creeps in at £975, which leaves a few pounds for some SPD pedals.

Third out of the blocks is the Specialised Secteur, the normal-mortal aluminium version of the all-carbon Roubaix. Its geometry is ideal for long distances, and it does have carbon forks, and a smattering of Shimano 105 componentry (although long evenings of like-for-like comparisons give the edge to the Trek).

And finally, the Wilier Lavaredo Red, the handsomest bike and the one that got me into this predicament in the first place. A weekend blast on a Wilier La Triestina last year revealed just what a bike upgrade can deliver. The frame was taught, every miligramme of effort seemed immediately transformed into forward propulsion, and the fast snap of the Mirage gears (even on sharp inclines), persuaded me to start the process of replacing my trusty Trek.

So here I am, lid in hand, SPDs on feet, all ready for a test ride. And, and... the bike shop decides my few hours warning weren't enough time in to get the demonstrator models ready. So I slink away, deflated, disappointed, and set to rifle through the family diary for another date when the purse gatekeeper is away.