I’m thinking of swapping my ti road bike for something I can fit bigger tyres and discs on. The caad 12 disc 105 ticks a lot of boxes but it’s there anything else I should be considering? Don’t really have the budget for ti again and not keen on steel.

nice

Specialized diverge?

Specialized diverge

Looks **** awful next to that Cannondale.

Do you need to fit a rack and mudguards? For all year round commuting, I’d want to, certainly.

Rack and guards means you should look at a Diverge. The Smartwelds are ace!
Rack only, a Defy is well worth a look too.

Just needs to be capable of having sks race blades fitted. I prefer a rucksack to racks for my 20 mile commute.

Each to their own!

If I was using it all year, I’d want full guards, not clip ons. Rack is lovely as well, getting the weight off your back (Also helps with breathability in your jacket).

Was also considering swapping frames to a kinesis s4 and converting to discs at a later date but the cheapest way to get hydraulic discs seems to be as part of a full bike

I’ve noticed loads of people on my commute prefer back packs over rack and pannier. What’s the appeal?

I use the same one for mountain biking so it’s just habit. I’m not too fussed about my work clothes getting a little creased either. It’s also easier to carry the bike up steps etc if need be.

nicer

Perhaps I could justify it by saying it’s worth the extra because it’s hi-viz. 😆

I’ve loved my CAAD10 105 as a commuter the last couple of years, will definitely be looking at a 12 disc as soon as funds become available. I did get a good deal on some nicer wheels when I bought it though, the standard Shimano’s were heavy and flexible.

I’m with you OP, the bike needs to look good and be fun to ride. Cannondale certainly know how to build an alu bike.

I tend to go guardless in the summer months but use Crud Racers in the winter (or in fact the whole of this summer!). Not had any problems with them all this time.

Whyte Suffolk 105 looks good with BR-785 hydraulic disc brakes for £1299

That does look very nice for the price. Still like the cannondale in terms of racier geometry though.

Bit left field, but did you see those new Boardman bikes?

Look very well detailed for the riding you describe.

Some good deals on giant defy disc bikes right now too. Perhaps leaving spare money for a nice wheelset.

Do boardman do big enough sizes? I’d be needing a 60 or 63cm. I’d previously discounted them because they were too small.

Was also considering swapping frames to a kinesis s4 and converting to discs at a later date but the cheapest way to get hydraulic discs seems to be as part of a full bike

Got one sitting in my living room waiting for all the other bits to arrive. Bike24 have some very good prices on the RS685 levers and flat mount calipers. The 105-level hydro levers have also just hit the shops, but don’t seem to be any cheaper.

Kinesis Pro 6 frame is a good base for the sort of bike you are describing. Disc specific, but with all the mounting points for rack and mudguards

Just saw the launch story for the new Boardman range the other day so no idea on sizing, sorry.

The defy advanced 1 looks very reasonable at the mo, considering the quality of the frame.

That comes in big sizes I know.

To answer the backpack Q- my commute is 32 mile round trip and my panniers and rack are gathering dust in garage. I’d rather a sweaty back than the awful feel and handling of a pannier equipped bike. Having been an early adopter of camelbacks on MTB (rode bottle-unfriendly FS since the 90s) maybe I’m used to the feel of a weighty backpack? I don’t wear a camelback on the proper road bike though, I’m not an animal!

Hmmm. Those brakes are cheaper than ones I’ve seen elsewhere but even if I got them (£200), some wheels (£300) and say the kinesis 4s (£600) I’d be up at £1100 already. I’d also need to buy some wider tyres (£50) but I think that’s it in terms of whether I’m better off swapping frame and wheels or the whole bike.

So unless I’ve missed anything I’d probably have a frame and brakes as good as the caad 12 disc but significantly better wheels.

I think my current bike would be worth about 1k max as a whole or £650 for frame and wheels so there’s not a lot in it in terms of whether I’m better off swapping frame and wheels or the whole bike.

as nice?

I’d rather a sweaty back than the awful feel and handling of a pannier equipped bike

I’ve never found handling feels bad with panniers, even with a couple of big bags full of shopping, and it lets you get the weight nice and low, instead of having a heavy bag up on your back.

How did speculating about buying a lovely new Cannondale descend into chat about sweaty backs 😆

**** that shit; get something with a method of attaching whatever it is you want to carry to the bike. Cycling with a backpack is shit. A front bar bag/seatpost rack would do.

What about a Mason Definition frame if you want to custom build? I’d also sack off the hydraulics if they’re gonna eat massively into your budget. People keep harping on about them; they’re only brakes at the end of the day; I’d spend the moeny on something of real benefit like frame/fork/wheels/tyres etc.

IYHO, obviously. Like I said I commute 32 miles every working day with a backpack, by choice. I own rack and panniers and a bike with appropriate mounts but choose not to use them.

I would agree that cable discs are far better than I expected- my 18 month old Saracen Hack commuter has cheap tectro cable discs and they are as good as my first Hope Mini hydros and haven’t suffered from anything that would make me wish they were hydraulic in that time.

The Caad12 is gorgeous, too.

Bowman Pilgrims…?

Geo might be a bit soft road though if you fancy a CAAD12.

Rucksack over panniers in the height of summer… madness! 😉

^^^ Those Bowman bikes are stunning..
I found out a few weeks ago that the company boss if one of our friends cousins. He is a lifelong cycling nut who has put everything into Bowman, so I do hope it pays off for them.

So not pure road but how about a Cannondale Slate? I rode one briefly in August and it was a total giggle. The forks were really light and the wheels zipped along. A comfortable but precise weapon for everything from road to off grid adventures……..I am no fan of road bikes so this to me seemed a great solution. 😀

The Bowman does look good but it doesn’t look very good value next to the caad 12. I know the Bowman may ride wonderfully and doesn’t look to bad either but given the history of the cannondale having always been a well thought of bike it still seems like the best bet so far.

Well in the end I decided I couldn’t bear to part with my titanium bike nor the thought of spending thousands on a bike to drag through salty roads.

Instead I bought this in the black Friday sales for a ridiculously good price.

[/URL]]caad x

Not been out on it yet but it’s sure to be fun and will open up a few other options for the commute to and from work.

That CAAD12 looks great. I do like Cannondales (and Giants, of course).

I used to be a panniers man, and of course try wearing a rucksack on a recumbent trike 😆 , but the Deuter Air EXP I commute with doesn’t really touch my back due to the webbing, carries a laptop and a shirt and generally feels like it’s not there. I have done 70 km training rides to work with it with no issues., including some pretty hard interval sessions.

I also have a MTX beam rack that just snaps onto the seatpost (assuming it’s round, of course), and I have a rack for the Ortlieb QL3 that is so small as to be barely noticeable.

The winter Defy has guards, the Kona fixed has guards, the trike has a rear guard, the race and nice bikes do not. I commute on all of them at various times of the year.

@TiRed

Deuter Air EXP for the win!

Not had a sweaty back (since using these for the past 2 years) despite my previous commute being a 90km daily round trip in all weathers hot and cold

strangely its often the colder commutes where you can easily overheat and sweat, from having to wear extra layers

mason definition. … love mine in all weathers 🙂

My commuter bike is also my winter club bike and I dont like to keep the rack on for the club rides so thats added faff. Also my rucksac has everything in it for days i don’t use the bike to commute so have to swap it to panniers when using them and cycling.
In the end despite having a nice rack and ortlieb panniers I often just use a rucksac, Deuter too as it happens but what anyone else does bothers me not.

Quite like those Kinesis 4s discs, wouldnt have cable discs on anything.

My commuter is also my winter club run bike, but 14 miles each way means a rack is in order. Try a Tortec Velocity rack for one that looks neater and less touring bikey.

A low slung messenger bag is good if you can fit everything you want in, the Osprey Flap Jack for example.

Then it sits on the small of your back where you don’t sweat much at all – and it can catch any spray that gets past any guards.

Full length mudguards are de-riguer at this time of year for commuting, along with some decent overshoes I’ll get in to work with dry feet whatever the weather.

I’ve an Ortlieb saddle pack – it’s a roll-top about 4 litres size – you put a clamp on the saddle rails and the bag clips to that so it can be attached and removed in seconds. It does depend on how much stuff you are taking in and out each day, I’m lucky in that I can leave most things at work so only need to take socks, underpants, t-shirt each day.

If you need more space then the Carradice SQR bags are similarly easy to attach/detach, if I’m road touring with the credit card then I can fit everything I need in to it. Only use panniers if we are off camping rather than stopping in B&Bs or hostels.