So I’ve just got myself an awesome new job at work and it comes with a pretty tasty pay rise, so I’m thinking I might treat myself to a new road bike or at least a frameset when I’ve paid off some car bills! The reasoning behind the whole new bike idea is that my current bike (a CAAD8) doesn’t have the highest end bits on it – Tiagra (currently running 1×9 as my front mech seized) and the wheels are the standard maddux rims/formula hubs which have pitted due to my poor maintenance, and the rims have started getting rust spots on them.

I really love the look of ti frames, have always wanted one, and so to make it somewhat affordable I was thinking about just the frameset (planet x seems most reasonably priced) then hanging my components off that til I can afford to upgrade it. Any suggestions for framesets or indeed affordable (I use the term loosely – just not a ridiculous RRP) full built ti bikes?

I have the option of Cycle2Work scheme, are these generally worth doing and if so how do you go about getting a bike that isn’t on the cyclescheme site? As they all appear to be average looking alu or carbon jobs.

Or I could just upgrade the old parts on my CAAD8 (would be most cost effective) but tbh I think it looks a bit boring and I fancy something shiny and new!

Sounds like a lot of the parts on the CAAD8 are pretty shot. Probably more cost effective to get a complete bike.
Check out Canyon for the most bike for your money. I’ve had ti road frames but after riding a good carbon bike I wont be going back to it.

What he said, or get a swanky pair of wheels for your existing bike and take it from there.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/road-track-bike/ribble-r872?part=BB13RIBR872&sub=conf_BBRC&bike=1

the rims have started getting rust spots on them.

Sorry, can’t resist, the pedant in me won’t let it go! Aluminium doesn’t rust… It Oxidises! Ahhhhh… There, done, sorry, moving on… 😳

I really love the look of ti frames, have always wanted one, and so to make it somewhat affordable I was thinking about just the frameset (planet x seems most reasonably priced) then hanging my components off that til I can afford to upgrade it. Any suggestions for framesets or indeed affordable (I use the term loosely – just not a ridiculous RRP) full built ti bikes?

Ti looks lovely, provides a comfortable ride (relatively), and it doesn’t corrode/rust. It’s bloody expensive though! There’s lots of framesets out there, but I don’t think anything will be as cheap as the Planet X even. Titanium also offers very poor performance per £, if that makes sense. You buy Ti with your heart, not your head, as it’s generally heavier than Aluminium or Carbon frames, and often not as stiff.

As for “affordable” Ti bikes. Well you could get Planet X to come up with something based on their frame of course. Other options would be the the Kinesis GF Ti (an absolutely gorgeous frame, the one I’d choose!) full build comes in at just over £2k, or look at the likes of Sabbath Cycles Silk Road as a full bike again just over £2k iirc.

I have the option of Cycle2Work scheme, are these generally worth doing and if so how do you go about getting a bike that isn’t on the cyclescheme site? As they all appear to be average looking alu or carbon jobs.

If you have the option of C2W, then take it! It saves you a lot of money. Generally depending on your tax bracket, you’ll save anything from 30-50% off the price of the bike by going that route…

BUT… C2W has a limit of £1k, hence why all you’ve seen is Ally or (very) low end Carbon bikes creeping onto it. There are some incredible bikes these days for £1k though…

Or I could just upgrade the old parts on my CAAD8 (would be most cost effective) but tbh I think it looks a bit boring and I fancy something shiny and new!

Not very cost effective, and in your head you’ll know you should have gone for a new bike. The CAAD8 is a good bike to start, but you might be better off giving it a bit of a service, new cables and new wheel bearings, and selling it on and using that to help fund a new bike. Bikes are always better VFM when bought whole as opposed to built up from components, which can be annoying, but it’s economies of scale!

Completely forgot about Canyon, I’ll give them a look. I was thinking carbon would be better for performance/VFM, but I’m a bit of a tart and like I said I’ve always loved the looks of ti frames 😆

Oh and something I can fit guards to for winter would be useful but not essential I guess.

Planet X is the only one to consider by the sounds of it, all the others cost a fortune.

The Kinesis has dead long stays I seem to remember, it’ll feel really sluggish out of the saddle uphill compared to your CAAD.

Fatbirds do Van Nic for alrite prices I think.

If you’re getting it now and riding it through winter then just get the PX and some smart bars/stem/seatpost/saddle and stick your CAAD wheels and running gear on it as they’ll be shagged come next year. Then you can splash a load of cash and fix it up good and proper.

Yeah tbh this is looking like the best value – http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPULT2/planet_x_pro_carbon_shimano_ultegra_road_bike

Obviously the group set is decent but is the rest of the build alright? And is there any way of getting the px on cycle to work?

Doubt it’s worth the extra grand for the ti version just to have something that looks a bit nicer!

I could ride my caad into the ground over winter to save wrecking a new drivetrain I guess.

That PX bike looks unbeatable for the money, and you know it’s a well-proven frame.

The wheels will be the weak link, but that’s the case with most road bikes under £2k – and they’re by no means junk anyway.

If you’re happy with you CAAD why not get a new one, one of the best Alu road frames around.

Or if you fancy something a little more unusual (admittedly a good chunk more money) have a look at a stainless frame like the Milani Acciaio Puro, mmm

_tom_ – Member

Yeah tbh this is looking like the best value – http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPULT2/planet_x_pro_carbon_shimano_ultegra_road_bike

Probably wouldnt bother with that to be honest. The groupset is now out of date I guess, since 11 speed is out. It’s a good groupset, but it makes the bike less good VFM I reckon.

Those frames are alrite, but well old. I had one years ago, and they’d probably been around a bit then.

The rest of the kit is fairly bottom of the range.

I’d be looking at a last years (i.e. 2013) Giant/Felt/Cannondale etc. if you want a full build.

The wheels on your CAAD8 are truly dreadful. Heavy and slow. Upgrade to a set of Mavic Ksyrium Elites, service the front derailleur and switch to carbon seatpost and bars.

The CAAD8 frame is an absolute gem. You will struggle to better it in alloy (CAAD10) is pretty much your lot. Plus it will take full mudguards so makes sense through the coming winter. Tiagra is a fine shifting groupset too. Lighter than the internally routed 105 and ultegra. But the wheels are really built down to a price.

Caveat – Son1 has a CAAD8 and I have commuted and raced it with the Mavic wheels. It’s a lovely bike.

EDIT: noticed you are considering Ti. I’ve had one (Merlin), and I can say that you will be dissappointed compared with the CAAD8. Swap to a carbon seatpost for a little smoother ride if you think the ride is harsh. But if you want the same rigidity, you will need carbon not Ti.

Yeh, a wheel upgrade to your CAd would be a good idea, no point now since it’s winter.

Ksyriums are pretty good, or you could get some of the new school wide rims, I love mine!

If you go the wide rim route, make sure they fit in your frame.

Also, get some fancy finishing kit that’ll last you for years and you can swap it between frames. I use Zipp stuff since it looks fancy and it’s well solid!

Ive got a brand new 54cm Scott CR1 Frameset (frame, fork & headset).
Bought from westbrook cycles when the PSA was about. Not had a chance to build it up yet. I’ve fitted the headset and that’s it. £500 posted (in original box).

Is that an SL or PRO frameset?

As others have said, nice wheels kept fr summer and service the gears, for us non racing mortals the caad is a great frame and tiagra is fine, if you bought new group set you’d have an ever so slightly lighter bike so not the bang for buck improvement you’d think…

Hmm ok fair enough then! Are there any good road wheels that come with cartridge bearings? I’m crap at keeping on top of maintenance so cup and cone tend to get a bit neglected!

I’d bite ska-49’s arm off if I were you Tom, so long as the frame is right size.

Mavic Ksyrium Equipe for winter, Elite for summer. There are plenty of others too (not Shimano). I also have wide rimmed low profile Giant wheels, really DT hubs and these are repalceable. You could go with Hope Hoops and a light rim.

Once you’ve ridden with lighter wheels and upgraded tyres (and they can be almost a kilo lighter), you won’t be going back!

I’d bite ska-49’s arm off if I were you Tom

I wouldn’t. you’d still be left with a bike with heavy wheels. £500 spent on wheels would change your CAAD into a totally different bike.

Its an SL.

Not sure what your budget is given you’re talking Ti, but the new Cervelo R3 Dark is a bargain. A 1600 quid rrp frame built into a full bike with 105 and decent kit for 2k. Except the word is its actually a £3.5k rrp R5 frame with a different paint job 😯

If I hadn’t recently got (and be perfectly happy with) a carbon Lapierre I’d be all over this. Pity those attempting to sell used R3 frames soon…

Out of interest, whats a decent weight for road bike wheels?

Budget wise I was thinking about a grand – £1500 max. Im now thinking that money would indeed be better spent on upgrading my wheels and getting a new cassette which is probably the cause of slippy gearing!

The Scott frame is very tempting though and probably the perfect size (I’m also on a 54cm). But I assume the wheels would make more of a difference. I don’t find the CAAD particularly uncomfortable or harsh, I just wouldn’t mind something new 😛

I’m in a similar dilemma to the OP as I have a CAAD8, want to upgrade components on my Roadrat commute/crappy weather hack. I have been looking at taking advantage of the C2W scheme with a view to replacing the CAAD8, transferring the low end components I need from the new bike to the Roadrat, and using the proceeds from the CAAD8 sale to replace with upgraded components for the new bike, but am well aware that the CAAD8 is a better bike than most low end carbon bikes.

However, currently the 2013 bikes on sale and i’ve been looking at a 2013 Giant Defy 3 Carbon reduced from £1300 down to £999 – so about £600 net of tax. The Defy got some bike of the year award in 2013 and by all reviews and accounts is a very good bike – probably the best you could get in its price range, and from a frame point of view certainly not a ‘cheap, low end’ frame. My mate has a few year old TCR (the race version of the Defy, as the Defy’s is a ‘Sportive’ bike) and loves it, so I know it rides well.

So i’m very tempted with the Defy as much as I like my CAAD8, but if yours is knackered then it would definitely be more cost effective to replace than to upgrade, and with the 2013 deals around you’re going to be able to get something on par or even better than the CAAD8 on C2W.

Out of interest, whats a decent weight for road bike wheels?

1450g for wheels, 400g for tyres and 150g for tubes. Sub 2000g is pretty light. Now weigh yours.

Weight isnt everything, just look for something pretty stiff and well built. Archetype or A23 rims seem popular ATM. Some of them on some Hope hubs from JRA would be about the same price as Ksyriums, although a 100g or so heavier. Not worth worrying over.

I snapped a spoke in the Alps a few years ago and took it down one of the shops in Morzine and got it fixed.

My mate snapped a spoke on his Ksyriums this year and that was it – write off. A mile into the first ride aswell. Thankfully I took some spare wheels!

@SKA-49

Im interested in the frame if _Tom_ doesn’t want it.

Don’t want to ruin his thread though – Can you email me (Email in profile)

Thankyou.

Really interested in this thread and peoples opinions of the CAAD8.

I have a 2012 CAAD8 Sora which is my first road bike. I brought it with the understanding that the frame and fork are one of the best/if not the best “budget” road frame going. My plan was to run the Sora groupset into the ground and look at changing to 105 as I couldn’t afford the 105 equipped bike to begin with. As mentioned above I was aware the wheels on the bike are shockers and tip the scales at almost 3.4kg including the tyres and tubs so also would look at upgrading. Again this is the plan but like Tom (and most others) the idea of a whole new bike is very nice indeed!

Tom if you are happy and comfortable on the bike don’t be too quick to ditch it, as you have mentioned the frame is quality and you are probably better off doing some hunting to find a good deal on a whole new groupset as well as a new wheel set. (btw you mentioned in your last post about replacing the cassette, if you were to do so you might need to also replace the chain at minimum and possibly the chainrings too because of wear and lack of maintenance as you have mentioned yourself)

Out of interest, whats a decent weight for road bike wheels?

Ultegra 6700 are ~1630grm including skewers, £220 from Ribble (or £200 when they have their 10% codes kicking about) as a reference point. Suffer from the factory wheelset issue of difficulty getting spares if you snap a spoke, doesnt stop factory wheels being very popular though and less of an issue on road than off IMHO.

Having thrown the Cervelo out there, unless you are flush and desperate to spend I’d go the new wheels and components route if you like the fit and ride of the CAAD8.

However, currently the 2013 bikes on sale and i’ve been looking at a 2013 Giant Defy 3 Carbon reduced from £1300 down to £999 – so about £600 net of tax

IF the shop will let you buy a reduced bike on the C2W, some won’t as they already pass a discount on to the scheme.