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* by road bike I mean disc compatible, min 28mm tyres, probably more Audax that race set up.
For years (and I mean years) I've mused over getting a road bike. Initially I was put off by canti brakes as, to me, they seemed a step backwards compared with disc brakes.
Then there's the clothing .... I'm likely to ride in my baggies, peaked helmet etc
So with renewed vigour I'd like a road bike that will be comfortable, practical and ideally lighter than 27lbs ......
I don't want to get bogged down with marketing so I don't mind if it has the gravel, touring, CX tag as long as it does the job.
The Caad12 gets good reviews and in disc form seems to tick a lot of boxes but I think a 28" tyre is the maximum it will take.
The Surly LHT looks good as do several of the Genesis range.
The drive train cost - mainly the brifters - is putting me off going self build but 10sp 105 seems reasonably priced in non hydro form.
I have wheels and finishing kit that could be used but I worry I'll end up with a heavy road bike that's predominantly a MTB.
Self build is attractive from a cost perspective as I could do it in stages.
Thoughts?
I don't really see the point of disks if you don't go hydraulic.
Most off the peg road bikes sacrifice the wheels as that's the first thing most people upgrade, so even bikes costing £3k often come with a set of £100 shimano wheels. So bear that in mind when comparing prices.
You will ditch the peaked helmet, it's a hangover from MX where you need the peak to deflect the bike in fronts roost. Not a problem on the road, a cycling cap will keep the sweat and sun out of your eyes and not give you a cricked neck trying to see where your going. Baggies are a personal thing, but I find them a horrible, chafing, snagging, hindrance on long rides. So much so that the rest of the world will just have to deal with the cock shaped bulge in my shorts, it doesn't bother me.
The CAAD 12 is a race bike, not what you want by the sound of it. The Synapse is their 'sprotive' bike, and the disk version IIRC takes upto 32c. You'll probably want mudguards though unless you only ride in the summer, so you need more clearance than that. E.g. a Cross bike might fit 42C tyres, or 32-35 with guards.
I've recently been through the same process - decided that I wanted disk brakes on my road bike and initially looked at off the peg.
Most of the nice looking candidates were carbon, which pretty much means press fit bottom brackets, and this really didn't appeal to me.
Most of the alloy/steel options didn't have the finishing kit that I liked (fugly 105 shifters or gearing that wasn't low enough for my feeble legs), so I ended up doing a custom build, to get exactly what I wanted...
Kinesis Racelight 4S disc frameset
Bontrager tubeless wheels and tyres
Full Ultegra groupset with hydraulic brakes
Really pleased with the result, and the price is pretty much the same a comparable off the peg models (well as compable as possible, considering I couldn't get what I wanted)
Your "bit by bit, as I can afford it" comment is a factor, too.
If you want some thing with occasional off road stuff the you could build up a Charge plug frame (there's a thread about these on here some where). [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272434074763 ]ebay[/url]. Can run upto 42c at a push will build into a fairly cheap sub 23lb bike for a few hundred. Bit limited on fork choice though as it's a straight 1&1/8th head tube.
Or if you want 'pure road' but with the ability to run 30c tyres, how about [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262819990911 ]this[/url] cannondale synapse.
As for clothing - nothing wrong with a peaked helmet some 'traditionalist' roadies may poo poo it but you don't really Need two helmets as they do the same Job. Again nothing wrong with waring baggies, it's just not the done thing in roadie circles - it will make you marginally slower though, so if you get into Road riding in a few months of owning the bike you may find yourself getting into the lycra thing.
Thanks guys.
having looked into sizing perviously I think I would need a 58 so sadly that puts out the Cannonade an The Charge - both of which caught my eye on eBay. 🙁
thisisnotaspoon - Member
I don't really see the point of disks if you don't go hydraulic.
I'm only going off of the basis that they work nicely on my MTB bikes.
how about this cannondale synapse.
The "removed from a new bike" comment prompts the question "how much can you remove from a bike and still have a bike left" - maybe we should ask Trigger.
Surely a bike with no crankset is still a bike, but a bike with no frame is just a pile of components?
(Not meant in a critical way - just an observation)
thisisnotaspoon - Member
I don't really see the point of disks if you don't go hydraulic
Conversely, most hydraulic discs tie you in to brifters, the next two or three non compatible generations of which are already being designed and tested.
Having just built a bike myself, I learned quite quickly that you get a lot more for your money if you buy ready made. That said, even though I spent quite a lot on a bike that is still 105, 105 is really pretty good, and I have exactly the bike I have wanted for years.
removed from a new bike
I think that just means they've stripped brand new 2014/15 bikes to sell for parts rather than sell complete at a potential loss.
I have exactly the bike I have wanted for years
Isn't this the point with building yourself. If I can i'd rather spend 20% more initially to get exactly the bike I want rather than buy a complete bike and spend the money anyway in 'upgrades' to get it where it should be. It also means I can concentrate the money on the big stuff initially like wheels which IMO are more important than a upgraded in spec rear mech. As the op says you can do this over a cause of months adding bits here and there.
I have BB7s on my Charge plug and would disagree about needing hydraulics. They work great all year round.
I reckon the most cost-effective way to do it is to buy a full bike (possibly in the sales) and upgrade the wheels later if necessary.
I don't want to get bogged down with marketing so I don't mind if it has the gravel, touring, CX tag as long as it does the job.
What do you want to do with it though? Is it gonna go off-road?
What do you want to do with it though? Is it gonna go off-road?
Road work almost exclusively. I've tried drop bars off road and it wasn't really for me.
Cannondale Synapse should tick all the boxes. I don't see the point in trying to do a self build if you need to buy pretty much everything, cheaper to get a whole bike and then upgrade as you feel the need.
And
I don't really see the point of disks if you don't go hydraulic.
+1
As someone said above..there are some bargain off the peg bikes out there, for me it's off the peg and upgrade/replace as and when I can. Pauls Cycles is a good place to look for bargains and Triton cycles have some good deals.
It's a shame you weren't asking a few months back because this: http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-Synapse-Disc-Adventure-2016-Road-Bike_83230.htm was a great deal and pretty much what you wanted
Carbon, 105, hydro discs, half decent wheels, down from £1500 to £999
and go via a cashback site for extra value and Facebook 10 or similar takes another £10 off. You won't get anywhere near that on a self build (and you'd struggle for a complete bike from another manufacturer).
10sp 105 seems reasonably priced
it will be because 105 went 11 speed a few years ago.
If you go the self-build route be careful with axle and hydro brake mount standards. Q/R and post mount frames are getting cheap for a reason - you can't easily buy post-mount hydro groupsets as they've all gone to the flatmount standards which isn't backwards compatible, and manufacturers are all moving away from Q/R*. Probably why for example the Caad12 disc and Enigma Evoke frames are heavily reduced.
I just went through a similar process for a new bike (though Ti roadie and canti braked) and had initially planned self-build. The bike I ultimately went for was better value as a full build; basically the cost of the frameset + mail-order-discounted groupset, but other bikes I'd looked at (such as Enigma and Mason) seem to price their full builds on the full rrp of groupset and parts and I could have built the equivalent bike for hundreds less.
*For marketing purposes they claim it is for stiffness, but it's a safety/liability thing with discs applying torsional forces to forks which loosens Q/Rs and makes companies pay out compensation like in Pinder v Fox, but it's now bike manufacturers making and being responsible for disc-brake forks, not third-party suppliers.
You will be cheaper to self build if you can get a cheap groupo when you compare to the big brands such as Trek/Specialised.
However, I think you would struggle to beat the smaller brands.
The marketing thing is a pain but I think you want an endurance or adventure road bike to fit your requirements. Don't discount anything based on marketing blurb/descriptions without checking the spec.
My suggestion would be to have a look at the pinnacle range from Evans - either an Arkose or Dolomite could work
Canyon and Rose bikes also worth a look. When I looked at a new road bike I couldn't get the parts to beat the cost of their Di2 racer at £2k.
Conversely, most hydraulic discs tie you in to brifters, the next two or three non compatible generations of which are already being designed and tested.
Kinda true.
Except it's not:
1) There really is no need to get sucked into the constant upgrading with road bikes,
1.1) They don't wear out and therefore don't have the same impetus when you need to buy a new chain/cassette/mech anyway.
1.2) They work well in the first place and stay like that. The DA shifters on my CAAD4 shift just as well as they did when new. And TBH just as well as the equally old tiagra ones. Their existence is pure vanity.
2) It's no more valid than saying buying mechanical bifters ties you into caliper brakes, if anything it's less valid with manufacturers insistence on playing around with leverage ratios over the past few generations (they all still work together though). You could always buy new hydraulic calipers if you swap to a new frame with different mounts (hope are bringing out a SRAM compatible one, and shimano sell theirs in both mounts). But going back to point 1, a new frame won't make you faster anyway, so why would you upgrade?
Road work almost exclusively. I've tried drop bars off road and it wasn't really for me.
Cool, I'd look at sportive bikes then - that Cube shared by Mr Monkey above looks tremendous value and tyre clearance appears generous (but I'd give the shop a bell).
The standard STW recommendation of a Defy may also appeal. I believe these are 28mm max on tyres, but the carbon Advanced Pro models are just so comfortable (even on 25mm) that I doubt you'd want to go bigger.
Conversely, most hydraulic discs tie you in to brifters, the next two or three non compatible generations of which are already being designed and tested.
By that logic you'd never buy a new car, phone, hifi, bike, laptop etc. ever because the next generation is currently in design.
As TINAS says, the churn in road bikes isn't as fast as mtbs so as long as it stops you and changes gear I'd be happy. Especially if getting hydros will be better that mechanical just so you've got upgrade options on the shifters (which implies the next, next, next generation of shifter won't be completely hydraulic and 15 speed).
I've always gone custom build, more because I prefer a slightly lower grade groupset and better wheels rather than the more normal way round.
Whilst I do think you might be shopping for a road bike with your mtb head on, I was just reading about the [url= http://fairlightcycles.com/ ]Fairlight Cycles Starel [/url]in a review on [url= http://road.cc/content/review/216171-fairlight-cycles-strael ]road.cc[/url] and it might be just the ticket. Though you might want to check out the Faran if you want something a bit more rugged. Though I don't think there was any mention of budget in the OP.
coomber - Member
I have BB7s on my Charge plug and would disagree about needing hydraulics. They work great all year round.
While I agree mechanical discs are adequate, and I have them on my Bridalslayer as more of a cost based compromise, a proper hydraulic disc based 11 speed group would be my choice if cost were less of a factor.
Looking at 105-5800 groups, your looking at ~£500 for the disc version and maybe ~£350 for the rim caliper version, if you buy the mechanical version you'll end up spending the difference (plus a bit) on some hyrds, Juin-tech or similar, you'd maybe save £50 if you pop for a pair of BB7 or shimano equivalent...
You have to be seriously scrimping to make any real savings (IMO) i.e Sora/tiagra and mechanical calipers...
Would you consider a non-sti solution like barend shifters and TRP hylex too much of a compromise?
Having had a poke around I am quite impressed by the options available for the [url= http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr/ ]Ribble CGR (Cross, Gravel, Road)[/url]
Playing with the bike builder you can have a aluminium frame/carbon forked, 105/hydraulic disc build frame that will clear 35mm tyres, take guards and Racks for ~£1200, That's only about ~£200 more than the same bike with a tiagra 10 speed/mechanical disc build, you'd struggle to do better with self assembly IMO...