Years ago @mboy recommended a Saracen Avro road bike and it's been brilliant but I've got an itch to buy a new bike. I'm a bit clueless and I need some help please.
Originally I wanted the following 10 things from a road bike and the avro ticked all the boxes. I think it was ahead of the curve and most bikes now come with them.
1) All day geometry
2) discs
3) threaded bottom bracket
4) bolt through axles
5) eyelets for mudgaurds
6) minimum shimano 105 2x11.
7) rack mounts (but not essential) the avro doesn't have them.
8) space for at least 28mm tyre
9) isn't afraid to hit a a rough road.
10) not too heavy, the lighter the better.
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/saracen-avro-review/
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My employer uses cyle solutions for the ride to work scheme so it has to be available from a shop on the list.
https://www.cyclesolutions.info/find-a-bike-shop
As I'm mainly a mountain biker I have a maximum budget of £2000 but I'd prefer to spend around £1500 which is about £1000 through the scheme.
I'm 6ft3 so need an XL or 60cm bike. I'm not bothered if it's in stock or if I have to wait as I don't need a bike yet.
I'm a bit clueless when it comes to road bikes and what's available. So far I've liked the following bikes but please help me out and put links to bikes I need to consider or tell me if the following bikes are good or bad. Thanks
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-r872-disc-anthracite-shimano-105/
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-carbon-shimano-105/
https://alpkit.com/products/sonder-camino-al-105
missed the endurance off but not sure what's the difference between the endurance and the R872
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-endurance-sl-disc-black-shimano-105/
Could be my imagination, but the SL looks like it has more tyre clearance than the R872 ??
Anyways, my choice would be between the cgr and the sonder, mainly for the extra tyre clearance.
If your bias is off road, I’d probably prefer the sonder, if you’re biased more towards the on road end of the spectrum, the cgr is probably better (double chainset).
Having said all that, stock could well be the deciding factor.
I would suggest a Kinesis R2, but its Tiagra not 105.
I was going to suggest the R2 as well but someone beat me to it!
As above, tiagra not 105 but hits all your other needs, plus some places actually have it in stock!
@trailwagger and @gotbike my bike before the avro was a kinesis tripster disc. An absolute fantastic do it all bike so I'll add the R2 to my list. Thanks
I'm in no rush so not bothered if it's in stock or not.
@trailwagger and @gotbike my bike before the avro was a kinesis tripster disc. An absolute fantastic do it all bike so I’ll add the R2 to my list. Thanks
I’m in no rush so not bothered if it’s in stock or not.
Can be had as a frame only option too, if 105 is a deal breaker and you are happy building yourself.
I think I've narrowed it down to either the ribble endurance SL (£1900) or the ribble CGR SL (£2000) both with shimano 105.
They are both at the top of my budget but I think I've fallen for their sales blurb 🤣
- Truncated aerofoil downtube.
- Aero fork blade profile.
- Truncated aerofoil seat tube and seat post.
- DROPPED SEATSTAY GEOMETRY
- Monocoque frame
I'm leaning towards the CGR as it has rack mounts and also built to go off road and the frame weighs only 1150g (claimed) but probably more in XL.
I like the specialized diverge @captainflashheart rides but it's out of my budget.
Looking at the geometry, they are different to my Avro but not a million miles away. I'll pop over to Ribble to throw my leg over a bike next week. (avro head angle is 73)
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Does anyone ride a CGR or gravel bike as a road bike? Is it a compromise against a dedicated road bike like the endurance?
Thanks
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I'd say it really depends on what sort of riding you do and what you want out of it. I rode a gravel bike as my only road bike for a few years and it wasn't a problem. It was marginally slower than my mates on proper road bikes but it didn't bother me as we were not being super competitive.
I now also have a Specialized Tarmac and that gets used on club rides and fast road stuff. You could ride the gravel bike there but it might not be a much fun.
My current gravel bike (Sonder Camino) gets used for gravel (obviously), commuting in London and I'll probably take that on my three day tour next weekend as it's comfortable and I know the riding is going to be relaxed.
With any road bike I'd look at what Scott have to offer. I got an Addict last year, was much less than the equivalent spec from Trek and the other big boys, and rides beautifully for what I want.