Nice rim brake road framesets – what’s left?

I’m always on the lookout for an upgrade to my Rose Xeon, which I think is approx 1700g frame and fork.

I’m not really interested in aero or discs, which puts me at odds with pretty much the rest of the road bike market it seems! 😁 I also like more upright geometry.

Look and Cervelo seem to have discontinued their lightweight rim brake models, Rose aren’t available in UK any more, Ribble ‘endurance’ geometry is approx 30mm lower than I’m used to plus they use stupid proprietary stems so I probably couldn’t adjust it to suit, Bowman Palace C looks lovely but isn’t really different enough from my current frame (e.g. no lighter, no additional benefits). Condor Italia RC is a bit of a bloater for a £1000 aluminium ‘race’ frame, etc…

Scott still do a rim brake carbon fibre Addict complete bike, but I can’t tell how good the frame is on it’s own.

Is it just an evolutionary dead end now? Shall I start saving for custom Ti? 🙄

Colnago C64 is available for rim brake…

Ridley still do the Fenix SL, may be too racy for you?

Some googling should tell you more about the Scott frame IME.

If you can bear SH there is a lot of choice (I don’t see why not)

My Supersix Nano weighed at 870gm for the bare (completely) frame – I appreciate it isn’t endurance but shows what’s out there. I researched it a bit and Scott’s were light too.

Custom Ti will involve a “bike for life” spend but no guarantee you’ll like it – to me the appeal of to and steel is the more noodly pingy frames that aren’t made any more.

Genesis Zero SL if you can find one.

As I’m sure you know, very few manufacturers left making rim brake. Colnago still do, Pinarello and Argon 18, Cinelli Nelo Tig (no idea on weight).
The Argon 18 Gallium Pro might be worth looking at. Also Bianchi Specialissima (2020 frame).
When I was looking for my new bike (last few weeks). I wasn’t too worried about aero but did want light (ish) weight, so was really tempted by rim brakes. I was actually looking at 2018 Supersix HM bikes on eBay. Went with a disc brake bike in the end.
I was really tempted by the bowman, still am tbh. The bike I’ve ordered isn’t available until March (Trek Project One). I could build up a very nice Bowman for half the price of the Trek and will be reasonably competitive weight wise.

Cynic_Al, yeah, will do some more sleuthing into the Scott, all I can find is weights for their higher grade (discontinued…) HMX carbon frames.

Ridley is a great shout actually, the Helium seems to be the right price range (heavily discounted in some places) with the right geometry and a decent weight saving over my Rose (looks like 1350g frame and fork).

Genesis Zero looks nice, same carbon as the Ridley it seems, can’t find sny for sale though.

Oh and sorry, should have said I doubt I could stretch to Colnago money…

Good suggestions though, more to look at!

Canyon still have a load of options. Not to everyone’s taste admittedly but sub 7kg complete bikes for pretty reasonable money.

While I love a light frame I am also wondering if obsessing about it less might be a good thing.

Have you thought about test riding some disc brake bikes…I really do think you will be convinced one day…as are the rest of us.

Bianchi Oltre XR4 still available as a rim brake option. Not quite an aero frame, pretty light and surprisingly comfy.

Pinarello F12 too. £££

Chinese carbon?

E.g.

https://www.yoeleobike.com/products/china-carbon-frame-88

Storck?

https://www.edco-wheels.co.uk/product-category/wheels/storck/

The Germans seems to love light weight bikes, maybe there’s some other German makes out there.

De Rosa?

https://www.merlincycles.com/brand/de-rosa/

Willer?

https://www.merlincycles.com/wilier-cento-10-pro-chorus-road-bike-190768.html

https://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/Catalogue/Models/Racelight/4S-DISC

Takes rim OR disc brakes, so you could always change you mind
1550g for the frameset
Threaded bottom bracket
Easy to use internal routing

@13tfloormonk ive got a Scott Addict. Its a medium…im a nerd so i have the following weights..frame and forks are 1330g
Bare forks are 334g, so
Frame, headset, topcap, BB and bottle cage bolts and mech hanger is 996g.
It got some DA cranks 526g
Ritchey superlogic bars 214g
It builds up as a 6kg fixie with some heavy wheels inc a White Industries ENO hub.
It has SRAM carbon brake levers and a DA front caliper.
Its like new if you are interested in it

Cervelo seem to have discontinued their lightweight rim brake models

The R5 is available as a rim brake frame – https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Cervelo/R5-Frameset-2020/JPCC

While I love a light frame I am also wondering if obsessing about it less might be a good thing.

Meh, I don’t think I’m obsessing, it’s just a case of upgrad-itis and an 8kg ‘good’ bike that I’m planning to take to the Pyrenees with some very fast friends, aspiring to something 7.5kg or under doesn’t seem unreasonable. Problem is, with the help of this thread I’m realising that the most I could save, even pushing my budget, is 300-400g.

Have you thought about test riding some disc brake bikes…I really do think you will be convinced one day…

I’ll be convinced when a manufacturer sticks their neck out and promises a brake that functions as quietly and with as little fuss as my rim brakes in all conditions, and preferrably one that doesn’t get contaminated by road spray… I’d still begrudge the extra expense and weight though 😉

Conclusion based on this thread (and today’s cobbles-and-potholes ride) is that the Bowman Palace C might with 30mm tyre clearance might just be the best option after all, and is the only ‘frame only’ option I can really afford anyway. The Ridley Helium is the 2nd best option, as in, for £1700 full bike with lots of Ultegra bits I could strip it, keep the nice parts as spares, and use the cheap parts for a turbo bike. Would still count as a whole new bike on the domestic balance sheet though…

Thanks for suggestions.

p.s. Breninbeener – not really in market second hand, unless you accept credit cards! Also I’m definitely a large. Thanks for frame weight info.

I’m in the same boat – mainly because I have nice non disc kit ready to transfer over.

Only thing I can find which will fit me really well and not over budget is a trek emonda alu I believe weight wise its on par with the carbon sl version.

For the £800 the van rysel ultra frameset looks decent if the geo suits.

Anything here that works for you?
https://www.rourke.biz/stock_frames_and_bikes.html
Might not satisfy your weight search, think my 57/57 953 frame was ca.1700g.

Rim brakes? Upright? Possibly Ti?
Maybe something from Spa Cycles?
Spa Ti Audax frame

Meh, I don’t think I’m obsessing,

My comment was aimed at myself, not you ☺️

But in questioning my own consumption, I am thinking of building up an old steel frame I have (nearly double the weight) to see if it is any less fun.

I went for a Genesis Volare 931 (1,600g-ish) with similar requirements, building it into a 7.5kg bike ex pedals. I already have a disc road bike – a Shand – so wanted something non-disc to build up, partly as I had really nice rim-brake wheels, shifters, brakes etc. It now gets used in dry weather and on the turbo trainer.

In the future I will certainly go for a disc-framed replacement as I think the brakes are so much better and, as illustrated here, the choice of non-disc has almost evaporated within the last year. But there’s a lot of sense in rebuilding what you have around rim brake frames for the time being.

https://dariopegoretti.com/

https://officinabattaglin.com/

https://www.eddymerckx.com/

https://www.cyfac.fr/

https://theframebuilders.com/list/

https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f10/framebuilders-europe-42599.html

https://www.enigmabikes.com/

https://www.ridley-bikes.com/product-category/men-bikes/road/

https://rourke.biz/

https://offers.factorbikes.com/uk-end-of-season-clearance

https://www.cinellibicycles.co.uk/shop/bikes/

http://www.dedacciaistrada.com/bike-frames/

http://www.legendbybertoletti.it/en/

Plenty of nice Titanium frames available from reasonably priced British brands, like the Enigma Evade, or the Reilly T325 – up to the silly prices of ‘Merican Moots Vamoots, Litespeed etc.. if you really want to.

I’d rather have one of those than another disposable carbon jelly mould anyway…unless it’s something like a Colnago. Always worth searching for NOS Colnago’s (New old stock) if you can live with the skinny tyre limitations.

Absolute belter of a bike:

https://www.reillycycleworks.com/collections/frames/products/t325-road