I’d go for a Cannondale FSI .

Yes it’s that one DickB. And I’m in the camp of using pressure washers for the mtb, sure they might wear out parts and bearings 12% faster than hand washing but my bikes are so filthy from the trails at the moment. I’ve come to think Life is too short to be washing bikes with a bucket and brush.

Cotic and Transition won’t really be poppy, especially if you’re used to an Orange.

What are you on about ..,,

Transition Sentinel, or Smuggler if you can get your hands on one as they are discontinued it seems. I have a Smuggler , the Sentinel looks like a slightly longer travel version but Transition build bikes so well I don’t think you’d notice the amount of travel it has, apart from when you needed it,

Coed y Brennin

For me – CYB felt like it was just rocks and boulders placed everywhere on the trail for the sake of it without much thought in places, much preferred Nant Y Arian, but each to their own!

The Marin trail is V good, mix of flowy and tech, and also within hitting distance of Mach (although it’s changed names now).

It looks like it would be good for that 100km uphill race in Taiwan but I can’t think what else really 😝😏🙈.

Sweet, I’d like to see it. I bought the alloy Smuggler frameset in 2016 with a Pike and its to this day one of my best ever bike purchases. I’m not sure about that tyre choice, but everything else looks good. I think the bike needs an aggressive tyre on the front for cornering, and a lower rolling resistance tyre on the back makes a difference.
Good luck!

Just regards the whole obsession with lightweight versus aero, or the quest to get both in some cases – the BMC Timemachine would be my bike of choice, and the answer to question a while back to if I had 5k to spend on a new road bike (plus another two more) .

BMC list weights on their website which is interesting. The base model Timemachine at 7k weighs about 9kg. The top end model, if you have about 11k, weighs 7.8 kg. But I know I’d rather carry that extra kg and ride a frame and bike with all that innovation, instead of just a pure weight weeny machine. But that’s just my view. Edit; I know these are well over 5k.

https://www.bmc-switzerland.com/timemachine-01-road-one-302033.html

Emondas have been on the pies since they were released then! Top model (SLR 10) was 4.6kg, for about £11k in 2014…

4.6 kg? I call BS. Top framesets generally 1.2 or 1.3 kilos, lightest wheels 1.2 kilos ish, group set at least 1 or 2 kilos, then finishing kit and pedals.

One of the funniest thread titles? Lol

Ah if I’d known that I might have kept them. But good for others to know I guess!

Anything Mavic or Vision .

I owned Quarq power crankset with the best ring option you could choose to put on it, but shifting was just never as good as Shimano rings and chainset so I sold it.

A

Those enduro bum bag things just don’t feel nice around my waist and hips. Edit – they feel horrible digging in.

Powertap P1 owner here. Bought new in August last year, they were sitting around my lbs. So far not as reliable as my nine year old powertap hub , but willing to give them a chance. When they work well they work, but sometimes the right pedal will go missing during a ride or workout then miraculously come back again.
My powertap hub and wheel is for sale btw.

Just to throw a curve ball in, I’m 5’8 and ride a 48cm road frame at the moment, slightly longer stem, low stack height (I was also fitted by a bike fitter for comparison). Next frame I get will likely be 50 or 52 depending on the brand.

TBH you’re better off ignoring stated sizes because they are all variable between brands and even between different models.

Just concentrate on stack and reach, figures for which will almost always be available. Higher stack equals a more upright position. Longer reach is presumably pretty self-explanatory.

Stack, reach and perhaps seat tube length to make sure you have plenty of exposed post.

These are the replies you should be concentrating on tbh and I agree one hundred percent. From knowing my reach and stack height and looking at current upgrades for myself, I know I’m a 54cm in some brands and a 52 in others. Reach is the main factor really, seat tube measurement in a road bike means sod all. Especially when you think that some are sloped, some compact, some more traditional,etc.

I like the fact you get nicer wheels, it seemed to be the way on every bike review they would complain about the stock wheels.

It’s better for a 4 or 5k bike to come with crap wheels imo and have very good everything else. Give me Di2, carbon finishing kit, then cheap wheels with the bike, as it’s good to have training wheels or cheaper wheels along with a pair of good wheels also.
I’d imagine a lot of riders buying a new bike in that price range already have a pair or two of carbon wheels anyways.

The only way to reduce the heat generated is go faster, so the air slows you down instead.

Hmm I’m not convinced this is really correct. Anyone??

Physicians in the house?

Just a thought – but some carbon wheels seem to have a metal brake track. What’s the disadvantage of that – it seems a better idea than running brake pads along something where the resin will lose strength as it gets hot?

These, if you get the info from any good bike shop, are actually just alloy rims with a carbon sheath built over the rim to make them look cool or to give the aero affect, they essentially aren’t carbon rims / wheels.

Carbon wheels with rim brakes are adequate enough for me, although I only weigh 68kg and I’ve not ridden down an alpine pass on them yet. Saying that, TDF riders did perfectly well on them up until the last year or two that discs have come in.
But come to think of it, if it’s in any way wet or moist and I’m doing over 60kmh (getting up to 80+) , my stopping distance is probably about a kilometre.

You say you are looking to hone your skills, are you just beyond beginner level I’m guessing? Don’t really like putting labels on it, but just to have more info,

Maybe I’m old school but I’m of the mindset that everyone should ride a hardtail for a year before progressing to a full sus. Maybe it’s because when I started riding all there was was rigid bikes and v brakes and some lucky people had front forks. Nowadays you see some rich kids on Santa Cruz bronsons, but fundamentally I think hardtails teach you a lot. .. how you pick smooth lines instead of ploughing through everything, that being the main thing.
Get a hardcore one with 130 or 140 mm fork , stay away from any hardtail with 100 mm fork as it will have XC race geometry (120 possibly okay). Only disadvantage over a full sus is riding over very techie terrain, a lot of bike park stuff is smooth.

Be very careful buying second hand as you really need to know what you’re spotting., in terms of hidden problems. A bike could look fine then you might need to spend 500 quid on fork service, bottom bracket replacement etc in a few months time.

Yeah, but for those of us determined still to run mechanical gears and cable operated brakes, it’s very much form over function, how many extra bends in the cable just to get it through the headset area? For what gain? At least internal cable routing largely seems to allow smoother routes, so arguably probably offers form + function

I guess I could live with proprietary spacers, not something you’re likely to break or lose in the middle of nowhere.

“Determined…..”

Makes it sound like the people who were still clinging on to 26 inch bikes years ago, but now moved on . In 5 or 10 years time what will the ratio of mechanical to Di2 be I wonder?

Having everything ran through the steerer tube and stem makes things more aero from what I’ve read, but I can’t vouch for it, no cables in the wind . Marginal gains and all that.

So after reading the replies so far, it sounds like a lot of people (or the majority here) do a SS degree and never really get anything from it in terms of a career or job.
Thanks for the replies so far, would be nice to hear a few more replies to get more of a feel for things.

Don’t do as I did last weekend and find out you have not out the co2 inflator back in your saddle bag……had tube , anchovies /boot and multitool but no means to inflate which could have been fun

What’s that about anchovies?

Having said that I would never ride a Boardman :D.

Haha, well played 😝😝 . Let’s face it they are only nice for the money, like a Dacia Duster.

but it seemed to change noticeably about a decade ago, more and more ‘poker faces’ and very little friendly conversation, it started to feel like you were “in the way” of the people who’d spent significantly more on the sport…

Have to say I agree with this and I feel sorry for any riders trying to get into any form of racing really. I’m well beyond beginner but I imagine it’s quite intimidating. The MTB marathon series have a nice atmosphere and race feeling, without being a race, so are a bit more laid back.

The TV show 90 day fiancé has a few dating scams on it, could be watched for research purposes.

Great story anjantom!

Thisisnotaspoon you’re making me rethink my whole way of pedalling 🤔😂😀, I have a hard workout later on too.

I was pretty into cycling as a junior beforehand and got interested in the science side through that

Interesting FuzzyWuzzy! Do you think you’d approach things any differently or with a different attitude if you studied it now? I’m guessing that was a while ago now? Also, I don’t hugely know much about the full course content so it’s good to hear.

On the employment side of things, I’m kind of aware self employment would likely be one of the main routes.

I guess I have a general interest in lots of areas, and maybe figure out a niche – the degree might be more advanced than I imagine, but I did an online course in sports nutrition last year and I just found it frustrating as I felt I knew a lot of the stuff or about half the stuff already, from my own racing and training and being coached, while others were asking stupid questions . I ended up not finishing it as it was too tedious and tame, I get more out of reading.

I’d like to get into coaching too and build up my profile (currently doing an online coaching course with Training Peaks).

I also get to laugh and point at graphs whenever anyone talks about “pedaling in circles” or “pulling up on the pedal”.

Guessing that’s because there’s always a dead spot around 10 and 12?

The biology/coaching/nutrition

Really interested in the coaching, nutrition, recovery side of things at the moment. In the book I’m reading they talked about gut health and how it’s closely linked to performance but I really enjoyed reading that. Also I like all the specifics on protein intake and how thoughts on that seem to be changing over the years. I like reading about supplements, not just the basic off the shelf stuff in bright colour tubs.
I take note of food labels regularly- I used to use High 5 a bit until I realised how much is in it.

I might settle for one of these though, if it were actually my money…
https://www.cannondale.com/en-gb/bikes/road/race/supersix-evo/supersix-evo-hi-mod-disc-ultegra-smu

You’d have to rub the Rapha logo off though? 😜

Drives me up the wall. cop on and maybe consider getting a bike more suited to you

This is a big part of it. On the one hand, the market would like to sell you something stiffer/lighter/aero-er, there’s the info above about aero being more significant than weight for most riding most of the time, the industry has largely moved away from bragging about how x is 20g lighter than y and instead talks about how x saves you 20W at y speed over z time.

And then in the Real World, the slightly overweight enthusiast rider gets onto his/her aero bike in slightly baggy clothing, loads it down with water bottle, seatpack, top tube pack, lights, pump etc and pedals off inefficiently at the start of their sportive, stopping at lights and junctions, spending the whole ride on the hoods or tops and negating the entire point of buying anything lighter/stiffer/aero-er.

Too funny, you said it in a better way than me 😂😂😀😀

Btw, on your fitness point (and there is a point), the think that had the biggest impact on my road bike speed wasn’t any of that core stuff or even spending more time on the bike. It was switching some of my fitness time to running, with a subsequent significant drop in weight.

Yep cross training like that can have a big difference I think we’ll all agree! Especially in the off season (oops, racer terminology). Weight drop = speed increase. I’m guessing the weight drop was in part due to the higher heart rate of running which you maybe weren’t getting as much of on the bike – or by shocking your body into something new and it adapting.

Nice to see you admitting you were talking bollocks… 🙂

I’ll talk bollox if you want me to. Can I call you fat and lazy if you don’t race? How about spending over 5k on a bike that never makes it to the start line, that sounds like bollox to me., the poor bike. Most bikes for 2k – 3k look and feel pretty similar to 5k ones if you aren’t a racer? I guess it’s all about Strava these days though right? 🙄 …Those 400 quid deep section wheels on CRC would look the same as Zipp ones to most punters if it’s mostly about the image.

But I wasn’t talking bollox, a small increase in core strength can do wonders for your riding and make it a lot more enjoyable whether you race or not.

And should we all be on 6.8kg, £5K+, lightweight aero bikes while we’re developing what you regard as an acceptable level of fitness?

You’re being silly and putting words in my mouth now. I’m not going to bite – at no point whatsoever did I mention anything about acceptable levels of fitness – people have lives and other commitments. Look – two or three 15 or 20 minute at home core sessions is all you need, take out one of your short rides, add in that and you’re there – but it depends on your aims and goals. Ride whatever distance you want. I’m guessing 95% of riders don’t race, I’m a racer so it’s different.
But what I hate is when riders buy a top end aero bike , all the bells and whistles, then complain or comment that it’s a harsh ride, or say they couldn’t spend more than 5 or 6 hours in the saddle on it. Drives me up the wall. cop on and maybe consider getting a bike more suited to you .

Sadly not everyone is a TDF level rider like yourself…

It doesn’t take much effort or time commitment to develop a bit of core strength and flexibility which makes a huge difference.

Aero is king unless riding a lot of steeper gradients.

Or do a lot of miles on shite roads, in which case I suspect more a comfortable option could prove faster than either an aero bike or a lightweight one.

Several folks in my clubs had fast/light bikes as well as Roubaix’s (they were the most popular bike in the club) and most of them reckoned over the course of a long day the Roubaix was actually faster.

This might sound a bit cheeky of me, but I imagine some of those folks would be faster and more comfortable on the light / fast / aero bikes versus the Roubaix if their core strength and flexibility was on point (without knowing the age and fitness and weight of the riders).

This is what I meant by semi-aero

Yeah I knew, I was just being a bit tongue and cheek. Also that bike doesn’t fit the OP’s criteria.

I’d always got the impression that yeah, aero is faster, but don’t those little sprints and accelerations suffer? What happens when you’re riding the backroads of West Lothian with all sorts of field edge 90degree turns, blind hedgerow junctions and punchy little dips and climbs etc. Isn’t aero less comfortable due to deeper section frame tubes and wheels? Why don’t all the pros ride aero bikes for the Spring classics?

Well maybe if you’re racing in a bunch, but on my long training rides I try to keep my power consistent and rarely have to slow down for sharp turns or traffic lights.
My aero carbon wheels are much more comfortable than other shallow alloy wheels I’ve used, including my current Krysiriums – cheaper carbon wheels may be a harsher ride I imagine.

Isn’t aero less comfortable? Maybe marginally so, but if you don’t have good core strength and fitness then I don’t think you can be speaking up loudly about that. If you have the core strength of a noodle then don’t get an aero bike and say it’s a harsh ride.
It’s quite obvious why they aren’t used in the likes of the Paris Rubaix mind.

Also, is this thread a stealth plug for the Propel, Madonne, CR1?

Hi! I fractured my ankle and bruised one of the bones in it nearly two years ago (still sometimes not right on long walks).
I didn’t go to a&e for about ten days after as I just it was a bit sore 😂 . I had to wear an air cast boot for about 6 – 8 weeks.

But regards recovery, I found a balance board to be really really good, can’t put a price on how much it helped me to build strength and confidence back in my ankles. I have a basic one from Decathlon which is a round board with a lump in the middle on the bottom, and also I have a surf board style one (a bit more advanced and slightly more expensive).
The balance board was recommended by my physio along with other exercises, but I’d say definitely try out your hands on one!

For 5k you are not going to get a world cup level bike. Simple as.

Just look at the prices.

Frame 2.5 – 3k
Groupset 1k at least – that is ultegra or force, not DA or Red
Wheels 2k

And then you still need stem, bars, seatpost, saddle, headset – easily another 1k

What about power meter?

Off the shelves Canyon may get you close (ish) but still not world cup level.

I spend “a little” more a couple of years ago and got a custom Festka frame, complete Sram Red etap disc, Knight wheels, carbon components, Chris King headset and Quark power meter. It is closer to 8 kg I would say, but it is unique and the bike I wanted – and it fits me like a glove.

I’ve read through most nearly every reply to this thread (sad I know). Very interesting. I agree with the above, I don’t think a 6″8kg Di2 Road Bike for 5k would happen without compromise. You’d probably have to ditch the aero carbon wheels. And what the hell is a semi aero frame from Rose bikes? Semi aero come on., either aero or not.

For me I do think aero is just as important as weight, or nearly more important. I don’t see why you would be obsessive over weight.
Is it just a lockdown challenge you’ve set yourself??

And as a rider of Di2 I would never go back to mechanical again, even if there is a small weight penalty..
Just pick a bike you like the look of that fits your measurements. Bianchi, Merida, Cannondale, They are all going to feel similar at 5k.

If only 26” and 20” then rear mounted should be fine on the golf. I upgraded to a roof rack as having two 29er enduro bikes on the back of my golf on a clip on rack just made it too wide (significantly wider than the side mirrors).

I think everyone’s being a bit over the top?… is it the affect of lockdown, I mean I just went on the website and the font in the logo on the top does look slightly different but that’s it. The writing style on a lot of the bikes still hasn’t changed from what I can see ( I currently own two Cannondale hardtails).