I follow Pro cycling quite heavily via various podcasts, internet sites, and printed media. I’ll watch 6 hours of some obscure mid-week semi classic in March, but I rarely watch a tour stage.

I kinda agree with Njee, however I posted a picture of a Hamspten which for me would be an ultimate bike.

I have 3 bikes, (MTB, CX, Road), all of which are simply tools on which I train and race, nothing else, and as such have little if any emotional value to me, about the same as my favorite hammer to be honest.

Therefore for me ultimate is more something where in the decision process heart over head wins. Yes a Hampsten would most likely be slower than my Ridley, however it’ll be bought, spec’d and ridden with a different mindset, and that I guess is the difference.

I’d get a nice Hampsten frame built up and hang some Campy SR mechanical off it with some handmade low profile wheels.

Not too dissimilar to this really:

As Njee said road bikes have less scope for mixing and matching than MTB’s or even ‘cross bikes.

I’ve been running Open Corsa SC’s all year and love them, really quick, sticky, and make a great noise when motoring along.

Pity I can’t say the same for the 3T wheels I had them on 😡

I’d ask that question over at happymtb.org as its a Swedish forum. Asking in English is OK

Spend the change on a chiropractor

😀

Has to be this!
http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/scott-foil-hmx-team-issue-di2-frameset-with-11-speed-ultegra-6870-electric-pack-2013-p213652

Wow 😮

I have a few, (even one by Rapha), and will normally always wear one whilst on the road bike, yes I’m emaciated, (8.3% at last count), no beard though.

(Have a signed Cav OPQS one, but that sits at home and doesn’t get used.) #capsnothats

Riding in a group with tri-bars is damn right dangerous and also banned in competition. Just look at world cup triathlon competitions for the amount of crashes on the bike leg, and they are restricted to very short extensions.

You’ll also get flagged/shouted out trying to ride David Millar sytle in most group rides/races because as you noticed “and it bloody hurt and felt very dangerous.” Unless you are David Millar of course.

Very few without going for a modern disk frame or a cyclocross frame, both work perfectly well as road bikes. These are normally classed as endurance or gravel frames in marketing speak.

Most racing specific frames would still struggle to fit greater than 25mm tyres, although this is changing as the Pro peloton was using 28’s in some of the classics this year.

That looks like a bike for a rider who rides a lot, which can only be a good thing. 8)

(pity about the cranks though, Record would have been a better match IMO) 🙂

Can’t believe no one else posted on this. Bump.

Nice decision to have to make, I’d be looking at:
Cannondale Flash
Orbrea
LaPierre
Scott Scale

Should add a Specialized Stumpy but I have a dislike for the brand, but other love them.

I imagine you’ll get 101 different suggestions on here.

2015 bikes will be in stock in a few months so potential bargains around if you can wait a little longer.

Trek have always delivered for me, two broken frames, two replacement ones built up in under a week each time.

Can’t ask for more than that.

Giant seem to be disk only, but the look of that pale blue TCX1 is just lovely. Rotor cranks too 8)

Those ex-Fidea Ridleys look tempting at first but they’ll have been hammered to death at the highest level, thrown into the back of a van repeatedly and just generally abused.
You might get one that was a fifth bike for one of the lighter-weight women if you’re the right size, or Tom Meeusen’s #1 bike that he’s been smashing all over Belgium

Well that saved me typing a reply, +1 😆

Swedish chef Would you make the jump to discs now or wait a bit?

Canti’s for me, partly as I’ve two sets of tubs, so disks would mean buying two pairs of wheels as well. Also I’m not sure I’d be faster on disks, there were certainly no courses last year where they would have been an advantage to me.

You’re also paying quite a weight penalty for them, however I expect the race scene to go towards them more and more, especially with LvdH riding so well with them.

Ooh that reminds me, Giant, another frame to Google about.

Arh Scott, good call Sefton.

This threads got me thinking about a new frame too, damn it!

Trek Boone @ 1750, a lot of money
Ridley X-Night, see above
Ridley X-Fire, hmm tempting
Specialized, can’t get passed the colours, sorry
Kinesis, disk only?
Alan?

That Van Dessal looks cool, UK supplier Bearded Man, only listing 54 though and VD’s web site is down for maintenance, other options for them?

Oh missed off the Ritchey Swiss Cross, hmmm lovely looking

I use a pair of road shoes with Wellgo adaptors as spinning shoes in case my MTB shoes are wet/dirty.

They work really well, although walking is a bit of an isssue.

I’ve got a shop branded hand built carbon frame from Italy which I’m 90% sure is a Dedacciai.

Logic says a Ridley, passion says a Ritchey, as possible next frames.

Ridley is cross, or at least that’s what everyone says.

Plenty to drool over here:
http://shop4cross.com/rahmen.html?limit=all

Make sure you’re certain about the sizes though as they can come up a little on the large size.

Disks with the new TRP cable to hydraulics’ look interesting too!
http://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?productid=1198&catid=206

ooh gotta love cross threads in June, less than 100 days to CrossVegas 8)

I did a split training session on one, so a few intervals on my 26er, a few on a comparable 27.5, there was enough difference/improvement to warrant being interested, certainly better than any 29er I’ve ridden.

Just bought a new bike for my wife which has 27.5 sized wheels.

Nice set up dirtyrider!

Also thinking about a Stages for the MTB.

TrainerRoad works as I won a 30KM club TT last night!

Vittoria Open Corsa CX’s, lovely lovely ride quality, sound great when motoring along, and offer loads of grip.

Rule#5 in conjunction with Rule#91 – No Food On Training Rides Under Four Hours.

That’ll see you right 😆

If you’re in the market for a 24″ bike then I guess you’ll be of suitable body weight to actually take advantage of suspension forks? (Provided you ride off road).

The ones on my son’s 20″ Hotrock are kinda poor, and he’d most likely ride just a well off road with rigid ones and enjoy the KG saving in weight.

However the older he gets more suspension makes sense to me.

Ordered a Scott Scale Contessa earlier this week for my wife, 27.5 wheels as well, hmm fun. Hopefully here in a week or so.

Quite a basic intro to the train low, compete high theory:
http://www.scienceinsport.ie/default.asp?cat=349

As said, not race pace intensity.

ooh interesting Orbea heads up, thanks!

If the Bont’s fit you then I’d say its a no brainer, however the Shimano XC90’s are nice, and a lot of guys in our club have the blue ones as the match out kit!

If you’re on the turbo and have cadence/speed then use TrainerRoad to estimate your power.

As an actual power number its somewhat off, but as a training tool to force you to work at the right levels its excellent.

I use a power meter as I came to cycling from running and whilst I could run intervals at any given pace on the track and be spot on with my splits, I had no experience of perceived effort in cycling terms, so a power meter was a great help. Now I’ve had two seasons of using it, I can gauge my efforts better and use it less often in the summer months.

Thanks Matt that’s good/bad to know.

Thanks missed that whilst browsing on the tablet, I’ll call them as the site doesn’t work for me either.

Closed the rest of the week, (bank holiday here yesterday), question still open.

Many thanks for the replies, this goes a long way in explaining a few things.

See here, its done via Movescount

http://www.movescount.com/connect/strava

Interesting mogrim, thanks for the typing that. The Ambit2s is on my to buy list, especially now there is native Strava support.

I like the swim options, both open water and pool length, as well as the running functionality, most likely keep my Edge for the bikes though.

I’ve had the X10 since it was released, great camera, even better with the software upgrade which added a few functions from higher up the range.

Very happy with it, great build quality, the non-inter changeable lens means I can simply get on and use it.

Millican even do a lovely soft case for it:
http://www.homeofmillican.com/info/fujifilm-x

I have no desire to upgrade it

Yup normal for me, so much so that I’ve stopped using HR in races as the figures just scare me.

I go on perceived effort, which whilst in theory is the same as in training, is more than likely considerably higher.

This can be down to fuelling, rest, adrenaline, never underestimate the power of pinning a number on.

Narrative, the Guardian being the main culprit

Surprisingly good runner as well.

If you’re in to random emails, drop Jonas a line at http://cerrol.wordpress.com/ he’s a mechanic on a UCI team as well as an utter Cannondale fanboy/weight weenie, he’ll know/point you in the right direction.