Frame upgrade advice Bianch content.

carbon337

I have an Old Giant OCR 2002 its fine - however very tatty and steel 1" fork.

I thought about upgrading to something nicer with my bonus. Originally wanted a Planet x pro sl but I appear to be in between sizes and I also cant find one.

I have £250 plus a bit of an extra bit for a frame, fork and headest the plan being to move my newish groupset and new R500 wheels over to the new frame.

I have been offered a Bianch Via Nerone 7 Carbon Alu frame 2010 for £240. Looks nice and has carbon stays/fork. It was the 2010 Ultegra/105 version.

Want I want to know is will it be as quick as my old OCR which is rather fast and direct for its age but not comfy. I'm not that interested in comfort thats what my Orange Five is for. I'm more interested in it being quick over 40mile training rides contating through and off, sprints, intervals etc and if I get comfort also then thats a bonus I suppose.

I'd hate to get it and move stuff over to find its a bit like a sofa. Opinions please !!!!!

Thanks in advance.

centimani

Hiya carbon.
Assuming the Via Nirone frame is good value (and i dont know whether it is or not)...i have the C2C with full carbon forks but alloy stays and it is very responsive in traffic. I love it for commuting and longer distance rides.
I assume its frame and forks your getting. A pair of forks as an extra is going to cost some.
I've covered up to 80 miles on mine with only moderate discomfort mostly due to the saddle, generally 40/50 milers are done with no discomfort at all.
Its not a comparison with the OCR but theres a world of difference riding my C2C and my old hack. Even my older Bianchi with alloy alu/carbon forks was still comfortable.

Sounds like a nice project.

carbon337

Thanks centamani, as i mentioned im not fussed on comfort - more important to me is directness (is this a word), stifness - i want to be able to do sprints etc without it feeling more sluggish then what i already have. I commute but rarely more than 30m each way so 30m = 1.2hrs ish so Im not that fussed on comfort for this amount of time.

Why is frame buying so hard?

Also just spotted a Canyon AL Ultimate but thats double my budget lol

centimani

Stiffness...well i dont suffer from any (noticeable) frame flex on the C2C, where i definately did on my old Via Nirone ((pre C2C).
It is responsive, agile, i notice it most in traffic. I've only got my old hack to compare it to, and as said, there's a world of difference. But how my hack compares to your OCR, i dont know. Its all relative.
Nearest thing i had was a Raleigh Chimera, chro mo frame, heavy but rock solid. Again, there's a world of difference between that and the Bianchi.
TBF, over an hour or so's ride, you don't notice that much. Yes the lighter frame is more responsive, lighter etc etc. Its probably quicker away from the lights etc, but over any distance, you (i) dont really notice any difference time wise.
I'm talking it down...i dont think you'll notice much extra speed, if any. Its the time you spend getting there, the 'grin' factor of a better frame, the lightness etc etc.

I'd go for it. Put it this way, ive had my Bianchi 3 years, i still love it, i love commuting, just to zip about in traffic....its more than capable.