Choices, choices

mr_poll
mr_poll Posts: 1,547
edited August 2013 in Road buying advice
Right can anyone help with me dilemma.

I have an ill fitting heavy winter bike (my first purchase a few years back) and 6 months ago treated myself to a nice carbon summer bike - Focus Cayo Evo 6, ugraded the wheels. I will have coming to me about £2500 in a cpl of months so do I:

1 - Splash it all on a very nice bike, have the Focus as a winter steed and flog the old winter bike on fleabay.

or

2 - Upgrade the groupset on the focus (looking at Ultegra 11sp) and buy a nice proper winter frame (and if so which one? Kinesis Racelight TK3?) that will take mudguards/panniers and use the 105/tiagra stuff from the Focus to build up a decent 2nd bike. Leaving me money over for nicer kit and garmin.

Comments

  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    1. Always 1.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • Calpol
    Calpol Posts: 1,039
    Similar dilemma for me. Just gave my winter bike to the brother in law and am now in need of a replacement.
    Where I am at present is - buy a new frame and transfer components from Wilier Izoard to it for riding over the winter period. Then in spring selectively buy a new groupo for the Wilier, probably 11 speed.

    Your Cayo is a a lovely bike it would seem a shame to ride it over the winter so why not do the same and get 11 speed groupo in spring

    My frame candidates are

    1. Fm029 from Dengfu - painted in a lairy red/orange
    2. Kinesis Aithein - really like the look of this
    3. The ubiquitous Caad 10 or Canyon Ultimate AL

    I would also look at steel as last night I realised that it was actually quite a nice ride, last run before giving it to my brother-i-l.
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    Winter bikes are for riding. Ditto rain bikes. Or foul weather bikes.

    They should a) be up to the job and b) you don't care about taking them out.

    If you don't ride because you cannot bring yourself to go out, then it's not really a winter bike.

    So, yes, always option 1. But crud guards are no replacement for 25 or 28c with SKS full guards. Don't forget that carbon melts in rain and evaporates on exposure to ice.
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
    https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
    Facebook? No. Just say no.
  • mr_poll
    mr_poll Posts: 1,547
    bendertherobot wrote:
    So, yes, always option 1. But crud guards are no replacement for 25 or 28c with SKS full guards. Don't forget that carbon melts in rain and evaporates on exposure to ice.

    This confuses me - the Focus wont take proper guards but your comments seem to indicate relagating it to the winter bike.

    I do use my winter bike in all weathers, except ice where it is too dangerous - something that has caught my eye is the De Rosa Milanino Training bike it pushes my budget but given in this country we ride winter bikes for 8 months of the year surely it is worth it?

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