all year round bike with mudguard options

mikey2341

Having got drenched today when my crud racer snapped, I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and get a bike that will take full guards (and a wider tyre possibly),

What are people's opinions on running just one bike,put guards on for winter and then run it without guards in the summer.

Currently looking at Alu Cannondale synapse, Kinesis 4S and Ribble 365 carbon, are there any others worth looking at?

Thanks

stueys

I'm starting to sound like a broken record but think my caadx rival 22 was a great buy. I'm running it with 28's, full guards and of course it comes with hydr discs. Has a sportive type geo and now I've swapped the stock wheels out isn't at all bad on weight.

mikey2341

this is looking like a good deal:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/can ... 8#features

I think it takes full guards?

iron-clover

Virtually any of the 'budget'/ entry level bikes with mudguard mounts/ long drop brake calipers would fit the bill- no need to splash out on anything too fancy for the grotty weather, and even relatively cheap frames can be quite good nowerdays.
The synapes and Kinesis would undoubtedly be good options- I would go for the cheaper components as apart from maybe BB and chainrings, the rest of the kit will be perfectly good, and can always be slowly upgraded as bits wear out.

I wouldn't bother taking the mudguards off in summer (the amount of rainfall is nearly the same in the Summer months as winter) and just keep your other bike for the nice days.

The cannondale you've posted is a good option, but it doesn't have front mudguard mounts which will make mounting full guard up front tricky (same problem with their cross bikes). P clips might help though.

mikey2341

iron-clover wrote:

Virtually any of the 'budget'/ entry level bikes with mudguard mounts/ long drop brake calipers would fit the bill- no need to splash out on anything too fancy for the grotty weather, and even relatively cheap frames can be quite good nowerdays.
The synapes and Kinesis would undoubtedly be good options- I would go for the cheaper components as apart from maybe BB and chainrings, the rest of the kit will be perfectly good, and can always be slowly upgraded as bits wear out.

I wouldn't bother taking the mudguards off in summer (the amount of rainfall is nearly the same in the Summer months as winter) and just keep your other bike for the nice days.

The cannondale you've posted is a good option, but it doesn't have front mudguard mounts which will make mounting full guard up front tricky (same problem with their cross bikes). P clips might help though.

Thanks for the reply, this one looks like it has mounts on the front? http://www.evanscycles.com/products/can ... e-ec054417

gloomyandy

The planet-x London Road, looks like an interesting option for this sort of use.

wotnoshoeseh

hhmmmm - try this...
viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12998044&hilit=28mm

mikey2341

wotnoshoeseh wrote:

hhmmmm - try this...
viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12998044&hilit=28mm

Thanks for this, I'm liking the Kinesis 4s more and more, just need to work out sizes now!

Dippydog3

sporttourer

iron-clover wrote:

:x
The cannondale you've posted is a good option, but it doesn't have front mudguard mounts which will make mounting full guard up front tricky (same problem with their cross bikes). P clips might help though.

The Synapse Disc will take full mudguards on the front - the mounts are inside the forks. I have SKS chromoplastics fitted to mine.

stueys

iron-clover wrote:

Virtually any of the 'budget'/ entry level bikes with mudguard mounts/ long drop brake calipers would fit the bill- no need to splash out on anything too fancy for the grotty weather, and even relatively cheap frames can be quite good nowerdays.
The synapes and Kinesis would undoubtedly be good options- I would go for the cheaper components as apart from maybe BB and chainrings, the rest of the kit will be perfectly good, and can always be slowly upgraded as bits wear out.

I wouldn't bother taking the mudguards off in summer (the amount of rainfall is nearly the same in the Summer months as winter) and just keep your other bike for the nice days.

The cannondale you've posted is a good option, but it doesn't have front mudguard mounts which will make mounting full guard up front tricky (same problem with their cross bikes). P clips might help though.

Certainly some of the dale CX have front mudguard mounts, the ones on mine are currently doing a grand job holding the front mudguard on...

DrLex

Dippydog3 wrote:

{pics of Diverge carbon}

How are you finding this bike, esp. the plug-and-play mudguards? On the verge of buying one (albeit the model down), and could do with another real-world view.
TIA!

Hoppy72

Stueys wrote:

I'm starting to sound like a broken record but think my caadx rival 22 was a great buy. I'm running it with 28's, full guards and of course it comes with hydr discs. Has a sportive type geo and now I've swapped the stock wheels out isn't at all bad on weight.

Which mudguards did you go with? Did you have to bend them around the disc?

How Far is too Far

I have a 2015 Synapse 105 Disk with SKS P35 mudguards fitted, It has now done over 1000 miles this winter and never missed a beat. I am more than happy with it I have even done a few long rides of 120 miles+ on it as it is so comfy. Not the lightest mind but at that price point it is better than a lot. The 11 speed 105 is worth a mention as well, it is so much better to use than the 10 speed Shimano Groupset I have had.

Dippydog3

DrLex wrote:

Dippydog3 wrote:

{pics of Diverge carbon}

How are you finding this bike, esp. the plug-and-play mudguards? On the verge of buying one (albeit the model down), and could do with another real-world view.
TIA!

Apologies for slow reply. Only just seen your note.

The bike is perfect for what I use it for. Bumpy tarmac roads, and cycle tracks. I have changed the standard tyres, but there were fine for the first 1000km or so, I may have just got unlucky with punctures. The supplied ones are 32mm and I have swapped to 30mm. Dont look any different really. The bike would be fine on much rougher surfaces, like proper gravel, but would need more suitable tyres. Clearance is not an issue.

The spec says the mudguards will fit. Spesh uk said they wouldnt. I bought them anyway. It is a tight fit, but there is sufficient clearance, even with 32mm. They just need to be set up correctly. The picture above was taken before I sorted the front one. People have commented that you don't really notice that the bike has mudguards.

At 1500km one of the bottom bracket bearings got a little rough, so I changed it for ceramic ones. Much nicer and only £15 each so no brainer.

The brakes are awesome, even in the pouring rain. On muddy, very wet roads grit seems to get thrown up onto the front disc rotor so they graunch a bit when you first apply, but it soon washes off.

I would buy another one tomorrow if this one was spirited away.

hugo15

I have a Kinesis TK3, which is the same as the 4S before they renamed it. I use mine as a winter bike, wet ride bike and commuter bike. I've been really pleased with it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Size wise I am 5' 10" and I ride a 54 with 100mm stem.

DrLex

Dippydog3 wrote:

[...]I would buy another one tomorrow if this one was spirited away.

thanks! Much appreciated (except by my wallet); can you recall the type and source of the bearings? Recently did the rear hub on my Roubaix & that was well under a tenner from simplybearings.

Gaz777

Just thought I'd add an extra view on the diverge, as I bought one as a new winter bike this year. I'd second what Dippydog has said. I really like the bike and it's transformed my winter riding. The bike is comfortable, handles really well, and the brakes are superb. I was regularly dropped on descents last year as I just wasn't confident on the brakes on my old winter bike. This year, I'm the one doing the dropping! Positive, strong, predictable braking, in all conditions.

I have 25c slicks on mine, and it rides really well. I found the plug and play guards to be an excellent fit, and I prefer them to the Chromoplastics I had on my old bike. I don't get any rattle or buzz off the PnP's at all. I extended the front one slightly by adding on a spare part from a set of road racer 2's to further deflect more crap away from the BB. As has been mentioned, the guards are such a good fit that they're not always immediately noticed by others.

You could certainly use it as an all year round bike if you fancied, and I'd definitely have another one!

northpole

Well, I'd suggest you stick a pin on changing bikes just because your cruds let you down.

I used them one winter and found them to be dreadful in terms of build quality and generally rattling around and going out of alignment on an all too regular basis.

Only just getting round to finding a replacement and I think these SKS may be the answer

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ksamudr263

The link are out of stock but I think these are the ones I saw on a Colnago C59 earlier this year, the owner swearing by them. This may well provide you with a solution for less than £50 instead of buying a new bike which may or may not be as good a fit as your existing bike.

I used a set of SKS race blades on an organised ride earlier this year and found them to be very secure, despite them only having the glorified rubber bands to secure them.

Peter

Dippydog3

DrLex wrote:

Dippydog3 wrote:

[...]I would buy another one tomorrow if this one was spirited away.

thanks! Much appreciated (except by my wallet); can you recall the type and source of the bearings? Recently did the rear hub on my Roubaix & that was well under a tenner from simplybearings.

I have [url=thesehttp://www.wychbearings.co.uk/CO-6806-VV-Zero_Ceramic-Enduro.html]thesehttp://www.wychbearings.co.uk/CO-6 ... nduro.html[/url]
More than I remembered.

DrLex

May have been the ones on this page; the one you linked to has fantastic copy for the product:

"balls are Grade 3, Silicon Nitride (Si3n4). These are the roundest balls you can buy without a military license. The races are treated with a black oxide coating, which helps prevent rusting in the bearing. The races are then reground to a mirror finish after this treatment. Finally, they are cryogenically treated for strength before assembly. We also use Silicone VV seals, which is the lightest drag seal available on the market.

Si3N4 balls with 52100 High carbon Chromium Alloy Races with Cryogenic Treatment:
 Cryogenic treatment takes the races down to minus three hundred degree Fahrenheit to normalize the crystalline structure of the material so the races will resist the hardness of the ceramic balls and get the maximum wear potential."

Otherwise SKFwill be fine - good to know the size in advance; cheers!

mikey2341

sporttourer wrote:

iron-clover wrote:

:x
The cannondale you've posted is a good option, but it doesn't have front mudguard mounts which will make mounting full guard up front tricky (same problem with their cross bikes). P clips might help though.

The Synapse Disc will take full mudguards on the front - the mounts are inside the forks. I have SKS chromoplastics fitted to mine.

I went in to Evans today and the guy there was insistent that guards wouldn't fit on the front, when I pointed to the screws on the inside of the forks, he said they were for attaching a front pannier set?? Didn't inspire me with confidence...

iron-clover

mikey2341 wrote:

I went in to Evans today and the guy there was insistent that guards wouldn't fit on the front, when I pointed to the screws on the inside of the forks, he said they were for attaching a front pannier set?? Didn't inspire me with confidence...

Yeah- I did recently go and have a look at a CaadX in my LBS during their sale in the last week, and saw the bolt holes on the inside of the fork- it should work as a mudguard mount, might be a bit more fiddly but then it only needs doing once.
Very difficult to see how you could mount a pannier to it though...

It was a very nice machine in the flesh and I can't say I wasn't tempted- not quite cheap enough to justify at the mo but it's shot to the top of my CX wish list!