Saucy thoughts about a new carbon steed...

ugo.santalucia

menthel wrote:

Another thing against cross bikes are that they seem to be smothered in SRAM! I don't bloody like double tap. .

You will find just as many with Shimano. Personally I would never fit SRAM on my bike... maybe the RD, as the 1:1 ones are very good

bendertherobot

That Ritchey above would look lovely in Record. Just lovely.

menthel

bendertherobot wrote:

That Ritchey above would look lovely in Record. Just lovely.

Fails on 3 counts:
Not carbon
It's a flipping CX bike
I am not doing campagnolo again- it's a pain in the bum to maintain at home.

Otherwise, lovely!

bendertherobot

It's steel. Steel is cool, so very cool.

It's a utilitarian bike. A real world bike. So, very cool.

Groupset, the beauty to frame only is you get to choose. Choose wisely though. Be cool.

leeefm

May as well push the boat out...

http://www.craddockcycles.co.uk/

UndercoverElephant

bendertherobot wrote:

#thingsofbeauty

Not really though, you've just found an arty photoshopped photo of something that really quite ordinary:



It's like when people voted Bianca from Eastenders as being one of the world's sexiest women. Some people are just odd.

bendertherobot

Gingerist.

I have a Planet X XLS coming today. Pretty flanders colours. Carbon.

It's fairly exciting but I would be bunking off work if that Ritchey were on the van for delivery.

bendertherobot

And here's the red one, cantis mind.

asprilla

bendertherobot wrote:

It's a utilitarian bike. A real world bike. So, very cool.

This is where I am in my lifecycle too. I no longer own a carbon bike.

I've got an old alu road bike that I ride in the summer, an alu CX bike (that is brilliant and this morning with all of 30 miles on it I was thinking that it could easily replace the Cervelo), a Brompton, a steel SS and an alu SS hybrid for family rides.

This is substantially fewer bikes than I had in August and I don't think I need any more (although I reserve the right to change my mind).

menthel

Blimey, me thread is full of jumped up mountain bikes made of girders!

bendertherobot

menthel wrote:

Blimey, me thread is full of jumped up mountain bikes made of girders!

you lot are the reason for the price of oil today. Which in turn causes more cars to be on the roads. Shame on you.

ugo.santalucia

What's not to freaking like?

leeefm

ugo.santalucia wrote:

What's not to freaking like?

Those big metal circular things attached to the hubs... :twisted:

[luddite alert]

menthel

Knobbly tyres and that they look like they will smell like talcum powder...

ugo.santalucia

I rest my case.

You will buy a road bike... you will get excited about a 3 second improvement on BoxHill... autumn will arrive, you will realise you got it wrong and you have three bikes but none really... you will sell one bike and buy a CX bike... I was just trying to speed up the inevitable, but maybe things have to follow their natural course...

menthel

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I rest my case.

You will buy a road bike... you will get excited about a 3 second improvement on BoxHill... autumn will arrive, you will realise you got it wrong and you have three bikes but none really... you will sell one bike and buy a CX bike... I was just trying to speed up the inevitable, but maybe things have to follow their natural course...

3 seconds faster? My times up box hill are measured in epochs!

Still 3 seconds less to wait for cake sounds very promising...

dhope

Asprilla wrote:

an alu CX bike (that is brilliant and this morning with all of 30 miles on it I was thinking that it could easily replace the Cervelo),

You quite liked its first ride too then? 8)
I still need to muster up some annoyance at the poor service when I email them, then I'll be waxing lyrical about it too

Sorry, back to topic. That BMC looked quite nice, you sure the Di2 frame doesn't take mechanical?

menthel

dhope wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

an alu CX bike (that is brilliant and this morning with all of 30 miles on it I was thinking that it could easily replace the Cervelo),

You quite liked its first ride too then? 8)
I still need to muster up some annoyance at the poor service when I email them, then I'll be waxing lyrical about it too

Sorry, back to topic. That BMC looked quite nice, you sure the Di2 frame doesn't take mechanical?

Fairly sure- I had a poke around and it seemed that those frames are di2 specific.

spasypaddy

why are CX riders so militant?

menthel

spasypaddy wrote:

why are CX riders so militant?

It fills the void left behind because they bought a confused mountain bike rather than a real road bike!

bendertherobot

spasypaddy wrote:

why are CX riders so militant?

Cos we're niche and marginalised. You have to be bloody militant to do some of the stuff we do.

veronese68

leeefm wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

What's not to freaking like?

Those big metal circular things attached to the hubs... :twisted:

[luddite alert]

Do you remember that steep hill with a sharp bend at the bottom on the Ditchling Devil? Those big metal things did a very good job of stopping me without any drama on that. And I don't remember Menthel comparing my bike to a tractor then either :evil:

leeefm

Veronese68 wrote:

Do you remember that steep hill with a sharp bend at the bottom on the Ditchling Devil? Those big metal things did a very good job of stopping me without any drama on that. And I don't remember Menthel comparing my bike to a tractor then either :evil:

Indeed I do, I think we all struggled there, bar you. I am a luddite though when it comes to discs... (actually probably more scared at how good they are at stopping :oops: )

Don't let my luddite-ness put you off Menthel!

veronese68

What about something like this?

Decent brakes with the added disadvantages of a pure road bike. ie. it won't take fat tyres.

the_fuggler

They've got that Saracen in my LBS. Lovely in the flesh.

menthel

I'm not all that bothered by disc brakes- I suspect I will end up without them this time but with for the next commuter.

I suspect this is going to go one of two ways- I ride the emonda and love it or I end up in Condor with my sweaty hands on a squadra...

menthel

Oh and speaking of the Devil (Ditchling) anyone fancy it again?

jonny_trousers

The Fuggler wrote:

They've got that Saracen in my LBS. Lovely in the flesh.

That's good because it's pig-ugly in that photo

If I was buying a carbon bike now I'd probably be jumping on the disc bandwagon. They're the future, apparently.

ugo.santalucia

menthel wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

why are CX riders so militant?

It fills the void left behind because they bought a confused mountain bike rather than a real road bike!

MTBikes have their place, but it's clearly not the south east... you'll struggle to find more than a handful of miles where you are legally allowed to ride that do require a MTBike

menthel

ugo.santalucia wrote:

menthel wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

why are CX riders so militant?

It fills the void left behind because they bought a confused mountain bike rather than a real road bike!

MTBikes have their place, but it's clearly not the south east... you'll struggle to find more than a handful of miles where you are legally allowed to ride that do require a MTBike

I know the chap who owns large tracts of the Hurtwood- he says that they are an absolute pain. They endanger themselves and others making tracks on private land and then don't really take any care around the forestry machinery that it there. It is a beautiful part of the world though- especially around the back of Peaslake and then back towards Friday street. One of my favourite cycles!