Building (or buying) 2 road bikes on a budget
Comments
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I'd buy another one with no hesitation, love mine. Problem is that would mean discs so the spare wheels wouldn't fit which would push cost up further. Also it would be daft not to go full hydraulic now so the shifters also wouldn't work.If you are determined on the slightly posher route - merlin have some small sizes of crosslight pro 6 at 400 quid. One problem with this frame is you will end up loving it more than your much more expensive bikes - it is a real dooozy
I'd still buy one if I didn't already have one though.0 -
I'd buy another one with no hesitation, love mine. Problem is that would mean discs so the spare wheels wouldn't fit which would push cost up further. Also it would be daft not to go full hydraulic now so the shifters also wouldn't work.If you are determined on the slightly posher route - merlin have some small sizes of crosslight pro 6 at 400 quid. One problem with this frame is you will end up loving it more than your much more expensive bikes - it is a real dooozy
I'd still buy one if I didn't already have one though.
Carbon fork?
Couldn't see it mentioned.
Love it in green. As you say though you would have to go full hydraulic, and they are around £350 on their own - and only in Ultegra flavour I think?
That could be an option though, as I could then migrate my Marin to Spain.Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
Full Carbon fork. Very happy crosslight pro6 owner here.0
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Yes, full carbon. You can get bikes with full hydraulic 105, so presumably available as a groupset somehow.
Green is of course the best colour.0 -
Might be worth a look at the crosslight build kits, eg here:
http://www.probikekit.co.uk/cycling-groupsets/kinesis-crosslight-disc-build-kit-105-11sp-2015/10996960.html
Includes the rather well regarded crosslight wheels and good spyre brakes - a fairly decent price for the bundle although not much scope for part reusage.
I'm not sure any UK shops offer the Shimano Hydraulic groupset for sale complete, it is available at a couple of the german retailers though:
http://www.starbike.com/en/shimano-105-5800-groupset-2-11-speed-with-hydraulic-disc-brakes/0 -
Yes, full carbon. You can get bikes with full hydraulic 105, so presumably available as a groupset somehow.
Green is of course the best colour.
Hydraulic discs are still non series, but they're Ultegra level. Would work fine with 105.
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/shimano-combines-hydraulic-disc-braking-with-mechanical-shifting-40535/0 -
Yes, now I remember. You can't buy a groupset, so have to buy separate parts and assemble. Having a bike with a hydraulic converter, and having had cable calipers, I wouldn't fit anything other than full hydraulics if I was building it up now.Yes, full carbon. You can get bikes with full hydraulic 105, so presumably available as a groupset somehow.
Green is of course the best colour.
Hydraulic discs are still non series, but they're Ultegra level. Would work fine with 105.
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/shimano-combines-hydraulic-disc-braking-with-mechanical-shifting-40535/0 -
In the spirit of the original post - this time last year, I decided to get myself a "winter beater" for riding commuting through the grot and winter. I decided that I wanted to build it up myself and use the most basic, cheap stuff that I could repair as I went on and I got:
Genesis Aether from the classifieds (Al, pos al/carbon(?) fork) £100
Claris Groupset £80
and built it up with bits and bobs I had lying around the shed (inc Aksium wheels, cheap shimano pedals, deda stem/bars).
Got a) the enjoyment of building it and using everything up that I had lying around and b) the knowledge that I wasn't trashing my decent bikes on the day to day grind.
And actually - it wasn't that bad you know. Claris "worked" - I put better brakes on, but got used to the thumb shifters and the missing gear opportunities and often ended up grabbing it for quick thrashes if the weather was mucky cos it was mudguarded up and fine to ride.
My enjoyment ended when a car pulled in front of me and took me off, dislocating my shoulder and forcing the front wheel back, shifting the headtube, bending the forks and bars and stem), but I'd definitely think of that option again. We have a place that we go to in Cornwall and I often think about leaving a bike down there so we don't have the hassle of loading the car up and taking it down - to be on the safe side you'd want a spare chain, inners etc handy down there and spare 8 speed parts are dirt cheap. Having said that - my missus rides 10 speed tiagra and I think it is a perfectly decent groupset and also silly cheap.http://www.georgesfoundation.org
http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/0 -
Thanks mroli - I have built 4 bikes now, and enjoy it a lot, but with a young family, work and cycling commitments (ie wanting to get the miles in) it can be tricky to find the time, it's not like I wind down the miles over winter or anything.
The Crosslight looks lovely, BUT it's £400, and as already mentioned, I would only be happy with hydraulic discs, and it's not even as if I could sit with normal brakes in the interim.
So we are looking at £600 for a 105 groupset from Starbike, plus, what £200 for a pair of wheels (The only disc wheels I have are on my mountain bike or the cargo bike!), so that's already up to £1200, before tyres etc.
And the Rose DX3000 is something like £1300, and has full 11spd ultegra and ultegra hydraulic brakes, so it's a difficult one for me to quantify really - as lovely looking and well reviewed as the Kinesis is.
Part of me wants to stick with the Marin for my winter bike, and part of me wants to ship it to Spain and get myself a new shiny one for here - the 'winter' bike does take the vast majority of my mileage.Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
If you do try to find a budget route I really should sell my BB7 calipers and they would be cheap. Not as good as Spyres but good for cable.The Crosslight looks lovely, BUT it's £400, and as already mentioned, I would only be happy with hydraulic discs, and it's not even as if I could sit with normal brakes in the interim.
So we are looking at £600 for a 105 groupset from Starbike, plus, what £200 for a pair of wheels (The only disc wheels I have are on my mountain bike or the cargo bike!), so that's already up to £1200, before tyres etc.0 -
If you do try to find a budget route I really should sell my BB7 calipers and they would be cheap. Not as good as Spyres but good for cable.The Crosslight looks lovely, BUT it's £400, and as already mentioned, I would only be happy with hydraulic discs, and it's not even as if I could sit with normal brakes in the interim.
So we are looking at £600 for a 105 groupset from Starbike, plus, what £200 for a pair of wheels (The only disc wheels I have are on my mountain bike or the cargo bike!), so that's already up to £1200, before tyres etc.
Thanks for that, will keep that in mind.
Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
Just to add to this, I have now noticed that you can buy a full Ultegra hydraulic groupset for just over £600.
Kinesis Crosslight 6 owners, is there anyway to mount full mudguards - there is no hole in the front fork above the wheel....?Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
Are you now thinking of Kinesis 6 with full hydraulic Ultegra?
Now you're back in Rose and Canyon terrority 0 -
Are you now thinking of Kinesis 6 with full hydraulic Ultegra?
Now you're back in Rose and Canyon terrority
It's tricky.......
I've kind of some to the decision that the Marin is 10 years old, and is the bike I hammer the most, so it seems to make more sense to transport it to Spain, and invest in a new toy for me here to cover X thousand miles a year on.
I posted on the road thread about a suitable bike, and the defy 1 disc was mentioned, and I do very much like the look of it, having always discounted Giant bikes previously.
The bonus with that angle is that it's £999 and I can buy it on the cycle to work scheme next May.
The downside is that it's not Ultegra, but 105 (I am aware there is little real difference, so I use the word downside advisedly!) and has mechanical discs.
Upside is that I could likely upgrade to Ultegra hydraulic immediately, and probably sell the 105 shifters and brakes on for what, £200?
Downside with the Kinesis is that the frame is £400, groupset £600, and despite me having spare wheels none are disc compatible, so that's another £200, which is £1200 immediately, and no cycle to work option......Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
Yes, I have full guards on mine much of the time. Unfortunately the only picture I have with them on you can't see them very well. They are Chromoplastics, you might have to bend the stays depending on how wide the calipers are.Just to add to this, I have now noticed that you can buy a full Ultegra hydraulic groupset for just over £600.
Kinesis Crosslight 6 owners, is there anyway to mount full mudguards - there is no hole in the front fork above the wheel....?
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Are you now thinking of Kinesis 6 with full hydraulic Ultegra?
Now you're back in Rose and Canyon terrority
It's tricky.......
I've kind of some to the decision that the Marin is 10 years old, and is the bike I hammer the most, so it seems to make more sense to transport it to Spain, and invest in a new toy for me here to cover X thousand miles a year on.
I posted on the road thread about a suitable bike, and the defy 1 disc was mentioned, and I do very much like the look of it, having always discounted Giant bikes previously.
The bonus with that angle is that it's £999 and I can buy it on the cycle to work scheme next May.
The downside is that it's not Ultegra, but 105 (I am aware there is little real difference, so I use the word downside advisedly!) and has mechanical discs.
Upside is that I could likely upgrade to Ultegra hydraulic immediately, and probably sell the 105 shifters and brakes on for what, £200?
Downside with the Kinesis is that the frame is £400, groupset £600, and despite me having spare wheels none are disc compatible, so that's another £200, which is £1200 immediately, and no cycle to work option......
Well if you're going for the full build then see if ChainReaction will work out a groupset with the Di2 hydraulic shifters
No point doing it half arsed
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-r785-di2-road-disc-brake/rp-prod1199800
