New Bike Advice - Road with Disk Brake

vmesri

Hi,

After commuting to work for a year and half on London busy roads on a Specialized Secteur, I have decided to treat myself to a bike with some decent disk brakes, comfortable seat and a less duller look! The price isn't to exceed what I have saved on commute - £2k.

After some research, I have shortlisted the following:

- Lapierr Sensium 500 Disk
- GT Grade Carbon 105
- Cannondale Synapse 105 disk
- Cube Agree C62 disk

Judging only by looks, I particularly like the Sensium but there isn't much about in online (in terms of reviews). Has anyone had any experience with these machines? I would appreciate if you also advise on any other descent bike you might know.

Thanks,
Vahid

ugo.santalucia

I am not quite sure why you want a full on road bike to commute... if you went for a cyclocross one instead, you would have all the benefits and none of the drawbacks... for instance you could ditch the impractical 23 mm tyres for something with more volume (28-38 mm) that won't get stuck in a crack, manhole or hole in the tarmac and kill you... there are infinite benefits from having more tyres clearance and virtually no drawback

Does it make sense?

meanredspider

Then the Grade makes a lot of sense - I don't know the other bikes but the Grade has great tyre clearance. I would avoid bikes with CX chainsets myself but go for a road chainset. I also don't like CX geometry. That's why I got the Jamis Renegade.

imposter2.0

For clarity...

break = brake
descent = decent

Let the flaming commence...

vmesri

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I am not quite sure why you want a full on road bike to commute... if you went for a cyclocross one instead, you would have all the benefits and none of the drawbacks... for instance you could ditch the impractical 23 mm tyres for something with more volume (28-38 mm) that won't get stuck in a crack, manhole or hole in the tarmac and kill you... there are infinite benefits from having more tyres clearance and virtually no drawback

Does it make sense?

Its an interesting point! The only issue I might potentially have with cyclocross bikes might be their extra weight compared to a carbon road bike. I currently have a 9 mile journey to work each way which would become 11 as we are moving further away from town. Also a scary looking hill - shooters hill - is going to be introduced to my journey.

vmesri

meanredspider wrote:

Then the Grade makes a lot of sense - I don't know the other bikes but the Grade has great tyre clearance. I would avoid bikes with CX chainsets myself but go for a road chainset. I also don't like CX geometry. That's why I got the Jamis Renegade.

hmmm, Jamis Renegade looks like a serious contender.

vmesri

Imposter wrote:

For clarity...

break = brake
descent = decent

Let the flaming commence...

All advice welcome

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Have you got very secure facilities at both ends of your commute journey? An expensive bike will stand out like a sore thumb to potential thieves.

I've just bought a Voodoo Wazoo as an "anywhere bike" instead of a Pinnacle Arkose Singlespeed 2015, because my old back muscle injury seems to be playing up more these days, since the crash on my Tricross just over two years ago. It's a bit extreme for road commuting on 4" wide tyres, but it is great fun and something different to what I have owned in the past!;)

For something a little more conventional, I would look at bikes such as...
Voodoo Marassa (£314 in current sale)
13 Incline Alpha (£450 in sale)
Voodoo Bizango (£540 in current sale)
13 Implicit Beta (£550 in sale)
Pinnacle Arkose Singlespeed 2015 (£600)
London Road (£650+, flat bar could be upgraded to Deore hydraulic brakes for ~£40 at Merlin Cycles)
Pinnacle Arkose 2 2015 (£722)

bendertherobot

Have you got cyclescheme?

If so get a bog standard disc brake commuter. The Grade is a good choice. Get a Tiagra one.

Then spend your £2k on a Synapse Carbon disc for road riding at other times.

kajjal

I have a diverge but from your list would be looking at the GT grade as it gets good reviews and is rugged enough to commute on. The only downside is which ever bike you commute on will take a lot of punishment unless you have a non-urban commute. Second hand or a cheaper bike may be better value but nothing wrong with a good quality bike.

The main thing for me would be good brakes and being able to fit good mudguards in the wetter months.

getnoticed

I was in a similar position a few weeks ago and it came down to a Lapierre vs Cannondale decision.

I couldn't find local Lapierre dealer so went with Cannondale as I could get a test ride in my size.

Try before you buy and see if the dealer can fit you as well.

ugo.santalucia

vmesri wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I am not quite sure why you want a full on road bike to commute... if you went for a cyclocross one instead, you would have all the benefits and none of the drawbacks... for instance you could ditch the impractical 23 mm tyres for something with more volume (28-38 mm) that won't get stuck in a crack, manhole or hole in the tarmac and kill you... there are infinite benefits from having more tyres clearance and virtually no drawback

Does it make sense?

Its an interesting point! The only issue I might potentially have with cyclocross bikes might be their extra weight compared to a carbon road bike. I currently have a 9 mile journey to work each way which would become 11 as we are moving further away from town. Also a scary looking hill - shooters hill - is going to be introduced to my journey.

A carbon road bike with discs will be around 8 Kg and an equivalent cyclocross probably around 8.5-9 Kg. Very small difference... your commute is not particularly long and Shooters hill not particularly impressive. Get over it, you'll be fine

ugo.santalucia

meanredspider wrote:

Then the Grade makes a lot of sense - I don't know the other bikes but the Grade has great tyre clearance. I would avoid bikes with CX chainsets myself but go for a road chainset. I also don't like CX geometry. That's why I got the Jamis Renegade.

CX is the best chainset I ever had

97th choice

I can't see how the expense is worth it for a 11 mile commute, unless you use it for recreational riding as well over much longer distances.

frisbee

I have a 2015 aluminium grade (with RS685 brakes), fitted 45mm guards and it is brilliant. It rolls very well, comfortable ride, plenty of grip and loving braking like a motorbike. The FSA chainset and rings seem to be wearing pretty quickly but other than that no complaints.

If I had got the carbon one I could easily see me getting a lighter set of wheels and using it all year round.

My concern with the 2016 bikes is the 105 levers, I just don't like the 105 hydraulic hood shape.

meanredspider

97th choice wrote:

I can't see how the expense is worth it for a 11 mile commute, unless you use it for recreational riding as well over much longer distances.

It's 110 miles a week for the commute alone and something like 5000 miles a year - I bet there's many a nicer bike that does nothing like that. Apart from potential security issues, I've never understood why anybody would skimp on a commuting bike (or clothes for that matter) - you have to ride it in all conditions and you need it to be safe and reliable. It matters a lot less if your bike lets you down on a Sunday jaunt.

alan_sherman

Tripster ATR. Is over budget but titanium all road goodness...
Pickenflick if you don't care about mudguards.

vmesri

NitrousOxide wrote:

Have you got very secure facilities at both ends of your commute journey? An expensive bike will stand out like a sore thumb to potential thieves.

I've just bought a Voodoo Wazoo as an "anywhere bike" instead of a Pinnacle Arkose Singlespeed 2015, because my old back muscle injury seems to be playing up more these days, since the crash on my Tricross just over two years ago. It's a bit extreme for road commuting on 4" wide tyres, but it is great fun and something different to what I have owned in the past!;)

For something a little more conventional, I would look at bikes such as...
Voodoo Marassa (£314 in current sale)
13 Incline Alpha (£450 in sale)
Voodoo Bizango (£540 in current sale)
13 Implicit Beta (£550 in sale)
Pinnacle Arkose Singlespeed 2015 (£600)
London Road (£650+, flat bar could be upgraded to Deore hydraulic brakes for ~£40 at Merlin Cycles)
Pinnacle Arkose 2 2015 (£722)

I'm sorry to hear that you had a crash. I also suffer slightly from lower back pain which is caused by too much office work probably so I'm looking to buy something with a more upright sitting position.

I keep the bike in a locked garage at home and in a locked basement at work so its quite secure.

Last year I bought a Trek XCaliber 9 for off-road which is fun on the road too. I use it every now and then to commute but I would say the tires need to be changed to slick for it to be a long term solution. Its also a bit wide compared to my road bike and I managed to knock down some car's side mirror once, trying to ride through traffic!

Pinnacle Arkose seems to be a good choice but I'm not sure if it has enough range of gears to be able to cope with steep hills.

vmesri

bendertherobot wrote:

Have you got cyclescheme?

If so get a bog standard disc brake commuter. The Grade is a good choice. Get a Tiagra one.

Then spend your £2k on a Synapse Carbon disc for road riding at other times.

I used cyclescheme last year and got a Trek Caliber 9. Grade Tiagra seems to be aluminium with mechanical disk brake...

bendertherobot

vmesri wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Have you got cyclescheme?

If so get a bog standard disc brake commuter. The Grade is a good choice. Get a Tiagra one.

Then spend your £2k on a Synapse Carbon disc for road riding at other times.

I used cyclescheme last year and got a Trek Caliber 9. Grade Tiagra seems to be aluminium with mechanical disk brake...

When can you get another voucher?

vmesri

bendertherobot wrote:

vmesri wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Have you got cyclescheme?

If so get a bog standard disc brake commuter. The Grade is a good choice. Get a Tiagra one.

Then spend your £2k on a Synapse Carbon disc for road riding at other times.

I used cyclescheme last year and got a Trek Caliber 9. Grade Tiagra seems to be aluminium with mechanical disk brake...

When can you get another voucher?

I think after 3 years as the hire period lasts that long.

bendertherobot

Have a check. My hire periods are long but the bike contract payments last 18 months. After that you can start again and keep the old one on hire.

bendertherobot

meanredspider wrote:

97th choice wrote:

I can't see how the expense is worth it for a 11 mile commute, unless you use it for recreational riding as well over much longer distances.

It's 110 miles a week for the commute alone and something like 5000 miles a year - I bet there's many a nicer bike that does nothing like that. Apart from potential security issues, I've never understood why anybody would skimp on a commuting bike (or clothes for that matter) - you have to ride it in all conditions and you need it to be safe and reliable. It matters a lot less if your bike lets you down on a Sunday jaunt.

It rather depends on N+1 doesn't it? Choose one, you may as well get a good one. Choose two, then the only thing you need for a commute is reliability. A Claris bike will stand up to the elements just fine.

Now, we then get into the psychological stuff. Have a bike you want to ride and you will commute. Have something hateful and you won't. But even a £500 bike will be comfortable and reliable enough for commuting. And if you can do N+1 you can use the superbike on the nice days or when it has to be pushed into service because you're waiting for something like new tyres.