People of a disc persuasion....

y33stu

I'm after a new winter hack for the commute. 115 miles a week, all on road, in whatever the gods throw at me.

Background, I bought a CX bike with BB7 disc brakes a couple of years ago, and genuinely detested the brakes. They always rubbed, were a nightmare to adjust, and offered no better braking than the Cantilever braked CX bike that replaced them. (I sold the bike after 3 months and bought one with Canti's)

However, discs seem to be the future, so I'm prepared to give them another shot, so that I have the option of wider or even nobbly tyres for deepest winter, and so that I can fit full guards.

I'm not spending a lot, and I'm doing the bike to work whatsit, so I'm looking at :

https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale-synapse-alloy-tiagra-6-disc-2016-road-bike-EV239411 OR

https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale-caadx-tiagra-disc-2016-cyclocross-bike-EV239423

They both have Promax Render R discs - anyone with any experience of these tell me how good/bad they are?

I'm not set on either of those bikes, or even one with discs, so will happily listen to suggestions on other bikes around the same £££

arlowood

y33stu wrote:

I'm after a new winter hack for the commute. 115 miles a week, all on road, in whatever the gods throw at me.

Background, I bought a CX bike with BB7 disc brakes a couple of years ago, and genuinely detested the brakes. They always rubbed, were a nightmare to adjust, and offered no better braking than the Cantilever braked CX bike that replaced them. (I sold the bike after 3 months and bought one with Canti's)

However, discs seem to be the future, so I'm prepared to give them another shot, so that I have the option of wider or even nobbly tyres for deepest winter, and so that I can fit full guards.

I'm not spending a lot, and I'm doing the bike to work whatsit, so I'm looking at :

https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale-synapse-alloy-tiagra-6-disc-2016-road-bike-EV239411 OR

https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale-caadx-tiagra-disc-2016-cyclocross-bike-EV239423

They both have Promax Render R discs - anyone with any experience of these tell me how good/bad they are?

I'm not set on either of those bikes, or even one with discs, so will happily listen to suggestions on other bikes around the same £££

For similar money you can get hydraulic discs if you're happy to go a bit left field with an SRAM 1 x 11 drivetrain

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNAPE ... -road-bike

Mudguard mounts and bags of room for big rubber so ideal as a commuter. PX do subscribe to the C2W scheme if that's what you want to use.

fenix

Knobbly tyres and tarmac aren't a good mix...

bendertherobot

The Promax are ok. On a par with the BB7 but do seem slightly easier to set up. Essentially you line up the "static" side then wind in and out as required. The CAADX is a stunning bike but I swapped out the Promax to the much better Juin Tech R1.

thepeginator

That London Road is a bargain... I've got the BB7 'Road' version on my London build and they're great, the trick so to adjust them properly and make sure when you remove/replace the wheels you get them absolutely 100% seated in the drop-outs on both sides and make sure the skewers are fairly tight.

Those Juin Tech's are supposed to be quite good, the advantage being because they're a cable actuated hydraulic break both pads move, unlike a cable disc where one pad is static and the other moves towards it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NasGJFtgq0A < BB7 set-up / adjustment video.

londoncommuter

Are you restricted to Evans on Ride2Work?

Fat-Boy-Roubaix

Personally speaking having been through similar with BB5/BB7 I would up the budget and get one with Hydro or steer clear based on your previous experience running BB7. I think people either get on with them or like me whatever you try it turns to crap and you can hear the rub rub rub or back them off so much you might as well unclip and drag you feet.. :-)

I have Shimano Hydro and literally all I have done is replace the rear pads at 3000 miles and the fronts at 3800. 10 min job and maintence free, for me so far.

cookeeemonster

Shimano hydraulics - change pads every few thousand miles (5 min job) and that's it. Fantastic things in the wet!!

ugo.santalucia

thepeginator wrote:

That London Road is a bargain... I've got the BB7 'Road' version on my London build and they're great, the trick so to adjust them properly and make sure when you remove/replace the wheels you get them absolutely 100% seated in the drop-outs on both sides and make sure the skewers are fairly tight.

Those Juin Tech's are supposed to be quite good, the advantage being because they're a cable actuated hydraulic break both pads move, unlike a cable disc where one pad is static and the other moves towards it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NasGJFtgq0A < BB7 set-up / adjustment video.

I had a look at the closeups and it appears to me the piston is made of metal (it looks shiny). That is important. TRP HyRD have a composite piston, what it means is that at the bottom of a steep descent I can put my finger on the caliper, just in the spot where the piston pushes the pad, which means the fluid is lukewarm, so no risk of boiling it. It would be interesting to do the same experiment with the Juin Tech

HyRD give you most of the benefits of the hydraulics with none of the drawbacks. Combined with Jagwire compressionless outer, they are exceptional

y33stu

londoncommuter wrote:

Are you restricted to Evans on Ride2Work?

Nope, I can shop pretty much everywhere (except Halfords, thankfully) was just looking at Evans as I can try them in store before choosing, versus Wiggle etc... where I can't.

I like the look of the London Road, also intrigued by the Hydraulic brakes - I see older London Roads came with Mech brakes - anyone got any feedback on the Sram Hydaulics now on the London Road?

lostboysaint

I'm very impressed with Shimano 105 hydraulics which I rode on a demo Cube Access C62 and I was equally impressed with the SRAM that are fitted to a mates PX XLS. Go hydraulic and from those two manufacturers and you should have little problem as they are so experienced in the MTB world and appear to have transferred that knowledge very well indeed.

timothyw

Have a look at this thread which was asked a few days ago on a very similar theme:
viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=13070552

If I were buying one of the CAADX bikes then I'd expect to ditch the promax brakes as soon as the pads wear out/i get fed up of fettling them/sooner - for cable actuated disk brakes you ought look at Spyres (non hydraulic but dual pistoned so easier to fettle), Hy/Rd or the aforementioned Juintechs.

For a fully Hydraulic group and big tyre clearance I suspect this will be hard to beat:
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-ar ... aign=78888

More your price range is the GT Grade 105 Alloy which has Hy/Rd brakes and again good tyre clearance:
http://cycletowork.wiggle.co.uk/gt-grad ... road-bike/

The_Wicker_Man

Get a Kinesis 4S Disc

graeme_s-2

y33stu wrote:

I like the look of the London Road, also intrigued by the Hydraulic brakes - I see older London Roads came with Mech brakes - anyone got any feedback on the Sram Hydaulics now on the London Road?

I have the hydraulics on mine (though not in that 1X set up which is an amazing bargain). They're brilliant. I've barely had to touch mine yet, just changed the front pads once, done 2,600+ miles of all weather commuting so far.

There's a load of London Road info on this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12998860

timothyw

The_Wicker_Man wrote:

Get a Kinesis 4S Disc

With it being sold frameset only at a price of £650 RRP, similar to the money he is looking at whole bikes for on cyclescheme (which he can't get a frameset on) i'm struggling to see how this is a helpful comment....

I'm not particularly enamoured of Kinesis right now after my frameset failed in 18 months and I was left with store credit by PBK - not necessarily their fault but that makes sod all difference to my position.

The_Wicker_Man

I got mine fully built with Tiagra (from a Kinesis dealer) for £800.

thepeginator

The Kinesis is almost certainly a slightly nicer frame, but for £800 the London has Apex 1x Hydraulic next to the Kinesis Tiagra and some - probably - low spec cable discs. It depends what you're buying it for. If I was buying it as my only bike, as an investment for the future and to upgrade as I went along then I'd definitely consider the Kinesis. As a Commuter with one job in mind, I'd have the Planet X.

Ultimately they're both very capable machines that will make short work of any commute on crap roads with some thick tyres and easily be able to keep up on a club run with a wheel/tyre upgrade and a decent pair of legs.

thepeginator

Dispite all of that, neither of these bikes is what I'd consider a 'winter hack', if you want a hack with discs buy a second hand Kaffenback, they run for £2-300 on ebay and cable discs will still stop you on a dime if you set them up right.

Boardman CX bikes are also great an abundantly available second hand - making them cheap - as a result of the C2W scheme, many having done next to no miles.

ugo.santalucia

thepeginator wrote:

Dispite all of that, neither of these bikes is what I'd consider a 'winter hack', if you want a hack with discs buy a second hand Kaffenback, they run for £2-300 on ebay and cable discs will still stop you on a dime if you set them up right.

Ae you try to imply Zipp are not good as winter wheels?

thepeginator

ugo.santalucia wrote:

thepeginator wrote:

Dispite all of that, neither of these bikes is what I'd consider a 'winter hack', if you want a hack with discs buy a second hand Kaffenback, they run for £2-300 on ebay and cable discs will still stop you on a dime if you set them up right.

Ae you try to imply Zipp are not good as winter wheels?

I'd be the first person to throw 404 disc brake wheels on my winter bike if I won the lottery!

timothyw

For a proper hack this looks excellent:
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes

ugo.santalucia

TimothyW wrote:

For a proper hack this looks excellent:
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes

The drying line cables are back... yes!!!!!

y33stu

TimothyW wrote:

For a proper hack this looks excellent:
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes

Not sure I want to go down as far as Claris. After reading around I'm leaning towards the London Road. Like the look of the 1x set up and reviews seem to be pretty positive. I'm prepared to risk the discs, reviews of the Hydraulics seem good. Might push the button.

Next question - I'm 6'2 with a pretty inflexible back (couple slipped discs - having physio) so I'm on the border between 54 and 57.... As this will only really be the commuter, I'm not too concerned about it being the perfect fit, but would like it to be comfortable yet quick.

thepeginator

If flexibility is an issue I'd probably opt for the bigger size as it'll be more upright. It's quite a relaxed geometry to start with, something between a CX bike and hybrid. At 6'2 the TT length shouldn't trouble you but the extra head tube will probably be welcome.