What's the best high-end pure race frameset right now?

neeb

Eveyone else keeps posting these "what bike/frame/wheels should I buy" posts so I thought I'd excercise my own right to bore you..

Not that I'm actually likely to buy a frame right now, but if I was going to..

I'm talking about an off-the-peg, high-end, pure road carbon frameset for rim brakes. Please don't muddy the waters with the disc/rim debate or endurance/gravel stuff. Aero frames allowed as long as they are decent all-rounders.

Top of my curremt lust-list is the new Tarmac S-Works (in metallic green) and the Bianchi XR4 (in celeste). But the BMC SLR01 and the Cannondale supersix evo hi-mod are supposed to be very, very good too. I also find myself oddly attracted to the Merida Reacto Team-E.

lincolndave

Top of my list would either be Colnago C60, there’s just something special about Colnago,s ,
the other being Bianchi xr4 , countervail works very well and the aero design is cock on according to all of the reports.
But with all high end frames , there’s nothing to separate one manufacturer from another, just personal preference

mrb123

The new Look Huez looks really classy IMO.
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/editors-ch ... uez-361937

pblakeney

MrB123 wrote:

The new Look Huez looks really classy IMO.
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/editors-ch ... uez-361937

Top end racers couldn't care less for appearances as long as the performance is right. Just saying.
Most answers will be along the lines of "mine", or "the one I'd like" without any substantiation.

sloppyschleckonds

Your list is probably about right, but probably add in the Canyon CF SLX and the Trek Emonda

trivial_poursuivant

Bianchi XR4 or a Cipollini NK1K for me.

But then the Trek Madone 9.9 looks awesome and the S-Works Tarmac will always be up there cos it’s riders win so many things.

lettingthedaysgoby

3T Strada coz rim brakes are on their way out

</controversial>

naavt

Cipollini NK1K

Nonetheless, a BikeRadar reviewer wrote that Tifosi SS26 could do 90% of the job at a fraction of NK1K price

arlowood

Well, as a guide you might look towards the Pro Tour Teams and what they are riding. The link below gives you a good idea of how wide the range is in manufacturers among the pro peleton for the 2018 season.

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/produ ... ide-152997

However that doesn't really help as you can probably scan the results of the grand tours and other classics events and see a fairly wide range of winners on bikes from different manufacturers. Essentially it's down to the rider rather than the bike he's riding at the top end of the professional racing circuit.

If you could be bothered to do the stats, it might be interesting to look at the team placings in all the grand tours to see who came top overall as that could iron out individual differences and may point to you one frame/manufacturer having an edge over another.

At the end of the day however, there is probably little difference at the really high end of the frame market and you are best just to pick something you like the look of because you will ride it more and get better as you do.

milemuncher1

Frameset only? It’s the Trek Domane SLR. or the Spesh Tarmac SL6 for my money, out of the 2 the Trek would get my hard earned over the Spesh.

trivial_poursuivant

naavt wrote:

Cipollini NK1K

Nonetheless, a BikeRadar reviewer wrote that Tifosi SS26 could do 90% of the job at a fraction of NK1K price

Shame that every Tifosi colour scheme is offensive to the eyes.

imposter2.0

naavt wrote:

Cipollini NK1K

Nonetheless, a BikeRadar reviewer wrote that Tifosi SS26 could do 90% of the job at a fraction of NK1K price

The Spirit/Tifosi team had a lot of wins on the SS26 last year - which kind of proves the point. The best 'high-end' frameset is usually the one powered by the best legs/heart/lungs...

naavt

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

naavt wrote:

Cipollini NK1K

Nonetheless, a BikeRadar reviewer wrote that Tifosi SS26 could do 90% of the job at a fraction of NK1K price

Shame that every Tifosi colour scheme is offensive to the eyes.

I’m committed to build my next bike around the 2018 Auriga frameset. As you, the only thing to put me off is the green color and awkward black stickers.

I was planning on painting the frameset but put the idea aside after a couple of quotes for a paint job.

If I decide to go this route I’ll post some pictures of the final build.

The original SS26 in Black/Orange looks cool to me though.

neeb

Yes of course hardly anyone is going to win anything because of the frame they're riding..

Still, frames feel different to ride and some are better than others. Some seem to aquire a reputation based on a lot of different peope with different agendas reporting good experiences with them, and after a point it crediblly starts to look like more than just marketing and the number of positive reviews that have been paid for in the magazines and on the websites.

If like me you always build up your own bikes from framesets and transfer the wheels and components across you know that different frames do have different characters.

The Look Huez indeed looks interesting. The Cipo NK1K looks like it's more one for the big units and sprinters than scrawny wee guys like me.. ;-) Colnago C60 - never heard a bad word about it but all of the compliments seem to be along the lines of "superbly well-rounded", "perfectly balanced handling", "oozes refinement", etc, rather than "blows your socks off".. So like the Cipolini it's probably a polariser?

neeb

naavt wrote:

I’m committed to build my next bike around the 2018 Auriga frameset. As you, the only thing to put me off is the green color and awkward black stickers.

Does it only come in that lurid yellow/green colour? I love green bikes, but being curently in the final stages of a cold I can confirm that they've definitely nailed snot green with that one.. ;-)

trivial_poursuivant

neeb wrote:

naavt wrote:

I’m committed to build my next bike around the 2018 Auriga frameset. As you, the only thing to put me off is the green color and awkward black stickers.

Does it only come in that lurid yellow/green colour? I love green bikes, but being curently in the final stages of a cold I can confirm that they've definitely nailed snot green with that one.. ;-)

Looking online it seem like the alternative colour way is a baby blue which is no better. Chalk/cheese options with no middle ground

pippi_langsamer-2

If I had the need...or cash for an upgrade right now, Tarmac no question. Basso Diamante SV would be close too...

naavt

neeb wrote:

naavt wrote:

I’m committed to build my next bike around the 2018 Auriga frameset. As you, the only thing to put me off is the green color and awkward black stickers.

Does it only come in that lurid yellow/green colour? I love green bikes, but being curently in the final stages of a cold I can confirm that they've definitely nailed snot green with that one.. ;-)

Been told that it is way better looking at it “live” than at photos. Let’s see...

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

Looking online it seem like the alternative colour way is a baby blue which is no better. Chalk/cheese options with no middle ground

Nope. That’s the 2017 frame. The new one is all new and only green

trivial_poursuivant

naavt wrote:

neeb wrote:

naavt wrote:

I’m committed to build my next bike around the 2018 Auriga frameset. As you, the only thing to put me off is the green color and awkward black stickers.

Does it only come in that lurid yellow/green colour? I love green bikes, but being curently in the final stages of a cold I can confirm that they've definitely nailed snot green with that one.. ;-)

Been told that it is way better looking at it “live” than at photos. Let’s see...

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

Looking online it seem like the alternative colour way is a baby blue which is no better. Chalk/cheese options with no middle ground

Nope. That’s the 2017 frame. The new one is all new and only green

So they removed the sober choice.

naavt

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

So they removed the sober choice.

Yes. That was my own thought as well, but if the bike comes as good as all others they’ve been launching... the hell with the color.

We are talking racing frames here but don’t forget that Tifosi also launched one hell of a climbers bike a couple of months ago. The lightest bike of the kind (Mons), until the day. Around 4,6 kg if I’m not mistaken

cougie

Wasn't there a thread that had German bike tests in ?
Giant came out top for stiffness followed by the CAAD.

But as has been said it's the rider not the bike.

trivial_poursuivant

naavt wrote:

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

So they removed the sober choice.

Yes. That was my own thought as well, but if the bike comes as good as all others they’ve been launching... the hell with the color.

We are talking racing frames here but don’t forget that Tifosi also launched one hell of a climbers bike a couple of months ago. The lightest bike of the kind (Mons), until the day. Around 4,6 kg if I’m not mistaken

The thing you have to appreciate with these super light bikes that weigh next to nothing , to do so they either have to use a higher proportion of high grade carbon fibres which make the frame extremely difficult to live with. Even the best frames have various grades of fibre used to keep them compliant and not harsh. The other way is to use less of it in certain areas which can make them as stiff as a wet noodle. Fuji SL!! So just making a bike very very light is not really anything other than a pissing contest since they are pretty useless at anything other than climbing. And unless you live at the base of Mont Ventoux and Your only route is to the top and back down they are not great bikes to ride from day to day

naavt

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

naavt wrote:

Trivial poursuivant wrote:

So they removed the sober choice.

Yes. That was my own thought as well, but if the bike comes as good as all others they’ve been launching... the hell with the color.

We are talking racing frames here but don’t forget that Tifosi also launched one hell of a climbers bike a couple of months ago. The lightest bike of the kind (Mons), until the day. Around 4,6 kg if I’m not mistaken

The thing you have to appreciate with these super light bikes that weigh next to nothing , to do so they either have to use a higher proportion of high grade carbon fibres which make the frame extremely difficult to live with. Even the best frames have various grades of fibre used to keep them compliant and not harsh. The other way is to use less of it in certain areas which can make them as stiff as a wet noodle. Fuji SL!! So just making a bike very very light is not really anything other than a pissing contest since they are pretty useless at anything other than climbing. And unless you live at the base of Mont Ventoux and Your only route is to the top and back down they are not great bikes to ride from day to day

There certainly are light bikes that can do it all with a forgiving ride for what they are, and since we are talking racing frames, Focus Izalco Max and Scott Foil comes to mind.

DeVlaeminck

A pure race frame - you'd want something aero, rim brakes - super light is unnecessary as you'd be under the weight limit with top end kit on it and discs aren't really any advantage in a race.

naavt

DeVlaeminck wrote:

A pure race frame - you'd want something aero, rim brakes - super light is unnecessary as you'd be under the weight limit with top end kit on it and discs aren't really any advantage in a race.

Scott foil is a truncated design with Rim brake option. The question of weight has nothing to do with the OP question but rather an example out of the box when talking about Tifosi frames.