£4k bike - what would you get?

Matthewfalle

rolex are damn good work watches. loads of them round our neck of the woods.

Matthewfalle

dstev55 wrote:

cougie wrote:

The enjoyment of wearing a Rolex escapes me.
It's just a watch. And not as useful as my Garmin.

Blasphemy.

incorrect.

utter blasphemy.

Matthewfalle

Webboo wrote:

dstev55 wrote:

cougie wrote:

The enjoyment of wearing a Rolex escapes me.
It's just a watch. And not as useful as my Garmin.

Blasphemy.

A three hundred quid antique pocket watch would have more class.

its not what you wear its how you wear it.

dstev55

Matthewfalle wrote:

rolex are damn good work watches. loads of them round our neck of the woods.

That doesn't surprise me in the slightest :roll:

I don't care much for Rolex's in particular, I just like watches.

webboo

Matthewfalle wrote:

Webboo wrote:

dstev55 wrote:

cougie wrote:

The enjoyment of wearing a Rolex escapes me.
It's just a watch. And not as useful as my Garmin.

Blasphemy.

A three hundred quid antique pocket watch would have more class.

its not what you wear its how you wear it.

I pleased that you agree.

froze

You mentioned that some of the bikes don't really have the appeal...what are you looking for? a bike that appeals to others or a bike you want to ride a lot on?

My last bike was mail order through Lynskey and I had no problems with any comfort stuff except the saddle sucked so I changed it out problem solved. You can get a mail order bike fitted at any bike shop that does fittings, so any comfort thoughts would go out the window; I did my own fitting, while not as good as a pro fit I have no complaints either.

Personal opinion of course but I think either the Cervelo or the Focus both would be great bikes; the Trek is too commonly found, sort of like buying a Toyota! Neither the Orbea or the Trek didn't do anything for me, they both looked so similar they just didn't rock my boat. The Focus Izalco Max bike at least has a cool color scheme to it which would make it stand out from the crowd of lookalikes.

As far as electrical shifting goes there are quite a few problems associated with that stuff, obviously cost is the biggest problem. it's far easier to maintain a mechanical system and to diagnose an issue. Reliability of a mechanical system is also better, no worries about battery life, or having issues getting a replacement battery every 3 to 5 years, no software issues, no servo motor problems, no computer malfunctions. The simplicity of mechanical shifting makes emergency service both less likely and more manageable, there are more potential things to go wrong that even a competent DIY’r won’t be able to handle on the road/trail like servomotors, button actuators, batteries and wires that would leave you clueless and stranded. At least with the Etap system if your battery in the rear derailleur died you can swap the front derailleur battery to the rear and continue riding. Also if by chance you ride in sub freezing temps the batteries will freeze up and prevent any shifting from happening. For now mechanical systems are lighter. So you have to understand the pros and cons to each, for now I just don't see enough pros to go electronic other then it's a trendy and they shift a fraction quicker. But if you really want the electronic system then I would go with Etap as well, it's hard to beat the wireless look, and like I mentioned before I can at least swap batteries should one fail unlike the others. Of course that is my opinion, there are people who swear by those electronic systems...but I also know people who swear at them!

noodleman

Batteries freezing up in sub zero temperatures? Can't say I've experienced that on di2 or e-tap in four winters and one particular ride of -7.

pippi_langsamer-2

froze wrote:

Also if by chance you ride in sub freezing temps the batteries will freeze up and prevent any shifting from happening.

Absolute nonsense :roll:

bristolpete

You mentioned you live near Giant. After 10 years of buying carbon bikes since I upgraded from alloy Merida in 2008, the bike I have come to settle on as it rides really well and does everything well is the GIant TCR. Albeit SL. Absurdly stiff BB and headtube, great geo, looks fab and a well rounded 'do it all bike'. Attacks rolling roads well, climbs beautifully, can sprint and descends like a charm. M/L meets my fit criteria. Have mine built with R8000 mechanical, Power2Max, Rotor chainset and Spin hand built 45mm tubeless clinchers which are utterly brilliant wheels. Take a long hard look at Giant, seriously good VFM as built bikes.

I am currently building the 2018 frameset up (sold my F8 as too simply too stiff) which is matt black and silver with same running gear but different wheels as my N+1 (identical geo) but with 60mm fast tuesday wheels. I have ditched the tan sidewalls as look dreadful once dirty but bought same Corsa G+ tyres in black. 90psi rear, 80 front. Lovely. Hope this helps.

brokenrunner

Interesting comments re. the Giant. In terms of bikes i've looked at the TCR Advanced Pro 0 (https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/tcr-a ... pro-0-2018) is one of the ones I like the most. In some respects the only thing that has stopped me is the fact that it was mechanical shifting as I've got it in my head I want electronic. Although the posts on here only reinforce what I know, there's a wide variety of opinions on its merits.

The TCR Advanced Pro with electronic shifting is the Disc version. I don't especially want discs and I personally much prefer the paint job of the other one.

Failing that there's the SL 1 that does have Di2, although it's above what I want to spend, though quite tempting!

I think the shop near me are quite good at letting you go out for meaningful test rides, so that may be a good start point.

Tiesetrotter

Get something a bit different:

https://www.fatbirds.co.uk/1837022/prod ... -bike.aspx

Matthewfalle

£3500 on a Tifosi when you could have a Look or Time with Red or Chorus?

Errrr, no thanks.

londoncommuter

If you do stick with mechanical (and we ignore your comments about a local shop), here's another one to throw into the mix:

http://shop.edelrad.de/en/r-series/2492 ... _size-56cm

Or if you do go for electronic, this isn't too far off £4k and I wonder if you could talk them down a bit:

http://shop.edelrad.de/en/f-series/2546 ... -ffrd.html

matt_n-2

For £4k I'd probably be looking at a second hand C60 or...

Stelbel Rodano ~£2200
Campag Chorus ~£800
Finishing kit (Deda 100 stem & bars, carbon post) ~£200
Saddel ~£100
Odds and ends (tape & cables) ~£100
Wheels ~£600

Matthewfalle

londoncommuter wrote:

If you do stick with mechanical (and we ignore your comments about a local shop), here's another one to throw into the mix:

http://shop.edelrad.de/en/r-series/2492 ... _size-56cm

Or if you do go for electronic, this isn't too far off £4k and I wonder if you could talk them down a bit:

http://shop.edelrad.de/en/f-series/2546 ... -ffrd.html

Spot on that man - buy that red 22 mechanical Cervelo.

Buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it now buy it buy it now buy it buy it now buy it.

gweeds

Matthewfalle wrote:

£3500 on a Tifosi when you could have a Look or Time with Red or Chorus?

Errrr, no thanks.

You big snob

londoncommuter

Ok, really really my last post on this fantasy shopping thread.

Another €100 off a mechanical R5 (compared to the SRAM one I posted earlier) to €3.8k:

http://www.hp-bikes.de/Artikel/cervelo- ... hamburg-2/

Dura Ace Di2 version for €5k:

http://www.hp-bikes.de/Artikel/cervelo- ... mburg-2-3/

fixedgeartester

Cervelo R3 Disc every day! £4299 with Ultegra Di2 or considerably less with mechanical Ultegra. Sublime ride quality combined with super light weight for climbing and great performance when you need it. I think these still have the brilliant HED Ardennes wheels on them as well. The whole package is hard to beat for all round road/race use.

Thigh_burn

fixedgeartester wrote:

Cervelo R3 Disc every day! £4299 with Ultegra Di2 or considerably less with mechanical Ultegra. Sublime ride quality combined with super light weight for climbing and great performance when you need it. I think these still have the brilliant HED Ardennes wheels on them as well. The whole package is hard to beat for all round road/race use.

I saw you post on another thread about benefits of Red etap and you've built a lot of Cervelos. Just wondering - what are your thoughts on buying the R3 Disc 2018 (or I suppose 2017) frameset, then fitting Red etap HRD. Any benefits to it? Plus does look like higher cost involved.

Also, the wheels are the Mavic Aksiums on the 2018. The HED are 2017.

gweeds

This is a damn fine spec:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vitus-bikes-vit ... -road-bike

DeVlaeminck

For 4k even these days is. Bit of a heart over head purchase. My race bike is a Neil Pryde Bura sl and honestly it is a fantastic bike - light, super confidence inspiring on descents, reasonable comfort - and these can now be had with Ultegra (maybe not the SL) for well under 2k in sales.

Trouble is 4k no longer buys you top level pro bikes but even so I'd be looking for something that I desired rather than just ticked the boxes and that's going to differ for all of us. For me I'd see if I could pick up a Look, Colnago or similar name with Chorus upwards new or as new - and if I couldnt I'd spend less.

bristolpete

Gweeds wrote:

This is a damn fine spec:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vitus-bikes-vit ... -road-bike

Love that and I would buy that no issue if I needed a complete box fresh build. Made by Giant no doubt.

AHDGraham

Whatever you get, I would recommend buying from a shop and one with good technical expertise. I bought two Canyon Ultimate bikes and the second purchase (CF SLX 8.0 Di2) last year turned into a Customer Support nightmare. Bike reviews rarely give you any insight into post-sales support. You can read my review of the issue at https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogI ... c=postname

drexel1975

AHDGraham wrote:

Whatever you get, I would recommend buying from a shop and one with good technical expertise. I bought two Canyon Ultimate bikes and the second purchase (CF SLX 8.0 Di2) last year turned into a Customer Support nightmare. Bike reviews rarely give you any insight into post-sales support. You can read my review of the issue at https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogI ... c=postname

I've tried to look at your review but the website is saying that I don't have access to that page. Is it open for anyone to view?

dj58

Brokenrunner wrote:

Interesting comments re. the Giant. In terms of bikes i've looked at the TCR Advanced Pro 0 (https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/tcr-a ... pro-0-2018) is one of the ones I like the most. In some respects the only thing that has stopped me is the fact that it was mechanical shifting as I've got it in my head I want electronic. Although the posts on here only reinforce what I know, there's a wide variety of opinions on its merits.

The TCR Advanced Pro with electronic shifting is the Disc version. I don't especially want discs and I personally much prefer the paint job of the other one.

Failing that there's the SL 1 that does have Di2, although it's above what I want to spend, though quite tempting!

I think the shop near me are quite good at letting you go out for meaningful test rides, so that may be a good start point.

Have you considered buying the mechanical Advance Pro 0, buying the electronic groupset and swopping them over, then sell the unused mechanical Drua-Ace? Or buy the SL frame and spec. to your requirements/budget?

cougie

AHDGraham wrote:

Whatever you get, I would recommend buying from a shop and one with good technical expertise. I bought two Canyon Ultimate bikes and the second purchase (CF SLX 8.0 Di2) last year turned into a Customer Support nightmare. Bike reviews rarely give you any insight into post-sales support. You can read my review of the issue at https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogI ... c=postname

Cool first post...

froze

There are a lot of good bikes for that price range, and like anything everyone is going to have a different opinion. If you want an aerodynamic bike I would look at the Cervelo S3 with Ultegra components, or for a little less money the Scott Foil 10 also with Ultegra. I could list 10 other bikes but others can do that for me, and none of them would be bad bikes. I think if at all possible you should try to ride a few of the recommendations given here and see which one suits your body and idea of how a bike should feel.

The wannabe comment on the Cervelo was uncalled for, I guess if you had that bike plus wore a professional race kit then that would be a wannabe type of person unless you can ride at the pro level, but the bike itself not so much, really if that was the case any bike that has ever been used by pros would all be wannabe racer bikes like Trek, anyway get the idea? Besides aerodynamic bikes have more speed potential (not a lot maybe as much as one mph) over a standard tubing style bike then less weight has.