What Aero (ish) disc brake bike circa £5K

papajimbo

Currently riding a 4 year old Supersix Evo Hi Mod Etap which I’m thinking of leaving with family in Mallorca so I don’t have to lug it backwards and forwards anymore. Thinking of getting something a bit more aero as I do a few TTs on my road bike but don’t want a TT bike as I’ll use it for club rides and training here in the UK.

I’m looking at Orbea Orca Aero Ultegra Di2, Merida Reacto 8000 and Supersix Evo HiMod Dura Ace which with either various upgrades or discounts come within a couple of hundred quid of each other. Maybe I’ve missed some obvious other options in the price range but one criteria is I don’t want a manufacturer’s lower tier frameset e.g. Trek, Specialized etc.

As I can’t get to try any out nearby I wondered what experiences/thoughts others might have?

fenix

Anything other than a TT bike for your TTs and you're handicapping yourself.

Spend a grand on a TT setup and 4 grand on whatever road bike you fancy. A 5 grand bike isn't noticeably faster than a 4 grand bike. The 1 grand TT bike will be faster than both.

papajimbo

This is a good point and one I did consider:

fenix said:

Anything other than a TT bike for your TTs and you're handicapping yourself.

Spend a grand on a TT setup and 4 grand on whatever road bike you fancy. A 5 grand bike isn't noticeably faster than a 4 grand bike. The 1 grand TT bike will be faster than both.

However as I avoid the dual carriageway courses and stick to the more sporting courses and evening 10s I’d discounted the TT bike. Even at a grand it seemed a lot to spend on 6 - 10 events a season. There’s also a road bike category in most so there’s something to aim for.

If the aero gain really is negligible then I could get another previous gen Supersix but with disc breaks within budget.