What bike should I buy?

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Comments

  • darrell1967
    darrell1967 Posts: 470
    pblakeney said:

    pep.fermi said:

    No.
    Why?

    Try a Google search on Ultegra crank failures.
    Well known problem. On this site too.
    My Boardman Air came with Ultegra and after approx 18,000 Kms I’ve not had an issue.
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644

    pblakeney said:

    pep.fermi said:

    No.
    Why?

    Try a Google search on Ultegra crank failures.
    Well known problem. On this site too.
    My Boardman Air came with Ultegra and after approx 18,000 Kms I’ve not had an issue.
    Kms not miles?
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,587

    pblakeney said:

    pep.fermi said:

    No.
    Why?

    Try a Google search on Ultegra crank failures.
    Well known problem. On this site too.
    My Boardman Air came with Ultegra and after approx 18,000 Kms I’ve not had an issue.
    There are lucky people and there are unlucky people.
    You do not know which bracket you will fall into on the day of purchase.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • pep.fermi
    pep.fermi Posts: 308
    edited June 2022

    pblakeney said:

    pep.fermi said:

    No.
    Why?

    Try a Google search on Ultegra crank failures.
    Well known problem. On this site too.
    My Boardman Air came with Ultegra and after approx 18,000 Kms I’ve not had an issue.
    It took me 14yr (and much more than 18,000km) to start having problem on my Ultegra, so I'm very happy about it.
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    pblakeney said:

    pblakeney said:

    pep.fermi said:

    No.
    Why?

    Try a Google search on Ultegra crank failures.
    Well known problem. On this site too.
    My Boardman Air came with Ultegra and after approx 18,000 Kms I’ve not had an issue.
    There are lucky people and there are unlucky people.
    You do not know which bracket you will fall into on the day of purchase.
    He's also just jinxed it so tomorrow it'll combust.
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    pep.fermi said:

    pblakeney said:

    pep.fermi said:

    No.
    Why?

    Try a Google search on Ultegra crank failures.
    Well known problem. On this site too.
    My Boardman Air came with Ultegra and after approx 18,000 Kms I’ve not had an issue.
    It took me 14yr (and much more than 18,000km) to start having problem on my Ultegra, so I'm very happy about it.
    Less than 200 miles (321.869km) for left hand 8000 shifter to fail, front mech fell apart shortly after that.

    Took sges for warranty replacement because Shimano GB had run out of yhem due to them sll falling apart.

    All replaced with Red, 3 years and thoudands of miles (and more km) not a problem.
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • froze
    froze Posts: 203
    The comment about replacing cranks every couple of years is out in la la land! I have a crank with over 150,000 miles on it and it's still good.

    I understand you want a retirement bike. Paying $4000 for a bike won't get you but maybe 2% better bike than a $2,500 bike will give you. On the other hand, if you want this next bike to last a lifetime then I would look into either steel or titanium if you're not racing; the TI option might be out of your price range, but the steel is not.

    Take a look at this website: https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/26-best-steel-road-bikes-and-frames-194720

    I really don't see why to go with Ultegra when 105 works great; you could use 105 briftors with Ultegra rear and front derailleurs; the briftors are what's expensive. On my bike I only went with Ultegra rear derailleur and left the front 105, some bikes come with a mixture of 105 and Ultegra to save you money.

    You're going to get a lot of ideas to go mad pondering around in your head, so I suggest you think about how long do you want the bike to last, and if components fail and need to be replaced can you afford the cost later on a limited income? You didn't say what you wanted the bike to do, are you at some point wanting to go bike camping/touring, or just ride around in the area you live?

    I do agree with you about not wanting Di2, I don't think the system is worth it, batteries last about 5 years, cost around $85 to replace; the technology will at some point become obsolete then you can't get parts for it; you have to remember to keep it charged, the list goes on. If you want simplicity then go with mechanical stuff.
  • pep.fermi
    pep.fermi Posts: 308
    Thanks.
    I don't get the retirement thing. Next year I'm 50, retirement is almost 20yr ahead.
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    edited June 2022
    froze said:

    The comment about replacing cranks every couple of years is out in la la land! I have a crank with over 150,000 miles on it and it's still good.

    I understand you want a retirement bike. Paying $4000 for a bike won't get you but maybe 2% better bike than a $2,500 bike will give you. On the other hand, if you want this next bike to last a lifetime then I would look into either steel or titanium if you're not racing; the TI option might be out of your price range, but the steel is not.

    Take a look at this website: https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/26-best-steel-road-bikes-and-frames-194720

    I really don't see why to go with Ultegra when 105 works great; you could use 105 briftors with Ultegra rear and front derailleurs; the briftors are what's expensive. On my bike I only went with Ultegra rear derailleur and left the front 105, some bikes come with a mixture of 105 and Ultegra to save you money.

    You're going to get a lot of ideas to go mad pondering around in your head, so I suggest you think about how long do you want the bike to last, and if components fail and need to be replaced can you afford the cost later on a limited income? You didn't say what you wanted the bike to do, are you at some point wanting to go bike camping/touring, or just ride around in the area you live?

    I do agree with you about not wanting Di2, I don't think the system is worth it, batteries last about 5 years, cost around $85 to replace; the technology will at some point become obsolete then you can't get parts for it; you have to remember to keep it charged, the list goes on. If you want simplicity then go with mechanical stuff.

    150,000 miles (241,041.6 km, 150,290,323 Ariana Grande) on one set of chainrings?

    Now thats good going.
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,718
    froze said:

    The comment about replacing cranks every couple of years is out in la la land! I have a crank with over 150,000 miles on it and it's still good.

    I understand you want a retirement bike. Paying $4000 for a bike won't get you but maybe 2% better bike than a $2,500 bike will give you. On the other hand, if you want this next bike to last a lifetime then I would look into either steel or titanium if you're not racing; the TI option might be out of your price range, but the steel is not.

    Take a look at this website: https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/26-best-steel-road-bikes-and-frames-194720

    I really don't see why to go with Ultegra when 105 works great; you could use 105 briftors with Ultegra rear and front derailleurs; the briftors are what's expensive. On my bike I only went with Ultegra rear derailleur and left the front 105, some bikes come with a mixture of 105 and Ultegra to save you money.

    You're going to get a lot of ideas to go mad pondering around in your head, so I suggest you think about how long do you want the bike to last, and if components fail and need to be replaced can you afford the cost later on a limited income? You didn't say what you wanted the bike to do, are you at some point wanting to go bike camping/touring, or just ride around in the area you live?
    .



    No reason why carbon or aluminium can't be a bike for life - in fact the only frameset I've scrapped for other than crash damage was steel due to a rust hole in one chain stay. Carbon is also very repairable with lots of places offering carbon repair these days.




    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644

    froze said:

    The comment about replacing cranks every couple of years is out in la la land! I have a crank with over 150,000 miles on it and it's still good.

    I understand you want a retirement bike. Paying $4000 for a bike won't get you but maybe 2% better bike than a $2,500 bike will give you. On the other hand, if you want this next bike to last a lifetime then I would look into either steel or titanium if you're not racing; the TI option might be out of your price range, but the steel is not.

    Take a look at this website: https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/26-best-steel-road-bikes-and-frames-194720

    I really don't see why to go with Ultegra when 105 works great; you could use 105 briftors with Ultegra rear and front derailleurs; the briftors are what's expensive. On my bike I only went with Ultegra rear derailleur and left the front 105, some bikes come with a mixture of 105 and Ultegra to save you money.

    You're going to get a lot of ideas to go mad pondering around in your head, so I suggest you think about how long do you want the bike to last, and if components fail and need to be replaced can you afford the cost later on a limited income? You didn't say what you wanted the bike to do, are you at some point wanting to go bike camping/touring, or just ride around in the area you live?
    .



    No reason why carbon or aluminium can't be a bike for life - in fact the only frameset I've scrapped for other than crash damage was steel due to a rust hole in one chain stay. Carbon is also very repairable with lots of places offering carbon repair these days.




    Yup, exactly.

    Carbon, steel, ali, scandium, whatever - all perfect for decades.

    Bit of a weird statement tbh.
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • Munsford0
    Munsford0 Posts: 606
    MattFalle said:


    150,000 miles (241,041.6 km, 150,290,323 Ariana Grande) on one set of chainrings?

    Now thats good going.

    He didn't actually say chainrings though did he? But you knew that...

  • Munsford0
    Munsford0 Posts: 606
    pep.fermi said:

    Thanks.
    I don't get the retirement thing. Next year I'm 50, retirement is almost 20yr ahead.

    I returned to road cycling at 50, so I'm not sure where the retirement thing came from? Approaching 65 now and still eyeing up potential new bikes. I suspect my very last bike purchase will have a motor of some kind...
  • Cant go wrong with a canyon. Say the Endurace CF SL 8, thats in your budget.
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    Munsford0 said:

    MattFalle said:


    150,000 miles (241,041.6 km, 150,290,323 Ariana Grande) on one set of chainrings?

    Now thats good going.

    He didn't actually say chainrings though did he? But you knew that...

    He didn't not say that though and, tbh, he did intimate it more than not.

    But you knew that.

    And, tbh, he also didn't say what ype of crank whereas we are strictly discussing those Ultegra cranks that fall apart a lot.

    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • pep.fermi
    pep.fermi Posts: 308
    Munsford0 said:

    pep.fermi said:

    Thanks.
    I don't get the retirement thing. Next year I'm 50, retirement is almost 20yr ahead.

    I returned to road cycling at 50
    Cool.
    Why did you pause?
    Just curious.
  • Munsford0
    Munsford0 Posts: 606
    Avid cyclist from the age of 12 right through my student years, but in my mid 20s my uninsured1975 Raleigh Tour of Britain gas-pipe 10 speed bike got stolen, then life got in the way. Jobs, marriage, doing up houses, raising children, fixing cars etc seemed to fill my every waking hour. Then when the kids started riding bikes I bought a £50 MTB type BSO in a box off a bloke trading from a disused garage forecourt. Despite the fact it fell apart with annoying regularity I realised how much I missed riding. Small windfall meant I could buy a decent MTB (old school rigid steel) which I absolutely loved. Years passed and the kids went off to college, my knees continued to deteriorate, and I found myself riding more on road than off. 50th birthday coincided with a generous bonus payment so thought I'd treat myself to a modern road bike. Been loving it ever since :)
  • pep.fermi
    pep.fermi Posts: 308
    Cool story 🚴👍
  • bobones
    bobones Posts: 1,215
    edited June 2022
    I still think the Giant Defy is exactly what you're looking for. OK, it might not be the sexiest bike around, but I think it looks cool in this livery.



    105 version too

  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    pep.fermi said:

    My Ultegra failed after 14yr of use

    Ohhhh the horror, the horror. Did you send it back? Was it still under warranty? Heh heh