Build up a new bike or save for 2 weeks in French Alps ??????

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

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MichaelB
Posts: 993
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

OK, so I've been lucky enough to spend 2 weeks riding in the Dolomites & Alps in 2016, and even catch a stage of the 2016 TdF with a best mate.

Trip of a lifetime. Rode some iconic climbs including Passo della Stelvio (from Prato), Cormet de Roseland, Passo Fedaia, Passo Pordoi, Muro di Sormano, did a lap of the 2009 WRRC course where Cadel won, and numerous non rated climbs and descents. Brilliant !!! Have some fantastic memories of the trip and NOTHING in Aus can compare.

Find myself now in a bit of a quandry. Have a warranty-ish replacement frame for my Volagi Liscio, and to get it going need a groupset, handlebars, and a PM (already have cranks & wheels) and the usual cables, bar tape etc. Would love R8070 groupset (can't seem to find one without cranks) or R785 (Di2), but may have to settle for R685. Maybe $3k required pending what groupset I snaffle.

Feeling torn as to whether to build up this bike (and make my current bike (Kenisis 4 Season Disc) the commuter bike and have the Volagi Liscio as the weekender 2nd bike, or save up again (target would be about $5.5k for 2 weeks incl airfares) to spend another 2 weeks in/around the Pyrenees or similar.

What would you do and why ?

Cheers

Michael

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AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Do both! Build it with Ultegra mechanical and some used/ebay deals plus save for your next trip.

You can also do an ebay garage sale for your unused equipment. We had to move a couple of years ago and I did a massive ebay garage sale and ended up selling $20K worth of stuff lying around the house.

wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

I know it's trickier coming from so far away and flights will be a big chunk of that but does the trip have to be so expensive? Extreme end of the scale but last time I was riding in the Dolomites I was wild camping 3 nights out of 4 and then staying one night in a campsite or hostel for a decent shower and it worked brilliantly.

In the pyrenees I'd expect it to be quite a bit easier to find cheap hotels or AirBnBs than the french alps or Dolos, and have a real bed every night for not much cash. After all, the riding is still the same, the towns, the cafes and the sightseeing are still the same whether you pay a lot or a little for everything else 8)

MichaelB
Posts: 993
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

Wish I had $20k of stuff that I could sell !!

I’d love to do the trip cheaper, but that’s all in, Air BnB sharing costs with a mate and car hire. Airfares were $2k with Qatar.

It’s not the cost to go, and reality I know what I’d rather do too.

Once hooked ....

MichaelB
Posts: 993
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

Oh, and keeping an eye out for bargains, but disc gear is not real cheap at the moment :-(

wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

MichaelB wrote:
Sat Mar 31, 2018 10:58 pm
I’d love to do the trip cheaper, but that’s all in, Air BnB sharing costs with a mate and car hire. Airfares were $2k with Qatar.
And the rest of it will cost 3500AUD, including half share in a car hire?

It sounds like you've done your homework but I honestly think I would struggle to figure out how to spend that much money in a couple of weeks! :P

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TonyM
Posts: 3376
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:11 pm

by TonyM

You can buy a new bike or new stuff in the next years....

But do you know if you can do that trip in the next years? Maybe an accident etc...no ones knows...

I would do the trip - as long as you are fit etc....

basilic
Posts: 1028
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:05 am
Location: Geneva, Switzerland

by basilic

Trip >>> bike
Fly over with your pedals and helmet. Buy a new rim brake alu Canyon with 105 for about 1000 euros (or something).
Ride Pyrenees.
Leave bike with distant relative.
Come back next year, and next year, ...

MichaelB
Posts: 993
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

basilic wrote:
Sun Apr 01, 2018 8:04 am
Trip >>> bike
Fly over with your pedals and helmet. Buy a new rim brake alu Canyon with 105 for about 1000 euros (or something).
Ride Pyrenees.
Leave bike with distant relative.
Come back next year, and next year, ...
I like that you idea, but it would be a disc version tho.

Can you ride in just a helmet ... :-)

Theologian
Posts: 84
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2018 3:34 am

by Theologian

MichaelB wrote:
Sat Mar 31, 2018 6:39 am
Would love R8070 groupset (can't seem to find one without cranks) or R785 (Di2), but may have to settle for R685.
Colorado cyclist has R8070 partial groupset without the crankset for #1670ish, I think. I'm looking for the full groupset without the bb and disc rotors.

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

MichaelB wrote:
Sat Mar 31, 2018 6:39 am
OK, so I've been lucky enough to spend 2 weeks riding in the Dolomites & Alps in 2016, and even catch a stage of the 2016 TdF with a best mate.

Trip of a lifetime. Rode some iconic climbs including Passo della Stelvio (from Prato), Cormet de Roseland, Passo Fedaia, Passo Pordoi, Muro di Sormano, did a lap of the 2009 WRRC course where Cadel won, and numerous non rated climbs and descents. Brilliant !!! Have some fantastic memories of the trip and NOTHING in Aus can compare.

Find myself now in a bit of a quandry. Have a warranty-ish replacement frame for my Volagi Liscio, and to get it going need a groupset, handlebars, and a PM (already have cranks & wheels) and the usual cables, bar tape etc. Would love R8070 groupset (can't seem to find one without cranks) or R785 (Di2), but may have to settle for R685. Maybe $3k required pending what groupset I snaffle.

Feeling torn as to whether to build up this bike (and make my current bike (Kenisis 4 Season Disc) the commuter bike and have the Volagi Liscio as the weekender 2nd bike, or save up again
(target would be about $5.5k for 2 weeks incl airfares) to spend another 2 weeks in/around the Pyrenees or similar.

What would you do and why ?

Cheers

Michael
Forgive me here since you've already done this once for 2 week. However, and especially splitting the cost of stay and such with a mate, seems like your $$ requirements are steep. Maybe you do have some must do or must have or must see, but seems steep to me. I have been to the Alps before for 2+ weeks alone, rented a car, stayed in hotels (prior to AirBnB days), and practically ate every meal in a restaurant. My cost came in in the end at half your estimate. That was also paying for my bike bag $300!! That was in US$, so not sure what currency your estimate is in.

However, given your 2 choices, I'd say forget the new bike and do the trip instead. Bikes will come and go, but memories are there to stay for a lifetime!!

MichaelB
Posts: 993
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

Forgiven :-) Costs are in Aussie peso's

The airfares were a shade over $2k. We did a biit of driving, so the fuel and tolls added up a bit. Drove from Milan to Canazei, back to Lake Como, over to BSm and then back to Milan. The total cost included spending money as well, and pressies for the wife and child. Could certainly do it cheaper, but stayed in some nice places. One was booked late, so cost more than it could have.

Saving like mad though !!

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Powerful Pete
Moderator
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Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:22 am
Location: Lima, Peru and the Washington DC area - it's complicated.

by Powerful Pete

Again, I am going to vote for the trip - while it may sound like sacrilege, bikes come and go, trips and memories are for a lot longer.
Road bike: Cervelo R3, Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix...
Supercommuter: Jamis Renegade...
Oldie but goodie: De Rosa Professional Slx, Campagnolo C-Record...
And you can call me Macktastik Honey Pete Kicks, thank you.

MichaelB
Posts: 993
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

Continuing to save :-)

by Weenie


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Theologian
Posts: 84
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2018 3:34 am

by Theologian

MichaelB,
I'm getting a small volagi liscio frame to build for my wife. I've not received the frame yet but I'm trying to decide on the tires. The spec says 28mm, but do you think the hutchinson sector 28 on a carbon wheelset (27mm external width) will have enough clearance on the Liscio 2? I've heard that the new, wide-ish rim makes tires wider than their label and I'm just wondering how much room there is in the Liscio. I'm not going to put any fenders. Can the Liscio fit something close to 30mm tire without fenders?


Thanks so much. :beerchug:

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