new road bike time: aero, disc? Di2?

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Stueys
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Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2014 1:12 pm

by Stueys

Kazyole wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:52 pm
Personally:

This, great reply. The only thing I would add is that I’d look at a semi-aero bike (R5/Dogma), they tend to perform as well as mid-pack aero bikes but still have that traditional look and light frame.

I currently run rims on my nice bike, discs on my winter bike. I suspect I’ll be discs everywhere when it’s time to change, they are just better.

jfranci3
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by jfranci3

If you're not sure about DI2, many bike shops have a Zwift/wahoo setup. Most have a highend road bike on them, many of those have DI2 to play with. NOte that the engagement can feel pretty harsh on the trainer. Zwift.com has a directory
Last edited by jfranci3 on Sat Mar 10, 2018 12:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Kazyole
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by Kazyole

jfranci3 wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 10:52 pm
If you're not sure about DI2, many bike shops have a Zwift/wahoo setup. Most have a highend road bike on them, many of those have DI2 to play with. NOte that the engagement can feel pretty harsh on the trainer.
That's a pretty good idea. You could also do what I did a few years ago. A guy in the group I ride with had Di2. I bribed him (by offering to buy him a pastry at the coffee stop) and he let me ride it for a couple miles to try it out.

80sSuntour
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by 80sSuntour

Kazyole wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 11:09 pm
That's a pretty good idea. You could also do what I did a few years ago. A guy in the group I ride with had Di2. I bribed him (by offering to buy him a pastry at the coffee stop) and he let me ride it for a couple miles to try it out.
so it was love at first click?..
the lack of Di2 on the Bianchi (as well as lack of stock on the disc version) has me leaning to the Foil, aesthetics and Countervalil be damned

dim
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Location: Cambridge UK

by dim

Scott Addict SL .... best of both worlds

light, and an excellent climbing bike and we all ride at 20mph on flats so in my opinion, aero is not needed unless you do time trials over short distances .... you need something that will give you an advantage on uphill

get good lightweight wheels, good tyres (tubeless ready rims are a definate, as you can use clinchers or tubeless), a decent groupset such as Dura Ace 9000 (or Di2 if you can afford that)

races are won on the hills IMHO
Trek Emonda SL6
Miyata One Thousand

80sSuntour
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Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 7:52 pm

by 80sSuntour

as noted in the op, we have at best rolling hills around here, many of which can be done in the big ring; and 20mph on the flats is B-group territory. we usually see 22-28 in the A group, average 24-25. I like the Addict, as it has a traditional look and a normal, non-proprietary stem and seat post, but I most definitely am not looking for a climbing bike per se, more an all-rounder, leaning aero. I think the Foil gives up 200 grams or so on the Addict --non SL or premium version, I'm putting the money towards Di2 and discs (and wheels, of course) before it goes to higher grade carbon

Kazyole
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by Kazyole

80sSuntour wrote:
Sat Mar 10, 2018 6:05 pm
Kazyole wrote:
Fri Mar 09, 2018 11:09 pm
That's a pretty good idea. You could also do what I did a few years ago. A guy in the group I ride with had Di2. I bribed him (by offering to buy him a pastry at the coffee stop) and he let me ride it for a couple miles to try it out.
so it was love at first click?..
the lack of Di2 on the Bianchi (as well as lack of stock on the disc version) has me leaning to the Foil, aesthetics and Countervalil be damned
It most certainly was. I would compare my first Di2 ride pretty favorably to the first time I rode a decent road bike in terms of how much it blew me away. I was expecting it to be better, but had no idea how much better it would be. I went out and bought the upgrade kit (I believe) the next day. Been riding Di2 ever since and I'll never go back. It's just perfect. Every single time. In the 3 or 4 years since I got it, I've had 0 issues. And if I really think about it, I don't think I've had a dropped chain the entire time. It's just one less thing to think about while you're riding.

CEVelo
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by CEVelo

Di2; No doubt. Once used to it, mechanical feels slow/clunky Also. Electronic rarely needs tuning, no wires to stretch or fiddle with.
Aero; Go for an all round bike. Pure Aero bikes are heavier and less versatile. There are so many options today that are about as aero as the last gen pure aero bikes; e.g. S3, Dogma, Tarmac, Canyon etc.
Disc: Harder choice. Breaking is better (modulation foremost, either rim or disc has more than enough power to lock up the wheels); yet its clunkier to live with (fixing flats roadside without quick release, need adapters for true axels for roof racks, harder to load in and out of cars, mount to trainers or fork mount rollers and unlikely to borrow wheels from support cars etc. if you race). No doubt the future will end up 30/70 rim-disc though as its an overall better system.

dmulligan
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Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2014 6:16 pm

by dmulligan

Too bad eTap is not on the table. No wires is so sexy!
Another advantage to discs is they let you buy cheap carbon wheels and feel safer on them. That way you can have a deep and a lightweight pair for less.

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themidge
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by themidge

I was dithering over a similarly difficult decision between two different frames (although I suspect you have a bit more money with which to dither! :D ) and, for what it's worth, i've quickly forgotten about the one I didn't pick.
Perhaps get the lightest one and be done with it?
Or the one with the best paint...
Or the most aero one...
Or the cheapest one...
Oh no! Indecision strikes again!

alcatraz
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by alcatraz

If speed is what you want, then isn't a crude measure simply picking the bike with the lowest stack you can produce good power on?

Discs/aero tubing/looks/paint are probably just details. Like frosting on the cake. :D

/a

80sSuntour
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Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 7:52 pm

by 80sSuntour

alcatraz wrote:
Sat Mar 10, 2018 11:47 pm
If speed is what you want, then isn't a crude measure simply picking the bike with the lowest stack you can produce good power on?

Discs/aero tubing/looks/paint are probably just details. Like frosting on the cake. :D

/a
well if bikes came in only one size I guess that would be a reasonable criterion; as it is, the Addict & Foil seem to have pretty identical geometries, and I've eliminated "endurance" geometry bikes precisely for that reason. C'mon, half the fun is agonizing over meaningless details. Isn't that what this site is all about in a way? (no offense to all the weenies out there!)

80sSuntour
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Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 7:52 pm

by 80sSuntour

dmulligan wrote:
Sat Mar 10, 2018 10:59 pm
That way you can have a deep and a lightweight pair for less.

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don't forget the bombproof gravel set too, maybe in 650?

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Lewn777
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by Lewn777

80sSuntour wrote:
Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:14 pm
hey all, I'm finally getting a new bike after putting good miles on my old one with Chorus 10s. I'm debating the merits between a good old fashioned road build with new ultegra or even dura ace, vs a disc bike with or without electronic shifting. I've never tried either. My local dealer does Bianchi and Scott, so I'm going with those brands. THe only Bianchi with disc is the Aria, but the xr3 is coming soon, but the bianchi is generally more money than scott, at least when talking about the bikes with countervail. don't think I need that since I'm a vet who somehow survived michelin 700x18c tires in the 80s. anyway, we have at most some rolling hills around here so no real advantage to either discs or light weight, so there is not a whole lot to drive my decision. I mostly do group rides and solo stuff, usually fairly short and fast (i.e. don't need all day comfort, prefer performance over endurance options). any thoughts? (and please don't suggest Canyon and other brands besides the 2 I mentioned, I'm sticking with my local dealer whom I like. he may even give me a tiny discount, free service the first year, etc. I do my own work, but they are good wrenches and won't mind helping learn new tech like di2 and hydro if I buy from them. so carbon aero vs light and all that good stuff is what I want to talk about. thanks

ps I'm in US so builds will be with Shimano. that's how they mostly come here and I'm not fighting manufacturing specs.
My 2c.
1.Di2. This depends of how good a home mechanic you are and your local weather. If you often tune your gears have good cables and outers especially alloy casings, oil/change your chain often and are careful about keeping your drivetrain clean then you can get very fast accurate shifts reliably. If you can't or hate tuning your bike and don't have a repair stand and dirty wet weather that can gum up your cables then go for electronic shifting.

2. Disks, again depends on weather if it's very hilly and wet yes. It's much been discussed but me having years around twenty years experience wrenching mountain bike and motorcycle brakes I think that in dry conditions disk brakes on a road bicycle are a lot more (too much) complication for a very marginal gain. If you are a budding home mechanic and you are interested in how to bleed brakes, true rotors, change more expensive pads more often etc then certainly. I wouldn't pay too close attention to the opinion of early adopters as these maintenance issues will probably only show up around 20,000 kms or 2 years of riding, whichever is sooner, there is a learning curve which means your time and expense buying new tools. Sure disks are the future, but maybe let the future development decide on future standards and design better lighter disk brakes.

3. Aero. 80% of aero comes from body position so if you ride mostly on your own you could get a nice light climbing bike but put some clip-on TT bars and you're there anyway. Although if I were riding crits or on the flats in groups then I would go for an aero bike.

hannawald
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Location: Czech Republic

by hannawald

Di2 is not necessary, but it is just better than mechanical, once you try it, you don't want to go back.
Discs, because it is the future.
If you don't have special emotions for Bianchi, go Foil. It is a great bike (I have one, there are reviews..) and it will be better priced than xr3. I was surprised how comfortable it is, i really didn't expect that. It should be also lighter than xr3 if the claimed weights are true. Weight is not everything but if you go discs and aero, you want to save grams somewhere..

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