What to buy ... Domane, Defy or Roubaix?

[dim]

thanks for the help guys ... and an update ....

I pulled the trigger and ended up getting a used Giant TCR Advanced 2 Disc 2018 .... paid £1350.00 but it comes with 2 sets of wheels (the better being the Giant SLR carbon wheels which cost approx £1000):





has 105 groupset with hydraulic disc brakes which I will change to either Dura Ace or Di2 and I will look at a dynamo setup on the cheaper wheels for commuting and long Audax rides .... I will new bartape, saddle etc etc ...

the wheels are tubeless ready and the cheaper set of wheels already has tubeless tyres .... The SLR carbon wheelset has 28mm GP4000 ....

not the lightest bike but it ticked all the rest of the boxes .... Hoping that it will serve me well as a daily commuter and as an Audax/long distance bike

[alcatraz]

Nice bike, and a nice deal I'd say. You can use a wheelset tubeless and one with tubes if that's your fancy. It's good until you get the hang of running only tubeless I think.

To increase comfort your can get carbon bars, flexy seatpost, thick handlebar tape and so on. First 28mm tires though.

Take care of your drivetrain, and resist the temptation of running ceramic bearings. Just ride and enjoy.

[Svetty]

I'd get that saddle level first tho (or you'll slide onto the top tube with painful consequences!)

[dim]

Nice bike, and a nice deal I'd say. You can use a wheelset tubeless and one with tubes if that's your fancy. It's good until you get the hang of running only tubeless I think.

To increase comfort your can get carbon bars, flexy seatpost, thick handlebar tape and so on. First 28mm tires though.

Take care of your drivetrain, and resist the temptation of running ceramic bearings. Just ride and enjoy.

thanks .... why is it not good to use ceramic bearings? (I have them on my other bike's wheels)

[dim]

I'd get that saddle level first tho (or you'll slide onto the top tube with painful consequences!)

LOL ... thanks .... I only receive the bike on Sunday pm .... pics show it as it was adverised on Ebay

I will change the saddle to a Brooks Cambium C17 Carved (which I already have), or a Fizik Airone wing Flex (which I also find very comfortable)

[alcatraz]

Nice bike, and a nice deal I'd say. You can use a wheelset tubeless and one with tubes if that's your fancy. It's good until you get the hang of running only tubeless I think.

To increase comfort your can get carbon bars, flexy seatpost, thick handlebar tape and so on. First 28mm tires though.

Take care of your drivetrain, and resist the temptation of running ceramic bearings. Just ride and enjoy.

thanks .... why is it not good to use ceramic bearings? (I have them on my other bike's wheels)

They often can't compare with the tolerances and properties of basic steel bearings which make them unfit in many places. Only a few brands can come into the same ballpark as common steel and I wouldn't be surprised if a 1usd skf bearing still has less play than that brand. They are ideal for high rpm, high temperature which cycling doesn't deal with. For high load and high torque (cycling) the best material today is still steel.

If you have them, enjoy them. If you have to replace them, no need to come back to them.

[AJS914]

There's nothing wrong with good ceramic bearings. They just aren't worth the extra cost for the .25 watts benefit they may provide. And that benefit comes from the lack of seals.

[dim]

well.... the seller pulled out of the sale ... He was supposed to deliver today but says he has changed his mind as it's too far to drive to my home, and has relisted the bike on Ebay (first he said that he had made a mistake on the listing and it now does not include pedals bottle cages etc etc .... ) .... shit happens

but .... I've now bought another bike and it will be delivered on Thursday .... totally different to what I initially had in mind but I'm hoping that it will be good.

A 2016 Trek Emonda SL6 with Ultegra Di2 ....the crankset is 105 but I will be replacing that with Dura Ace 9000 that has a Stages powermeter (I already have that) .... The handlebars is the Canyon aero Cockpit and my son has already said that he wants that (he has a Canyon and the Canyon handlebars are too wide for me)

The wheels are cheap (Mavic aksium) and I will either buy a new set of light tubeless wheels or I will use my HED Belgium plus (with Chris King hubs). I may also need to get a new seat post if this one is too tall or short (it does not have much adjustment .... it does not fit into the frame)

I'm also not sure if I can fit any tyres wider than 25mm and I will most probably not use mudguards with this

I paid £1000 (included the delivery price)

[jlok]

Didn't know that Canyon cockpit could be used on 1 1/8 steering tube. Or did you use a step down ring?

[dim]

Didn't know that Canyon cockpit could be used on 1 1/8 steering tube. Or did you use a step down ring?

not sure ... I only get the bike on Thursday .... It definately looks like a Canyon cockpit ....

here's a photo from the internet of the Canyon Cockpit:

[jbaillie]

+1 to the HED Belgiums for this build. It'll be nice to have something instead of the Canyon bar/stem as well, they look a bit clumsy on that frame. Any guesses what you'll replace them with?

[Grobar]

Didn't know that Canyon cockpit could be used on 1 1/8 steering tube. Or did you use a step down ring?

you can buy false one 1'1/8 on aliexpress for really cheap...

[dim]

+1 to the HED Belgiums for this build. It'll be nice to have something instead of the Canyon bar/stem as well, they look a bit clumsy on that frame. Any guesses what you'll replace them with?

Thanks ... I had the HED Belgiums built by my local bike shop and I got a very good deal on the Chris King R45 hubs (ceramic bearings) ...off ebay ... I've used them on my Giant TCR with both a tubeless setup, aswell as clinchers ....

I'm not sure which handlebars and stem that I will get .... I need to see what size stem I need then will decide... carbon would be nice but I dont mind the extra 100g or so for aluminium (this bike will be used daily as my commuter)

any recomendations that won't break the bank?

[jbaillie]

I've had the 3T Ergosum Pro (their compact alloy bar) since 2011 and I don't have the slightest complaint. Pretty cheap, especially if you buy used. I've always prefered compact to traditional bend though, so that may be up to your personal preference.

[dim]

I've had the 3T Ergosum Pro (their compact alloy bar) since 2011 and I don't have the slightest complaint. Pretty cheap, especially if you buy used. I've always prefered compact to traditional bend though, so that may be up to your personal preference.

thanks ... I will have a close look at those .... I'm also looking closely at Zipp Service Course 70-Ergo (I need narrow bars ... 38cm)