All-Rounder Bike Choice

[LedZeppelin007]

Hi all,

I'd appreciate some help in choosing a new bike. I'd need it to be flexible to the point where I'm not sure the bike actually exists.

I have a Cannondale Topstone Lefty 3 that in my COVID boredom have substantially upgraded and a 2010 Cervelo S3 in good condition. My issues with both are these:

Cervelo: it's fast but very uncomfortable on the rough local roads. It has a max tire clearance as such that you can only run 23c tires. The SRAM front derailuers of the time are total garbage and I have to hold my breath that I won't drop my chain when shifting from the small to big. And, yes, ive spent plenty of time working on it myself and having mechanics look at it. Just not a great system. Finally, it has carbon clinchers and I popped a tube the other day from having to ride the brakes down a moderately long descent because the roads were so rough and the carbon got so hot that it popped my latex tube.

Cannondale: great bike, but it sits in an unfortunate no mans land. I rode it 45 hilly tarmac miles the other day and it was significantly more difficult than doing the same ride on my Cervelo (rolling resistance and weight). On the other hand it's not quite ready to take on some of the more intense trails and rocky stuff. I tried it off road the other day and it would be fine for moderate gravel and single track but nothing more.

So, I figured I'd trade both bikes in and get a versatile road bike that's more comfortable than my S3, has disc brakes, and can handle some light to moderate gravel with the right tires.

My budget would be around $6,500 USD total.

I have thought about fast bikes with good tire clearance in general:

-Cannondale SuperSix EVO Ultegra with aftermarket Zipp 303S wheels and 30-33c gravel/cross tires for gravel days

-Trek Emonda SL7 eTap with 32c road tires

-BMC Teammachine SLR One with Zipp 303s and whatever the biggest tires I could fit

-Giant TCR Advanced Pro Disc with as fat of tires as I can fit and pray the wheels don't break

-Scott Addict RC15 with 30c tires and hope the wheels don't break

Any suggestions or comments would be helpful.

I realize that this isn't ideal, but my budget is pretty strict right now.

Thanks!!!

[JMeinholdt]

If tire clearance is a concern, I'd be looking at the endurance line of bikes from the manufacturers instead of the race line. Something like the BMC Roadmachine line, or Trek Domane. They will still be faster than a dedicated gravel bike like the Topstone, but have more all road capability than the race bike versions.

Just my two cents.

[LedZeppelin007]

Thanks, I've given that some thought. It just pains me how heavy a lot of those are and I'm not even a big weight weenie. The Domane SL7 weighs (gulp) 8.8kg.

[jfranci3]

You want a light bike with white-road capabilities? Most of the disc-only frames will do 33c CX tires (Madone for example) and take the "beating" no problem as the tires, wheels, seat post, saddle shell, and bars take move of the beating. If you're running 32-33c on gravel, I'd run 'off shore' carbon rims so you can beat them up.
https://www.cervelo.com/en_US/caledonia (35c ??) (7.6kg di2 Ult 1750gr wheels )
https://www.bmc-switzerland.com/intl_en ... -2021.html (34c - 35c) (7.4kg RM01-4 Ult Di2 light wheels)
Canyon Ultimate (32c ?) (7.6 kg di2 1500gr wheels)
Spec Tarmac SL7 (32c) (7.7kg di2 on 1750gr wheels )
https://factorbikes.com/models/vista/ (35c)
Current R3 di2 disc - 7.6kg on 1500gr wheels
Domane SLR H1 6 - 8.6kg with Rival Etap w/ light wheels (38c) (note: The is weight with 340gr 32c tires, you can drop 200gr with GP5000 28c; another 100gr with Force crankarms)


If you step up to 38c, you start to lose the bigger ring sizes, weight, and fit.
Trek Domane (38-40c)
Open UP / 3T / Cervelo


I'd do a lower spec two bike setup. Two bikes > one bike - for example when one has a mechanical or a flat just as youre about to start riding.

[JMeinholdt]

Thanks, I've given that some thought. It just pains me how heavy a lot of those are and I'm not even a big weight weenie. The Domane SL7 weighs (gulp) 8.8kg.

Eh, you can make any of them decently lightweight. My 3T with minor mods weighs 8kg on the nose with road tires and I can clear 40c+ with my gravel set up.

[LedZeppelin007]

You can run 33c Cross tires on the Madone? Hmmm lol. Very interesting....

[saldegracia]

I'd just get a race-oriented gravel bike and have two wheelsets, one for road, one for gravel. Something like the Cervelo Aspero or the 3T Exploro.

[JMeinholdt]

I'd just get a race-oriented gravel bike and have two wheelsets, one for road, one for gravel. Something like the Cervelo Aspero or the 3T Exploro.

While not a bad idea, it's unnecessary if he is only going to be doing minor gravel. But, at least around me, I would hate life if I hit some of the chunky gravel we have with less than 38c tires.

[saldegracia]

I'd just get a race-oriented gravel bike and have two wheelsets, one for road, one for gravel. Something like the Cervelo Aspero or the 3T Exploro.

While not a bad idea, it's unnecessary if he is only going to be doing minor gravel. But, at least around me, I would hate life if I hit some of the chunky gravel we have with less than 38c tires.

yeah, obviously it all depends on where you live. In my area we have some "nice" gravel sections but sooner or later you always hit some rocky sections or areas with deep car tracks etc...so I always use the big tires when riding gravel, it means you are prepared for anything you might encounter and the penalty while riding on the road is actually fairly minimal...

[jfranci3]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAgwFjCAwL0/ 35c he says
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLCYuqvlP-m/

[LedZeppelin007]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAgwFjCAwL0/ 35c he says
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLCYuqvlP-m/

Wow. Unfortunately treks are very scant around here right now.

[rides4beer]

SuperSix Evo with 32mm tires, fast and comfortable. I had 32mm GP5Ks on my SSE that measured out to 34mm on wide rims and still had plenty of clearance.

[LedZeppelin007]

The thing that worries me about Cannondales is the proprietary parts, creaky BBs, and warranty. There's definitely something to be said for Trek's approach to warranty.

[Cannoli]

I second the Canyon Ultimate. Great all-arounder and supports 30mm tires.

EDIT: Just realized you want something for gravel too. The Ultimate is NOT the bike for that.

I have a 2019 Trek Domane SL5 that I use on gravel and road. It's a good bike for both but not a great bike for either. I can fit 38mm Schwalbe G1 Allround's in the frame without issue, which really sucks up the bumps. For the road, I run 28mm's on a separate set of wheels with rotors and cassette. It's plush on the road so don't expect to earn any KOMs from massive power output.

[dftjunkie]

How about the Cervelo Caledonia-5? It has clearance for 34-35mm tires and is plenty fast on the road with the stock 30mm tires that it comes with. If you don’t fancy the integrated cockpit system you can step down to the Caledonia. I took it out for a spin and my feedback was that Cervelo nailed the ride quality and the handling on this to be great on road as well as light gravel


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