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Disc Bikes
I am a fairly recent MAMIL, having bought my first road bike a little over a year ago - a Trek, Alu, Series 1.1, Sora 8 speed, which I love, but it's got me hooked, so considering an upgrade. I miss the disc brakes on my MTB, plus I'd like a few more cogs and a carbon frame.
My typical rides are 30 miles, 2 or 3 times per week, 1500ft climb, covered at 16mph average. I sometimes do longer rides, but due to a short attention span I'd rather improve speed over 30 miles, than sit in the saddle for 60 miles. I also have a crazy notion to do some alpine climbs. I am 57 years old and weight 72Kg.
I don't think it's worth upgrading an 18 month old £600 bike unless I set a budget ceiling around £2k. For this price I'd expect hydraulic discs, 105 or Ultegra gearset and internal cables. I like the stiffness of my Trek (although I do detect some bottom bracket flex on climbs), so I don't want anything floppier!
There are loads of bikes which fit the above brief, so I am short listing prior to testing. My list currently consists of: Focus Carbon Disc 105; Lapiere Sensium 500 Disc; Giant Defy Advanced Pro 3 (though don't particularly like being part of "the crowd"); Cube Agree C62 Disc (though I blow hot and cold on the styling). I have rejected many others for all sorts of reasons, so if anybody suggests anything different to the above, it better be good!
Q1) I'd appreciate feedback from anybody with first hand experience of any of the above bikes.
Q2) What difference is an old git doing short (30 mile) runs, with an interest in climbs and higher speeds, likely to notice in moving to a bike with this sort of spec?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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10 comments
Many thanks to those who have responded so far. The Rose certainly seems very well specc'ed, and seems to be very well liked by owners. What about this alleged soft rear / stiff front a couple of reviewers have commented on?
It's not something I've found myself. As I said elsewhere, I don't get to ride 100's of bikes to have a frame of reference, my only other bike is a carbon Cube (Agree GTC), the Rose is notably stiffer, faster and more comfortable than the Cube.
I'm a little wary of some of the descriptions given to various bikes handling characteristics - it's (mostly) highly subjective - other than perhaps stiffness which can be measured.
The front end on the Rose is lively and steers well, allowing great control of the bike - it's no more jarring than my Cube which is all I can compare it against.
I would say the rear end is more compliant in terms of soaking up bumps than my Cube, my strava times are generally quicker on the Rose than the Cube as well which would suggest that it's not worse than the Cube in terms of power transfer or the like.
For me you have a couple of options, trial a bike from your LBS and know exactly what you will get. Or buy online from Rose, get more for your money but not have that chance to try it first.
I'm firmly of the opinion for us folks with 1-2 bikes who don't get to ride something new every other week; that you will be happy with whatever bike you have as long as it's the right size pretty much.
Another vote for the Rose Xeon CDX. Just got one of these and it is an excellent bike. Much lighter than many others at the same price point.
SAB
Q1 I can't vouch for any of the bikes on your list but the cannondale synapse 105 is at the top end of your budget and a lovely bike.
Q2 discs come into their own when it comes to wear and tear of the rim, especially if riding in rain. Your wheels last much longer as they're not being ground down by braking. The other advantage is better braking in the wet and hydraulic brakes are easier to get force into braking, especially if you ride on the hoods.
So if you are only riding low mileage in good conditions, discs are not necessary. For me, I regard them as essential.
I also have a grade, which I can't recommend enough!
In our recent run of ok weather, I broke out my 'summer' bike, and didn't feel much (if any) quicker, but certainly felt a lot less comfortable on some of the more badly surfaced roads of rural Devon!
As one who also lives and rides in rural Devon, I can fully empathise with this!
I have a Ridley CX bike with two wheels sets - one H Plus Son Archetype on 105 Hubs with a lot of spokes in and 32/35mm CX tyres on for commuting and a bit of offroad fun and then a set of Cosmic Carbone Sl's with 23mm slicks for the club runs and it's like riding a different bike. Can't recommend a set up like that more.
It manages to cover all bases, from ideal commuter to perfectly capable fast road bike (I can hold 20mph+ averages over 60 miles with the fast boys on it and don't feel like the bike is letting me down at all (just my legs!).
And it means you don't have two bikes to maintain!
I have a GT grade. So versatile. Can fit mudguards (proper not flimsy strap on) can take 32mm tyres. Hydraulic disks 105 groupset (no cheap chainset from FSA) comfortable quick. If I could only have one bike this would be the one I kept.
Don't discount a cyclocross bike. They're as quick as a road bike for all practical purposes and normally come with disk brakes now that UCI have made disks legal for racing CX. They also have more clearance for bigger tyres and you can go a revisit some of your old MTB haunts if you keep the wheels on the ground
There are loads out there, Planet X do the lovely Ti Pickenflix, Kona have the Jake the Snake in carbon, and there are loads of others.
This was what I ended up with, as I was looking for a road bike in 2014 and insisted on having disc brakes.
I got a Giant TCX SLR 2. It's the bottom-spec model of the range, and the only TCX with QRs front and back. Frame is triple-butted aluminum, with carbon fiber in the seatpost and fork blades, although steerer tube remains aluminum. Build kit is primarily Shimano 105 5700, with a Tiagra 12-30 cassette and an FSA Omega 46/36 chainset, and paired with TRP Spyre cable-pull disc brakes. Giant's old XC MTB wheels and 35 mm mud tires finish the bike off.
So far it's been an excellent choice. I've since swapped in a 50/34 chainset and 28 mm slicks and it's been my do-everything bike, from light touring to commuting to light trail duty and a 210 km audax. The Spyres are great anchors, too, and very easy to live with in terms of maintenance and tuning.
Newer models of the TCX SLR 2 have 11-speed 105 5800 installed and a better FSA crank.
Have a look at the Rose Xeon CDX, groupsets to match your budget. I've the £2300 Ultegra Di2/RS785 hydraulic brakes version and (in my opinion) it's an amazing bike, light as well at just over 7kg.
You get a lot for your money, but you will have to wait 2-3 months for you bike though