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decent aluminum bike with fender and rack mounts and hydraulic disc brakes

I've been searching high and low for a bike which has the following qualities:

- aluminum (or metal) frame

- fender and rack mounts

- hydraulic disc brakes

- thru-axles are a plus but not required

I basically want something like Cannondale Synapse Al Disc 105 but with hydraulic brakes. Closest I found was the Specialized Diverge but it has mechanical disc brakes... also a bit pricy.

Any decently priced bike out there which meets the requirements?

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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16 comments

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henryb | 5 years ago
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It's steel, rather than aluminium, but how about a Genesis Equilibrium?

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prokyon | 5 years ago
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I guess another question to ask would be - how important are through-axles for road bikes with disc brakes? I had a mountain bike with skewers and hated them - every time I took the wheels off I had to re-align the brake calipers all over again with a tool to prevent the annoying rotor rub.

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aegisdesign replied to prokyon | 5 years ago
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prokyon wrote:

I guess another question to ask would be - how important are through-axles for road bikes with disc brakes? I had a mountain bike with skewers and hated them - every time I took the wheels off I had to re-align the brake calipers all over again with a tool to prevent the annoying rotor rub.

The main reason for thru-axles is to prevent the wheel being ejected from brake forces or twisting the fork legs which can be prevented by forward facing fork dropouts, sturdier legs and not using stupid lightweight skewers.

Personally, I'd rather have a through-axle fork given the weediness of road bike forks and the speeds involved.

 

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EddyBerckx replied to aegisdesign | 5 years ago
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aegisdesign wrote:

prokyon wrote:

I guess another question to ask would be - how important are through-axles for road bikes with disc brakes? I had a mountain bike with skewers and hated them - every time I took the wheels off I had to re-align the brake calipers all over again with a tool to prevent the annoying rotor rub.

The main reason for thru-axles is to prevent the wheel being ejected from brake forces or twisting the fork legs which can be prevented by forward facing fork dropouts, sturdier legs and not using stupid lightweight skewers.

Personally, I'd rather have a through-axle fork given the weediness of road bike forks and the speeds involved.

 

 

To be honest I thought the main benefit of thru axles are that the disc rotors are less likely to rub?

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hawkinspeter replied to EddyBerckx | 5 years ago
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StoopidUserName wrote:

aegisdesign wrote:

prokyon wrote:

I guess another question to ask would be - how important are through-axles for road bikes with disc brakes? I had a mountain bike with skewers and hated them - every time I took the wheels off I had to re-align the brake calipers all over again with a tool to prevent the annoying rotor rub.

The main reason for thru-axles is to prevent the wheel being ejected from brake forces or twisting the fork legs which can be prevented by forward facing fork dropouts, sturdier legs and not using stupid lightweight skewers.

Personally, I'd rather have a through-axle fork given the weediness of road bike forks and the speeds involved.

 

 

To be honest I thought the main benefit of thru axles are that the disc rotors are less likely to rub?

It's all of the above.

Thru-axles make the whole fork/wheel interface stronger, so you should get less fork twisting and they have more accurate positioning than QRs. Also, they have a much better failure mode as if you let them get really loose, you're more likely to notice that your wheel has gone wobbly before the TA unscrews itself from the fork (and even then you'd still have one side attached, though I wouldn't fancy riding it).

I managed to not tighten up my rear TA once and wondered why my Di2 gears were rubbing/not shifting properly. I adjusted the trim a couple of times before realising what the problem was.

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Strathbean | 5 years ago
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My own wish list also has a threaded bb on it. The only one i can find that ticks all the boxes is a bowman pilgrim, might be a bit over the op’s budget though.

If you arent fussed about thru axles, my money would go to kinesis for a 4s disc, a great all weather bike that youll still enjoy riding in the summer, and looks very snazzy in blue.

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EddyBerckx | 5 years ago
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I'm going through the same process. Amazing how hard it is to find a bike without utter bodged mudguard mounts.

The diverge you mentioned is a case in point. Doesn't have a seatstay bridge, tempnor otherwise. Guy in shop said the guards he fitted seemed pretty stable. Bollox they are.

A giant contend I looked at had very little clearance for a front mudguard to extend beyond the fork crown...great if you don't ride faster than 10mph. Others had mounts for brand only mudguards that either weren't available or were overpriced crap. Or the mounts were in weird places meant the brackets would need bodging.

Anyway. Caadx's are the nearest to what i originally wanted...2019 models are now out and look pretty tasty. Whyte also do some bikes that may fit, but are a bit heavier.

Good luck with your search!

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JimD666 | 5 years ago
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If your tall enough (they only have the 59cm left in stock)

https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-axe7-pro-disc-road-bike-2017-95581.html

Pretty much everything apart from the thru-axels

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cqexbesd | 5 years ago
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I have a Specialized Source Comp Disc which sounds like it matches your specs (apart from thru axle). https://www.specialized.com/de/de/source-comp-disc/p/106277

It's had a lot of things go wrong with it though (failed hub, leaking hydraulics and more) so check that this years model has the problems fixed before considering.

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prokyon | 5 years ago
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I found this little gem - Fuji Sportif 1.3 - brakes are cable-actuated hydraulics, checks all the other boxes off as well:

http://www.fujibikes.com/usa/bikes/road/endurance/sportif/sportif-1-3-disc

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kevvjj | 5 years ago
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Planet X Full Monty or buy the London Road frameset and build it up.

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Sniffer | 5 years ago
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Just bought a Fairlight Strael.  Ticks the spec (including thru axles), but it is not cheap.  Enjoying it though.

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srchar | 5 years ago
3 likes

Kinesis 4S disc + suitable build kit?

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rdmp2 | 5 years ago
2 likes

Pinnacle Dolomite?

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davel | 5 years ago
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CAADX 2018 Ultegra version - £1400 at Evans at the mo. Think it ticks all boxes except thru-axles. 

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CXR94Di2 | 5 years ago
2 likes

Boardman ASR 8.9. has mudguards, Shimano 105, hydraulic brakes and metal frame

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