[alanw56]

Hello All

I am looking for new audax bike for my long days in saddle. I found on forum two(orro terra gravel 105 and ribble cgr) that were recommended, but which other bikes you would recommend to suit my needs. Thanks for any advice

1. disc brakes with thru axles to make life easier in case of flat tyre
2. frame as light as possible and can accept any colour. I am not that fussed about it if bike ticks all boxes
3. mudguards and pannier rack mounts(max weight 10kgs)
4. 9 out of 10 rides are on the road so no need for any fat tyres or heavy frames
5. minimum Sora groupset
6. budget no more than £1500, however cheaper the better

Topic

[Anonymous]

alotronic wrote:

Spangly Shiny wrote:

Planet X Tempest Rival 22 – £1400 so it’s in budget, sub 10kg, hyd discs and it’s Ti – what’s not to like?

 

Agreed, cracking buy, BUT no mudguard bosses on fork 🙂 Classic PX gothca!

 

“With a slightly sloping top-tube, a relaxed riding position and mounts for mudguards and panniers the Tempest is perfect for epic adventures. ”  Am I missing something?

[alotronic]

Spangly Shiny wrote:

Planet X Tempest Rival 22 – £1400 so it’s in budget, sub 10kg, hyd discs and it’s Ti – what’s not to like?

 

Agreed, cracking buy, BUT no mudguard bosses on fork 🙂 Classic PX gothca!

[Spangly Shiny]

Planet X Tempest Rival 22 –

Planet X Tempest Rival 22 – £1400 so it’s in budget, sub 10kg, hyd discs and it’s Ti – what’s not to like?

[alotronic]

quiff wrote:

BTBS, I don’t think Dave’s suggesting he couldn’t operate other brakes properly on an audax, just that the benefits of hydraulic discs (less effort at the lever, better modulation) are all the more apparent / appreciated when fatigued, and indeed may help in staving off some of that fatigue. 

 

Yes, my experience of disc brakes and Audax is that they increase the margin of safety through better modulation and less lever effort. Audax, like racing, is a judgement game – the calculation of risk is ongoing and complex and safety is certainly not an absolute in any form of bike riding. There is mad, bonkers and insane but there is no ISO7000 when it comes to riding safely, it’s all experience and judgement – part of the ‘fun’ of Audax is putting  yourself in a position where you have to make those ongoing calculations. Also, that’s life too right?

[quiff]

BTBS, I don’t think Dave’s

BTBS, I don’t think Dave’s suggesting he couldn’t operate other brakes properly on an audax, just that the benefits of hydraulic discs (less effort at the lever, better modulation) are all the more apparent / appreciated when fatigued, and indeed may help in staving off some of that fatigue. 

[Rapha Nadal]

You should probably try one

You should probably try one of the very long audax rides, BTBS.  See how you get on with making the time checks after you’ve stopped because you’re a bit sleepy.

[Anonymous]

dave atkinson wrote:

dave atkinson wrote:

iandusud wrote:

I may be in the minority here but for an audax bike where you’re going to be clocking up long steady miles I would prefer to go for the simplicity of rim brakes. I wouldn’t hesitate going for discs on an all weather commuting bike but on an audax bike you’re not going to be on and off the brakes much. For me the priority for an audax bike would fit and comfort.

audaxes – especially longer ones – involve riding in whatever weather you get, and having to control the bike on roads you don’t know when you’re really tired. those are precisely the conditions, for me, when disc brakes make the most difference.

If you’re that tired you can’t operate your brakes properly on ANY road, known or unknown (in which case you’ll be riding far more cautiously/slower right?) then you shouldn’t be on the road full stop!

The fatigue factor in getting your brain to work/make decisions/react is multiple times over longer both in time and distance covered than the difference in any measureable braking distance difference between discs and rim brakes.

Sorry but I simply do not agree with your thinking, it’s dangerous to ride fatigued to such a degree that you’re relying on discs to get you out of trouble/make up for the fatigue and illogical with respect to safe cycling were you are again using discs to keep yourself under control on unfamiliar roads and/or when the weather becomes inclement.

Riding with that way of thinking will increase your chances of an incident no matter what the conditions, typical risk cmpensation that ignores the biggest factor by far in terms of braking, not to mention that once again you’ve ignored that the tyres are the limiting factor with regards to traction.

[alotronic]

Hydraulics if you go for

Hydraulics if you go for discs, mechanical are OK but you don’t get the real benefit for long rides – reduced hauling on brakes.

The tricky thing with riding very long distances is that you don’t really know what’s important for you until you start doing it. As above you *could* ride an alu bike like a Triban for 600km but it’s not for me… I have a carbon bike I can ride to about 300km (discs, terrific) but then I have a steel bike for distances over that with rim brakes. Some people can ride carbon bikes with deep section wheels, some people would prefer to have their teeth pulled out with pliers!

If I was buying for Audax from scratch for your kind of money I would look at something from Spa cycles. Steel boardmans if you could find them, Kinesis RTD, Ribble Endurance 725 Disc looks pretty much on the money for you, Condor Fratello Disc, Genesis Equilibrium disc… If you can stretch then a Fairlight Strael or a Mason definition.

If you know what you are doing with tweaking bikes then Planet X do some cheap Ti bikes but there are gotchas – for example the current forks on most of their suitable bikes don’t have mudguard bosses which, in the UK, is absurd.

Obvs trying before you buy is pretty important and really rather awkward!

[kil0ran]

I’ve ridden mechanical disc

I’ve ridden mechanical disc brake bikes; in the dry they’re no better than good rim brake calipers and pads. In the wet, an undoubted improvement, plus you don’t destroy your rims. But they need a lot of fettling and squeal like crazy if you don’t use the right pads for the conditions. You’ll eat pads quicker than you would rim blocks too. Just don’t expect them to be night and day better than what you’ve got. If you can stretch the budget, go for hydro discs if at all possible. 

[brakesmadly]

I’ve nearly completed a self

I’ve nearly completed a self-build that owes me about £2K, but you could easily trim £500 off that. I used a Planet X Hurricane Ti frameset, Di2, hybrid disc calipers and custom built wheels with a dynamo hub. Get factory wheels and 105 there’s an easy £500 saving.

I only used Di2 as I seem to have accumulated most of the necessary parts over the last year or so by picking up bargains when I spot them. They were intended to be spares for my other Di2 bikes, but (touch wood) it’s that reliable I shouldn’t need them. I can be fairly sure of that since the 6770 kit I have from 2012 is still going strong.

[dave atkinson]

iandusud wrote:

iandusud wrote:

I may be in the minority here but for an audax bike where you’re going to be clocking up long steady miles I would prefer to go for the simplicity of rim brakes. I wouldn’t hesitate going for discs on an all weather commuting bike but on an audax bike you’re not going to be on and off the brakes much. For me the priority for an audax bike would fit and comfort.

audaxes – especially longer ones – involve riding in whatever weather you get, and having to control the bike on roads you don’t know when you’re really tired. those are precisely the conditions, for me, when disc brakes make the most difference.

[iandusud]

I may be in the minority here

I may be in the minority here but for an audax bike where you’re going to be clocking up long steady miles I would prefer to go for the simplicity of rim brakes. I wouldn’t hesitate going for discs on an all weather commuting bike but on an audax bike you’re not going to be on and off the brakes much. For me the priority for an audax bike would fit and comfort.

[Master Bean]

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes/endurance-bikes/endurace/endurace-al-disc-7.0/2178.html

This Canyon would do. Not sure on mudguard mounts but I have a club buddy who has done a 600km on one so it must do the job.

[Joe Totale]

A friend of mine just did

A friend of mine just did Windsor – Chester – Windsor on a Triban RC520 with no issues. She’s now qualified for Paris – Brest – Paris and will be riding the Triban. 

If we’re talking about 200 or 300km audaxs then IMO most road bikes will do, I’ve done 200’s before on my racing bike and seen plenty of aero frames with deep wheels on them. 

[alanw56]

Thank you for all your advice

Thank you for all your advice. Any ideas which bike I should buy? This would be my first disc bike and thought thru axles will make life easier to set myself.  I do not want to buy a bike that will be a big dissapointment. I went in today to two different shops and they all tried to convince me that mechanical disc brakes are very good too and by a mile better than any rim brakes. From the other hand side I read on this forum to stay away from such brake system. I assume my budget is high enough, so the new bike will serve me for years and brakes will be a big step ahead to what I have now.

[Author]

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