Totally confused - Sunday club runs / Summer Bike / Winter Bike / Training bike / Racing!! Maybe even!!

How is it then Andy ?
Mine is due to be built on Thursday.
Cant wait

Arrived yesterday - just waiting for a decent gap in the weather to take it for a spin

Thats pretty Taste.

Brand new?

There's probably a lot to be said in favour of training with a heavier slower bike too fitness wise.

the other good thing I find with a winter bike is it makes you appreciate your best bike all over again come spring!

Look at this frame closely.

Look familiar?

If the budget can stretch to a winter/training bike then have it...always nice to keep the 'best bike' a bit 'special' I'd say

If not, so what? Ride your dream bike and enjoy it!

By the way, another bike for winter/ bad weather is not a bad idea. In fact its a perfect excuse for a new bike

Enjoy the De Rosa. I am the guy on a carbon bike that every beginner can overtake lol. But at least I am happy.

Buy whatever you wish and whatever makes you happy I say ..

Assuming you're not Jimmy Carr or some sort of BANKING SCUMBAG and it's the rest of us paying for it ... it doesnae really matter does it.

I'm currently sourcing parts for a Winter Build so I can keep my "main" ride - Pearson Carbon for the dryer months (I typed that without smiling, given that we had 1/3rd of avg June rainfall in one hour here y-day) ...

To summarise, keep the De Rosa for March/April to Sept and something a little less spesh for the wetter months ..

Ride what you're comfortable on.

It doesn't matter what your club rides - our rides are always a complete mix. Some people like to save their Sunday best for race days, some like to ride it daily.

I prefer to ride my high end bike as much of the year as I can, just switching wheels for training or racing. In the wet, I hop on an older bike that can accommodate mud guards so that whoever's behind me doesn't get soaked.

You havent shot yourself in the foot - if you enjoy riding it and owning it, and you can keep up and play your part in the club runs, then why does it matter what everyone else is riding?

As for whether you should get another bike, the old rule of thumb is that the number of bikes you should own is n+1, with n being the number you currently own, but that you muyst always maintain that n < D, D being the number of bikes that would result in a relationship breakdown...

Seriously though, it's nice to have a winter bike with clearance for mudguards, if you can. It means you can keep the good bike for dryish days and races, it will stay in better condition and you wont have to put clip on guards on it to avoid annoying your club mates. It also means you can avoid riding the dream bike in the winter when there's a higher chance of crashing it! But if you don't have room, funds or an inclination to own another, you'll be just fine on the De Rosa year round. Despite the protestations of many, carbon bikes don't dissolved in mud or explode on any minor impact. It's tougher than you think, so if you don't want to supplement it with another, just carry on enjoying it!