[Kenny@kgool.net]

Hi all,

My current road bike (a 2015ish Specialized Allez Sport) is getting a bit old and battered, so I’m looking suggestions for something new in the £1500-£2500 range. Most of my cycling is commuting, but I’m prone to going for the odd longer ride (200km+) and the occasional multi-day trip.In the past, I’ve found that a lightly loaded pannier rack worked really well for the multi-day trips, and I’d like my new bike to be able to take one. So, I think my bike needs are:

• Relatively nippy (so not a touring bike)
• Robust enough for crappy Edinburgh roads
  • It won’t be going off road. At all. Not even farm tracks.
• Able to take a pannier rack occasionally (once/year). The load on it will be ~6-7kg, in a bag strapped to the top of the rack.
• Ideally 105 groupset (but I’m used to Sora, so anything will be an upgrade)

I think the pannier requirement means that I’l be going with an alu frame.

Any suggestions? Right now, I’m looking at:

• Another Allez Sport
• Trek Domane AL5
• Ribble Allroad 105
• Merida Sculptura 400
• Giant Contend

Topic

[Kenny@kgool.net]

Just thought I’d report back on this…

I ordered a Strael 4.0 back in September and got it a few weeks ago. After waiting for colds to clear up, rain to stop, etc, i *finally* got out on it. It’s wonderful – much more comfortable on the slightly bumpy country roads that I tend to frequent, but still nippy enough to be fun. Basically, it’s an all-road mile-muncher – exactly what i wanted.
In case anyone is reading this and wondering about sizes, I went for the 56cm frame, and I’m 5′ 9.5″. It feels spot-on for me.

Thank you to the folk who pointed me to the Strael. I’m very grateful!

[wtjs]

Good! Each to his own, but
Good! Each to his own, but that proofing isn’t going to help when the fabric wears through on the folds. Agree about the plastic bags, though. Always 3 for a sleeping bag!

[Spangly Shiny]

Still using the old cotton

Still using the old cotton duck, but  sealed with cotton proofer from Nikwax and always lined with a bin bag and multiple ickle bags (old Army trick, even in a cordura rucksack).

[Simon's Two Wheels]

Sonder Colibri.

Sonder Colibri.

https://alpkit.com/collections/sonder-colibri

[Bezzard74]

Simon is the photographer who

Simon is the photographer who took the photos in link 1, though he does own a lovely Moss Faran 2.5 

The eagled might spot Harry & Ve from Wizard Works in link 3.

[quiff]

I recently bought a Strael

I recently bought a Strael and seriously considered building it from a frameset, but the price difference really was marginal if you can’t / won’t do the build yourself. After allowing for labour (I was quoted £150 for the build) it was really borderline and, for me, not worth the hassle versus ordering a complete bike set up by people who work on that frame every day.     

[OnYerBike]

You probably could build it

You probably could build it slightly cheaper yourself. But I think full bikes are pretty good value considering the specs, and you’d be hard pressed to save much money without going for significantly lower-end components. Remember it’s not just the groupset you would need to buy – it’s wheels, tyres, handlebars, seatpost, saddle etc.

[Monsieur_Growl]

Worth saying that buying the

Worth saying that buying the frame and the groupset separately is much cheaper (Merlin have the cheapest prices I’ve found), especially if you can build it up yourself.

[Secret_squirrel]

I was mostly having fun.  I

I was mostly having fun.  I like both Quiff’s (your 3rd link) and the linked ones.  

The first link Simon Wellers is a beaut!  I cant see past the dirt on the last one.

[OnYerBike]

Agree that particular build

Agree that particular build is not the most aesthetically pleasing. But I think Dom & the team are generally encouraging of customisation, including flat bars if that floats your boat:

(Note a couple of those are “staff builds”!)

[wtjs]

I’ve never had a problem with

I’ve never had a problem with cotton duck

Wears out too quickly and is obsolete compared to Cordura, etc. I am one of the old knackers for whom cotton duck is supposed to be essential and I’ve been using nylon since the 70s

[quiff]

I dunno, a flatbar Faran has

I dunno, a flatbar Faran has a certain something

[Secret_squirrel]

I would agree with a Strael. 

I would agree with a Strael.  Whilst looking on Ebay for Secondhand ones in the OP’s budget I came across this abomination.  Someone buy it and put drops on it like God (Dom) intended.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226855957214?_skw=fairlight+strael&itmmeta=01K0RXP003AFPE60J471RAH8VZ&hash=item34d1ab32de:g:gycAAeSwQyBnzdut&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1cTSgKbYmlJxcfynSkPIUFKAyjgwiYROu7ZXOgCRt43Ey7638jXw9Xi7uHZUUdHJJxWkNBGN5l4BylRYbvOotLNkqqTNSyCINjlBrwHjEGxCvEvtdrk1EFFHr4JCX38ECi2XR8s6dnKCuEDavx%2B9E9BV6rEPARjDJlEFHJnDg5KCQykUazQNKclI3T9zd6FtWrLtHDxLy1b3N3gUp5DQjcT4rfY7eyXhmQjeMXml7QAYASvOWDqzB1sYwFbXscJHRLN1PWn1DHHip0rAU20aaEpnzNfl%2BDdb%2B82TFJl6yHQvA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMkIDYnYZm

[Kenny@kgool.net]

Thanks OnYerBike, i think I
Thanks OnYerBike, i think I might be slightly in love (with the Fairlight, not you, sorry). It certainly seems to tick a lot of boxes (possibly all of them), and that looks like a decent price for a very, very good bike.

I totally agree about cable routing and it’s something that’ll be a factor in my choice. I’ve always done things like cabling myself, and routing stuff through the headset looks like a nightmare.

[OnYerBike]

It’s slightly above your

It’s slightly above your stated budget, but could be worth looking at the Fairlight Strael (starts at £2,649 for mechanical 105 version). 

In terms of the other options, personally I would stay away from anything that routes mechanical gear cables through the headset. I appreciate from an aesthetic point of view it looks nice, and works fine for Di2 wires/hydraulic brake lines. But for cables I think it requires convoluted routing, which leads to poor shifting performance and high wear rates. And when the cable do wear out, it’s a big job to replace them.

[Author]

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