My road bike, a Caad10 from 2012, was hit by a truck while I was riding it, and it looks like it’s likely to be totaled. Luckily, I should get a reasonable insurance payout. I had planned to buy a fancy carbon bike to race on for the coming year and put the Caad10 on rain bike/winter training duty before I got hit.
What I’m hoping to have at the end of all this is a rain/winter training bike and a dedicated race bike. It would be awesome if the rain/winter bike could do double duty as a “gravel grinder” sort of thing. I mean, yes, I can do that stuff on my cross bike, and probably even on something like a Caad10, but I guess I’m looking for maximum flexibility, while still being something I can do long road rides on. Any thoughts? I guess I know I can’t go wrong getting another Caad10, but I’m interested to see what Tarck has to say about other options.
I can get Cannondale, Scott, Guru, Bianchi, and Focus through Doug. Cannondale is my preference out of those lines.
Also, I forgot to mention, if I act relatively soon, my team is sponsored by Co-Motion, so I could get something custom from them for a pretty good price, but that would involve more work and time (i.e. waiting to have it built, ordering components and whatever separately, waiting until Doug can build it all up + the grumpiness he’ll have from that, etc.), but in the end would have a fully custom bike.
I am interested in the Endpoint stuff, honestly, but not sure if it makes much sense for me both in terms of cost and in terms of the bike itself, as I gather it would be somewhat heavier than some of my other options (I’m no weight weenie, but at my size, these things tend to make a bit more difference than if I was 50 pounds heavier myself). Maybe I’m wrong?
Preferred/necessary geo for both bikes?
Willing to buy used for the Winter/gravel bike?
Frame only an option?
For Winter I’m considering a hard tail aluminum mtb w/disc brakes. Not sure if that appeals to you. If you could deal with a 26" frame the market is in your favor for a cheap frame to hang nice parts on. Rigid mtb’s have become the popular alternative to CX bike for gravel since the trend was moving so fast towards drop bar mtb’s, which are dumb.
One big draw to going cheap on the training bike is you have more money for a really light carbon race bike. At your size I suspect that actual makes a remarkable difference.
Rando, a mtb won’t do it for me, though I can definitely see the appeal for you where you live.
This is a CoMotion bike that looks interesting to me, but I’m fairly new to that style of bike, so maybe it’s dumb?: http://co-motion.com/index.php/bikes/klatch (excuse the awful derpy copy)
rando makes a good point. especially if dougie gets a gnar bike.
I’m at the point where my N=1 would be a hardtail 29. Scott has some good deals on 2014 Scales in 29 and 27.5.
This is sort of what I’m leaning toward, assuming the insurance payout is what I think it is, and I don’t miss my window for ordering the CoMotion.
Viking/Rando, a mtb won’t work for me. When I say winter/training bike, I mean something to do base miles on in the rain, and to ride on some gravel, but, like, road bike gravel. I’d like to get a mtb sometime, but I do the vast majority of my riding on the road.
Also, anyone have any thoughts on disc brakes for that type of application? I’m honestly a little scared of them on a road-type bike, but that’s probably irrational…?
Rando, a mtb won’t do it for me, though I can definitely see the appeal for you where you live. [/quote]
Road frame of choice reshod with 650b wheels? The additional clearance of smaller wheels will give room for slightly wider tires, which won’t hurt at all on gravel roads, and which may not be any slower than conventional 700c tires.
The idea to get a “sportive” bike on closeout from overseas came to me. Not going to be MUSA but there’s a good chance of it being made by a very reputable manufacturer. Places like Rose may not do it for you but were you aware that some of the major US brands have a large catalog of EU only models. Trek’s is massive compared to what they offer stateside.
[quote=Petr5]Kind of infatuated with the GT Grade.
Fender mounts, rack mounts (al version). pf30, but comes with adapters for Shimano BBs. http://www.gtbicycles.com/usa_en/2015/bikes/road/adventure[/quote]
I like this too for the application you’re describing. They’re brodealable from cannondale though last I checked they won’t be available for another couple months? Perhaps the timeline doesn’t work.
Cross bike is really fun for cross, and okay-ish for longer stuff, but not great, because the frame is so little (we got it at a ridiculous price because it was a returned frame in a tiny size that was just sitting around Doug’s shop) that it fits a little weird. I mean, if it’s all I had access to and wasn’t going to get my wrecked bike covered, I could make it work, but since I’ll be able to get a replacement for the Caad10, I figure I may as well make the most of it, and looking at what I do on bikes, I think something like that CoMotion Klatch makes the most sense. BUT I could be wrong. Also, I would be nervous about having nothing but carbon bikes (if I got the planned-on carbon race bike and then used my carbon cross bike for everything else).
I wouldn’t do disc because then you have no interchangeability between it, your road, and I believe cx bike. Because you don’t want to ride it offroad, I’d do mid reach calipers and fenders, as that will clear a 28c tire which will be more than enough to make the gravel you ride doable, plus you won’t want to off yourself riding fat ass tires on the road 95% of the time. in terms of build, splurge on the frame then have the rest of it be cheap, and spend it on your race bike/race wheels.