New road bike. What's your desire ?

[MichaelB]

or you could maybe support and australian manufacturer like baum or mooro

Baum is too much, but very nice.

Have seen Mooro, but not looked closely. There is also Prova, they make some nice bikes.

Soooooooo many choices !!

[Warnesy]

I’ve just started this process for my next bike (due in Feb 22 at the latest but I’ll likely buy 6 months or so before that. My requirements are reasonably similar to yours, looking at Ultegra DI2 and disk brakes as I won’t be upgrading again in a hurry.

Minded to go with a frame set and get a nice set of carbon wheels (maybe Caden...) to go with.

Choices are endless and the bike models coming out right now are ones that I’ll likely be looking at next year to buy. Pinarello have released a new prince, trek have the new Emonda...then Wilier or Cervelo. Then I’ve been looking at TI frames like Bossi and Lynskey. The choices really are endless.

[g-boaf]

3T Strada Due (once I win lotto)

I was riding with Rick Delaney from Monaco last year, now I know what 3T bike he was riding.

Bit of irony given the fractured relationship he had with 3T... He's a very good rider, quite strong on the hills.

The S-Works Tarmac SL7 looks nice:
https://cyclingtips.com/2020/07/the-new ... e-is-dead/

S-Works eTap – $18,000... The red and black one on the Specialized home page looks great: https://www.specialized.com/au/en

[Arbuckle23]

Michael, stop making me think and lust after new bikes!
Now you have me seriously thinking about a Ti gravel bike.
I will send my wife's complaints to you!

[g-boaf]

disc brakes as I won’t be upgrading again in a hurry.

I'm pretty well resigned to going disc brakes, it's something I've avoided so far because such a bike would be the odd one out. I like the wireless E-Tap functionality but I'm "not so sure" about the new 12 speed E-Tap AXS, it would be the odd one out among my all 11 speed bikes.

Disc is mainly because I like riding in the mountains - they work a bit better on those huge descents that I ride. Stuff like this:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-RRB ... R-1280.mp4

If you've never seen a stage briefing for the Haute Route, that's the one for stage 2 of Haute Route Alps 2019, Megeve to Courchevel. Speaking is Fergus Grant (who is one of the officials) and Jean-François Alcan who is the race director. He used to run L'Etape du Tour in France. You get an idea of the roads they run on, how it works, etc. Some of the stages are brutal.

[warthog1]

I am still conflicted over discs.
Have done the alpine classic in vic several times, last time on 404s.
Carved past several disc braked bikes on descents.
Doesn't appear to be holding me up too much. Was a motorcyclist who liked ripping up the reefton spur etc on my younger days though so that may help.

I don't see them as a faster bike. There are many here though, almost every new bike is disc. Have to run a high spoke count due to braking forces applied at the hub and are heavier.
I do all my work myself pretty well. Another layer of complexity running hydraulic discs I am not keen on.

I like the fact brakes work in the wet (as much as I try to avoid the wet) and rims don't wear out.

[g-boaf]

I am still conflicted over discs.
Have done the alpine classic in vic several times, last time on 404s.
Carved past several disc braked bikes on descents.
Doesn't appear to be holding me up too much. Was a motorcyclist who liked ripping up the reefton spur etc on my younger days though so that may help.

I don't see them as a faster bike. There are many here though, almost every new bike is disc. Have to run a high spoke count due to braking forces applied at the hub and are heavier.
I do all my work myself pretty well. Another layer of complexity running hydraulic discs I am not keen on.

I like the fact brakes work in the wet (as much as I try to avoid the wet) and rims don't wear out.

I do ride in the wet and even on alloy wheels, I've had one or two occasions where the braking went completely hopeless. Got caught in three torrential downpours that day and was not pleased at all. I was insisting on getting my long commute home done regardless and thought I could sneak between the rain systems.

That said, I've ridden steep descents in the rain and was okay, aside from shivering from being so cold. Also used Mavic's carbon wheels (on their bike) in France on some pretty technical and bumpy descents, that also went fine. But I suspect it's time to make the move. The market is moving as well.

Bikes like the S-Works Tarmac SL6 or the Venge disc are very fast bikes anyway, hardly any difference to my Canyon Ultimate (which is one of those hyperbikes).

[MichaelB]

Apologies to all that I have started the evil thoughts !!

As some have pointed out, there are many, many choices, and each with their own pros & cons.

For me;
- happy to spend more on an Aussie frame, but the caveat would be that it is made here, so that scratches out some of the suggestions like Curve & Bossi - Prova & Llewellyn are the ones that I'd stretch too, and maybe Mooro for Ti
- Discs are in as they do work better, and I'm never going to be a featherweight, and I like descending.
- I'll probably be sticking with Shimano Mechanical, as Di2 is just too expensive (and I can easily understand and fix mech probs myself) , and SRAM is well .....
- Threaded BB just makes life simpler, and if it wasn't for the BB30a on the Synapse, I'd have probably grabbed that frame
- I'll be sourcing a frame and building it up myself, as that way I have control over what components get fitted, even if it does cost me more

Keep the suggestions and your choices coming.

And apologies for feeding the N+1 virus ....

[g-boaf]

For me;
- I'll be sourcing a frame and building it up myself, as that way I have control over what components get fitted, even if it does cost me more

That's the best way.

We need a 2020 money-pits topic, we had been missing that from previous years.

[Arbuckle23]

I have a long cage Ultegra Derailleur lying around at home. Is that enough to start planning a build around

[g-boaf]

I have an entire frame, bars and saddle and two wheels:



I took the brakes and derailleurs/shifters off that bike to build up my current one. It wouldn't take a lot to get it going again. I would like to get it repainted again, it has some scratches and chips.

[Calvin27]

- Threaded BB just makes life simpler, and if it wasn't for the BB30a on the Synapse, I'd have probably grabbed that frame

The synapse is such a shame. I had one too and when the time came to upgrade, another synapse was high on the list. Great value, love the ride quality and aesthetically looked the part. The problem is their insistence on BB30. After one BB30 and one PF30 (not as bad as BB30) bike, I'm done with that standard. Spesh moved their diverge back to 68mm threaded and others are picking up t47 etc. For me my bkes are all 67/72 threaded and I might indulge BB86/92 but that's as far as I will go. The rest is marketing.

[Arbuckle23]

I did just over 16000 km on my Synapse.
Never a even a tiny creak with the BB30A.
Only sold it after I bought my TCR to finance a MTB purchase.

[MichaelB]

I did just over 16000 km on my Synapse.
Never a even a tiny creak with the BB30A.
Only sold it after I bought my TCR to finance a MTB purchase.

The BB30a means that, with a screw together BB, few cranks fit. If it was BB30, I'd live with it, as my cranks would fit.


Just looked at the Mooro Cycles page. Whilst it's Ti and welded together in Perth, the cheapest frame is $5,490 incl GST & shipping or $6,490. Hmmm

[g-boaf]

- Threaded BB just makes life simpler, and if it wasn't for the BB30a on the Synapse, I'd have probably grabbed that frame

The synapse is such a shame. I had one too and when the time came to upgrade, another synapse was high on the list. Great value, love the ride quality and aesthetically looked the part. The problem is their insistence on BB30. After one BB30 and one PF30 (not as bad as BB30) bike, I'm done with that standard. Spesh moved their diverge back to 68mm threaded and others are picking up t47 etc. For me my bkes are all 67/72 threaded and I might indulge BB86/92 but that's as far as I will go. The rest is marketing.

I'd just use one of the alternative bottom bracket solutions that replace those OEM default ones. The Giant above can just use a WheelsMFG thread together bottom bracket in place of the SM-BB92 Shimano press-fit bracket. I did that for my other Giant (with nearly the same frame). My Canyon just has a Kogel ceramic press-fit bottom bracket which is running without problems for a lot of kms.

[warthog1]

I do ride in the wet and even on alloy wheels, I've had one or two occasions where the braking went completely hopeless. Got caught in three torrential downpours that day and was not pleased at all. I was insisting on getting my long commute home done regardless and thought I could sneak between the rain systems.

That said, I've ridden steep descents in the rain and was okay, aside from shivering from being so cold. Also used Mavic's carbon wheels (on their bike) in France on some pretty technical and bumpy descents, that also went fine. But I suspect it's time to make the move. The market is moving as well.

Bikes like the S-Works Tarmac SL6 or the Venge disc are very fast bikes anyway, hardly any difference to my Canyon Ultimate (which is one of those hyperbikes).

That is reason to go disc.
Riding in the wet, apart from the less than stellar braking, hammers the rim's brake track.

[g-boaf]

I do ride in the wet and even on alloy wheels, I've had one or two occasions where the braking went completely hopeless. Got caught in three torrential downpours that day and was not pleased at all. I was insisting on getting my long commute home done regardless and thought I could sneak between the rain systems.

That said, I've ridden steep descents in the rain and was okay, aside from shivering from being so cold. Also used Mavic's carbon wheels (on their bike) in France on some pretty technical and bumpy descents, that also went fine. But I suspect it's time to make the move. The market is moving as well.

Bikes like the S-Works Tarmac SL6 or the Venge disc are very fast bikes anyway, hardly any difference to my Canyon Ultimate (which is one of those hyperbikes).

That is reason to go disc.
Riding in the wet, apart from the less than stellar braking, hammers the rim's brake track.

I also kept a rag in the tool bottle on my bike so I was able to wipe off the brake tracks and pads in the case the braking went bad. This tended to help a bit.

Once I got home I'd wash the wheels with hot soapy water. The pads I'd clean as well and use something sharp to dig out the little bits of grit or metal out of the pads. That's the annoying bit to be honest.

[Calvin27]

I also kept a rag in the tool bottle on my bike so I was able to wipe off the brake tracks and pads in the case the braking went bad. This tended to help a bit.

Once I got home I'd wash the wheels with hot soapy water. The pads I'd clean as well and use something sharp to dig out the little bits of grit or metal out of the pads. That's the annoying bit to be honest.

Hate to ignite a disc discussion again, but, my mtb which goes through a lot of dirt doesn't even get a hose after a ride. Gets taken out and the brakes are expected to perform until the pads or the rotor dies.

[10speedsemiracer]

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... The pads I'd clean as well and use something sharp to dig out the little bits of grit or metal out of the pads. That's the annoying bit to be honest.

I'm so glad it isn't just me. I have an old circuit tester I use for this job (and opening up cable housing) with the end ground to a nice lethal point. I can happily spend 20-30mins cleaning out brake pads.

[warthog1]

I also kept a rag in the tool bottle on my bike so I was able to wipe off the brake tracks and pads in the case the braking went bad. This tended to help a bit.

Once I got home I'd wash the wheels with hot soapy water. The pads I'd clean as well and use something sharp to dig out the little bits of grit or metal out of the pads. That's the annoying bit to be honest.

Yeah they very quickly get hammered regardless I reckon.
Bits of sand and grit and then shards of aluminium embedded in the pads.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jwsgvs1RBT1Ft54B6

[g-boaf]

I also kept a rag in the tool bottle on my bike so I was able to wipe off the brake tracks and pads in the case the braking went bad. This tended to help a bit.

Once I got home I'd wash the wheels with hot soapy water. The pads I'd clean as well and use something sharp to dig out the little bits of grit or metal out of the pads. That's the annoying bit to be honest.

Hate to ignite a disc discussion again, but, my mtb which goes through a lot of dirt doesn't even get a hose after a ride. Gets taken out and the brakes are expected to perform until the pads or the rotor dies.

Fine for you, but not fine for my road bike with quite nice Fulcrum Zero which I'd like to keep going. A bit of attention when needed keeps them in good condition, and my bike happens to look like it is brand new. I worked it out that it has done near 27,000km since I got it around April last year. I do a lot of kms on that bike in all conditions. It's not some rubbish old beater bike, so I'm going to look after it.

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... The pads I'd clean as well and use something sharp to dig out the little bits of grit or metal out of the pads. That's the annoying bit to be honest.

I'm so glad it isn't just me. I have an old circuit tester I use for this job (and opening up cable housing) with the end ground to a nice lethal point. I can happily spend 20-30mins cleaning out brake pads.

Yeah, it doesn't take too long, but it's still takes some time. And the pads always seem to be filthy. But a bit of time spent sorting that out keeps the wheels in good condition. I spent $12K all up building that bike up from scratch, so it's worth looking after it, despite some people saying how cool it is they threw their bike down in the mud, on the ground or whatever.

[Calvin27]

Fine for you, but not fine for my road bike with quite nice Fulcrum Zero which I'd like to keep going. A bit of attention when needed keeps them in good condition, and my bike happens to look like it is brand new. I worked it out that it has done near 27,000km since I got it around April last year. I do a lot of kms on that bike in all conditions. It's not some rubbish old beater bike, so I'm going to look after it.

Yeah my point was that you don't need to wipe disc brakes even after a muddy ride. Wiping a brake track after each dirty ride is not my idea of low maintenance.

[g-boaf]

Fine for you, but not fine for my road bike with quite nice Fulcrum Zero which I'd like to keep going. A bit of attention when needed keeps them in good condition, and my bike happens to look like it is brand new. I worked it out that it has done near 27,000km since I got it around April last year. I do a lot of kms on that bike in all conditions. It's not some rubbish old beater bike, so I'm going to look after it.

Yeah my point was that you don't need to wipe disc brakes even after a muddy ride. Wiping a brake track after each dirty ride is not my idea of low maintenance.

You do it at the same time as you do cleaning the rest of the bike. It’s part of keeping the bike in good condition. It’s not some old beater, but at the same time it also gets ridden a lot. Looking after it keeps it in good condition. When you spent $12K to build it from scratch, it’s worth it. It’s not very common either.

Even if I get a disc brake bike, that will be kept clean after each ride if it needs it. That’s the way I am. That same time will be spent cleaning grime and dirt off the bike.

[Warnesy]

Just looked at the Mooro Cycles page. Whilst it's Ti and welded together in Perth, the cheapest frame is $5,490 incl GST & shipping or $6,490. Hmmm
[/quote]

Mooro would be awesome but $6500 is a fair difference from $3800 for a Bossi. Then Baum at $10,000 is another big jump.

Quite a few high quality carbon frame sets in the 3-4K range. Bastion was mentioned but that gets to Baum prices...

[MichaelB]

Yeah, but Bossi isn’t made here.

So why pay more than double if you can source direct ?

Don’t mind paying a premium if it’s Aus sourced, but pockets are not that deep