Carbon Fibre & Electronic Gears? They're Just Too Fragile, Mate

[bonzobanana]

I'm sure the bike is reasonably solid but a bit more information about the rider might have been useful, a female rider is lighter than a man and a little weaker typically and the components on this bike will surely wear faster and if higher end unlikely to be available in poorer countries she travels through. I would have the opposite opinion to others here and say an Argos bike would be stronger and better overall as a touring bike however that doesn't mean it won't be better off with a few key upgrades for a lengthy trip. I could see an Argos bike having steel chainrings, thick 7 speed chain and very easy to replace parts wherever you go in the world. This looks a decent option with a 3x drivetrain and decent tyre clearance. I would replace the tyres and tubes for heavy hard wearing tyres, maybe replace the rear wheel for a freehub and 7 speed cassette wheel plus saddle and bar tape and maybe a angle adjustable stem. It's less than 150 pounds but a few key upgrades if you buy carefully could get you a decent touring bike for maybe around 200 pounds or at least less than 250 pounds.

The steel forks will definitely not give you any problems with a long tour. The Microshift 7 speed brifters are really decent and superior to the basic Tourney brifters. I'd guess the bike would take up to 700x32 tyres possibly more? The high viz frame is definitely useful for getting you seen. If I buy a bike with parts I know I don't want, I sell those parts on immediately as new rather than try them and then have to sell them on as secondhand. That way I get the maximum return on them. This bike was reviewed by one of the Youtube channels and overall the review was quite positive with the Microshift gearing getting some praise despite having a freewheel. Replace that with a freehub and 7 speed cassette and it will be far superior at shifting because of the wide tolerances and lack of freewheel wobble. Ideal for touring. Overall I would say the Argos bike is a better touring bike than a lightweight carbon fibre road bike designed for speed with very low spoke count wheels and thin tyres. However I know the Argos bikes only get rough assembly in the factory and then boxed up and that will be what the end customer gets. You will need to give the bike a full service and safety check when you get it. It's possible this Argos bike has a sealed bottom bracket but it might be loose bearings and I would change it to a sealed bottom bracket for touring. Lastly everything about this Argos bike can be serviced with basic tools anywhere in the world, so as long as there is some sort of garage or small bike shop any problem can be solved. Yes its an aluminium frame but these cheap bikes tend to have heavier stronger frames without clever butted tubes, it will likely be plain gauge tubes all around which surely is an asset for touring, being more robust.

 

[chriswoody]

Lael's amazing ride is already documented here in this thread:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/lael-wilcox-around-the-world.297700/

Lael is a very well known and respected long distance athlete with a string of amazing achievements to her name. It was only a matter of time before she had a go at the record.

As for the bike choice that she made there's a lot more detail here for those interested:

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/lael-wilcox-around-the-world-bike/

As for why she chose electric gears rather than cable, this is from the above article:

"Some of you are probably wondering why Lael chose to use electronic/wireless shifting on this trip. The main reason is to save her hands. The first two times Lael rode the Tour Divide route in 2015, she had a mechanical drivetrain. However, after riding 8,600 miles in three months, first pedaling to the start of the grand depart in Banff from her home in Alaska and proceeding to race down the spine of the Rockies, Lael’s right thumbnail turned black and fell off from the constant trigger shifting. This was on a mountain bike, where actuating derailleurs is a bit easier on the hands than shifting with road levers. Mechanical road shifting requires more hand movement since the levers are like paddles and a considerable movement from the fingers and wrists is needed to actuate the derailleur. Lael switched to electronic shifting in 2016 for the Trans Am race because she was using a road bike, and she hasn’t looked back."

Ultimately this is a world record she was chasing and comfort along with familiarity with the bike were the main drivers for her choices.

 

[StuAff]

The mind boggles why anyone would choose to use that for any kind of ultra challenge. The idea that it would be suitable flies in the face of the evidence- i.e. what riders actually use. Yes, some are sponsored- but the vast majority aren't, and none of them are going to risk using a BSO when a decent second-hand bike, or a new one from Decathlon, is available for the same price or not much more. Strong, light, cheap, pick two? In that case, it was just cheap. The riders know what they're doing.

Incidentally, Veldangi Kulkarni is riding a Canyon Grail CF SLX (SRAM Force AXS 1x, DT Swiss wheels) on her second round-the-world ride, right now. Her route takes her through India, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden (up to the Arctic Circle), Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, and Oman before returning to India. Well over 18,000 miles, and much of it without handy well-stocked LBSs. And she's unsupported.

 

[StuAff]

Lael's amazing ride is already documented here in this thread:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/lael-wilcox-around-the-world.297700/

Lael is a very well known and respected long distance athlete with a string of amazing achievements to her name. It was only a matter of time before she had a go at the record.

As for the bike choice that she made there's a lot more detail here for those interested:

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/lael-wilcox-around-the-world-bike/

As for why she chose electric gears rather than cable, this is from the above article:

"Some of you are probably wondering why Lael chose to use electronic/wireless shifting on this trip. The main reason is to save her hands. The first two times Lael rode the Tour Divide route in 2015, she had a mechanical drivetrain. However, after riding 8,600 miles in three months, first pedaling to the start of the grand depart in Banff from her home in Alaska and proceeding to race down the spine of the Rockies, Lael’s right thumbnail turned black and fell off from the constant trigger shifting. This was on a mountain bike, where actuating derailleurs is a bit easier on the hands than shifting with road levers. Mechanical road shifting requires more hand movement since the levers are like paddles and a considerable movement from the fingers and wrists is needed to actuate the derailleur. Lael switched to electronic shifting in 2016 for the Trans Am race because she was using a road bike, and she hasn’t looked back."

Ultimately this is a world record she was chasing and comfort along with familiarity with the bike were the main drivers for her choices.

Podcast on the bike build https://www.laelwilcox.net/podcast/ukmgka0px95fbv4euocr507m73dj15

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

Working at a factory Trek shop I ride and work on everything from $900 city bikes to $23000 exotica. I don’t see many more problems with electronic shifting than I do with mechanical. Certainly replacing knackered cables routed through handlebars is a monumental pain and other than the occasional toasted battery or pinched wire electronic shifting is pretty reliable.

But! When it does go wrong what a pain, anybody who has tried to track down electrical glitches in a car or software glitches in a computer can experience the joys of both with electronic gears. It’s not for me but I understand the attraction ( I just fit first gen early 70s Dura Ace and friction shifters to my 2023 Domane )

Carbon frames on the other hand I don’t like. The material is not really necessary and is not recyclable so every frame and fork we make will end up ( along with every fibreglass boat ) in a landfill eventually. Add to that the fact that if it does fail it can do so with virtual no warning Slapping the riding down on the road with zero warning. I do not remember ever replacing a metal frame for other than severe crash damage, but have to replace frames on carbon composite machine several times a year, sometimes for reasons like it fell over and hit a curb. They can last incredibly long periods of time or fail first ride out if hit the wrong way. I don’t think they are needed at all and the world would be a better place if they were discontinued.

 

[cyberknight]

I'm sure the bike is reasonably solid but a bit more information about the rider might have been useful, a female rider is lighter than a man and a little weaker typically and the components on this bike will surely wear faster and if higher end unlikely to be available in poorer countries she travels through. I would have the opposite opinion to others here and say an Argos bike would be stronger and better overall as a touring bike however that doesn't mean it won't be better off with a few key upgrades for a lengthy trip. I could see an Argos bike having steel chainrings, thick 7 speed chain and very easy to replace parts wherever you go in the world. This looks a decent option with a 3x drivetrain and decent tyre clearance. I would replace the tyres and tubes for heavy hard wearing tyres, maybe replace the rear wheel for a freehub and 7 speed cassette wheel plus saddle and bar tape and maybe a angle adjustable stem. It's less than 150 pounds but a few key upgrades if you buy carefully could get you a decent touring bike for maybe around 200 pounds or at least less than 250 pounds.

The steel forks will definitely not give you any problems with a long tour. The Microshift 7 speed brifters are really decent and superior to the basic Tourney brifters. I'd guess the bike would take up to 700x32 tyres possibly more? The high viz frame is definitely useful for getting you seen. If I buy a bike with parts I know I don't want, I sell those parts on immediately as new rather than try them and then have to sell them on as secondhand. That way I get the maximum return on them. This bike was reviewed by one of the Youtube channels and overall the review was quite positive with the Microshift gearing getting some praise despite having a freewheel. Replace that with a freehub and 7 speed cassette and it will be far superior at shifting because of the wide tolerances and lack of freewheel wobble. Ideal for touring. Overall I would say the Argos bike is a better touring bike than a lightweight carbon fibre road bike designed for speed with very low spoke count wheels and thin tyres. However I know the Argos bikes only get rough assembly in the factory and then boxed up and that will be what the end customer gets. You will need to give the bike a full service and safety check when you get it. It's possible this Argos bike has a sealed bottom bracket but it might be loose bearings and I would change it to a sealed bottom bracket for touring. Lastly everything about this Argos bike can be serviced with basic tools anywhere in the world, so as long as there is some sort of garage or small bike shop any problem can be solved. Yes its an aluminium frame but these cheap bikes tend to have heavier stronger frames without clever butted tubes, it will likely be plain gauge tubes all around which surely is an asset for touring, being more robust.

View attachment 745265

Having gained one of these briefly along with the vanquish frame i got recently i can confirm it was very heavy and even with the brakes set up as best they could be I would not rate my chances of stopping with any gusto .I have sold it after fixing the back wheel as someone had messed up the back hub somehow so the axle was not central so you could not get the bolt head on one side .
The bars are very odd , ok if you have arms long enough to reach your knees ?