mythste
Veteran
- Location
- Manchester
We're not talking about two different guys though. We're talking about one. The OP.
Carbon, Ultegra, climbing bike - £1800
- Thread starter WelshJon
- Start date
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We're not talking about two different guys though. We're talking about one. The OP.
bigjim
Legendary Member
- Location
- Manchester. UK
I can understand the OP looking to improve his climbing ability and a stiff frame and lighter bike is probably an easier climber. But there are also a lot of other variables involved. Fitness, weight, mindset etc. I'm heavy [15 stone] but not fat, even so, I'm not a great climber. Recently I've been hitting more and steeper hills on my weekday curcuits. It's made a big difference to my climbing ability. More than a change of bike could ever have done. Also I'm more confident on unknown hills on clubruns and this makes a big difference IMO. But. Yea change your bike if it's an itch that needs to be scratched and you can afford it. Life is too short.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Heavy? I've eaten meals that weigh more than you Jim!
Richard A Thackeray
Legendary Member
Circa (without getting the luggage scales out) 'just' 16 & 1/2 pound Ribble Gran Fondo
Nothing special on it
Full, & complete mechanical Ultegra 11-speed (12-25 cassette, 172.5 cranks, 53/39 rings)
Ultegra wheels, with '23' Schwalbe One tyres & lightweight tubes
Ritchey WCS bars/stem/seat-pin (ally, not carbon)
Selle-Italia 'Flite' saddle (this one dates back to 1994)
LOOK 'Keo' pedals (again, bog-stock, not carbon bodied)
It climbs well, when I've been out on it, & feels far better than my 'workaday' Ribble (one of their 'blue winter/audax' frames)
However, even on that, I've been out on fairly fast rides, with the local Triathlon Club, & not been left behind - even beating some of them up some seriously steep hills
Emma, a member of the same running, & cycling, clubs as me. bought a old/iunsold stock Addict, in Sept 2015
She paid roughly half-price for it (circa £3,000, with full Dura-Ace)
I've not had the chance to see it, just pictures
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DRM
Guru
- Location
- West Yorks
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/factory-outlet/original-pro-bikes/#category=Movistar&id=18373
Don't know about climbing bikes, but this one has given a certain Mr Froome a run for his money up a few mountains, courtesy of it's first owner
Don't know about climbing bikes, but this one has given a certain Mr Froome a run for his money up a few mountains, courtesy of it's first owner
Richard A Thackeray
Legendary Member
I forgot to add to my earlier post, about my Gran Fondo
My wife paid circa £1,800 (+/- a few tenners) for it, as a 50th birthday present, so for the relative weight/specification, it's a better deal to me, than a Specialized/Trek
The thing about shops like Ribble, & Planet X, are that (if you know what you want/require), you can specify the basics, which you may not on a 'stock' bike
Ie; crank length, bar-width (even, handlebar shape; compact, etc....), stem length, gearing
Granted yes, you can alter at the shop
bigjim
Legendary Member
- Location
- Manchester. UK
I'm usually the heaviest guy on our clubruns. There is one guy about 16stone. Again not fat. He leaves me for dead he is such a strong rider. The reason I mention the not fat thing {though I do carry a bit around the waist in case I get stranded on an ice flow for a few weeks. Thats my excuse anyway.} is that modern bikes are supposed to be designed to cope with a heavy American mamil. Fair enough. As long as you don't do much. But a heavy, not fat, fit rider will put a lot of power down through the frame. Especially when up on the pedals. The, bigger/heavier than me, guy in our club also rides steel bikes. He breaks the lighter stuff.
nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
Have a look at the Decathlon range. This is £1,400
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-700-cf-carbon-road-bike-105-id_8339667.html
It claims to be 7.85kg ex pedals. Comes with 105 but if you are sufficiently weight obsessed you could run with 105 and swap out the wheels for something which would more than offset the weight difference between Ultegra and 105. I doubt you would notice the difference between the two groupsets.I'm no wheel expert and you would have to be mindful of the robustness of lighter wheels, particularly if you're a bit heavier than the average cyclist. Someone like @Yellow Saddle knows his stuff in this area
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/ultra-700-cf-carbon-road-bike-105-id_8339667.html
It claims to be 7.85kg ex pedals. Comes with 105 but if you are sufficiently weight obsessed you could run with 105 and swap out the wheels for something which would more than offset the weight difference between Ultegra and 105. I doubt you would notice the difference between the two groupsets.I'm no wheel expert and you would have to be mindful of the robustness of lighter wheels, particularly if you're a bit heavier than the average cyclist. Someone like @Yellow Saddle knows his stuff in this area
Yellow Saddle
Guru
- Location
- Loch side.
What can I add to the debate? Perhaps I can make my point with a real life example. The other day I went out on my climbing bike because there's a little 15% hill just beside the cafe that takes me up a to a little plateau on top with a secret little loch. I wanted to go and sit there and drink a beer that I've hidden in my cleverly-modified water bottle that has a secret compartment that can house a nice big can of beer. Anyway, the bike's climbing geometry was perfectly matched for the main climb. However, just before the main climb there's a little climb and the climbing bike's geometry wasn't perfectly suited to that climb. I just could not get comfortable and wondered if I should've taken my semi-climber instead. Or perhaps, ridden off with the semi-climber and then have my personal trainer wait for me with my real climbing bike at the foot of the big hill. Anyway, I somehow made it up the little hill with the not-so-perfect semi-climbing bike and reached the big hill where the climbing bike really shone. The geometry was perfect, the asymmetric rear spoking sung like a well-oiled Irishman on a banjo and the optimised top tube relaxed my torso muscles and redirected energy to where it was needed at the rear wheel.
I almost wished the hill would never stop. Then I reached the plateau and there as wind. Now, as you all know, climbing bikes don't perform well in the wind. Especially with those awkward yaw angles thrown up by unrestrained gusts. That's when I wished I bought my aero bike. Putting the brake caliper behind the fork makes so much sense under these conditions, not to mention the flat knife-edged spokes and golf-ball dimpled brake cables that activates the boundary layer of air and makes the bike feel like there's an engine in there.
The climbing bike was so light, a particular strong gust of wind would actually life me and deposit me a few yards back. It was a huge handicap. Again, I thought that I really should have brought my coach along so he can hand me my prairie bike and I can cut through the wind. The climbing bike's geometry was just so wrong for those conditions. I should have....
Now, don't get me going on whether to get spray for flying or crawling insects because some of those can crawl and fly.
I appreciate the debate and sarcasm regarding the term 'climbing bike'.
Its the (my) best way to distinguish between something like a specialised Venge and a specialised tarmac. A sprinter and green jersey competitor would use the beefy, aero venge where GC/yellow jersey riders would use the lightweight tarmac.
I'm an 11 stone club rider and after 3 years of riding the south wales mountains I think its time for an upgrade from my Aluminium Sora bike.
Simon Richardson from GCN explains the differences in the link below.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9mzy4lg2A0
Its the (my) best way to distinguish between something like a specialised Venge and a specialised tarmac. A sprinter and green jersey competitor would use the beefy, aero venge where GC/yellow jersey riders would use the lightweight tarmac.
I'm an 11 stone club rider and after 3 years of riding the south wales mountains I think its time for an upgrade from my Aluminium Sora bike.
Simon Richardson from GCN explains the differences in the link below.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9mzy4lg2A0
nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
I'm definitely regretting inviting someone who behaves like such a dick to this discussion. My mistake in doing so
Yellow Saddle
Guru
- Location
- Loch side.
I am sorry you took it up that way. It wasn't intended to insult anyone. I just wanted to make a point about the futility of a bike designed for one specific reason.
nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
I was hoping you would be able to bring your knowledge and experience regarding wheels and wheel design to the discussion. If you read my post I was suggesting spending less than budget (by choosing 105 instead of Ultegra) but more than making up the weight saving by getting lighter wheels
bigjim
Legendary Member
- Location
- Manchester. UK
I thought it was well written and just a bit of fun.
Shortandcrisp
Über Member
Yellow Saddle is making a good point nickyboy.
When I was in a condition to do hilly reps it mattered not a jot which road bike I was riding. What mattered was how fit I was, how I was feeling on the day and the wind direction and air temp/pressure.
Buy a bike because you like how it looks and because it makes you feel more awesome; don't expect any bike or set of wheels to turn you into a mountain goat, because they won't. Most of it is just marketing hype.
