[NA] Thinking About: Replacing my road bike[/NA]

[TCABM]

Hat tip to @Ted for letting me borrow his signature expression.

My daily trainer is a trusty Giant CFR Expert road bike. Butted carbon frame with carbon forks, Full Shimano 105 group set, so part have *mostly* been available to keep it rolling. It is a relic, highly reliable, and Giant warrants the frame for life.

If it ever cracks, they give me a comparable frame for free, which is why I still ride the pants off this bastard. As components have worn out, I’ve been able to repair or replace pretty easily but I sense the consumable parts for specialty areas such as BB bearing sets are going to end of life before the frame cracks.

As you can see, it is racing yellow (the fastest color for bikes) and has matching accessories like the floor pump that I’m afraid wouldn’t be available unless I go with a boring black frame next, which means I might have to replace that too.

Oh yeah, the pic isn’t off by 90*, that’s how it hangs in the garage. But if you really have to see it right side down, here you go:

Seeing everything else off by 90* is kind of spatially disorienting, so please don’t look at that while flying because I’d hate to he a footnote in an NTSB report and Gryder would probably do a video on it and I really don’t want that.

So @Sac Arrow and other POA cyclists, should I indulge my inner desire to upgrade my bike or do I just turn more 100LL into the sound of freedom?

 

[PaulS]

Supply is very tight on bicycles and parts. I wanted to upgrade to electric shifting on mine, they are quoting September for delivery of the parts.

 

[Mahneuvers]

As @PaulS says, parts might get you. After 6 months I gave up on getting a left replacement Shimano Ultegra shifter and just had the bike shop fix the chain on the big ring. A buddy let me know 105s are compatible and found one, so, after 1.5 years, I finally have a shifter that works. I've already decided the next major issue means a new bike.

 

[GaryM]

Supply is very tight on bicycles and parts. I wanted to upgrade to electric shifting on mine, they are quoting September for delivery of the parts.

Ok, when did that become a thing? I confess, I have an old Giant mountain bike I really like, haven't had a reason to look at bike tech in 20 years, so I guess it has passed me by.

What does that do besides eliminate the negligible effort of pushing the shift levers?

 

[Mxfarm]

Still riding a older Guerciotti CrMo frame - we’re pretty good friends. A new one won’t change a thing for me, other than take my cash.

 

[TCABM]

Ok, when did that become a thing? I confess, I have an old Giant mountain bike I really like, haven't had a reason to look at bike tech in 20 years, so I guess it has passed me by.

What does that do besides eliminate the negligible effort of pushing the shift levers?

About May, 2020.

Oh, I thought you meant supply chain issues.

The e-shift is part of data collection…triathlon has had them for a decade or more allowing athletes to fine tune power output (in Watts) against various gear configurations. I’m not good enough for that to be a concern, but it can be deciding factor in the endurance races.

 

[SoonerAviator]

About May, 2020.

Oh, I thought you meant supply chain issues.

The e-shift is part of data collection…triathlon has had them for a decade or more allowing athletes to fine tune power output (in Watts) against various gear configurations. I’m not good enough for that to be a concern, but it can be deciding factor in the endurance races.

Also eliminates the cables running front to back. Supposedly more precise shifting as well since there aren't cables to stretch and such, but I dunno. My mtb has internal cable routing so it doesn't save me much going to e-shift.

 

[Brad Smith]

I still ride my 2003 Specialized Allez Elite triple with Shimano 105. I have been eyeballing a new Trek with Shimano 105 and hydraulic disc brakes and feel an upgrade might be in order. Discs would be way better from a safety standpoint and a double would shift better than my triple. It’s a bit hard to dump my old bike after many thousands of miles when it’s still serviceable. Since new bikes just aren’t available right now, I really have no choice but to keep riding my old Specialized.

 

[TCABM]

… Supposedly more precise shifting as well…

Personally, I think that’s marketing hogwash. Seriously, I don’t spend my time hunting the shift point… that was the whole point behind the entire concept of index shifting. Even then there’s not a ton of benefit for indexing the big rings.

At least Campognolo offers a purely mechanical option in the Record and Super Record lines. Shimano and SRAM appear committed to e-shifting for the upper tier product lines and I’m not willing to pay the extra $1K+ premium for that. The other part is the experience. There is still something pure left with Index shifting. For me it’s (probably) an emotional thing, not unlike stick vs auto or gas vs EV.

 

[Bill]

Following, contemplating a road bike this summer, likely a gravel bike with drops as I want to run 35C tires.

 

[PaulS]

I really like the idea of disc brakes, but I love the bike I have now, it's a Serotta that was fitted to me. After I got it the nagging injuries I kept getting stopped.

 

[asicer]

new bikes just aren’t available right now

Is it still bad? I thought things were supposed to be easing up.

 

[SoonerAviator]

I really like the idea of disc brakes, but I love the bike I have now, it's a Serotta that was fitted to me. After I got it the nagging injuries I kept getting stopped.

My hydraulic discs are great (Shimano SLX) and modulating braking pressure just so much nicer. It was actually the one thing that I sought out for my wife's bike when we were shopping, as I loved those so much I wouldn't accept less for hers.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Personally, I think that’s marketing hogwash. Seriously, I don’t spend my time hunting the shift point… that was the whole point behind the entire concept of index shifting. Even then there’s not a ton of benefit for indexing the big rings.

At least Campognolo offers a purely mechanical option in the Record and Super Record lines. Shimano and SRAM appear committed to e-shifting for the upper tier product lines and I’m not willing to pay the extra $1K+ premium for that. The other part is the experience. There is still something pure left with Index shifting. For me it’s (probably) an emotional thing, not unlike stick vs auto or gas vs EV.

Agreed. Especially since I ride infrequently enough that I'd forget to charge the thing and end up with no shifting mid-ride, lol. They batteries supposedly last for several months of normal riding, but still. I'll stick with the Shimano XT groupset unless some crazy deal falls in my lap. It's pretty much only Shimano vs SRAM in the MTB world, and we have a bike with each brand on it.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Hat tip to @Ted for letting me borrow his signature expression.

My daily trainer is a trusty Giant CFR Expert road bike. Butted carbon frame with carbon forks, Full Shimano 105 group set, so part have *mostly* been available to keep it rolling. It is a relic, highly reliable, and Giant warrants the frame for life.

If it ever cracks, they give me a comparable frame for free, which is why I still ride the pants off this bastard. As components have worn out, I’ve been able to repair or replace pretty easily but I sense the consumable parts for specialty areas such as BB bearing sets are going to end of life before the frame cracks.

As you can see, it is racing yellow (the fastest color for bikes) and has matching accessories like the floor pump that I’m afraid wouldn’t be available unless I go with a boring black frame next, which means I might have to replace that too.

Oh yeah, the pic isn’t off by 90*, that’s how it hangs in the garage. But if you really have to see it right side down, here you go:

Seeing everything else off by 90* is kind of spatially disorienting, so please don’t look at that while flying because I’d hate to he a footnote in an NTSB report and Gryder would probably do a video on it and I really don’t want that.

So @Sac Arrow and other POA cyclists, should I indulge my inner desire to upgrade my bike or do I just turn more 100LL into the sound of freedom?

There is nothing particularly wrong with my 2012 Tarmac Mid Compact, other than the proper rubber brake housing covers are no longer made for that year's SRAM groupset, but I'm looking to upgrade as well. I plan on keeping the Tarmac.

I am also disappointed by the lack of mechanical shifters in the high end class but it is what it is I guess. I want the current model Tarmac or something similar with hydraulic disc brakes, and decent carbon rims. It won't be cheap for sure. But availability seems to be a problem, so for now I guess I'm holding out.

 

[Hang 4]

Just like an airplane thread, what's your mission? If you just ride for fitness and fun, keep it. The biggest bang for the buck, short of a new bike, is wheels. Agree on the e-shifting.. all the new, good bikes have it, but seems like a solution searching for a problem.

p.s. lose the reflector on the front wheel

 

[Sac Arrow]

And the noob disk behind the rear cassette, if it's there.

 

[TCABM]

…p.s. lose the reflector on the front wheel

That reflector is actually a sign of the conundrum. To ride on a military installation a reflector was required. I commuted to work on two continents on this frame….lots of good memories. This was the first carbon bike I could afford way back around 1998 or so. I placed (as an age grouper) for the first time in a triathlon on this frame. Over the years I’ve added specialty bikes and MTBs, but the vast majority of cycling miles I’ve done are on this one and all the other bikes are gone now as I simplify some things.

There’s nothing stellar about the bike, it’s kind of like a 182 and I don’t need anything more than that. If I get another bike, I just don’t see replacing this one.

At this point, I just want to ride 50-100 leisurely miles/week and the occasional century/MS150/bike to drink tour.