New road bike decision
Discussion
I took up cycling in 2018. Back in the 1990's early/00's I used to do a lot of mountain biking, so as I thought I'd still enjoy going off road, I bought a (aluminium framed) gravel bike.
Turns out I preferred road cycling. I ditched the treaded tyres and tried to make it a bit faster on the road by fitting some 28c slick tyres.
I've used this for a few years, but I now fancy buying a lighter/faster purpose made road bike. The shortlist is between a Specialized Tarmac Comp - the 2020 model has largely sold out, and I can't find a discount on any old stock, so I'm waiting for the 2021 bike to come out in a few weeks.
The other bike I really like the look of is the new 2021 Trek Emonda SL 6, which I think looks great, especially in grey https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/road-bike...
If I went for the Trek, I'm not sure if I should stretch the budget for the 'pro' version with carbon wheels https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/road-bike...
Any thoughts?
Turns out I preferred road cycling. I ditched the treaded tyres and tried to make it a bit faster on the road by fitting some 28c slick tyres.
I've used this for a few years, but I now fancy buying a lighter/faster purpose made road bike. The shortlist is between a Specialized Tarmac Comp - the 2020 model has largely sold out, and I can't find a discount on any old stock, so I'm waiting for the 2021 bike to come out in a few weeks.
The other bike I really like the look of is the new 2021 Trek Emonda SL 6, which I think looks great, especially in grey https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/road-bike...
If I went for the Trek, I'm not sure if I should stretch the budget for the 'pro' version with carbon wheels https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/road-bike...
Any thoughts?
They both come with 28mm tyres.
I'm in a similar situation and having similar thoughts. I've got an aluminium gravel bike (with a nice set of carbon wheels and a power meter) and I quite fancy an Emonda SLR.
I'm under no illusion that it'll be any faster or give a better ride than my old gravel bike.
I'm in a similar situation and having similar thoughts. I've got an aluminium gravel bike (with a nice set of carbon wheels and a power meter) and I quite fancy an Emonda SLR.
I'm under no illusion that it'll be any faster or give a better ride than my old gravel bike.
Looks like you could still get a 2020 Tarmac Comp.
What size are you?
The new 2021 Tarmac is likely to be more expensive as they get more expensive each year by a few hundred pounds. It'll probably be more aero.
I'd wait and see what it's like and then make a decision on them. I've heard the launch is the 20 July.
But it depends if you want a bargin or newer tech.
What size are you?
The new 2021 Tarmac is likely to be more expensive as they get more expensive each year by a few hundred pounds. It'll probably be more aero.
I'd wait and see what it's like and then make a decision on them. I've heard the launch is the 20 July.
But it depends if you want a bargin or newer tech.
Trek emonda is out as you have seen. Giant TCR is out but stock looks low until November. End of the month specialized will release the new tarmac sl7 (more aero and integrated) and BMC are releasing their new bikes in 2 weeks time (I’m hoping for 30mm clearances on the teammachine)
I was all set for a emonda sl but the aero gains have added a bit of weight so I’m waiting for spesialized and bmc to release before I make my decision.
In regards to the emonda sl6 vs pro. I would go sl6 and a set of light bicycle ar45 wheels as the carbon rims for the pro are only 35mm in depth.
I was all set for a emonda sl but the aero gains have added a bit of weight so I’m waiting for spesialized and bmc to release before I make my decision.
In regards to the emonda sl6 vs pro. I would go sl6 and a set of light bicycle ar45 wheels as the carbon rims for the pro are only 35mm in depth.
g7jhp said:
Looks like you could still get a 2020 Tarmac Comp.
What size are you?
But it depends if you want a bargin or newer tech.
I’m 5 10”, 56cm frame ideally. I’d be up for a bargain, but this is an exceptional year and there’s precious little around in my size, even at full price for 2020MY stuff. What size are you?
But it depends if you want a bargin or newer tech.
I’m thinking of holding back to have a look at the 2021 Tarmac, although I could get an Emonda straight away.
I honestly cannot get over how well my 2011 Trek Madone has lasted the test of time. It was the cheapest carbon Madone in 2011, I got it used in 2013 and put on some DuraAce wheels.
For the last 5 years it's sat unused as life+kid took over but a few months ago I decided to get back into cycling.
No word of a lie all I did was literally wipe the dust off and got back on it. It still rides as good as I remember, the shifting with 105 shifters and Ultegra derailleurs is still perfect, the wheels roll beautifully and at 7.8kg with pedals its still a good weight by 2020 standards.
I toyed with the idea of getting a new Emomda SLR frameset on eBay and swapping the rest of the stuff over, but after a 40 mile ride yesterday in the wind it confirmed to me there is nothing wrong with the Trek, and what I need to do is get fitter not spend £1500 on saving 1kg of weight from the frameset
I cannot comment on Speclized but as far as Trek goes, for a base model from 2011 I think it still looks like a great bike today, even my 2011 Garmin 605 is still going strong. I just wish my legs would somehow magically go back to their fitness from 2011
.
For the last 5 years it's sat unused as life+kid took over but a few months ago I decided to get back into cycling.
No word of a lie all I did was literally wipe the dust off and got back on it. It still rides as good as I remember, the shifting with 105 shifters and Ultegra derailleurs is still perfect, the wheels roll beautifully and at 7.8kg with pedals its still a good weight by 2020 standards.
I toyed with the idea of getting a new Emomda SLR frameset on eBay and swapping the rest of the stuff over, but after a 40 mile ride yesterday in the wind it confirmed to me there is nothing wrong with the Trek, and what I need to do is get fitter not spend £1500 on saving 1kg of weight from the frameset
I cannot comment on Speclized but as far as Trek goes, for a base model from 2011 I think it still looks like a great bike today, even my 2011 Garmin 605 is still going strong. I just wish my legs would somehow magically go back to their fitness from 2011
.Edited by gangzoom on Saturday 4th July 06:19
Brads67 said:
If it helps,Trek give a lifetime warranty on the frame and have also ditch the horrendous BB90.
Thanks, little snippets of information about things like bottom brackets are the reason I posted this thread, I’m a relative novice and this will be the first dedicated road bike I’ve ever purchased.gangzoom said:
I honestly cannot get over how well my 2011 Trek Madone has lasted the test of time. . . .No word of a lie all I did was literally wipe the dust off and got back on it. It still rides as good as I remember, the shifting with 105 shifters and Ultegra derailleurs is still perfect, the wheels roll beautifully and at 7.8kg with pedals its still a good weight by 2020 standards.
This is absolutely true. Anything half-decent produced in the last ten years is still perfectly good.The only potential issue is the complete absence of standardisation and the continuous development of new things. That said, 700c tyres are all the same size and it is still easy to get 10-speed chains and cassettes so no real issue for a while yet.
Gareth, like you I move from MTB to road cycling but still like both depending on the weather !
I love my Cannondale SuperSix ... bought a Shimano 105 spec £1500 then a 2nd SuperSix a few years later with Shimano Dura Ace £4000. The main difference is more comfort & less weight.
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes...
I love my Cannondale SuperSix ... bought a Shimano 105 spec £1500 then a 2nd SuperSix a few years later with Shimano Dura Ace £4000. The main difference is more comfort & less weight.
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes...
gangzoom said:
I honestly cannot get over how well my 2011 Trek Madone has lasted the test of time
This is a good postUltimately newer bikes will look more current and fashionable but not necessarily perform a huge amount better (despite what the marketing teams say!)
A proper road bike will be a lot nicer to ride on the road than what you have now (a road adapted gravel bike) but don't get too carried away with the differences between the lower spec and higher spec models
The best value is often at the lower end - if you pick a particular model throughout the range you get the same frame and fork (which is what makes the main difference between different bikes). Even if the wheels that you get are garbage it isn't too much of an issue to upgrade those later (as many people do) and then put those wheels onto other bikes you buy in future. Even expensive bikes frequently come with pretty poor wheels (Specialized sell bikes for almost £4,000 with pretty basic aluminium wheels!)
Edited by flight147z on Saturday 4th July 23:09
ESDavey said:
Gareth, like you I move from MTB to road cycling but still like both depending on the weather !
I love my Cannondale SuperSix ...
I should probably add the SuperSix EVO on to my shortlist. It was bike radar’s 2020 bike of the year after all https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes...I love my Cannondale SuperSix ...
When I looked at the spec, I was a bit disappointed that you don’t get a full Ultegra groupset like the other bikes at this price point, although perhaps this is balanced out by the wheels which look at bit better than others.
I would also recommend that you look at a Supersix.
I bought a 2016 Evo Ultegra at the end of season and managed to get it for £1250.
I have since replaced the wheels with Ksyrium Elite UST and swapped out a few other minor bits.
It’s been a great bike and has a lovely balance of race bike handling /comfort.
I also have a Giant Defy Advanced but the Supersix is always my first choice.
Having said look at the Supersix the new TCR looks really nice and Giant tend to be better VFM than Cannondale.
I bought a 2016 Evo Ultegra at the end of season and managed to get it for £1250.
I have since replaced the wheels with Ksyrium Elite UST and swapped out a few other minor bits.
It’s been a great bike and has a lovely balance of race bike handling /comfort.
I also have a Giant Defy Advanced but the Supersix is always my first choice.
Having said look at the Supersix the new TCR looks really nice and Giant tend to be better VFM than Cannondale.
flight147z said:
This is a good post
Ultimately newer bikes will look more current and fashionable but not necessarily perform a huge amount better (despite what the marketing teams say!)
A proper road bike will be a lot nicer to ride on the road than what you have now (a road adapted gravel bike) but don't get too carried away with the differences between the lower spec and higher spec models
The best value is often at the lower end - if you pick a particular model throughout the range you get the same frame and fork (which is what makes the main difference between different bikes). Even if the wheels that you get are garbage it isn't too much of an issue to upgrade those later (as many people do) and then put those wheels onto other bikes you buy in future. Even expensive bikes frequently come with pretty poor wheels (Specialized sell bikes for almost £4,000 with pretty basic aluminium wheels!)
My gravel bike is a lot nicer to ride on the roads than my proper 23mm tyre, ultra stiff, slammed stem road bike. The position is more relaxed, the ride is way better, the brakes are better, the handling is comparable.Ultimately newer bikes will look more current and fashionable but not necessarily perform a huge amount better (despite what the marketing teams say!)
A proper road bike will be a lot nicer to ride on the road than what you have now (a road adapted gravel bike) but don't get too carried away with the differences between the lower spec and higher spec models
The best value is often at the lower end - if you pick a particular model throughout the range you get the same frame and fork (which is what makes the main difference between different bikes). Even if the wheels that you get are garbage it isn't too much of an issue to upgrade those later (as many people do) and then put those wheels onto other bikes you buy in future. Even expensive bikes frequently come with pretty poor wheels (Specialized sell bikes for almost £4,000 with pretty basic aluminium wheels!)
Edited by flight147z on Saturday 4th July 23:09
frisbee said:
flight147z said:
This is a good post
Ultimately newer bikes will look more current and fashionable but not necessarily perform a huge amount better (despite what the marketing teams say!)
A proper road bike will be a lot nicer to ride on the road than what you have now (a road adapted gravel bike) but don't get too carried away with the differences between the lower spec and higher spec models
The best value is often at the lower end - if you pick a particular model throughout the range you get the same frame and fork (which is what makes the main difference between different bikes). Even if the wheels that you get are garbage it isn't too much of an issue to upgrade those later (as many people do) and then put those wheels onto other bikes you buy in future. Even expensive bikes frequently come with pretty poor wheels (Specialized sell bikes for almost £4,000 with pretty basic aluminium wheels!)
My gravel bike is a lot nicer to ride on the roads than my proper 23mm tyre, ultra stiff, slammed stem road bike. The position is more relaxed, the ride is way better, the brakes are better, the handling is comparable.Ultimately newer bikes will look more current and fashionable but not necessarily perform a huge amount better (despite what the marketing teams say!)
A proper road bike will be a lot nicer to ride on the road than what you have now (a road adapted gravel bike) but don't get too carried away with the differences between the lower spec and higher spec models
The best value is often at the lower end - if you pick a particular model throughout the range you get the same frame and fork (which is what makes the main difference between different bikes). Even if the wheels that you get are garbage it isn't too much of an issue to upgrade those later (as many people do) and then put those wheels onto other bikes you buy in future. Even expensive bikes frequently come with pretty poor wheels (Specialized sell bikes for almost £4,000 with pretty basic aluminium wheels!)
Edited by flight147z on Saturday 4th July 23:09
I’d be looking to use this new dedicated road bikes for going out with my cycling club - I just about manage to keep up with the ‘fast’ group rides, having a lighter/more aero bike should hopefully make a bit of a difference.
frisbee said:
flight147z said:
This is a good post
Ultimately newer bikes will look more current and fashionable but not necessarily perform a huge amount better (despite what the marketing teams say!)
A proper road bike will be a lot nicer to ride on the road than what you have now (a road adapted gravel bike) but don't get too carried away with the differences between the lower spec and higher spec models
The best value is often at the lower end - if you pick a particular model throughout the range you get the same frame and fork (which is what makes the main difference between different bikes). Even if the wheels that you get are garbage it isn't too much of an issue to upgrade those later (as many people do) and then put those wheels onto other bikes you buy in future. Even expensive bikes frequently come with pretty poor wheels (Specialized sell bikes for almost £4,000 with pretty basic aluminium wheels!)
My gravel bike is a lot nicer to ride on the roads than my proper 23mm tyre, ultra stiff, slammed stem road bike. The position is more relaxed, the ride is way better, the brakes are better, the handling is comparable.Ultimately newer bikes will look more current and fashionable but not necessarily perform a huge amount better (despite what the marketing teams say!)
A proper road bike will be a lot nicer to ride on the road than what you have now (a road adapted gravel bike) but don't get too carried away with the differences between the lower spec and higher spec models
The best value is often at the lower end - if you pick a particular model throughout the range you get the same frame and fork (which is what makes the main difference between different bikes). Even if the wheels that you get are garbage it isn't too much of an issue to upgrade those later (as many people do) and then put those wheels onto other bikes you buy in future. Even expensive bikes frequently come with pretty poor wheels (Specialized sell bikes for almost £4,000 with pretty basic aluminium wheels!)
Edited by flight147z on Saturday 4th July 23:09
If you want to ride on the road as quickly/efficiently as possible and are happy to compromise on comfort to achieve that then a road bike is a better tool for the job
With the launch of the 2021 Specialized Tarmac models, I *think* I've made a decision. At my price point (SL 6 Comp), the 2021 Specialized seems to be largely the same as the 2020 model.
I'm leaning strongly towards the 2021 Emonda SL 6 Pro (in grey). I've also managed to get a modest discount off it (6%) through a company discount I get at Trek stores.
I'm thinking of placing an order this afternoon...
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/road-bike...
I'm leaning strongly towards the 2021 Emonda SL 6 Pro (in grey). I've also managed to get a modest discount off it (6%) through a company discount I get at Trek stores.
I'm thinking of placing an order this afternoon...
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/road-bike...
Edited by Gareth1974 on Wednesday 29th July 11:00
Edited by Gareth1974 on Wednesday 29th July 11:24
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