Road Cycling Essentials

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Soldato
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[DOD]Asprilla;26897517 said:
Ok, which bike time......

£1,200ish, 35mm tyre clearance, guards, hydro discs, gears (drops natch, before anyone recommends a proper tractor).

Current options are;

Pinnacle Arkose 4
Charge Plug 5

Any other contenders?

Planet X London Road and swap the cable discs for hydraulic? Not sure how easy that is as I have no experience of discs but seems a possible option.
 
Caporegime
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[DOD]Asprilla;26897648 said:
I've always been a fan, but I can't work out how it can be over 11kg using either Reynolds 725 or 953. Also, I'd prefer hydro discs if I can. Not a fan of single piston cable pulls.

Hmph. I asked evans to only show me hydro brakes and it showed the croix de fer, but clearly something is mixed up. The genesis website says they'll be offering the bike with hydro brakes in 2015, but it also says the top end of the range will go up to like £2.5k, so that will likely end up well beyond your price bracket!
 
Soldato
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Hmph. I asked evans to only show me hydro brakes and it showed the croix de fer, but clearly something is mixed up. The genesis website says they'll be offering the bike with hydro brakes in 2015, but it also says the top end of the range will go up to like £2.5k, so that will likely end up well beyond your price bracket!

It is the £2500 one that comes with shimano hydraulics sadly. The one at £1200 for 2015 has trp HyRd though which could be a good compromise?
 
Man of Honour
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I've been using TRP HyRds since February and as long as you get the newer version (which I imagine you should do now) they're great. The older versions had a number of niggles that are really annoying.

I'm about to RMA mine actually due to them developing leaks...
 
Soldato
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It is the £2500 one that comes with shimano hydraulics sadly. The one at £1200 for 2015 has trp HyRd though which could be a good compromise?

Hmmm, I can get a Canyon with hydros for £1,450 or a Charge for £1,200 so I'm not sure it's worth the compromise.

Charge would need extra on guards, tyres and change of crankset and the Canyon is on a 2-3 month delivery wait.

The Arkose is a good bet, but would need the same changes as the Charge and it's not as pretty as the others.
 
Soldato
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I'd do the same I think. I haven't felt the sram drop bar hydraulics but the Shimano one I did feel felt pretty good.

I'd probably go for the Charge and fit marathon plus' + sks longboards and be done with it.
 
Soldato
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I'd do the same I think. I haven't felt the sram drop bar hydraulics but the Shimano one I did feel felt pretty good.

I'd probably go for the Charge and fit marathon plus' + sks longboards and be done with it.

I've got Chromoplastics and 28mm 4Seasons at the ready.

Now, sizing. As usual, according to their sizing I'm between medium and large,more to the medium size. However, the measurements for the large one in slightly smaller than my Soloist and my Peugeot. Looks like a large to me.

At 5'9" and 66kg bikes are the only thing I'm a large in.
 
Man of Honour
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...phrasing.

Why 28mm out of interest? I moved to 28mm at the start of the year and moving back to 25mm was so much nicer. I guess it depends on the tyres of course - I also moved from Gatorskins to Pro4s at the same time so perhaps it's not a fair comparison...
 
Soldato
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[DOD]Asprilla;26897517 said:
Ok, which bike time......

£1,200ish, 35mm tyre clearance, guards, hydro discs, gears (drops natch, before anyone recommends a proper tractor).

Current options are;

Pinnacle Arkose 4
Charge Plug 5

Any other contenders?

Whyte Suffolk - pretty sure it's got 35mm clearance. Bang on £1200, road geometry, 105 11 speed (2015 version that's just out) and ticks all the other boxes:
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=CWHY0252EE

I'm getting one as my winter/commuter when I have the monies in.
 
Associate
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of stuff i say ---->
Gp4s 28c come up narrow compared to even 28c gatorskins.

Gatorskin would feel stiff/rigid compared to a pro 4 which is sooo much more supple to ride.

The problem i found with the pro4s was that it's quite a soft compound so it cuts up really easily. Not in terms of getting more punctures or anything, but i found the tyre started looking pretty worn after only a few months - lots of little cuts and nicks all over it. Then finally after i had a wee rear wheel lockup one day coming into the narrow bridge on that back road into EK i noticed it had taken the whole surface layer of the tyre off.

Shame, as they ride brilliantly. Really comfy and incredibly grippy in all conditions.

Have gone back to 25mm GP4000s for the time being. Slightly updated version from the last time i had them, so will see how they last.
 
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