mawashi

Hi Guys,

This was posted in another forum but I thought I'll post it here to get more feedback.

I live in a flat country where mountains are but a dream and flat roads are a plenty so I figured out that an Aero bike would make much more sense than an Ultralight bike.

I'm looking for a really good aero bike that sprints well and yet feels simply fast with a tad of comfort.

I chanced upon a Litespeed Archon C1 and it was love at first pedal. However, it was a 10 Sram groupset so I started looking for what else is available for around the same price.

I have narrowed my range down to something in the range of 2800 Euros or around USD $3200.

1. Canyon Aeroad 7.0
2. Stevens Arcalis Disk Ultegra
3. Giant Propel Pro 1
4. Ktm Revelator Sky
5. Stevens Ventoux Disk
6. Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 8.0
6. Anything else out there that fits the bill and budget.

The Canyon and Propel fit the bill nicely with existing technology however, the Stevels Arcalis comes with disk brakes which really intrigues me as I am really concerned about the weather where I come from... When it rains here it pours like sheets.

The Canyon and Giant have great wheels and are really aerodynamic however, the still use caliper brakes and I'm really interested in disks.

The Arcalis Disk is very interesting however, little is known about it and for some reason it weights a ton at 8.4kg

My dream bike would be something that has these weighting in order of importance:

1. Aero
2. Disk brake
3. Light weight
4. Racing geometry head tube angle >72.5 and seat tube angle >73 degrees
5. Comfort

https://www.cervelo.com/media/docs/To...5634944f-2.PDF

That write up by Tour Magazine de really made things harder for me as it would seem some aero bikes are not in the same league as the best bikes like the S5, Reacto or Time Machine. So the issues that make the decision to buy now or not are...

Disk brakes standards, all the different configuration about flat mount, axle qr or through, disk brakes carbon wheels etc all make buying a disk brake bike now a bit of a dangerous gamble.
Aero or not aero, with the info given by the Tour Magazine write up, the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 8.0 seems the best overall as it even beat out some aero bikes.

Anyway, I am riding more than half decent aero bike now that's getting a bit old but still rides great, the felt AR1 Team issue so should I buy a replacement now and which bike or wait till 2016/17 for a perfect bike with aero/disk/and light?

Thanks

redlude97

if you have no mountains then you have no descents, which means discs aren't needed even in the rain

PepeM

Disks are not very aerodynamic. Watch the new Trek and Specialized aerobikes, they made sure to hide the brakes as much as possible. If where you are it is flat, rim brakes should be more than adequate. If you really want disk brakes though, that is perfectly fine, just be aware that there is a tradeoff in aerodynamics (also they will decapitate you and eat your children at night).

merlinextraligh

+3. If your goal is aero. Skip the discs. And they're totally unnecessary on a road bike in flat terrain.

bakes1

Disk brakes are not particularly interesting. They are simply a fairly new technology with pros and cons.
Imo the pros do not come close to outweighing the cons.
Couple that with the fact that traditional brakes currently work very well and you really shouldn't have a tough choice unless technology for technology sake interests you that much
If that is the case you certainly do not need anyone else's advice as it's not a matter of specs or experience. It's just about perceived latest and greatest and yay for marketing.

bt

fify

mawashi

Thanks guys for your feedback. A bit more info about why I am interested in disk brakes is not cos of hills rather bad weather and idiot drivers! Drivers here aren't cyclist friendly and when the weather turns it can get quite bad. Personally disk brakes seem to add roughly 330g more depending upon the make however, rolling resistance and aerodynamics get shot too. Personally looking at how aerodynamic the Scott addict and the Canyon Ultimate CF XLS are, a flat mount disk slapped onto the with just a slight adjustment to their aerodynamics and you'll almost get the perfect all weather roadster.

Jofu

If you mean you're interested in instant braking power, my Ultegra rim brakes will send me over my handlebar no problem at all This, and least, isn't an attribute of disc brakes alone. I also find them easy to modulate as well.

Geoff

Jofu

Another thing: If it's raining, especially if raining heavily, don't forget tires will be slippery, so disc brakes might not be a silver bullet in such cases.

Geoff

mawashi

In the dry I have total faith in my 2011/2012 Durace calipers too but in the wet and I mean even a drizzle, my mavics gets hairy.

Instant braking isn't what I'm looking at, I just want to brake almost as well in the wet as in the dry.

redlude97

koolstop salmons solve that issue and work just fine in the dry

mawashi

Just saw this.... Looks like disks are a coming no matter what and a new standard will be set soon.

https://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/c...ax-disc-49544/.

merlinextraligh

No doubt there are going to be a number of disc brake road bikes available. That it will be a new standard is far from decided.

That's a $10,000 bike, that with pedals weighs over 15 lbs. Not particularly impressive by today's standards.

PepeM

As I said if you want disks go for it, just be aware that you are sacrificing a bit of aero (which you claim is your top priority) in the process.

CafeVelo

Your stated reason for discs doesn't warrant discs, especially since you're going for aero, which is also overrated IMO. I've found a bad weather bike needs to be different from my normal bike, with larger, lower pressure tires, which would further kill your aero (still overrated). Good calipers and quality pads shouldn't leave you wanting more.

redfooj

100 km, 2000m, 200w, and the as-tested difference between aero and standard frame is from 1 minute down to literally 1 second.
and the difference between the best offering from a high-tech flavor-of-the-month company to a taiwanese company or a mail order company (e.g. specialized vs merida) is <1 minute.

with all that in consideration, are you really concerned about your current bike not being fast enough? or a disc brake negating aero benefits?

there is absolutely nothing wrong with discretionary spending on a hobby - whether its based on looks or name brand or otherwise. you can rationalize it based on color if you want..... but if theres no functionality combination available that constitutes your "perfect bike"until 2016 then wait until 2016 for it. but to make a decision now because you think 1 of these bikes will or wont give you performance gain... seems a bit asinine.

RJM

Skip disc brakes. It's silly to have that as a criteria when you live in flat terrain and you want aero as no. 1. Rim brakes work great.

there are a ton of really good aero bikes to choose from depending on your budget. The new Trek Madone, the Giant Propel, Scott Foil, Cervelo S whatever...and more. Get one with a solid set of relatively deep carbon wheels and you have yourself what you want. Need to get over the disc brakes though...it doesn't fit in what you want because you can just get some salmon pads and have all the brake you will need, especially given your terrain.

jkcrowell

Disc brakes only cost you 8 sec per 40km, according to Specialized https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXQuSnKkS-I

However, that's not a test on their aero frame. Possibly a disc Venge ViAS would lose more than 8 seconds with discs.

Still, pretty good possibility an aero frame with discs is still more aero than a non aero frame with calipers.

Just playing devil's advocate. Nothing against good caliper brakes.

mawashi

6.8kg is the minimum weight set by UCI for road racing, not how light the frame can get.

I agree, that is why after reading about how many variables disk brakes need resolving I've decided to hold my purchase a bit till 2016 or 2017.

I agree that disks aren't exactly aerodynamic and I have yet to try out the salmon pads, thanks so much guys!

https://www.cervelo.com/media/docs/To...5634944f-2.PDF
intheknowcycling.com/2015/04/16/how-to-ride-faster-on-your-bike-10-better-ways-part-2/#7

Tour Magazine has a good post in that choosing the right aero bike is vital as some of the aero bikes are about as aero as a brick! That and if I want my old tired bones/butt to have a decent ride, the R5, Addict or Ultimate CF SLX are great choices too, coupled that with Steve's post, better fitting clothes, aero helmet, shaving my legs might be better than an aero bike with disk brakes lol!

With the breakaway sale from Canyon it might be worth my while to check it out and bide my time to see how things work out with Aero and disk.

merlinextraligh

Current state of the art is about 650 grams. For the same or less money, you can build up a very nice road bike at least two pounds lighter.

My Wilier Zero 7, with an older version of the same groupset on that bike, and the extra weight of a power meter comes in at 13.5lbs, with pedals.

You can easily get a Canondale Supersix under 13lbs, with pedals, and have money left over from that $10,000.

You're definitely still paying a weight penalty for the disc brakes.

mawashi

Oh I see lol! Well I did state my budget for around USD $3200, there's no way I'll pay $10K for a bike! I was just saying how things might look in a year or so with certain standards becoming the norm. Disks do just a tad more static weight but it's rolling and wind resistance that bother me more.

I'm sure focus could make things way lighter but for UCI races, it is the minimum standard. I'm also not sure how you got $10k in there somehow when sram Red combo only costs €5999.

Well, I've decided to give disk a pass for now and look instead for aero and clipper brakes.

merlinextraligh

Thought it was pounds, not euros.

mawashi

I need reading glasses too lol!

Stucky

Why not forget the latest & greatest [STRIKE]technology[/STRIKE] marketing ploys, and get what you need and want? Sounds like the Litespeed would do the trick. Bikes are simple machines. Adding complexity and gimmicks does NOT make them better.

mawashi

I agree that is why I decided to go back to basics an look for the most bang for the buck bike out there, Canyon aeroad or ultimate especially with the breakaway sale, giant or merida or the KTM revelator. No need for disks or super expensive frames.