j_in_seattle

Including the fork!

I like to do long, hard, one day rides, club rides, centuries, etc. I commute on my steel Bianchi 2003 Eros (Campy Mirage) about 100 miles a week. Currently, that’s my only bike and I want to keep that as my commuter bike but I’m looking to lighten up a bit. My Bianchi is 23 pounds and I’m sick of losing ground on folks on the hills out here in Seattle. On the flats and rollers is no big deal, but there are some very steep hills out here. I’m pretty sure I want steel but some cyclists I respect were telling me to try carbon. What are your thoughts? Can I get a 16 pound or 17 pound steel frame bike built up?

Probably can’t really spend more than about $2,500 on a frame. I want to get a good gruppo (SRAM Red) and decent wheel set. I’d like to be about $5,000 or so all in. So I can’t afford a Waterford, Vanilla, Richard Sachs, etc. I’m sure anything I get will be a change from my 5 year old $900 bike. I have a very good job now and make more money but the biggest reason for me is that I’ve been riding a ton over the last year and have gotten really strong. I think a nice bike will really take me over the top.

Any suggestions would be helpful?
Thanks a bunch!
J
PS –I’m 5’10 and 160 pounds. Don’t respond if you’re just going to say lose 5 pounds. I don’t have it to lose.

j_amie_

There is nothing wrong with frames from Taiwan.

cicleto

928

SGRider

Gawd, have an open mind. There is nothing wrong with China or Japan (actually it is hard to find Japan bikes anymore as the cost of labor is so high). And don't forget Taiwan. Many of your european or US bikes have most of their components (including frames) sourced from Taiwan or China. It is just that they assemble them in the US or Europe and get to then claim that is where they are made. It is hard to find a carbon frame not made in China or Taiwan. It is the biker not the bike that is important.....

Fat Boy

You can afford a Gunnar, though, and it's made in the same shop by the same people. The custom fit model is $1150 and the 'standard' sizes are $800. They make a steel fork for $275. Edge composites makes a nice carbon fork for around $500. Either way you're in your budget window. Take a look.

j_in_seattle

I never mentioned Japan. I had an old Univaga Grand Sprint made in Japan; great bike. I wish I never sold in back in the early 90's.

Are you serious when you say it's the biker and not the bike? No, that's not entirely true. That's what I'm saying in my post. I ride with folks that can pull away from me on the hills but when we switched bikes it was the other way around. It was the bike, not the biker.

sss

Davidson.

Unagidon

Look, 585 and up. Time - made in france too, no? Trek Madone's, 5.2 and up. Orbea - are those made outside Taiwan?

Although seriously, there's nothing wrong with bikes made in Taiwan.

unbelievably

Check out Lynskey...

Dubbayoo

Parlee Z3...be prepared to sell a kidney or three.

zonatandem

Co-Motion: handbuilt in Eugene, OR (including the fork).

j_in_seattle

SSS-would you get a Davidson over Rodriguez? Why?

Unagidon-Thank you for the suggestions. I know there's nothing wrong with bikes from Taiwan but I don't want to support it. Pretty soon China and Taiwan will be making 80% of the high end bikes in the world.

SGRider

Sorry on the Japan.....I read too fast. But China/Taiwan are what Japan was 20 or so years ago. They make great stuff. The country something is made in is becoming immaterial. Most Sony TVs are made in China. Shimano pedals are made in Malaysia. Pretty much all laptops in the world are made in China or Taiwan. You should be focused on a bike that feels good to you and not on where it is made--unless you are more concerned with image or bling.

And yes, the bike is important but at given point your performance will not differ materially. I would expect that your performance will be the same on a $5,000 bike as on a $1,500 bike (assuming you don't have real heavy wheels on the cheaper bike). And I would expect that your performance on an "exotic" won't be any different than on a nice Giant, Trek (many of their carbon frames come from Taiwan/China) or a Pinearello (once again, some of their carbon frames come from China).

Try a bunch of stuff and see what you like.

WheresWaldo

China already makes 73% of all bicycles in the world, what makes you think that they and Taiwan don't already make 80% of all high end bikes?

By the way, Co-Motion was mentioned, but any Co-Motion road bike that uses a carbon fork, that fork is made in China.

uke

Man, I never get tired of xenophobes.

uke

Oh, and you could lose five lbs. I'm an inch taller than you and weigh 15 less.

mazdaspeed

MONGO!

These are the only carbon bikes I know of made outside Asia, Veloforma is based in Oregon, made in europe, Time still make all their bikes from the carbon fiber up, in France afaik.

Great bikes.

https://www.veloforma.com/

https://www.time-sport.com/

j_in_seattle

SGRider-I hear you, thanks. Bit it's kind of hard to know what feels good. I only have one bike and I'm used to it. There's no way to go to a shop and take a bike out around the block and determine what your ride quality is going to be like after 100 miles. Also, If there is no real differences in performance between a 5k and $1500 bike why do people buy expensive bikes. Why do the sell. Just for the bling?

sss

Rodriguez would be a fine choice too.

j_in_seattle

Uke-whatever dude. Go buy some mortgage back securites from Goldman Sachs. If everyone is so proud of their bikes make in China why do the manufactures hide it. What i like best about China is the labor laws...no I think it's the way the treat the environment. Duh...who cares right dude. I love xenophobes...oh, big word.

mrbubbles

How ignorant. Environment? Who talking here? The person coming from a country who uses the most crude oil in the world? Right. Last time I checked, nobody is in the right position to lecture China on anything as they (Canada, US, Europe) have more resources, a lot less people, and they still haven't solve their own problems.

Labour laws are lax, but carbon bicycle manufacturing has a lot higher standard than what you call "sweat shops" you haven't been in. Manufacturers don't hide the Made in China label, they proudly display it on their boxes.



Nevermind then, buy your made in USA bike. You'll feel giddy and probably boast to your buddies that your bike is made in USA while you equip it with parts made in Asia. My suggestion, buy a bike you like regardless where its made, the made in sticker is meaningless by far as even made in USA bikes will be built using Asian made tools and machineries. Where a product is made should have no bearing on your purchase decision.

kudude

really. buy whatever you want, put campy on it, who cares. if after the placebo affect finishes itself off, you still can't keep up with the guys who are faster than you, don't come back here.

duuuuuude

Good luck. Going with a carbon bike NOT made in Asia is going to be tricky.

And assuming you don't want the rest of the bike coming out of Asia, it's gonna be tricky with all the components...

Even Cannondales with their "Handmade in the USA" has carbon sourced from China (the fork even has a super small "Made in China" sticker on it. So more than half of my "Handmade in USA" System Six frame is from China....

There's pretty much no way around it....

Dick Rhee

My Canyon: Taiwan
My Moots: Colorado

The Canyon is the nicer frame; it's much stiffer, a full pound lighter, and better on these Seattle hills.

If you want a carbon frame for under $2500 made in Europe or USA (not just assembled there), unfortunately your options are limited.