Competitive Cyclists has two bikes on close-out that I am considering.

Bike "A" is the 2009 BMC Road Racer SL01 with updated 2010 Rival group and Easton EA50 SL wheelset for $1700.

Bike "B" is the 2007 Ridley Excalibur with "vintage" 2010 Rival group and Easton EA50 SL wheelset for $1650.

Right now I'm riding a 2007 Motobecane Le Champ SL, with an older SRAM Force group and Ritchey WCS Protocol wheelset. This has become my daily commuter and all around go-to bike. The level of componentry on my current bike seems to be about the same as that of the two bikes I'm considering, and is perfectly adequate for my purposes.

Basically, I'm looking for a stiffer, more agile machine for fast, fair-weather weekend riding.

I'm leaning toward the Excalibur, because of Ridley's reputation for durability, and because I've never owned a carbon frame. OTOH, the BMC has the funky quasi-integrated seatpost design, internal cable routing, and that overall industrial aesthetic, which I also find appealing.

In my opinion, the two bikes are functionally going to be very similar, which is why I'm offering this up for public dissemination.

BTW, I weigh 185 lbs and am more of a masher than a spinner.

Any comments or opinions would be welcomed.

I would say the BMC, but I'm a little biased.

The raod racer is a pretty good bike (aluminum and carbon) but no way you will get a xcalibur (100% carbon) at that price ever again. Whatever you choose will be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy better than the one u have right now. You will notice the difference after the 1st second of riding.

no way to test ride locally?

So basically, there's no wrong choice here.
I am leaning towards the Ridley.

I have a roadracer and i have tried the excalibur (i was the owner of a ridley compact years ago) and you wont go wrong with any of them. I have no money to buy a ridley carbon frame thats why i dont have one

Look at the virtual length of the bike to pick the size, ridleys and BMCs run kind'a big. 56 in steel, medium to small in ridleys and Bmcs

I ended up getting the Ridley Excalibur. It was definitely the right choice.

The bike arrived Monday afternoon. I dialed in the fit, and rode it to work this morning. I was grinning ear to ear the whole way in.

Holy, effin' crap! What a difference from my Motobecane. I mean, the Motobecane had a fairly neutral ride quality, and provided a stable, reliable and inoffensive riding experience. But, My God! The Excalibur occupies a whole other plain of existence!

The ride is sooooooooo smooth. It's like a Barco-lounger strapped to a cloud that's filled with butter and rolled in chocolate. It "reinterprets" road irregularities, by seemingly attenuating the impulse forces, so the stimuli is still there, but the shock is gone. In other words, I can feel every bump in the road, but in a good way.

The cornering stability is just sublime -- like having a giant gyroscope on board. The bike feels really heavy and stable when cornering at speed, but yet it can be guided, almost effortlessly, with just a subtle shift of the body.

Wow! I am simply blown away by this bike!

And I thought I was excited about my new Underoos...

Congrats, where's the picture though.

I know, I can't help it. But consider the fact that I've been riding an aluminum Motobecane for the past three years, so I never knew what I was missing.

I've always been a retro-grouch and a cheapskate, so the discovery of a thoughtfully engineered carbon fiber frame is like some sort of religious conversion to me.

The problem is that you are going from those motobecane that are not even similar to the real motobecane, to a ridley, Basically u went from a 80's minivan to a 2010 BMW sport. U can't even compare them. HAve u ever wonder why some old steel frames are so expensive?... Just sell the old motobecane and get yourself a super nice helmet and a super duper pair of shoes... enjoy

Hmm did you notice the difference at the 1st pedaling as i told you or not?