Post your road bicycle

I was able to get out on the Pirellis this morning for a short morning ride - about 12 miles.

They definitely have a different feel to them than the Contis. Here's what I liked and disliked:

Pros
-Overall, the ride felt a bit softer. I had also swapped out my aluminum seatpost for my carbon one, but the front end felt softer riding as well, even at 105 psi vs. the 85 psi I run the GP4K at.
-Cornering over broken terrain with roots under pavement etc., the bike seemed noticeably more planted.
-Gripped well over grass and some gravel
-Seems to have better grip under braking than the GP4.
-Super easy to mount on the wheels.
-No flats, but it was a short ride.

Cons
-First mile or so, it felt like I had chatter when braking downhill. This seemed to disappear later on in the ride.
-The tire felt like it wandered a bit and was a bit more vague feeling in terms of steering input. At one point in the ride, I felt like I needed to check my headset because something just felt off.

Neutral
-Looks noticeably wider than a GP4K on my wheels.


I definitely need more time with the tires, but so far I think I like them. They feel more confidence inspiring when leaned over, but maybe not as direct in terms of steering as the GP4K is.

 

So they're definitely Pirellis is what you're saying...

 

The sidewall logo doesn’t lie!

 

Here's my cheap Vilano that I got for free. Rode to work today 6 miles and someone is happy with a new bike.

 

I’m about to buy a Specialized Tarmac Sl7 Comp. it’s $4800, the pro is $7800 with the next step up etap groupset, 1x12 and cl 50 roval wheels and aerobars but for $3k I’m really thinking the $4800 comp plus some Enve 45 wheels for $1600 would be better money spent.. and the bars are $299 if I want the same ones on the pro. Comp is available now, pro is 2-3 months out. Thoughts?

 

E-Tap is cool to have, but far from a must imho. I'm in no rush to get it and would not shell out 3k for it.

 

They both have Etap
Rival Etap AXS
Force Etap Axs

the difference for $3k is wheels, bars and slightly better groupset so I’m thinking of buying the base model and upgrading it

 

As long as Rival is reliable, I doubt any of that extra shit is going to make a difference. What are you looking to do with the bike?

 

rival is like 105 but still etap. It seems to have great reviews and the motors, battery and software is all the same as the red.

casual rider, we have a lot of nice bike trails with some good size hills so a mix of aero and climbing is great. My current bike has older di2 and I’m limited to a 25c tire so I’d like to upgrade to a 28c ride for little more plushness. I rode with a guy on a Sl7 and he said he loved it.

 

I’d just get the cheaper bike, then, and buy some real bougie bibs and shoes. Did Specialized put BSA threaded bottom brackets back in their bikes?

 

Yeah they are threaded which would be an upgrade from my creaky cervelo bottom bracket

 

Rival/Force eTap is AXS only, right? So you need a 12-speed capable wheel hub, whereas Red eTap had an 11-speed option.

Not sure I'm ready to re-lace a rear, plus I'm a weightweenie.

 

I bought the Pro. At the time, MSRP was $7,000 (summer / fall 2020). I got it for $6,000 through a deal with a buddy. If not for that, I would have gone with a lower priced build. I love the bike, and although it FEELS faster, I'm not much faster than I was on a $2,500 Cannondale Synapse 105.

I will admit that the aero wheels look cool as hell. I am a big believer that if you don't love your bike, you won't ride it. If you have vanity concerns about wheels, paint, bars, etc., then it's money well-spent to make the upgrade since you'll be more inclined to ride. I give the same advice on motorcycles and cars!

 

I never thought the higher range production bikes made sense financially, it's the same frame with off the shelf parts at a higher price point that you prob wouldn't have specc'd yourself anyway. But sometimes they have a better frame or paint option, and can often be discounted more generously than their more affordable siblings.

 

Also I don't think bottom bracket issues in Cervelo, Cannondale and others would be resolved by being threaded. Some of it is the sh1tty BB standards they use, but their engineering tolerances and sh1te as well and a new standard is unlikely to change that. Afterall, the bearings in a threaded BB are pressfit in there too.

 

thats a killer deal and if i could get a pro for $6k i'd do that for sure. with a $3k difference i can upgrade the wheelset and bars and still have more than $1000 leftover.

I should have the Sl7 within a few days so posting up my 2015 Cervelo R3 w/ Di2 11spd ultegra, Reynolds carbon wheels and 3T ergosum carbon bars here once the new bike lands.

 

I was a big cycling gear whore back in my junior cycling years. I could give very little shit about most road cycling bling at this point.

I still think $1,500-$2,500 is the sweet spot for most road cycling applications. I don’t foresee ever needing much beyond a CAAD13, Domane, or Allez Sprint. The aero benefits are so overblown and most people would get better aero gains out of a structured flexibility regimen and professional fit.

 

There is a point of diminishing returns, but I'm w/ @Greenhound386, build what you want and ride it. I don't mind spending to get what I want on bikes, mostly because I take care of my equipment and it lasts a while, plus bikes still have some modularity where you can upgrade a-la-carte.

I've had the same frameset since 2011 because I did my homework on what geometry suited me best, and over the years, it's worn a few different groupsets and wheels, but it's still the same frame. Also, the incremental cost to upgrade components (after selling off the old stuff) is always much easier to swallow.

The only tech I'm not able to adopt is disc brakes, which I do want eventually, but until I burn through this set of wheels, I'm not in a hurry.

 

Not a fan of all the new electric shifting stuff . Give me mechanical which with all the new style frames mechanical is going out the window . SRAM can kiss it seeing they barely support the old 11 speed ETAP group now and nothing interchanges from new to old or vice versa . Least shimano ( you cant find a group right now to save anyones life ) gets it . The last 2 generation electric stuff worked together . We'll see whats in store with the new 12 speed group ? Give me rim brakes and cables all day .

 

when Shimano went to 11spd DI2 they stopped supporting 10spd di2 and their mechanical 11spd stuff doesn't work with the older 10spd components. Same thing when SRAM moved every electric groupset to 12spd however now all 3 groupsets are virtually interchangeable components and the differences are weight.

I have 1st gen 11spd ultegra di2 on my cervelo and it still works great, my reason to upgrade bikes is that mine is worth more now than it will be for sure if the market comes back down so it helps the hit of a new bike I can upgrade wheels overtime. a $2200 105 bike is plenty but like above im a believer you'll ride more if you love your equipment