Carbon frame

jag con

Hi all i have been bitten by the bug with this cycling lark and i am thinking of changing the road bike its a trek 1.5 triple its only about two months old. Anyway i am looking at the possibility of buying a frame and building up my bike with the new Ultegra 6700 and some fast wheels.

What frame, i am looking at Cervelo, Look and Ribble frames any advice on these frames

Or i am looking at the 2010 Specialized Roubaix elite triple with carbon frame.

Con

Lumen

The framesets you're hinting at are very wide ranging in price (Ribble < Cervelo/Look). What's your frameset budget, and what exactly are your priorities?

As for "fast wheels", not likely to make a significant improvement. Be honest and just call them pretty/bling/fancy.

Also, I wouldn't put a triple on a fancy frameset. It's just wrong.

mloc123

Lumen wrote: »

Also, I wouldn't put a triple on a fancy frameset. It's just wrong.

Or a compact

jag con

I suppose the frame budget is around the 1500-2000 mark i will be doing some tours and long cycles and not racing as i am too heavy for that

The reason i want to go triple is i live in Wicklow and i need the triple for the likes of Slieve man Wicklow and Sally gap and so on. Can i ask why is there a image issue with a triple as apposed to a double.

I am only considering this at the moment and am also looking at the Specialized Roubaix aswell.

Con

blorg

Triple is basically just an image issue unless you are racing, in which case the smoother shifting of a double and much reduced likelihood of chain dropping under pressure are important. By all means go for a triple- but also consider a compact which basically just robs you of your very lowest gear.

Bear in mind if you want to do multi day tours on this bike you may be better off looking at an audax bike that can take rack/panniers/mudguards (they can still be pretty fast unloaded.)

Lumen

jag con wrote: »

I suppose the frame budget is around the 1500-2000 mark i will be doing some tours and long cycles and not racing as i am too heavy for that

The reason i want to go triple is i live in Wicklow and i need the triple for the likes of Slieve man Wicklow and Sally gap and so on. Can i ask why is there a image issue with a triple as apposed to a double.

The issue is that a €2000 frameset isn't much better than a €500 frameset, objectively. You're buying an expensive frameset which is designed for the most powerful riders yet putting on a groupset designed for weaker riders. Therefore it's an odd choice.

Of course you should ride whatever gears make you fastest, which may be a triple (for you) but in that case you don't need a top-shelf frameset.

FWIW I currently own a Focus Cayo with 105/Ultegra (fairly basic carbon bike) and a Scott Addict with SRAM Red, and the Addict isn't necessarily a more enjoyable riding experience. It's stiffer and lighter but less comfortable.

Then again, my Addict has a compact, but I have ways of justifying that to myself.

Quigs Snr

I won't criticise your choice of bike or tell you that its better to lose weight from yourself rather than the bike, or to work on your fitness if you need a triple on the pimples that masquerade as hills in this country. The fact is that if you want a bling bike, it makes you happy and you can afford it, then go for it, sure you'd only be spending it down the pub otherwise! 95% of the riders in this country are riding bikes far too good for them. I should know I am one of them and the majority of us here are in the same boat.

Scott Addict is a good frame for the lower end of your price range there. Almost as light as a Cervelo R3 SL and a lot cheaper.

As for a triple... no point in adding heavy hardware to a light frame. A compact with a 50/34 combined with a 12/27 on the back would give you a very similar gear range to the triple (52/38/30 - 12/25).

Couldn't agree more with Lumen, fast wheels for your type of cycling won't make a huge difference. So we are looking for bling instead.. Nothing wrong with that, can't have a fancy carbon frame and a set of (spit) Bontrager budget wheels on it.

Raam

jag con wrote: »

Can i ask why is there a image issue with a triple as apposed to a double.

Putting a triple on a Cervelo is like getting an automatic diesel Ferarri

Lumen

Quigs Snr wrote: »

Scott Addict is a good frame for the lower end of your price range there. Almost as light as a Cervelo R3 SL and a lot cheaper.

FWIW my size L Scott Addict SL frameset weighed in at 1230g including fork, bottom bracket, front mech hanger+widget, seat clamp, 4 bottle bolts+washers, 2 bottle bolt spacers, and 2 zipties. The 60mm of cut steerer dropped 16g from this.

Bear in mind that most manufacturers lie about frameset weights, but that weight doesn't really matter much anyway. :pac:

Also, get one with a decent warranty, as cracking of high end carbon framesets is not exactly unknown.

petethedrummer

If you're considering the Roubaix have a look at my relaxed geometry thread. Which was partially ruined by flexible bullies.

Don't buy the Colnago, I want to be the only owner in Ireland.

Sheeps Head

Raam wrote: »

Putting a triple on a Cervelo is like getting an automatic diesel Ferarri

Hey! I've always wanted one of those :o

DirkVoodoo

Glad to hear you are keen on the cycling, but personally I think you should get at least a year of solid riding out of that Trek before moving it on. Doing a "Scott" over the winter and putting in some mega training to move you onto the next level will really make you feel like you have earned that nice new bike when you start dropping slower folk on nicer bikes.

bcmf

personally the ribble Red/Black Sportive Racing bikes is probably the best value out there and not the ugliest bikes either. Starting from £1000.http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/BikeBuilder.asp#
You could upgrade the parts as you need/wish.

jag con

Cheers guys for all the advice i am very keen on the Ribble frame looks very good value.

Con.

nak

I love my Ribble Sportive frame, built it up myself with a Centaur groupset and Easton EA90 wheels, weighs 7.5kg (49cm frame) and could easily drop more weight with a lighter seatpost, stem etc.

Very comfortable to ride, and the frame/forks are the same as a couple of other brands I've seen at twice the price.

FrankGrimes

Surely a Planetx is worthy of consideration here if you look at it objectively?

£1599 (plus about £140 to have it built and delivered) and you've got yourself a carbon frame with full DuraAce and a compact chainset. They even give you the option to stick a 12-27 on it. http://www.planet-x-warehouse.co.uk/acatalog/SL_Pro_Carbon_7900_DA_Wheelset.html

OP, I was in a similar situation to you a year ago and went ahead and upgraded to a PlanetX with DuraAce/FSA mix. It's an excellent bike and certainly far better than me: it's me holding this bike back, not the other way around.

I stuck white bar tape, white saddle, red pedals & tyres and a stem with a red dash on it onto it to liven it up a bit and I'm very happy with how it looks in addition to how it handles.

If you do put in some serious work, you won't be long needing a triple for all but a very few climbs in Ireland and places like the Alps etc. Slieve Mann was a killer for me as recently as June but it wasn't the bike's fault it was my fitness and weight. Doubt you'd regret making this investment if you're serious about putting some work in. If you're just interested in having a fancy bike though, there ain't nothin wrong with that either....

ednwireland

jag con wrote: »

Cheers guys for all the advice i am very keen on the Ribble frame looks very good value.

Con.

just check supply issues before ordering, know they had a couple of month waiting list earlier in the year