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Help me choose my new road bike frame
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i'm on the hunt. here are my imperatives in no order:

1. disc brake.
2. basic road geometry, nothing fancy.
3. my fit coordinates suggest a frame stack of 575mm to 590mm, and a frame reach of 390mm to 400mm, for the most elegant front end config.
4. i like longish chainstays. at least 415mm.
5. i'm adamant about being able to change my stem, and to change it without having to unroute and reroute a rear brake hydraulic line.
6. i'll be riding 2x.
7. i'd like to suppport a tire clearance of at least 30mm.
8. carbon.

i'm not that picky about frame aerodynamics. like a fairly sprightly steering, but i also like a pretty stiff (but not tanklike) front end, and those sort of counter each other. this typically means a trail of 55mm or less. but i can get used to whatever the bike delivers.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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What are your bar x and y stats?
Reach of current bars?
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [cyclenutnz] [ In reply to ]
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cyclenutnz wrote:
What are your bar x and y stats? Reach of current bars?

this is where it gets interesting. for me. what i REALLY like are the new gravel bars getting produced by, in particular, 3T and PD. flare, VERY low drop, vertical hood position, and short reach. to the point where, fudge it, i'm putting these on my road bike. USA Cycling and the UCI can huddle up and decide what my handlebar rules should be should I decide to become one of the 136 total people in the united states still interested in doing a road race. so to answer your question, my preference:

70mm to 80mm bar reach;
110mm to 120mm bar drop;
420mm c:c at the hoods;
something a fair bit wider at the termination of the drops;
but, i'd like the last bit of bar to curve back in, so that the ends of the bars are again pointing straight back, instead of that musette catcher.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Handy that you have some new PD gravel bars. Which I can easily calculate for. .

But I still need bar xy!
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [cyclenutnz] [ In reply to ]
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cyclenutnz wrote:
Handy that you have some new PD gravel bars. Which I can easily calculate for. But I still need bar xy!

i would have to go measure. what i'm using now is what some call web x/y, i put an elastic quick lace around the hoods and measure to the center, between the hoods, but the leading edge of that, the place between the left and right hoods representing the place the web of my hand contacts the hood. if that's what you want, let me know. but as long as the frame stack/reach is where i've indicated, i know I'm good. i'm not interested in bikes where i can't place a fairly standard stem on the bike.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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If not only the carbon requirement, I think the Fairlight Strael would be a good option, but it's steel: https://fairlightcycles.com/...osit/?v=79cba1185463 in size 58R

Stack 583
Reach 402
Chainstay 418
Trail 54
Clearance up to 33mm
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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The Allied Allroad is a beautiful bike, and seems like it would tick you boxes: https://alliedcycleworks.com/...tom-allroad-frameset

Disc Brake
Stack: 589
Reach: 401
Non-integrated stem
2x
Chainstay length: 420
Max tire: 700x35
Carbon
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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As you know, there aren't that many bikes that offer low stack and wider tyre clearance without also having hidden cables.
One that pops to mind as really matching your requirement is the Norco Section.


I've taken a stab at roughly your road setup below and matched the Section to that.
I don't have the new PD bar in the database yet because it hasn't been released so I've put in the Specialized Hover as a proxy.


I thought a lot about how to include hoods in the calculations, but they're just too variable. Bar curve x allows for bar reach, bar top y means we can capture road riser bars


We've set up the velogicfit bike geometry comparison tool to post snippets on ST - if you click on the link it should take you to that page with these bikes loaded so you can play around:



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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [lsousa] [ In reply to ]
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lsousa wrote:
If not only the carbon requirement, I think the Fairlight Strael would be a good option, but it's steel: https://fairlightcycles.com/...osit/?v=79cba1185463 in size 58R

Stack 583
Reach 402
Chainstay 418
Trail 54
Clearance up to 33mm

thank you. steel is a nonstarter.

i have a number of frames in mind, that could work. QR's new aero road frame. specialized tarmac/venge. Cdale systemsix. and on and on. i'm pretty well capable of finding a frame, but i find i'm almost always more expansively informed when invite you all to throw in your ideas. beyond that, there are some folks who value just watching a process like this, so that when it comes their time to buy they'll be better equipped to make this decision.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I am sure you will get a Gazillion different options and options here. My thought is BMC Teammachine. Intergraded stem with no cables showing, but hidden under a cap on the stem. Remove the cover and easily change the stem. Mine is 2 years old now and fits 30 tires max....newer models may fit slightly bigger?
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [cyclenutnz] [ In reply to ]
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cyclenutnz wrote:
As you know, there aren't that many bikes that offer low stack and wider tyre clearance without also having hidden cables.
One that pops to mind as really matching your requirement is the Norco Section.

I've taken a stab at roughly your road setup below and matched the Section to that.
I don't have the new PD bar in the database yet because it hasn't been released so I've put in the Specialized Hover as a proxy.

I thought a lot about how to include hoods in the calculations, but they're just too variable. Bar curve x allows for bar reach, bar top y means we can capture road riser bars

We've set up the velogicfit bike geometry comparison tool to post snippets on ST - if you click on the link it should take you to that page with these bikes loaded so you can play around:



one point of order: i don't mind hidden cables. i mind cables that don't allow me to change a stem without pulling out the hydraulic rear brake line. the systemsix has a hidden cable, but the routing does not require pulling out the hydraulic line. bikes need to perform their basic functions, as in, you need to be able to work on them, travel with them, get them to fit. they can look like the starship enterprise, but they must perform those basic functions.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:

you need to be able to work on them, travel with them, get them to fit. they can look like the starship enterprise, but they must perform those basic functions.


I class putting cables through the headset bearing as a major hindrance to working on them. Cannondale and Specialized have dealt with this well.
BMC road machine in 56 would be an option
Argon 18 Krypton GF
Orbea Orca OMX matches your stats very nicely and has a similar system to BMC with a cover under the stem. Plus it looks like this:


Colnago V3 goes to 30mm tyres, but I would wouldn't worry about the 2mm. Because:

Last edited by: cyclenutnz: May 28, 20 15:41
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Just out of interest, was the 3T Strada you reviewed in November not a keeper for you? Any reason in particular?
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [SBRcanuck] [ In reply to ]
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SBRcanuck wrote:
Just out of interest, was the 3T Strada you reviewed in November not a keeper for you? Any reason in particular?

3T Strada would've been my go-to bike, except, i got this bike in its 1x config, and I've decided that while 1x is so far my preferred gravel set up, 2x is what i want for my road set up. had i gotten this bike in its 2x config, i probably would not be looking for another road frame.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [cyclenutnz] [ In reply to ]
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cyclenutnz wrote:
Slowman wrote:

you need to be able to work on them, travel with them, get them to fit. they can look like the starship enterprise, but they must perform those basic functions.


I class putting cables through the headset bearing as a major hindrance to working on them. Cannondale and Specialized have dealt with this well.
BMC road machine in 56 would be an option
Argon 18 Krypton GF
Orbea Orca OMX matches your stats very nicely and has a similar system to BMC with a cover under the stem. Plus it looks like this:


Colnago V3 goes to 30mm tyres, but I would wouldn't worry about the 2mm. Because:

that orbea looks pretty nice, i must say.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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One other pro for the allied: threaded BB
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Seconded. That Orbea looks mint.

(Don’t show it to Kelly. She’ll wind up buying it for herself.)

----------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:

that orbea looks pretty nice, i must say.

They do have the MyO program for custom colours. But if it were me I think I'd go with the one shown because it has a style that I'd never come up with on my own.
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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everyone who has an allied seems to love it.

Looks like the allroad in a 56+ would fit everything on your list:
https://alliedcycleworks.com/...tom-allroad-frameset

Andy
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
that orbea looks pretty nice, i must say.

408mm chainstay on the orbea, which is shorter than what you said you wanted.
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I'll bet that you would look good on a new R5. Seems to tick most of your geo requirements with the exception of the 410mm chain stays. I sure do like mine.
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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The new 2021Giant TCR advanced pro disc in size Large almost fits the bill. Chainstays too short by 10mm though!
I have seen one at my LBS and they look very nice.
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
thank you. steel is a nonstarter.

Just out of curiosity from someone who knows far less than you, why?

------------------------------
The first time man split the atom was when the atom tried to hold Jens Voigt's wheel, but cracked.
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
i'm on the hunt. here are my imperatives in no order:

1. disc brake.
2. basic road geometry, nothing fancy.
3. my fit coordinates suggest a frame stack of 575mm to 590mm, and a frame reach of 390mm to 400mm, for the most elegant front end config.
4. i like longish chainstays. at least 415mm.
5. i'm adamant about being able to change my stem, and to change it without having to unroute and reroute a rear brake hydraulic line.
6. i'll be riding 2x.
7. i'd like to suppport a tire clearance of at least 30mm.
8. carbon.

i'm not that picky about frame aerodynamics. like a fairly sprightly steering, but i also like a pretty stiff (but not tanklike) front end, and those sort of counter each other. this typically means a trail of 55mm or less. but i can get used to whatever the bike delivers.

I just bought a Cervelo R3 that that I really, really like. I think it will be a little short on the reach for you but I think it ticks off all the other boxes. Bonus for me is its orange.
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Re: Help me choose my new road bike frame [Uncle Arqyle] [ In reply to ]
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Why not go custom? If I wanted to go carbon my first stop would be Hampsten.com, Mr Parlee or Crumpton. Oh, I forgot Brad Bingham (Ti) or Firefly (Ti)
Last edited by: G-man: May 29, 20 15:53
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