Fellow Twitchers, I seek your gear hiphy wisdom (also posted on Weight Weenies forum):
I am moving to Munich Germany from San Francisco California in September for work. I have lived in sunny California my whole life, so this will be a big change on pretty much every level. Naturally, I am wondering what bike I should get for this new chapter of my life (since it's obviously the most important question to answer right now).
Background
Very competitive cat 2 bike racer. I flourish on climbs due to being naturally light, but I have become relatively adept at racing in most amatuer racing conditions (bad to nonexistent roads, rainy descents full gas, etc.). I enjoy crits, but I am not great at them due to an innate fear of bunch sprinting that I am continually working through. I've won most of my races from sprinting from small groups on hilly races, but I've also gotten lucky once or twice and just rode away from the field on a flat day.
Winter Training habits
When I move to Munich, in the winter I would like to try some track riding so would have a separate bike for that (I hear there's a velodrome in Munich). I can also get into cross country skiing (I already do downhill skiing but the training benefit of that is questionable). I plan to have a good trainer setup. That being said, I want a bike I can ride throughout the year since being stuck inside is going to be really hard for me. Eventually, I'll probably get a mountain bike for serious off road stuff, but I'm also not afraid to take my road bike down some light dirt/gravel full speed.
Current setup
I'm currently riding a 2018 Giant TCR Pro 1 rim brake size ML. With climbing wheels it's at 7.1kg and with Hed Jet 6+ it's around 7.4kg (ready to race, no bottles or computer). I will probably move up a size in frame to a 58/L bike when I upgrade.
Handlebar stack: 650
Handlebar reach: 500
The disc brake conundrum
After recently racing in the rain with my aluminum tracked Heds, I didn't feel the need for disc brakes...but I could also see the benefit. I also tend to get some brake rub during race intensity accelerations (usually on steep grades, but not always) due to a combination of liking snappy braking (pads close to rim) and throwing my bike everywhere to try and make the move. I feel like disc brake wheels would be stiffer since more spokes and maybe less chance of contacting pads and costing me some watts (I need all the watts). However, there's some good deals on rim brake frames that are hard to pass up. Additionally, disc bikes are where the industry is headed and I want my bike to stay relevant for a long time. I personally think disc bikes look cool and I like the idea of increased compliance due to lack of brake bridge (is that a real thing or am I making this up?).
Then of course comes the 11/12 speed thing. Shimano will probably go 12 speed next Dura Ace iteration so I don't want to buy something that's going to be a pain in the ass in a year (e.g. need for 12 speed specific freehubs like what happened to most 10 speed wheels that became obsolete). I would like electronic shifting and something reasonably aero and light. It also needs to travel well (flights back to the states, for example).
My budget is under $8k. What bikes should I be considering? I'm a cat 3 mechanic and can build up a frame if that's a better solution.
I am moving to Munich Germany from San Francisco California in September for work. I have lived in sunny California my whole life, so this will be a big change on pretty much every level. Naturally, I am wondering what bike I should get for this new chapter of my life (since it's obviously the most important question to answer right now).
Background
Very competitive cat 2 bike racer. I flourish on climbs due to being naturally light, but I have become relatively adept at racing in most amatuer racing conditions (bad to nonexistent roads, rainy descents full gas, etc.). I enjoy crits, but I am not great at them due to an innate fear of bunch sprinting that I am continually working through. I've won most of my races from sprinting from small groups on hilly races, but I've also gotten lucky once or twice and just rode away from the field on a flat day.
Winter Training habits
When I move to Munich, in the winter I would like to try some track riding so would have a separate bike for that (I hear there's a velodrome in Munich). I can also get into cross country skiing (I already do downhill skiing but the training benefit of that is questionable). I plan to have a good trainer setup. That being said, I want a bike I can ride throughout the year since being stuck inside is going to be really hard for me. Eventually, I'll probably get a mountain bike for serious off road stuff, but I'm also not afraid to take my road bike down some light dirt/gravel full speed.
Current setup
I'm currently riding a 2018 Giant TCR Pro 1 rim brake size ML. With climbing wheels it's at 7.1kg and with Hed Jet 6+ it's around 7.4kg (ready to race, no bottles or computer). I will probably move up a size in frame to a 58/L bike when I upgrade.
Handlebar stack: 650
Handlebar reach: 500
The disc brake conundrum
After recently racing in the rain with my aluminum tracked Heds, I didn't feel the need for disc brakes...but I could also see the benefit. I also tend to get some brake rub during race intensity accelerations (usually on steep grades, but not always) due to a combination of liking snappy braking (pads close to rim) and throwing my bike everywhere to try and make the move. I feel like disc brake wheels would be stiffer since more spokes and maybe less chance of contacting pads and costing me some watts (I need all the watts). However, there's some good deals on rim brake frames that are hard to pass up. Additionally, disc bikes are where the industry is headed and I want my bike to stay relevant for a long time. I personally think disc bikes look cool and I like the idea of increased compliance due to lack of brake bridge (is that a real thing or am I making this up?).
Then of course comes the 11/12 speed thing. Shimano will probably go 12 speed next Dura Ace iteration so I don't want to buy something that's going to be a pain in the ass in a year (e.g. need for 12 speed specific freehubs like what happened to most 10 speed wheels that became obsolete). I would like electronic shifting and something reasonably aero and light. It also needs to travel well (flights back to the states, for example).
My budget is under $8k. What bikes should I be considering? I'm a cat 3 mechanic and can build up a frame if that's a better solution.
Last edited by:
ColeofCali: Jun 4, 19 7:51