jaxgtr

you know what.....I have a very nice Trek Emonda ALR and I love the thing. Fits me like a glove, it is rim brake and a very nice ride, but after 5 years, I said I wanted a new bike with di2. I put 2 kids through college and leaving no one with college debt, I built my wife a very nice craft room for her to do her thing, I work my butt off and I deserve a new bike.

Now originally I was looking at a carbon Emonda, but being older now, and having no plans to race, I decided I probably needed something a little more easy on the back, and looked at endurance frames. So I ordered a 2021 Trek Domane SL7. But being, you know, Covid, there was the supply and demand issue and there would be a wait to get it. Originally it was supposed to arrive in late Nov, but then it moved into Dec, but when Sept rolled around and they told me the delivery got pushed out to April, I was like screw it, went 2021 Project One SLR7 Domane and got the bike in 10 days. Did I want to spend that much, nope on many levels, I even watch the local and web used market, but.......I have to say, since I have been riding it.......OMG is it sweet. After 500 miles, I decided to swap out the 11-34 cassette it came with ( and in picture) , as due to supply issues mentioned, I could not get anything else, and finally found a 14-28 as I live in a very flat corner of the world. I will never use the 30, 32 or 34 tooth cog, and rarely if ever used the 11-13, so when I saw someone had that in stock, I snapped one up.

So if you want a new bike, or just a new to you bike, you deserve it...get it, ride it, enjoy it and have fun on it.

This is my new mistress as my wife call it. ...

masi61

Russ Roth My main road bike has Velocity A23’s 32f & 36r laced to Dura Ace 7700 9-speed hubs. They are great wheels! They are actually the widest conventional (rim brake) road clincher rims I had ridden until I had some inexpensive DT Swiss R460 rims built up into a Dura Ace 7800 10-speed wheelset 24f/28r by my LBS master wheel builder.

I like that 25mm tires seem like the narrowest width for each set of rims. My theory is that there is less light bulb effect and thus better cornering.

I’m sorry about your experience with the Velocity Quill rims. I purchased a polished pair of these (either 28f/32r or 24f/28r I’ll need to check) to build up an even wider version of my A23 wheelset, The specifications on the Quill rims seem optimistic with the rim weight being lighter (for aluminum) for a clincher rims of that width. I haven’t actually had them built up yet. I am looking forward to having my LBS master wheel builder build them up for me for a lightweight build with aluminum spoke nipples and 2 cross front and 3 cross rear spoke pattern which he has done for me before and with good results. I will let him know about your remarks with regard to having difficulty building it up true.

In a recent blog post on the November Bikes website, his remarks mirrored yours with regard to the Quill rims. I don’t remember if the issue for them was that they didn’t build up true or if the spoke holes needed extra deburring but his blog post was to “revisit” his review of the Quill as a recommended rim. He indicated that Velocity has continued to refine their quality control (Velocity rims are made in Michigan now as far as I know) and that he built up some more sets of them with good results and that he could now recommend them.

I’ll have to check with my metric calipers but I believe the internal width is a bit wider than the A23’s meaning that 28mm tires would be a perfect match for these rims. Perhaps they would fit on the OP’s Litespeed without modification? I’m so intrigued with idea of trying these out, that for 2021 I plan to put my money where my mouth is and build up a set and then ride them!

Stickney

Yeah, I've been seriously considering that. Any suggestions on the used market in terms of bikes/brand (I'm totally ignorant on MTB bikes)? If I went that route I'd be using it around the farm I live on (200 acres) that has lots of grass "trails" and tilled fields. I have a lot of steep uphills (think lots of terraces).

rlmalisz

So how do you like the robo-shifters? I, too, am interested in Di2, but hate to go even as far up as a Domane SL7 to get there. And unlike you, have comparatively few stretches where I ride that you could call flat. One of my concerns with Di2 is whether the system accomodates "big shifts". The base of the 1-mile hill to home is flat for 100 feet, and then abruptly starts climbing, oscillating between 8-12% grade. And the first bit at the bottom is 12% With my current triple x 7, I can drop a whole lot of gear-inches in a hurry. If I have to work my way through 7 gears or so onesies, I can see myself grinding to a stop before I get geared low enough for the hill. And falling over, clipped in.

--Richard

Stickney

My wife sarcastically called my Litespeed "baby" for years. :-)

You deserved that Domane. Very, very nice!!

jaxgtr

Love, love, love Di2. You can drop a lot of gears very fast, I would say you would not have an issue with it. I was watching the Pro's Closet a lot and missed out on a couple of bikes in my size as I kept doubting if I wanted Di2, so I really regret saving some serious money doing that, but, what the hell, you only live once right?

cyccommute 

Any of the major brands...Specialized, Trek, Giant, etc...would be a good place to start. A hardtail would be simplest. Make sure you spend a bit of money and get a one with an air shock and a lockout. I prefer Fox shocks as they have a much more positive lockout. Manitou is okay with a good positive lockout but not quite the quality of the Fox. Rock Shox are okay but I find the lockout to be too soft for my weight. Assuming that you are on the slightly more weighty size as you are posting here, you might want to consider that.

A dual suspension bike is nice but, again, weight can be an issue. I found that dual suspensions tend to inch worm which takes a lot of energy out to ride. If you can find one, look for a Specialized Epic with a brain technology rear shock. It locks when there is a force downward on the shock. When the shock gets a hit from below, it opens up and works to suspend the bike. I find it works much better for my weight.

I have both hardtails and dual suspension. I ride and enjoy them all.