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Stop me from making a terrible mistake

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Stop me from making a terrible mistake

Old 09-10-20, 04:33 PM
  #26  
noodle soup
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Originally Posted by mattcalifornia
Here's how I look at it:
• Disk brakes won't make you faster unless you are having to descend lots of steep mountains very slowly with your current brakes or frequently have problems braking in the rain.
• Di2 won't make you any faster unless you are racing and missing shifts with your current system that are causing you to get dropped

So, unless you fit one of the 2 above exceptions, you'd just be getting a new bike because you want it. There's nothing wrong with that (so long as you can afford it), but don't expect much improvement in your riding.
Partially true

If the OP rides on less than perfect roads, wide tires will make fast riding more comfortable, and could be less fatiguing. Less fatigue can allow a rider to go faster, or longer.

Bikes with disc brakes usually all 32mm or wider tires. Most modern bikes with rim brakes are limited to 28mm or less.

Last edited by noodle soup; 09-10-20 at 04:39 PM.
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Old 09-10-20, 04:41 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by noodle soup
Partially true

If the OP rides on less than perfect roads, wide tires will make fast riding more comfortable, and could be less fatiguing. Less fatigue can allow a rider to go faster, or longer.
Well, that's true, although I didn't see any information about what width he is running now or how wide a tire he can accommodate on that bike. He probably can't run 32's, but I'm running 28's on my old rim brake bike.

Unless OP rides through a lot of broken glass and such, he might consider getting some better tires. I also agree with another poster that if he wants to spend money, he could consider a gravel or mountain bike.
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Old 09-10-20, 04:53 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by mattcalifornia
Well, that's true, although I didn't see any information about what width he is running now or how wide a tire he can accommodate on that bike.

I also agree with another poster that if he wants to spend money, he could consider a gravel or mountain bike.
I didn't see anything about it either, but it's information worth adding.

Also, If the OP is getting flats from glass, I wouldn't recommend tubeless. Tubeless works well on thorn/wire punctures, but not cuts.
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Old 09-10-20, 04:54 PM
  #29  
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The only mistake is buying a higher end bike then Not riding it.
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Old 09-10-20, 04:55 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by ericcox
I can't seem to stop looking at bikes with Di2 or Etap and disk brakes. Tell me I don't need it
Of course you "don't need it." But, if you want it (which is a given) and you can afford it, my experience says it's well worth it. Did the same move 5 years ago and it was the best decision. I wouldn't buy another bike without electronic shifting and disc brakes and didn't when I purchased my newest bike November last year. Also my wife went from Madone with manual, to upgrading an Avail to Di2 as part of the purchase and then purchased a Ruby with Di2 early last year. Even suggesting to her to go back to manual would be grounds for divorce.
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Old 09-10-20, 05:01 PM
  #31  
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ha,,, man, what is your bike not doing that you want it to do? if your shifting is good then its good... i sport a litespeed vortex with DA10.... have never wanted for anything on that bike.... i like not having electronic anything on it... but im weird..
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Old 09-10-20, 05:24 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by scuzzo
ha,,, man, what is your bike not doing that you want it to do? if your shifting is good then its good... i sport a litespeed vortex with DA10.... have never wanted for anything on that bike.... i like not having electronic anything on it... but im weird..
If you bought that bike new, It was absolutely top notch.

The OP seems to want something like that, but by today's standards.
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Old 09-10-20, 05:36 PM
  #33  
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You don't need a new bike. Better?
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Old 09-10-20, 05:42 PM
  #34  
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A few answers to questions above - I am riding a fair amount (call it 180/week), but no, the Ridley and it's parts are in no danger of wearing out. I have no aspirations to race - I did that once upon a time. Rim brakes are fine 95% of the time where I live, and the reality is that I'm being a little obnoxious about my brakes because I can't get them to be quite as responsive as the old Ultegra brakes on my Orbea. The shifting on the 105 is so much smoother than old 8 speed or 9 speed Ultegra, and, really better than my 10 speed ultegra.

I am riding mostly asphalt with a minimum of gravel. I fit 28mm tires, currently riding the much loathed gatorskins, but they've saved me a few times.

In short, a new bike is strictly about want, not need. The same mature choice when I went with the cheaper option 3 years ago to get a bike that would work fine, not the nicer bike I wanted.

This post was in a moment of weakness when I had a DI2 canyon ready to purchase. The madness has passed. I will be adding a bike to my stable, but not this week. Or next week.

Thank you all for the input - at some point I'll be adding pics of whatever new bike I get. Will it be a Lynksey? A Canyon? Another Ridley? Maybe a Scott? Maybe I go crazy and get a Ritchey, or whatever it is Lemond is about to announce. Who knows - I sure as the hell don't

Edit to add: a seven. That's what I'll get. A custom Seven!
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Old 09-11-20, 11:48 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Rogus
Of course you "don't need it." But, if you want it (which is a given) and you can afford it, my experience says it's well worth it. Did the same move 5 years ago and it was the best decision. I wouldn't buy another bike without electronic shifting and disc brakes and didn't when I purchased my newest bike November last year. Also my wife went from Madone with manual, to upgrading an Avail to Di2 as part of the purchase and then purchased a Ruby with Di2 early last year. Even suggesting to her to go back to manual would be grounds for divorce.
Also, unless you find yourself under a mountain of unpayable debt, facing foreclosure and financial ruin, I doubt when you're riding it on your favourite route, will you be thinking "wow, I really regret spending that extra few hundred bucks on Di2 and discs."

And if you are facing that mountain, you're probably gonna regret buying the whole bike anyway, so obviously yes, you'll want AXS/Di2!
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Old 09-11-20, 12:03 PM
  #36  
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On the main road bike, I have Di2 (with 15,000 miles logged on it, along with a $300 repair to replace the RD after it failed all of a sudden, for no good reason), but I don't have hydro disc on it. I constantly find myself lusting after new bikes that have hydro disc, because I have them on the full squish mtb, and I'm now spoiled. If I could go back in time to 2016, I'd get the hydro disc instead of the Di2, if I could only have one. But at the time I didn't live in a mountainous region where non-stop twisty-turny descents can cramp your hands from all the hard braking. Flatlanders may not benefit as much from hydro disc.
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Old 09-11-20, 02:08 PM
  #37  
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If you can afford it and want it, buy it. Life is too short to wonder 'what if'.

Bike is just a tool of sorts. We may love our bikes for the joy they give us, the places they allow us to go and the people we find through the collective enjoyment of an activity that we all enjoy, but they can't reciprocate. Your bikes doesn't feel anything so it doesn't matter if you change it for something else.

Don't look back too wistfully on what was and what is past, because what is yet to come is far more interesting.

Do what's right for you.
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Old 09-13-20, 10:08 AM
  #38  
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You don't need it! You don't need anything beyond food, water, basic clothing and shelter. That's it.

But "wanting" something is a whole different story. If you can afford it, get it. Justify it however you want: an early birthday/Xmas gift to yourself. Better yet, if you are the right age, call it a mid-life crisis purchase and tell yourself, and your spouse, it could have been a lot worse. At least you didn't buy the Ferrari. After you buy what you want you will experience a fleeting moment of self-loathing when you stop to think of all the starving puppies and kittens and how you could have given your money to a charity instead. Then, you will go for a ride and all will be right in the universe.

There are a lot emotions involved with buying a new bike. Just be prepared.
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Old 09-13-20, 10:12 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by mrblue
You don't need it! You don't need anything beyond food, water, basic clothing and shelter. That's it.
Most people need some sort of income to get those things, and transportation makes it a lot easier to have a job.
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Old 09-13-20, 10:19 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by noodle soup
Most people need some sort of income to get those things, and transportation makes it a lot easier to have a job.
I concur. However, it's all about standards. If you're standards aren't too high, you can be homeless in San Francisco (without transportation) and the city will provided all your basic necessities. Someone once told me, "You're better off being homeless in California than a king anywhere else." And, heck, there are even non-profits, here, that will give you a bike for free if you want/need it.
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Old 09-13-20, 02:11 PM
  #41  
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I have a perfectly nice CF bike with CF wheels and SRAM Force. It does everything I need to do. I have experienced some of the downsides of CF RIM brakes and wanted to to move to disc. My first time using disc was a rental coming down Haleakala in the rain and I was converted. I recently decided to start looking and came across something with disc and eTap that I piqued my interest enough to part with money. I had no logical reason to spend the money as there was absolutely nothing wrong with the previous ride.

That said, even though it was the most expensive bike that I'd ever purchased by 2x, I have zero regrets. I love riding it and have been riding more recently than in the past 4 years (even discounting our new Covid reality). The disc brakes are fantastic and I've really grown to like eTap. The former are definitely with the money to upgrade for, imho, the latter are nice but I'm not sure I'd pay extra.
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Old 09-14-20, 07:18 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by ericcox
A few answers to questions above - I am riding a fair amount (call it 180/week), but no, the Ridley and it's parts are in no danger of wearing out. I have no aspirations to race - I did that once upon a time. Rim brakes are fine 95% of the time where I live, and the reality is that I'm being a little obnoxious about my brakes because I can't get them to be quite as responsive as the old Ultegra brakes on my Orbea. The shifting on the 105 is so much smoother than old 8 speed or 9 speed Ultegra, and, really better than my 10 speed ultegra.

I am riding mostly asphalt with a minimum of gravel. I fit 28mm tires, currently riding the much loathed gatorskins, but they've saved me a few times.

In short, a new bike is strictly about want, not need. The same mature choice when I went with the cheaper option 3 years ago to get a bike that would work fine, not the nicer bike I wanted.

This post was in a moment of weakness when I had a DI2 canyon ready to purchase. The madness has passed. I will be adding a bike to my stable, but not this week. Or next week.

Thank you all for the input - at some point I'll be adding pics of whatever new bike I get. Will it be a Lynksey? A Canyon? Another Ridley? Maybe a Scott? Maybe I go crazy and get a Ritchey, or whatever it is Lemond is about to announce. Who knows - I sure as the hell don't

Edit to add: a seven. That's what I'll get. A custom Seven!
Ok, so then get a top of the line Ridley and build it with Campy Record 12 speed EPS if new bling is what you want.
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Old 09-14-20, 11:22 AM
  #43  
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I'm in the market for a new bike and test rode Di2. I didn't like it maybe because I wasn't used to it. Or, as a Mechanical Engineer, I guess I appreciate the simplicity and feel of conventional shifting over soulless button pushing Besides, you can always ride a bike with mechanical shifting if the apocalypse occurs
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Old 09-14-20, 11:45 AM
  #44  
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That bike is totally holding you back. Seriously, you'll be so much faster on a newer blingier bike.
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Old 09-14-20, 11:51 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by Fox Farm
Ok, so then get a top of the line Ridley and build it with Campy Record 12 speed EPS if new bling is what you want.
Best advice I can give you is to test ride EVERY component you intend to upgrade before you buy it. I rode a KHS Aerosport for eight years and a Kestrel Talon (both with Shimano 105) for over 10+ years with nary and issue--I had to replace a brake cable once in that time and replaced both cables a few years later out of caution. Shimano is solid, reliable, and intuitive. In short, no one should regret going with a "bulletproof" option given the pervasive number of bikes it can be found on and reliability. I found the Kestrel to be a little too stiff for my bones, so I built a custom Pinarello Rokh--my dream bike. After several test rides with Shimano, SRAM, and Campy EPS systems, I wound up selecting the Campy EPS. Despite my great experience with Shimano, I found the EPS buttons to be too close together. It was too easy to screw up a shift, and if you have gloves that cover your finger tips for cool weather days, fughet-about-it. The SRAM EPS was better in terms of being intuitive, but the Campy system was the best in my view and shifts were exact and satisfying. EVERY time. Among the features I like is that the crank derailleur auto-adjusts such that cross-chaining scrapes are non-existent. Combined with a long-lasting battery--I've ridden over 200+ miles (combined) without having to recharge. I still have rim brakes. The best arguments I've heard to change to rim brakes are brake feel and performance in the wet. I've no issue with the former and only occasionally ride in rain. I say test ride a bike with mechanical and another with hydraulic rim brakes and make up your own mind. If the difference in feel is worth the price to convert to you, do it!

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Old 09-14-20, 03:25 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by PositiveThinker
After several test rides with Shimano, SRAM, and Campy EPS systems, I wound up selecting the Campy EPS.
Just to keep anyone from using the wrong terminology when shopping. Only Campy uses the term "EPS". "...the Campagnolo electronically-actuated drivetrain...[is] called EPS for Electronic Power Shift meaning that the full name of the flagship groupset including the new technology and components will be Super Record EPS."

Shimano uses "Di2" to identify their electronic systems and SRAM uses "etap." I wouldn't want to go into a shop and ask for Shimano EPS.
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Old 09-14-20, 07:58 PM
  #47  
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Why did you have to show me that???

Want......



Originally Posted by ARPRINCE
I don't have disk brakes but I have Red eTap and a Mechanical Ultegra 8000. So yeah, I'm sold on electronic shifting.

If ever I'm going to get a new bike, I'd probably get this one -->
It has everything I want (electronic shifting + disk brakes + coupler + titanium).

You don't need it but you know you want it......YOLO!!!
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Old 09-18-20, 07:51 PM
  #48  
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I love my Di2 shifters and hydraulic disc brakes.
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Old 11-20-20, 08:53 PM
  #49  
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Oops... N+1
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Old 11-21-20, 08:22 AM
  #50  
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Good move. It would have been wrong not to.
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