Lrdchaos

I have a 2015 super six evo that I had planned to buy a set of Reynolds wheels and upgrade a little. It’s the 105, carbon bike.

But it I got to thinking, instead of spending 1200 on this bike, would it be better to sell and buy a disc, Ultegra bike? I found a like new 2017 tarmac pro disc Ultegra di2 so I’m considering just selling my bike and going that route. Is the disc, and di2 worth the upgrade?

trainsktg

My main ride is a 2014 TCR with 105 and and an upgrade set of DuraAce C40 rim brake wheels. I also have a gravel bike with discs (because I wanted to try a bike with discs) and a ‘race bike’ with Dura Ace DI2 (because I wanted to try a bike with DI2). Once the novelty of the discs and DI2 wore off, they were just another pair of bikes in my stable.

Keith

WhyFi

Depends. Everyone has different priorities; below are the biggest factors for me.

Personally, I could never justify carbon wheels with rim brakes - the math doesn't add up for me when the most expensive part of the wheel is a wear item.

Disc - I like the feel and the all-weather performance. More important than that, I like the fact that most disc frames are opened up for slightly larger tires. I would prefer a bike that can clear 30mm tires, but will no longer buy a bike that can't clear 28s - given road conditions and my weight, being able to run 60-70psi makes a huge, huge difference in ride quality and fatigue, particularly on longer rides. Some newer rim brake bikes can accommodate these widths, but that doesn't help you if your existing SS Evo can't.

The other thing that I like about disc for road is that it allows me to swap wheels with my gravel bike, so I can get a little more mileage (literally and figuratively) out of any nice wheel purchases.

Di2 - don't have it, have only played with it briefly. Cost is somewhat prohibitive, but would jump on it at a lower price.

TrojanHorse

N+1 is the answer. Two bikes is more than two times better than one bike.

datlas 

I agree but he said he would sell the current one for the new one. Better to keep the old one as a backup/beater/organ donor.

hsuehhwa

I'm still riding my 2013 Evo after ~35k miles. Make sure you measure the chainstay clearance before wheel upgrades. I know for sure the majority of the current wider rims would not fit my 2013 Evo frame.

Maelochs

According to almost everyone who has used DI2, it is the sliced bread of bike development---once you try it you will never go back to ripping of chunks of gears with your fists. And discs bring a lot of potential benefits.

Neither discs nor DI2 are essential, and one can build a really excellent bike without either. However .... In your situation, discs would open up the option of carbon wheels, multiple wheel sets for different road conditions, and all-waether/all-condition operation if that were an issue.

As with most here, I would suggest keeping both. However .... The bike you have is an awesome bike. it isn't like;y you'd get a big bump in performance .... if nothing is wrong with your bike, maybe keep it.

But ...

If you are looking at spending ~$800 on new wheels which might not even fit the frame, and other unspecified "upgrades"---I'd go for the Tarmac because you aren't going to get Ultegra, discs, and DI2 for any reasonable price unless they come already on a bike.

Psychocycles

My two cents, owning both rim brake and disc brake bikes - Keep the old bike, save up a little more, and buy a road bike with discs when you can afford it without selling the old one, unless storage space is at a premium. Rim brakes are pretty good in the dry, but you can't argue with disc performance in the wet. Di2 ... meh. Save your money, unless you're building up a TT rig, that's where I'd say Di2 really is worth it. I'd love to get some Di2 if the price point comes down any, but at its current $ I'd say no. Disc are a much more tangible upgrade, assuming you keep your mechanical tuned properly.

TrojanHorse

Is the tarmac a through axle bike? That seems to be the direction we're heading so if it doesn't have through axles, I'd probably hold off.

I don't think I'll buy another rim brake bike again (just got one last January too, so there's that). Disk brakes open up a lot of options, will usually allow for wider rims / tired etc.

I know DI2 is the shiznit and all that but I just don't ever feel put out by having to push that lever over so there's that.

So what did you decide?

Lrdchaos

I haven't decided yet. I had ordered the wheels and they came in last Thursday and they will fit, barely. The Tarmac is not through axle, I had almost talked myself into buying the bike.

i’ve almost talked myself into keeping the wheels and running this bike for another 3-4 years, 8-10k Miles and buy a new bike at that point. It should give the industry time to find a general direction. I don’t know....I might keep my bike if I buy the tarmac as a backup or wet weather bike.

I can’t really justify a new bike, or even upgrading my bike...but I just really “want”to do something.

oldgeezerjeff

I recently upgraded my ride. I bought the bike last year and it was a 2016 model still in the LBS. Anyway, I got the bike for about $450.00. It had a Shimano Claris group on it. I just upgraded to a Shimano 105 r7000 group brifters, crank, cassette, deraillers, etc... The bike had disc brakes already which I like. The upgrade necessitated a change of wheels, so I added some tubeless ready DT Swiss wheels and axles. I also put on a new seat and a new bar stem. All together, the upgrades removed about 2 to 3 lbs from the weight of the bike and it rides like a new bike. Thanks to the upgrades and the new Continental Gran Prix 4 all season tires, I was immediately about 2 MPH faster average on my commute
Some may think I am foolish for spending about $1400.00 to upgrade a $450.00 bike. But it works for me and now, I love the bike.