Mark Rolling

Hi guys,

It's that time again that I am after a new road bike. Riding for 15 years, road and mtb.

Sorry but it is a bit long, whoever has the patience, thanks for reading


There were two triggers for searching for a new bike -

1. The release of a new Pinarello Prince, which was announced during the summer. A big fan of pinarello, always wanted one.

2. Told myself that if I loose 15 lbs, I will buy a new bike. One that will make a dream come true. And indeed lost over 15 lbs.


Right now have a nice carbon bike from 2016, with rim brakes, ultegra 6800 11 speed.

Want to move to disc brakes, ride many climbing routes and need more confidence on the descending. Prefer electronic shifting.

So the options which are on the table -


1. Pinarello Prince 2021, ultegra di2.

Not many reviews can be found online. The few that I read saying the bike is quite heavy but feels great.

In my country Pinarello's dealer imports the di2 version only in black. And in person this bike in black doesn't look as amazing as I would expect. When I see it - something is missing. Maybe there is an option to order it in another colour, have to check this.


2. The local dealer offers a very interesting offer - for just 600 $ over the price of Prince 2021 w Ultegra di2, I can get the DOGMA F12, with mechanical ultegra (and simple wheels, just like what I get with the Prince).

I checked how much is it to add for ultegra di2 and nice set of wheels, and then the price is way too much for me.

But still thinking about the option of getting this awesome frame with mechanical Ultegra and upgrade the wheels at some later point.

This option was very surprising, because they are offering a full bike for a price of a frameset + very small addition.


Now there is one thing I am concerned about with Shimano - I assume that next year, or maybe in 2 years, shimano are going to release a 12 speed groupset, maybe wireless, and naturally after a while all the 11 speed groupset bikes will become "outdated". Just like right now bikes with 10 speed groupsets. Now I know this is bull**** but we pay our hard earning money to get the latest technology which is usually getting better from generation to generation.

So I was thinking to postpone the purchase, to see what is going to happen with Shimano towards 2022 models, and then I saw this offer (from the same LBS -


3. BMC Teammachine SLR02 one, 2020 model, with SRAM force AXS (and heavy DT 1800 32 wheels).

The price is about 600$ less than Prince 2021.

I read several reviews and comparisons of SRAM force AXS Vs Ultegra di2, and really liked the idea of this groupset.

They had in store this bike but not in my size, and with batteries uncharged, so I couldn't really get the impression of shifting, but visually the bike looks good. They should bring my size (last one in stock!) next week so I can try it.


Now my concerns are:

A. SRAM dealer in my country doesn't have such a good service reputation. Shimano is known for a much better service here. This shop I'm in touch with - they are part of a large chain, and claiming that they are not relying on SRAM dealer and in case of a problem - they are taking care of spare parts by themselves. But still it doesn't sound ideal, On the other hand I get the most advanced technology, great gear ratios, a modern shifting approach.... Maybe anyone can tell from experience how reliable the SRAM AXS systems are?

B. There is already a new model of this bike for 2021 (called "SLR" without the 02). As far as I can understand, since there is not much information online - the changes are not so big. But still this is different than getting exactly the same frame as 2021 (yes I know I sound annoying!! )


Anyway right now I am waiting for a call to come and try the BMC, and maybe also the Prince 2021. Both of them are the last bikes in my size currently available in my country, but anyway I am not in a rush, just want to make the right decision that would be happy with it for several years to come.


Would like to hear any input regarding those 3 options, pros, cons, etc....


Thanks,

Mark

noodle soup

If you want hydraulic disc brakes, Shimano is the clear choice.

what are your gearing requirements? The only reason I would want 12spd on a road bike, is for slightly tighter spacing with a huge cassette.

wireless is great because it’s easy to install, but how often does that benefit most users?

Mark Rolling

Right now I have a 34-50 crank, and 11-28 cassette.
Have no problems with the low gears on climbing, but there are sometimes that when riding with a group on a gently descents, at~30 mph, I don't have the high enough gear, and should spin at a very high cadence.
So the sram 12 drivetrain, with 10-33 cassette, and 35-48 crank, actually covers both 34-50 and 39-53 traditional crancksets. And I like this idea very much.

noodle soup

It sounds like you could use some work on your spin.

I use 50/34 with a 12-25 cassette, and don’t spin out until I’m up to almost 40mph.

Mark Rolling

That's possible.
Will collect data next time it happens.

Iride01 

You can either be on the bleeding edge and pay for that, or you can cheap out on models that are dated by some marketing standard.

I won't be any less impressed no matter which way you go.

Pizzaiolo Americano 

Get the F12 and ride the hell out of it. When you decide you want to upgrade to Di2, see what is available then. It is pretty certain that they will use microspline and those freehub bodies are readily available.

noodle soup

You should be able to spin up to about 35mph with a 50x11 gear. That's a cadence of about 100, which is just a bit higher than the 85-95 that most use as an average cadence.

If you are spinning out 50x11 at 30mph, your cadence is only 85ish.

Ogsarg

Don't have an opinion on which bike you should get but would say to not let the possibility of something being outdate affect your decision. One thing for certain is anything you get will be outdated at some point. Shimano, Sram, whatever. If they aren't adding more gears, they'll be coming up with some other great feature to make people want to upgrade. There is no world where the companies suddenly decide bikes are as good as they can possibly be. Engineers and marketing people got to earn their keep you know.

TiHabanero

"A big fan of pinarello, always wanted one."

Now is the time. No sense in considering the BMC as it will never live up to your anticipation of getting a new bike. Don't let price get the the way of your dream machine. Hydro or rim brake, it is your choice. Me, I will take the time proven, easy maintenance rim brakes. Never met a hill or mountain that required disc brakes.

Mark Rolling

You are right, everything will be outdated at some point, but this point might be in several years from now, or it can be in 6 months from now.

And the main thing is not "outdated" or "brand new tech" - its just that after watching and reading several in depths reviews and comparissons between Sram's AXS and Shimano's DI2 - I personally came to the conclusion that in sram's electronic groupset they just designed the whole system so much smarter - the buttons don't placed at the same positions as the mechanical levers (like in di2) - there's no point in it since the mechanical levers designed with completely different constrains.

There are only 2 buttons instead of 4, large buttons that fit my big fingers.

Different chainrings and ratios - sram didn't stick to traditional "compact / classic" chainrings.

there is a friendly app for smartphone instead of a PC SW that you need a cable to connect to (or buying a separate adapter).


At the bottom line seems to me that sram just made things smarter, and Shimano would probably catch up with their new system.

So the point is not to have the most "recent" system VS outdated system, but to have the smarter and more convenient system.

Mark Rolling

Well after over thinking the whole thing too many times, and changing my mind - eventually I got the BMC teammachine SLR02.
Got it 2 weeks ago, and rode about 300 miles.

My impression so far -
1. Felt it from the very beginning but the more I ride the bike it is just getting more dominant - this bike feels massive, absorbing vibrations and just swallows road hazards.
Speed bumps in the city / rail crossing / potholes / scratched road /reflectors on the road - it just swallows them, I feel the vibrations significantly less than in my previous bike, and also compared to some other new bikes I had the chance to try.
I think that the larger wheel axles (12mm thru bolt) has to do with it, but this is mainly the design of the frame. Especially while I also tried other bikes with the 12 mm thru axles (like all the new bikes with disc brakes) and they didn't feel this way
It adds a lot to my confidence, which I lost a bit recently and was one of the reasons for a road bike upgrade.
2. It has a very nice blend of stiffness and comfort. While pushing hard sitting or out of the saddle - the bike fees very stiff, and yet comfortable, dumping vibrations as described in 1.
3. The acceleration of the bike is not so fast, my old bike felt "quicker" if we talk about gaining speed. Pretty sure that the stock wheels are responsible for it. Approx 1850 grams is heavy (DT P1800 stock wheelset), plus the stock tires - Vittoria Rubino - 350 grams per tire.
On the other hand those are great tires for winter, should be very durable, will change them when wear out. Now I had quite many PRs on this bike, but it is not the case of new bike that feels like a rocket.
Will probably add a "good day" wheels at some later stage.
4. This bike feels very stable on descents. Once again - gives me more confidence.
5. Hydraulic disc brakes - I know this feeling for many years on a MTB, but still it feels like kind of "magic" discovering it on the road bike - you slightly push the break levers and the bike stops!!! You don't have to apply ridiculous amount of power, it works just great.
6. Maybe this should be number one - this bike is just beautiful. It is standing most of the time in the living room. The design and attetion to details - just magnificent.


Here are some pictures.
And Pinarello dream will have to wait a bit, but one day it will happen!! Right now this BMC was a better choice for my needs.

Maelochs

Looks cool, great paint .... and you like riding it. hat trick.

ericcox

Beautiful bike. I am glad you are enjoying it. Funny story - right after you posted the original thread, I got a 2021 Pinarello Prince with Di2, though mine is blue. I love the bike, but it is definitely not a lightweight (though it is lighter than my old bike) and, from what you describe of the BMC, is probably a stiffer ride.

Congratulations on the new bike - may it give you many miles and years of joy.

BHG6

Great choice! She's a beauty. I built a BMC RM01 several years ago and it's been one of the most enjoyable bikes I've ever owned. Wouldn't hesitate a second to buy/build another BMC...

Mark Rolling

Thank you!!
The prince in blue looks much better than the black. But unfortunately in my country I could get the di2 version only in black... and the black one just didn't look right. The blue comes with mechanical ultegra, but anyway was not in stock.

Congratulations for you too for the new bike!!

Metallifan33

Beautiful bike Mark Rolling , seems like you have equally beautiful places to ride it thru!

sfrider 

Congrats - nice bike!

Cyclist0100

Sweet bike! Enjoy

Joearch

Great looking bike, nice countryside to enjoy!

vane171

I am curious what country those pics are from. Looks to be seaside (windswept trees) and southern someplace (the trees being palms?). Those small farming fields in background look like Europe, those palms blown in the wind look like Mediterranean.

If I lived close where you are, you would be a good source to buy used bikes from That would enable you to buy the latest ones more often.

Wonder if there are those who buy the latest what is out there, ride it for something like couple years only and sell it to get some decent proceeds from it to again buy the latest out there... Some people do that with cars but that may be leases perhaps. There are no leases in bike world I suppose.

And congrats on losing those pounds, it is never easy. Was it just exercising more or it also included a change in diet? I find that upper body fitness requires gym floor exercising, bike is not effective for that.