arondee

Hey all!

I'm new to the forums and looking for some help building a new bike. I met with Mark, the owner of Habanero Cycles yesterday and have decided to purchase a new Ti bike from him. I'm moving to Portland in a couple weeks and this bike will mostly be used to commute back and forth to work (5-10 miles each way). I'm looking to live in the west side suburbs of the city near Forest Park and going back home I will have roughly 1000ft in elevation to climb. Right now I'm strictly a mountain biker and this will be my first road bike.

Here's what I've decided I'd like so far and below that is what I need some help with.
1. 30+mm gravel tires so that I'm not slipping and sliding all over the wet road.
2. Fenders
3. I will probably be using a bike rack with panniers to hold a pair of clothes and my laptop.
4. Disc Brakes (because it's wet all the time).
5. Carbon Fork.
6. Flat Bars. After reading reviews online I bought a Ridley X-Trail but after riding it a couple times I returned it. I damaged a nerve in my hand lifting weights a long time ago and the drop bars hurt my wrist like crazy. I can't ride a drop-bar in the hoods because the nerve in my hand gets this excruciating pain that ends up lasting for 2 days. I've tried raising the bars and using padding gloves but it doesn't help. This never happens to me on a flat bar. I also have no plans on racing this bike.

So the above description seems like a perfect fit for a commuter bike. I looked at bikes from Salsa, etc... but I didn't want something that weighed 27 or 30lbs because of the hills I need to climb. Titanium is expensive but the overall bike weight (without the rack and panniers) will be in the low 20s from Habanero.

I don't want to spend more than about $3000.

Here is the Habanero price list for their Commuters and Cyclocross builds.

This is his component list he keeps in-stock but of coarse he can order whatever I want if this stuff doesn't quite work.

What I need help deciding
1. If I go with flat bars then I can't attach Ultegra or 105 brakes and shifters right? I was thinking either Deore, SLX, or XT. If I get expensive wheels I'll probably just go with Deore here to save money.
2. Aluminum, Titanium, or Carbon seatpost? I'll probably just go with Aluminum here but am still considering.
3. Aluminum handlebars or carbon? I'm also thinking aluminum here because of the price and there doesn't seem to be a huge weight savings.
4. The basic wheels he includes are Shimano WH-RX31 (2300 grams). I'm thinking this is where I want to splurge a little. I've been looking at different wheelsets online and liked the Stans Grail but the weight limit is 210lbs and I weigh 240. I need some help with recommendations here that cost $1000 or less.
5. For the gears I was thinking 2x11 but I'm not sure what Cassette and gear ratio to choose.
6. For Brakes would you go for the mechanical TPR Spyre, Deore (or XT) hydraulic, or one of those mechanical hydraulic brakes? I might not have a choice with the Spyre or mechanical hydraulic brakes with a flat bar (not sure).
7. Recommendations for a good flat bar?

The other bike I've been considering is the Lynskey Urbano but it ends up being a little more expensive once I end up speccing it like the Habanero (brushed titanium adds $200).

I also thought for a little while about getting the Specialized Sirrus Expert Carbon. I rode one and really liked it but I have this irrational fear that once I strap on a rack, fenders, and my 240lbs that I'll end up slipping one day in the rain and destroying the frame. Is this an irrational fear? Should I just go with the Specialized? I can get it here locally for $1880.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Aaron

RubeRad

For a budget of $3000 it's hard to go wrong, you will end up with a bike that is overkill for your actual needs.

That said, my personal recommendations (although maybe not too useful for you as I tend to the cheapskate side of things and am not a weight weenie (nor should you be at 240)):

Choose alu components over carbon to save $$, unless you really want to look cool.

For a flatbar, I would recommend a mountain drivetrain entirely, except maybe a cross-crankset (48/32?). For the hills + your weight, get a pretty wide cassette (11-32/34/36?). Or consider simplifying to 1x with a superwide cassette (11-40/42), maybe something in the 40s up front. Either way you'll be wanting a mountain/touring long cage derailleur, which will pair with the triggers (or grip shifts, if you're a weirdo). I would recommend sticking with 10speed, it will save you money vs 11, and a slightly thicker chain will be less likely to break.

Brakes: I've heard very good things about the hybrid mech/hydraulic brakes. For a $3000 budget (or even a $1500 budget), I would not want to end up with a bike with pure mechanicals. So hydraulic or hybrid for sure.

I (again, personally) would bump the tires up to maybe like 38/40/42 at least. (My commuter wears Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 50-622). If you're looking at Stan's Grail wheels, if you can get them in at least 32-spokes each, I wouldn't worry about weight. Just make sure they are properly retensioned (have a shop do it for $40 or less if you can't do it yourself. Portland should have good bike shop prices due to all the competition). With the Stans you should be pretty certain you can ride tubeless, which I'm guessing is your preference if you're a mtber.

Yes, I think 'slipping in the rain' is an irrational fear. Bikes don't hydroplane like cars do, because they have rounded, not flat, tires. That specialized would meet your needs admirably.

I'll toss out another suggestion, a bike I'm leaning towards for myself in a few years:

Viaje / 1X10 | Volagi Cycles

You would have to request a flatbar build rather than drop, I can't find it right now but I have seen flatbar offerings from Volagi before, and they're a fairly small operation that I think would be very willing to work with you.

bmthom.gis

I'd spend less on a commuter unless you know you can bring it inside with you. If you can, cool!

RubeRad

And if you're interested in a Ti cross/gravel bike with disc brakes, you need to at least be aware of these options:

Save Up to 60% Off Titanium Cyclocross Bicycles | Road Bikes - Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Titanium | Cross Bikes
Save Up to 60% Off Titanium Cyclocross Bicycles | Road Bikes - Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Titanium | Cross Bikes

Although drop bars are a dealbreaker for your situation, the good price starts looking not so good once you have to swap in flat bars, triggers, flat-bar brake levers (short-pull for the BB7's, or upgrade to hydraulic discs), although you could get some money selling the take-offs.

arondee

Yeah I know, it's a ton of cash. I'm selling some camera lenses to make it work. I just really want to have a bike that I can buy once and use for a very long time. And yes, I work for Amazon and our office in downtown Portland has a private garage that you have to badge into for locking up and keeping your bike safe. I could also bring the bike to my desk if I wanted to.

RubeRad

Sweet, awesome that you'll have good bike security. And no matter what, even an expensive bike is cheaper than a car...

arondee

Responses inline...

Awesome, thanks for the suggestion.

RubeRad

hybrid mech/hydraulic levers? I believe the cable pull for such brakes is standard road pull (aka "short"), so any short-pull levers should work. There are even some levers which can be configured to long- or short-pull, and not too pricey. Like for instance these.

Tire size: I'm mostly recommending width for higher volume, lower pressure, to make it easier to tubeless (I don't trust tubeless for high pressure, but it is well established with fat mtb tires), and also just for comfort. Rolling resistance would depend on the tire suppleness and tread pattern more than width. Not to mention rolling resistance is only the most important aspect of a tire if you're riding on a velodrome; in the real world on real city streets, you want tires that can absorb/deform with irregularities, rather than rigidly bouncing off of them.

What you would probably feel more than rolling resistance would be increased rotational weight making wheels a little slower/harder to spin up. But in addition to not being a weight weenie, I'm also not a racer (I happened to notice the other day, my avg speed over the last few weeks of commuting was a measly 10.5 mph!!) so I can't really comment on whether tires are holding me back in terms of climbing or speed.

Schwalbe Marathon Supreme is widely recognized as The Ultimate commuter tire, quite flat resistant, and surprisingly lightweight and supple. 700 comes in widths of 32, 35, 40, and 50mm, with weights from 380-640g over that range. I mean, there are lots of tires that are good and many people like (commuting forum is full of threads about tires) but the Marathon Supreme is the one that I see recommended most. I don't know how well it would work tubeless though, and if you've got flat resistance covered with sealant, you may well be able to find even lighter tires that work well for you.

slo_rida

I had a similar commute in Vancouver. I used an aluminum cyclocross bike year round - about 6500km/year in total. Tiagra components, drop bars, full fenders, rack, ortlieb panniers, mechanical disc brakes. About $1500. The main thing I'd like to change would be to have hydraulic disc brakes (like my mountain bike) rather than the mechanical ones, which are a bit fiddly.

Some thoughts:

Titanium is cool, but steel or aluminum would be fine. Once you factor in all the stuff you're carrying for your commute, relatively minor difference in component weights won't make much difference. My bike came with a carbon seatpost, but I broke it and replaced it with an aluminum one.

You'll end up replacing the moving parts (chain, cassette, rings, brake pads, etc) fairly frequently. Rain + grit + hills wears down components surprisingly quickly. (Like you, I'm a bigger guy - 6'4, 225).

The factory tires were nicer on gravel, but too prone to flats. Very few flats once I switched to 32mm gatorskins.

arondee

Here's what I'm thinking...

For exactly $3000

Grips Ritchey WCS True Grip Black
Front Brake TRP HY/RD Cable-Actuated Hydraulic Disc Brake includes 160mm Rotor Silver
Rear Brake TRP HY/RD Cable-Actuated Hydraulic Disc Brake includes 160mm Rotor Silver
Casssette CASSETTE SPROCKET,CS-M8000,DEORE XT, 11-SPEED,11-13-15-17-19-21-24-27-31-35-40
Chain BICYCLE CHAIN, CN-HG701-11, 11-SPD(ROAD/MTB/E)ULTEGRA & XT
Crankset FRONT CHAINWHEEL, FC-M8000-2, DEORE XT, HOLLOWTECH 2, FOR REAR 11-SPEED, 175MM, 38X28T
Fork Ritchey WCS CX Disc Fork, 1 1/8"
Headset Cane Creek 40 EC34/28.6 / EC34/30 Headset Black
Saddle WTB Speed ProGel Black Saddle with Steel Rails
Seatpost Ritchey Comp Link Seatpost 27.2 x 400mm BB Black
Shift Lever Right SHIFT LEVER, SL-M8000, DEORE-XT, RIGHT 11-SPD
Shift Lever Left SHIFT LEVER, SL-M8000, DEORE-XT,LEFT: 2/3-SPEED
Stem Ritchey Comp 4-Axis Stem: 110mm, +/- 6 degree, 31.8, 1-1/8, BB Black
Tires Panaracer T-Serv ProTite 700 x 35mm Tire Folding Bead Black/Black
Tubes Q-Tubes Value Series Tube with 32mm Presta Valve: 700c x 35-40mm
Front Wheel XT hub / Stans NoTubes Grail Black / DT Competition black / 32h
Rear Wheel XT hub / Stans NoTubes Grail Black / DT Competition black / 32h
Handlebars Ritchey Comp Rizer Handlebar: 740mm, 20mm Rise, 9d Sweep, 31.8, BB Black
Bottom Bracket BOTTOM BRACKET PARTS, BB-MT800, RIGHT & LEFT ADAPTER(BSA)
Brake Levers Shimano R550 Flat Bar Road Brake Lever Set, Black
Fenders SKS B53 Commuter II Fender Set: Silver 700 x 38-47
Rack Axiom Journey Uni-Fit MK 3 Rear Rack
Frame Stock Habanero titanium 'cross frame, disc brake

What do you all think? I'm thinking it sounds like an awesome ride!

Senior Ryder 00 

Yep, sure does sound like an awesome ride. Back when I was commuting, most of us used a beat up old road bike with reliable components which was less likely to be stolen. Portland has some great bike shops. You might want to visit them for suggestions once you get there.

An option to consider is to find a CX bike equipped with the components that you want, but last year's model. In Portland there is a lot of competition and, thus, some real bargains. I got a carbon/aluminum Ridley CX bike (my "fast" ride) with mechanical disks and Shimano 105 components for 35% off MSRP because the new models had just been released. Unless you are really set on flat bars, you may want to consider drops with a short, high rise stem. Personally, I find brifters great for commuting in traffic, which, Portland has a lot of. ;-)

Cheers,

RubeRad

Sounds like a great bike, but if you've got an 11-40 cassette, are you sure you need a double up front? You could save a few bucks switching to a single, lose the FD and left shifter.

alan s 

Go with Shimano XT M8000 hydraulic disc brakes. Much better than the TRP brakes.

RubeRad

Maybe going 1X can make up for the price difference to hydraulic brakes. And I would stick with Shimano hydraulics over Avid. Non-toxic mineral oil for the fluid, and they just plain work, while Avids sometimes have problems.