Originally Posted by
mikedefieslife
Nope. I want the best possible for the money, with room later on to upgrade and improve the spec. I was relatively happy with my old bike (which was well below £1000). Some new rims to allow 28mm tyres and a few other mods and I'd have been enjoying a tour on that. Unfortunately I don't have it anymore to need to find something new (which may of course be used).
Can you find another Forme Loncliffe? Did you record its measurements to be able to start with a close match?
I think I understand your interest in cutting through the air efficiently. A small reduction has a lot of leverage, and it’s largely influenced by riding position, wheels, and frontal area relative to the actual wind direction, including the size and shapes of the luggage. If you save 10% of your power over 1600 km, your freshness at the end of the day or of the whole venture is much better.
A recent USA concept and product for bike aerodynamics is called Aerodefender (I have no relationship with it!!!). It’s a cover for the upper 30% of a wheel which makes a pocket of still air where the tire tread is moving forward at twice the speed of the bicycle. It’s worth googling it to see the particulars and how it was tested.