cyclezen

you can get lost in all the Marketing BS generated to get us to buy new bikes...
Your area is quite similar to what we have in the Goleta/SB Valley (and Santa Ynez) - not much flat, unless you string some sections together purposefully...
so often a lot of up and down, and some serious climbing, if you make a turn...
the differences between your Roubaix and the Aethos and Tarmac, in geometry, are so close and almost identical in effective areas.
wondering about that? here's a comparison from Geometry Geeks database on Tarmac, Aethos and 2 versions of Roubaix (click).
So, yes, stack is higher, reach a bit shorter - all easily adjustable, adaptable. BB Drop is a bit more, in line with 'endurance' ideas.
But Head, Seat angles, front center, and many other key geo areas are or almost are identical.
So Carbon layup is where some difference is made, most in the BB area.
The bikes will 'feel' different, but will they make a difference (given the same componentry) ? Not likely...
Good WHeels ? Great Tires? nothing much else on the bike will matter.
It comes down to you.
Riding with a Heart Rate Monitor, and know how to use it and what it's telling you?
Are you using a Power meter ? And know what it's telling you?
If not, get them instead of a new bike, and learn all you can about effectively training to the info they give.
There are lots of power meter system variants, pick one which suits climbers best.
Maybe even think about coaching ...
You already have a top line machine. Different is different, but likely not 'moving up'. In this case.
Of course, you could buy a new bike and find that out anyway.
Ride On
Yuri
EDIT: Always nice to have a second bike... for me, a necessity... LOL! ... shoulda also kept the tarmac... LOL!

PeteHski

That's a good point. When I was looking at the Aethos I noticed that the stock builds come with a semi-compact chainset, so not necessarily the best choice for prolonged steep climbing. The Roubaix on the other hand does come with a full compact drivetrain and so likely to be a better climbing bike out of the box, especially if your climbs are very steep. The advantage of the Aethos is the super-light frame, but the S-works Roubaix is not exactly a heavyweight at 7.3 kg. The S-works Aethos is around 6 kg. I think you would notice the difference, but more in feel than stop-watch.

PeteHski

Yeah, that's why I now have 2 endurance road bikes. I did the last 2 seasons with only 1 road bike and was lucky not to have any mechanical issues. It would have been a bummer to miss a key event just because my bike was out of action. Now I have a spare bike ready to go and I don't have to plan when to service my bike around events etc.

nomadmax 

Climbing legs and heart/lungs will always trump a "climbing bike". All it costs is some tires and structured discomfort. Fitness is one of the last fair things on earth, you can't buy it and no one can give it to you. You have to go out there every day and do battle with the basic human urge to be comfortable.

bruce19

I won the lottery with my woman. On my 60th birthday (15 yrs ago) my GF bought me a Masi Gran Criterium S....all Dura Ace. A few years ago she bought me a CAAD 12 for my birthday. Since I also have a GURU Sidero and a Colnago World Cup CX it's not like I need another bike but.......there could be a Basso in my future. FWIW I've bought her a very nice Fuji years ago and am looking at a Synapse to go with her Colnago and Domane. Obviously cycling is more contagious than Omicron.

Iride01 

I'd disagree. The low end bikes have lower profit margins But there are more buyers for them so that balances out in other ways. The high end bikes are what enables the industry to research new technology. When those new technologies are introduced on the high end bikes, then the now dated and not as high end technology gets pushed down towards the lower end. The expense of high end bikes is also partly the tooling up to produce those high end bikes and parts. And then do you just scrap all the previous tech to build every bike with all new tech? That in itself will drive up manufacturing costs with all the short life for fixtures and unique tooling to make the now old stuff that can't be used for the new stuff It's not a simple thing, there are many parts to the discussion that would go on for way too many paragraphs.

If all we had were the low end bikes, the industry would not be introducing new ideas as fast. We might be still in the 7 speed rears or less if high end bikes never existed.

shelbyfv

Regardless of the fixated few, there seems to be little interest in BSOs on any of the usual cycling forums.

Iride01 

Yep.
Until you quit mixing in the masses on used bikes, many of the bikes from the previous century, then your discussion may as well be about a different planet.

Koyote

We've already established that.

SkinGriz

If 10,000 is chump change to someone, then they probably got that way by continually reinvesting those 10,000$, not by just keeping it in their wallet.

If you think the way investing works doesn’t currently help the real economy, then your beef is probably with the .1% and ZIRP, not with your wealthy neighbors down the street.

Iride01 

None of that statement is about investing money. It's about spending money and disposable income.

TTron

Love riding through the Santa Ynez area! It’s been a while though. Spot with your comments. And, YES, even my said I should have kept my Tarmac. Urrr, but should said I could get a backup bike!!

TTron

yep, going down this path, backup bike. My bike, actually rear rim/hub are going to DTSwiss to be repaired. No backup bike….going out of my mind.

veganbikes

To those who think one bike is plenty or buying a second or third bike means you will get rid of other bikes....that is silly. I have at least 10 bikes (I did sell some I wasn't really riding) and I didn't buy them as investment I bought them because I enjoy bikes and building them and riding them. It is not really an investment because they aren't going up in value but they make me happy. If the OP wants to buy the Aethos I say go for it, it is a neat bike and certainly bucking some trends for purely race oriented stuff at the high end. Do you need it for climbing?, heck no but will it be a neat bike to ride on climbs, of course.

If I were going to purchase a Crabon road frame the Aethos would be at the top of the list or at least very near the top.

Don't give any money to CubaWheels that would be a poor investment, though I am sure he is helping keep the fake/counterfeit market well alive which is a market that needs to die. Though if you have any old newspaper or soda can tops he can use them to make paper spacers and can top chains because Alibaba cassettes aren't spaced right because the fakers didn't bother to measure.

PeteHski

Yeah, it's a real problem. I used to rely on my mtb as my second bike i.e. I would just go mountain biking if my road bike was out of action and vice versa. But over the last couple of years I've been entering more paid events on my road bike, so I don't want to rely on a single bike for those.

sjammer

Test ride the Aethos and see if you like it. If you like the ride and want it for a second bike I say buy it. I ride an Aethos and love the bike. The bike is super responsive and handles very well in my opinion. Comfort wise I have had no issues (my longest ride was 35 miles with roughly 1,700' of elevation). As mentioned above, it gets its geometry from the SL7. For stiffness I believe it is between the SL7 and the Roubaix.

AlgarveCycling

All my PR's on climbs at 5%+ and 5km+ are on my 6kg Wilier. A local 19km, 6% climb especially so, by as much as 1min 30s over my 8kg Trek.

The Trek is more aero and I sprint faster on it, it is more stable than the lighter bike when I'm putting down all the power I can muster. The Wilier is definitely my preferred climbing bike though. I use the Trek 80% of the time, even most of my climbing days but on the days I do take out the climbing bike, it is a noticeable joy to ride up the longer climbs.

Of course, I agree with those who point out that bike weight is initially secondary to personal weight but once your personal weight is at a competitive level, then bike weight and aero benefits do come into play and do make a significant difference.

javier87gav

Pros rarely use different bikes for hilly and flat stages, they just change it just for TT. If you like climbing just go for the climbing bike if you rather going faster on flats stick to the Sworks.

PeteHski

That's because they've already got their latest aero road bikes down to the 6.8 kg min weight. Plus they don't tend to race endurance bikes like the Roubaix except for very specific events.

prj71

Good grief. There is no such thing as a "climbing bike".

A good climbing bike is a bike that is being ridden by a good climber. It's not the bike, it's the person riding it. Climbing is all about rider fitness.

PeteHski

That goes without saying, but there are definitely bikes optimised for climbing i.e. very light and relatively stiff. Usually not very aero optimised with relatively shallow ultra-light rims etc.
The Aethos is definitely a "climbing bike" among other things.
Not saying you need one or that it's going to turn you into a climbing superstar, but an Aethos would climb slightly quicker than a Roubaix with the same rider onboard. It would need some big climbs to make a significant time difference, like a big day in the Alps.

Dave Mayer

If I were forced to buy a new road bike right now, I would seriously consider the Aethos. Top choice of anything new out there I've seen. Lightweight, appropriate geometry, and no PITA integrated cable routing.

However, the discs add 1-2 pounds to the package, so you'll have to pay $10k to get down the weight you could achieve with rim brakes for half of that price. And weight is important; the folks here who poh-poh spending money on weight reductions are not the ones who've ridden on light bikes. Trust me: riding a 16 pound bike with carbon tubulars will rock your world.

So I'll pass on the Aethos, buy a 5 year-old race bike with rim brakes, which comes in with the same weight, and save myself $8,000.

jamesdak 

I always have a "climbing bike". When you live in the Rockies and can do a 20 + mile continous climb you better believe some of us have our "climbing" bikes. Optimized to keep me most comfortable while basking in the pain of constantly going up.

Of course I don't have a good climbing bike cause I'm not a good climbing but I dang sure have a climbing bike, LOL!

I mean I've taken my old 1985 Opus III with a 42T small ring, DT shifters, etc up long climbs. I can do them for sure on it. But I'd much rather be on my Climbing bike that's 20 years newer, running a triple with a 32T small ring, STI shifters, lighter CF body, more upright bar setup, etc, etc ... There are tools for a job and there are better tools for a job.

Calsun

Basic bike geometry is no longer a constant. Even in hilly terrain or going across the Sierra Nevada mountains most of my time is on level ground or going downhill. Uphill efficiency depends on having as little frame flexing as possible and traditionally that was done by shortening the rear chain stays. Now there are other options with changing the profile of the stays. Going downhill at speed and with control is more my concern and that is where fork rake is critical. A pure pro hill bike is going to be more fragile than a regular road bike and that is fine for the pro with their support team but not something I would want to count on.

For climbing you might consider having a second rear wheel with a cassette set up for hill work. With my 10-speed bikes I used a 11-24 around town but a 12-28 or 12-30 when touring. Rear cogs have gotten much larger over the years simply because the new derailleurs allow for it. A 11-32 cassette is now quite common but in the past it would be a custom build.

GlennR

An investment in your health.

I have a Trek Emonda SLR 6.48kg and a Cannondale SuperX 9.29kg and can tell you the Emonda climbs much faster.

If you can afford it.. .buy it. A second bike is always a good thing.