unionmade

Ok, so the question boils down to whether to accelerate my plans for my next bike. Here's my deal. I've been riding a decent amount recreationally for the past 3 plus years (about 3,500 miles this year). In 2011 I got a Litespeed M1 w/ Rival, and it's been great. But of course I'm always thinking of what's next.

I'm almost 48, and have been planning that I would get a new, near dream bike for my 50th. I really want a Campy groupset on my next bike (just do, that's all there is to it) but am open to keeping it mechanical. My normal rides are with a small group, 40-60 miles, 17-19 mph. So, I don't want an aggressive geometry race bike, but rather something more endurance oriented.

I set myself a $5,000 (or so) budget. Given my desire for Campy, I've been thinking of building it myself. I'm thinking Record for the groupset. As to the frame, it can't be too expensive, but I'd consider Steel or Ti (I commute on steel and love it) but am perfectly happy with a decent carbon frame. So, that was the plan.

Two things have recently happened. First, I got a much larger than expected year end bonus. Second, Competitive Cyclist has a Ridley Fenix w/ full Record in my size on sale for $3,000. Given the dearth of campy equipped complete bikes for sale in the states, this seems like almost exactly what I'd likely end up with. I had planned on getting a new wheel set with the new bike at 50, so I think I could live with the Fulcrum 5's it comes with until I'm 50 and then upgrade.

What do folks think? This would likely be my last big bike purchase for several years. I can easily afford the Fenix now. Or I can save for later. What would you do?

Thanks,
Bryan

p.s. And yes, this is a nice conundrum for me to have.

rpenmanparker 

If you aren't interested in used, gray market, or close out parts (that might lack a warranty) and aren't a wheel builder, you will surely spend more to build up a bike than to buy one complete. So the question is can you find one with Campy. Since you have done that, I would say to go for it. That is a damn good price. Even if you considered it a "donor" bike, sold the frame and used the parts on another frame, you would likely come out better than buying separate parts.

If I were you, I would spend the next two years learning to build wheels. That is never a bad idea.

kimpw

I personally don't ride Campy because it's too expensive, and even more expensive/hard to find replacement parts. But for Record groupset complete bike, it is a pretty good deal. But if you are swapping out wheelsets then you have to figure that into your costs as well.

Apart from the Campy groupset, I see some overlap between the Litespeed & Ridley.

Has rpen mentioned, building up a bike is definitely more expensive as companies can get components for cheap. Have you considered Ti? If I had a 5k budget I would go for the Salsa Colossal Ti, if you're more road oriented rider. Comes with Ultegra 11 speed, Thomson cockpit, awesome wheelset, tires, etc. No need to change a thing. All comes in just above 20lbs on a size 58cm.

The Colossal Ti, would probably replace a lot of my bikes...

Nachoman

Yes it's a good deal. And if you want it, get it. But know that over the next two years you'll see plenty of good deals.

bt

and why does he need to learn to build wheels? lol

unionmade

I know that I'll see plenty of good deals, I've seen others recently. My only hesitance is that this seems to be just what I want - the type of frame I want with the groupset I want. And I do know that I'll end up paying more to build up a bike myself. Heck for my $5,000 budget, I can get this and a super sweet wheelset (Rail 52 with WI hubs?) and still be under.

Now the real question is how would I hide it from the wife???? That is not an inconsequential issue.

bt

have it sent to my house.

Lazyass

A good rule of thumb is to not spend more dollars on a bike than miles you ride per year. If you're riding only 3500 miles a year a $5000 bike is too much

Sheik24

Well if it's exactly what you'd be getting in two years, but for $2k cheaper, I say go for it. Just remember to post pictures.

unionmade

But this is a full Record bike with a frame suited to my riding needs for $3,000.

txags92

I wouldn't buy a bike unless I had ridden it (or a close cousin). My experience is very similar to yours. I set a weight loss goal, promised myself I would buy a much nicer bike when I reached my goal. As I got closer and closer, I was doing a lot of research and had myself nearly convinced that a Trek Domane was exactly what I was looking for, because "I don't want to race and just want to be comfortable"; just like you apparently. If I had seen a really screaming good deal on one around that time, I probably would have bought it. Instead, around the time I reached my goal, I rented a Trek Domane and took it for a spin...and hated it. It felt mushy, and sluggish, and slow compared to my <$1000 10 year old steel bike. Now granted, it was a 4 series and the 5 and 6 series reportedly are stiffer and livelier. But my point is that I thought I was convinced of what I really wanted and would have made a mistake if I had bought it without riding it. Instead, after riding a bunch of bikes from a bunch of makers, I settled on a Trek Emonda that I will be putting in an order for this week. Yes, the Emonda hype is everything I normally wouldn't care much about...I have no worry about having the lightest bike or the stiffest bike, or whatever else. What settled me on it was the feel. It was lively and responsive like the Specialized Tarmac, but didn't rattle my teeth with ever bump. It wasn't sluggish and squishy like the Domane. It handled better than the Cannondale Super Six or Cervelo I rode. 10 different people riding the same 6-8 bikes I rode would probably come to ten different conclusions based on their own personal preferences. So for that reason, go ride a bunch of bikes before you make such a big purchase. Be sure in your mind that you have found the right bike, then settle back and wait for just the right deal on the bike you want. You have waited this long...don't make a snap decision on a bike you haven't ridden, then spend the next 5-10 years wondering if it was the right choice.

rpenmanparker 

No one said anything about need.

dalava

I've never ridden the Fenix, so I can't comment on that specific bike. But if I were in your position, I would NOT buy that bike. It will get old very fast. I expect more with that budget given so many good frames out there.

Campy is nice, and I have just recently build up a Super Record/Record 11 Cannondale EVO hi-mod for less than $3500 (mixture of used/new parts, the frame is new but bought from someone on Craigslist), and spent another $700 on a set of American Classic Road tubeless. Everything in, it's less than your budget and it weights 14.5 lbs.

The whole comfort/race geometry is getting very blurred now, so I wouldn't pay too much attention to the "marketing" aspect of it as long as the stack-and-reach fits you.

I bought a lot of Campy parts from Ribble in UK, and they are great. You can't beat their price for new Campy stuff, but they are "grey market".

unionmade

All good thoughts. Thanks.

rpenmanparker 

Is that necessarily true? Don't the goods carry a UK warranty from Campy? Won't Ribble honor the warranty if faulty parts are sent back to them?

txags92

Dalava brings up a good point about fit. I actually went to a local bike fit specialist here who put me on a dynamic bike and we played around with different setups until I had one I really felt comfortable with. He took those measurements and then gave me a list of makes and models I should avoid because they wouldn't fit me well, and a second list of frames and sizes that would fit me well. That was the list I started with when I went out to do test rides. Once my bike comes in, I will take it to him and he will set it up according to the fit we came up with in the first appt. It was nice because it took all the guesswork out of deciding what size I needed in a given model. I had three different salespeople at different shops try to convince me that I should ride a 54, 56, or 58 on the same model of bike in the month or so before I went to get fit. I am sure that had nothing...nothing at all...to do with what size frame they had in stock and ready to sell me that day.

gsa103

Plan out a budget for a frame. That's the big thing, after you price everything else. Ribble sells full Record 11s for ~$1700, plus, handlebars, stem, etc you're probably looking at just over $2000 in component prices not including pedals/wheels. For a $5k budget, that should leave you around $2k for a frame.

Plenty of great options, the main one to consider is would you want a custom frame? Custom Ti is probably out of reach if you want Record, maybe an option with an Athena build. Custom steel is definitely doable. Alternatively, there's plenty of great stock carbon/Ti/steel frames in that price range. If you're pretty sure you'd want a stock carbon frame then the Fenix is a good option, otherwise I'd be tempted to pass. As others have said, the deals will come back.

There's nothing wrong with the Ridley Fenix, but you shouldn't settle on a dream bike just to save a few dollars.

unionmade

This is where my obsessive cheapness comes in. I know I'll love it more if I get a deal. Paying MSRP makes me hyperventilate. But you are right, the only thing holding me back is whether I want a custom frame. Decisions, decisions....

Brian Ratliff

I can't make the decision for you; I'm just here to say that two bikes is much more than double one. N+1=2 is an important step and much more important than N+1=3 because whereas 3 bikes over 2 gives you options as to what you want to ride when, 2 bikes over 1 gives you the capability to ride when one is down or needs cleaning. This allows you to keep wear on drivetrain parts to a minimum (because you don't need to ride a dirty bike) and allows you to rotate consumables such as tires so you aren't ever in a position of missing a ride because a tire goes flat and you have a narrow ride window. Eventually, it will allow you to take a bike completely out of service for a drivetrain swap or some similar large upgrade -- it allows you to experiment more with fit and parts.

So, if the situation is N+1=2, don't wait to get the second bike because this will give you the capability to rotate bikes and keep one bike clean and in service at all times. This, I feel, is important for a serious rider.

And if you want a high performance bike, go full carbon. Nothing is better right now. Leave the nostalgic artisan steel or Ti frame for bike #3 that will only come out in good weather.

dalava

I don't want to going into this again about what's grey market and what's not, but the reality is that I probably won't be sending anything back to Ribble for warranty work, and Campy US won't warranty them for me either. So I understand when I buy from Ribble, warranty is not something I worry about. Call it whatever you want.

dalava

If you go custom, then you are going to paying full MSRP.

unionmade

For the frame, yes, but I would certainly go Ribble / Merlin for the groupset.

RollCNY

OP,
Years ago, I was talking to a sage riding cohort about the great deal I had found on a bike, and whether I should plunge. His response was something to this effect:

He knew many people who bought a bike for the great deal, and later regretted it.

He knew many people who overpaid for their dream bike, and never regretted it.

Brian Ratliff

Don't know about Ribble, but ProBikeKit worked with me when I ordered a crankset and the non-driveside arm somehow never made it to me. They shipped a new crankset at no cost and I ended up with a free set of Ultegra 6600 rings out of the deal (and a spare driveside arm, FWIW - BTW, if anyone needs a new 175mm Shimano 6600 driveside arm, hit me up by PM).

I would imagine Ribble will do something similar if parts are found defective out of the box. I can't imagine they will be much help if you ride 100 miles and stuff starts breaking (like the other dude with the autosucking chain).

Cyril 

False. As much as I'd like to agree with you, there is nothing about this in "The Rules".