NewBikeShopper

Hello Forum, nice to virtually meet everyone,

My bike was stolen last week (Felt F1, Mavic Ksyrium, Ultegra), it was an older ride but many hours in the saddle and personal customizations make it difficult to let go.

I’m trying to replace it as soon as possible, hard to do with everything out of stock due to the pandemic, opinions & recommendations are greatly appreciated (so far narrowed it down to 3 frame options below):

I ride roughly 150-200 miles a week, weekdays are flats and weekends are climbs. I’m 5’11” with a slightly larger torso and as I’ve gotten older my setup is less aero than it used to be. My approach is to research a ton, invest wisely in the best, take very good care of it and keep for 10+ years.

Here’s the rub, I’ve tested the Trek Emonda and I can ride away with it this weekend (from a shop I've never worked with before). Because of the industry’s supply & demand issues, the Pinarello and Colnago are anywhere from 4-8 months wait (from a shop owner I've trusted for years), but he doesn't have anything in my size right now to test ride and I’ve never been on an Italian frame before.

- Trek Emonda SLR OCLV 800 (size 56)
- Pinarello Dogma F12 (size 55)
- Colgnago C64 (size TBD)

Thank you in advance!

shelbyfv

Nothing wrong with an Emonda. You need a bike now, not 4-8 months out! JMO

Reflector Guy

Is buying two bikes an option? Maybe you can buy the Trek now, and order one of the others.

NewBikeShopper

Not really an option for 2021, the way I have the Emonda configured and because everything was stolen (pedals, bottles cages, lights, Garmin), I'm looking at $12k including tax...

Rage

Four to eight months without a bike? Yee-ikes!
Sorry your bike got stolen. I hope you get it back.

upthywazzoo 

Is used an option? At least until you're able to get what you want exactly?

rubiksoval

Wheel and Sprocket is selling brand new 2019 Felt F1 frames on ebay for 1299 bucks. They're accepting offers so you can probably get it for 1100-1200 shipped to your door within a week.

That's what I'd do as it's definitely superior to those three frames (and wayyyy cheaper!).

deacon mark

Have you thought about a Ti bike like Lynskey or Habanero. I am pretty sure you could get one faster than most and in my opinion a better ride. The reason I say that is that most looking for a bike do not directly think of getting a Ti road frame. You ride enough to deserve a very good bike and later you could get better wheels rather than standard set of road wheels. I am probably a person who thinks in some cases wheels are overrated. If you climb a lot then yes weight makes a difference but a good serviceable wheelset with ordinary spokes and hubs go a long way.

Agree though you need a bike now so that has some consideration. Buy a garmin used on facebook or some place like that to get you by for now.

NewBikeShopper

Thank you for the suggestion, I've ridden Ti's in the past, but only carbon the last 15-20 years and that's what I'm focused on for this purchase.

jaxgtr

Looks at The Pro's Closet. They have 56cm bikes for far less than 12K...

https://www.theproscloset.com/produc...e-2018-56cm-h2.

mstateglfr 

You live in the most populated state in the country, you can only get your hands on 3 bikes, and in reality you can only get your hands on 1 bike that costs $12000 once fully set up?

Why not call around to other shops within a 2 hour range and see what they have in stock in your size, then compare those bikes with the Trek. Yeah there is a shortage of bikes, but that is predominantly at the lower 60% of price range, and even then there are bike shops around me with bikes in stock in that range. If its here, I would have to imagine there is some within driving distance of you.

DaveSSS 

I never buy a prebuilt bike. My latest pair are new Cinelli superstar disc frames that I picked up for 1,000 each. Built with SRAM Force AXS 12 speed , fulcrum racing 3 wheels and all other high end parts, they were about $4300 each. You won't find the frames quite that cheap anymore, but a 5k total build is still possible. The 2021 frames are about 2k. Leftover frames are much cheaper.

For sizing, stack and reach are the two dimensions to compare. I stay away from bikes with integrated bar/stem setups. Too much trouble to make setup changes. If you can't do your own work, changes can get pricey.

NewBikeShopper

Sound suggestions and I have started doing that the last few days. I've been to all my local shops, for them to config any high end frame at this point they have to call all over to get parts 1-by-1.

blazin

Everyone suggesting building up a bike seems to be unaware of how limited the supply of parts is at the moment. A lot of the reason that complete bikes are so hard to buy is not because the frames aren’t being made but because the manufacturers can’t get ahold of the components to finish builds. Unless you are willing to consider an esoteric build or picking up used parts on eBay, going frame up could take just as long as buying a complete bike and could prove more expensive.

The question that only you can answer is how long are you willing to wait for a bike? If you want to ride now, then you’re going to have to take whatever you can find. But you might be able to find more than you think. Call stores a couple hours drive from you, search inventory online. When my LBS told me in October that they could get me the bike I wanted maybe in June, I found a store on the other side of the country that had what I wanted and shipped it to me. So you can definitely still get bikes, if you know what you want and are willing to put in some work.

An alternative idea is to buy something used and relatively cheap and wait until the stock situation improves. That might be well into 2022 however.

NewBikeShopper

I'm right there with you, frame ETA is mid to end of March, now my shop needs to hunt down the components which could take longer. I've been on eBay and Craigslist for used, haven't had the bandwidth yet to call around to shops farther out there...appreciate your reply!

Pizzaiolo Americano 

BB90. On another note, the Pro's Closest's prices are ridiculous...

jaxgtr

Well I just said might look at them, and they were less than 12k.

Maelochs

if I had unlimited cash, but not twice that much .... ... I'd by a cheapy to just keep on the road until i could get what I really wanted.

I guarantee you, if I am dropping $12K on a bike I am not making Any compromises. i'd rather ride a BikesDirect bike for a few months and have what I wanted built or assembled to my specifications, or place an order for precisely what I wanted and wait.

That's me, not you, and everyone has different values, but there is no way I am going to be riding a bike I spent $12 K for while wishing I had bought something else.

rubiksoval

What components are you specifically looking for, because I've had no problem buying parts and building up a bike this year. There are parts both in the U.S. from the main sites and the U.K., at least everything I've looked at.

DaveSSS 

There are still some new LOOK 785 Huez complete disc bikes and disc frames on Ebay.

tomato coupe

Did you like the Emonda? If so, the solution seems pretty obvious – just buy it.