Spa Cycles Elan Ti

[Heltor Chasca]

Does anyone on here own one? In 105 Triple flavour? I have been looking for reviews but haven't found much.

Any comments from the wise? Thank you.

 

[John_S]

Hi Heltor Chasca,

I read a review of it in a recent edition of Cycling Plus. It got a good write up/review but my apologies because I can't remember which months edition of Cycling Plus the review was in but maybe if someone reads this and they subscribe to Cycling Plus they'll know which one it was if you want to buy a back issue.

Also looking at this link perhaps some or all of this borrows from the Cycling Plus review.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/...duct/spa-cycles-elan-ti-ultegra-review-50955/

I think that it looks and sounds like a lovely bike and if could get to Harrogate on a visit to Spa Cycles you could probably arrange for a test ride and talk to them to learn more about it.

John

 

[kingrollo]

Looks fantastic for the money.
My only concern (and may not be an issue for everyone) it looks to lean more towards touring than sportive. 105 with hydro's for under £2k - looks a dream though.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I know Somerset's a long way from Harrogate but I'd echo @John_S 's comment that it's well worth a visit to Spa to test ride. They'll describe a reasonably long and varied loop from the shop for you to try it on. I did ride a Ti bike when I was up there. IIRC It was nice to ride but I was actually only thinking about sizing at the time as I was buying a steel bike.

 

[StuAff]

Also looking at this link perhaps some or all of this borrows from the Cycling Plus review.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/...duct/spa-cycles-elan-ti-ultegra-review-50955/
John

It IS the Cycling Plus review, word for word

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Looks fantastic for the money.
My only concern (and may not be an issue for everyone) it looks to lean more towards touring than sportive. 105 with hydro's for under £2k - looks a dream though.

Thanks for the obs. I'd be interested in your perception of the difference in touring and sportive. Do you mean geometry, frame material or fashion? Or a bit of each? My appologies for spongeing your wisdom/experience.

My thoughts are primarily for Audax. I use my Surly DT at the mo for touring and Audax, but I would like a lightweight ride. My daughter's Super Galaxy would be ideal but it's too big for me. I liked the Elan's sloping top tube and the fact it is Ti. Steel is great but I fancied something different. I see lots of Audax rides being done on carbon, but it just doesn't tickle my fancy. And for a similar price and low weight, Ti seems a good option. The Elan has a long wheelbase and a high headset which I thought could be comfy once I get into the longer events.

And let's face it, I'm never going to be some sort of Audax champion. This is as much about owning a beautiful but practical bike. For me riding is about enjoyment on many levels.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I know Somerset's a long way from Harrogate but I'd echo @John_S 's comment that it's well worth a visit to Spa to test ride. They'll describe a reasonably long and varied loop from the shop for you to try it on. I did ride a Ti bike when I was up there. IIRC It was nice to ride but I was actually only thinking about sizing at the time as I was buying a steel bike.

Sage advice. The geometry isn't 100 miles off my Surly DT, so the maverick in me is almost willing to take a gamble. The highest risk, from my limited knowledge of geometry, is maybe having to swap out the stem for a shorter one. No doubt the ride will be different, but all the bits in the 'cockpit' are adjustable.

 

[John_S]

Hi StuAff,

Thanks for confirming that it was in fact the Cycling Plus review. I guess the only thing that you miss from this copy on the Bike Radar was that it was a group test article with several other bikes. However from my memory of reading it a couple of months ago the reviewers really rated the Elan compared to the other bikes (including one from Mason (and they're bikes get consistent good reviews)) and gave it a decent thumbs up as shown by the 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Hi Heltor Chasca,

I know that if I had 2k available to spend I'd happily have one. For me I do not enter races but I do ride audax and other long distance riding. For me I value a good ride quality and comfort more than shaving a few seconds of here and there with an aggressive race geometry on a bike. With the mentioning that you mainly have in mind audax riding I'd have thought that the Elan would be a perfect fit for this type of riding. However as mentioned above if possible it will be well worth having a chat with the people at Spa Cycles or even making a visit to Harrogate if that's not too much of a logistical nightmare so you can make an informed choice.

Given that you're in Somerset and a trip to Yorkshire isn't exactly a couple of miles down the road then in the mean time if you're really interested in the Elan then it might be worth posting a message on the CTC (sorry now Cycling UK forum https://forum.cyclinguk.org/ ) becasue I think that there are some people on there who know a lot about this bike and the design of it and should be able to help you with advice. Sorry for the sacrilege of mentioning another forum and apologies if I've broken any rules.

Good luck with finding out what you want to know to figure out whether this is the right bike for you.

John

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Thanks John. Yes I am still blue sky mining. I'm not one with oodles of disposable, so this hinges on a few sales happening on my side and an ongoing HMRC rebate to fund things. The Elan just happens to be top of the list. It won't be a quick purchase or a bike bought on a 'whim'. Many days ahead.

 

[kingrollo]

Thanks for the obs. I'd be interested in your perception of the difference in touring and sportive. Do you mean geometry, frame material or fashion? Or a bit of each? My appologies for spongeing your wisdom/experience.

My thoughts are primarily for Audax. I use my Surly DT at the mo for touring and Audax, but I would like a lightweight ride. My daughter's Super Galaxy would be ideal but it's too big for me. I liked the Elan's sloping top tube and the fact it is Ti. Steel is great but I fancied something different. I see lots of Audax rides being done on carbon, but it just doesn't tickle my fancy. And for a similar price and low weight, Ti seems a good option. The Elan has a long wheelbase and a high headset which I thought could be comfy once I get into the longer events.

And let's face it, I'm never going to be some sort of Audax champion. This is as much about owning a beautiful but practical bike. For me riding is about enjoyment on many levels.

I prefer racy bikes - but can't hack the racy low front end position. So I go for relaxed geometry bikes - that still look racy ! - I have a kuota kharma, and if I were buying right now a cervelo s2 would be right up there.
When I had all the trouble with my hip - i thought my next bike would be TI - but now I have recovered (to an extent) - TI is still on interest to me - something like the lynksey sportive ti...

anyway, im waffling - on very first glance it looked more upright than i would like. The big tyres and guards aren't what appeals - however thats just me looking at a picture on the web - i haven't done a mega load of research or anything !!!!
I tend to be heavily influenced by what a bike looks like - that motivates me to get out and ride - my kouta imo is a lovely bike to look at - i could have got lighter or higher spec for what i paid - but I still like it 7 years later !

right waffle over !

pictures are compulsory if you buy though !

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

For the record, I just bought one. The compact version which supports hydraulic disk brakes but because I'm one of the world's worst climbers I've got an 11 - 40 cassette at the back. I've only ridden about 40 miles on it but it's the smoothest ride I've ever known. It's an incredibly well-poised machine which makes it perfect for longer journeys. I've got a rear rack on it but it still feels pretty light.

By the way, if anybody fancies the trip up to Harrogate, it's a good place for food and beer with an absolute minimum of walking in between. Spa were perfectly happy to let me test ride a titanium cousin of the Elan without even my card details. I enjoyed my stay up there so much that when I had the option to pay £20 for it to be couriered down to me, I did the 420 mile round trip instead.

I'm in the pub without proper pics on the phone but I have better ones on the PC, of anyone's interested.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Brilliant news. Since my original post, I did end up getting an Elan which now has just under 6500km on the clock.

Many adventures are about to come your way.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Brilliant news. Since my original post, I did end up getting an Elan which now has just under 6500km on the clock.

Many adventures are about to come your way.

Oh, so you got one! It's a smooth ride, isn't it!

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Oh, so you got one! It's a smooth ride, isn't it!

Condensed milk smooth. I run 700x32 at 70:75psi (front:rear) and I weigh 72kg. I use it mainly for Audax. I have clip on aero bars and a Selle SMP Well Gel saddle. It’s lumpy round here and I have an old rugby injury so I went for the triple 105. Happy with it. I’ll get some photos out.

 

[Heltor Chasca]