Time for a new bike

[Cuchilo]

He didn't buy it in the end. Saw the wise words of the CC massive that a TT bike probably isn't the best thing for general riding.

What happens with that ? I didn't get to ask as the thread got locked .
Obviously the dealer thinks the bike is sold so cant sell it to anyone else wanting the bike at a discounted price . Is there a deposit paid and lost for such farkwittery ?

 

[Racing roadkill]

Post a strava link to that new TT thingy you bought, should be well quick on that bad boy.

I cancelled it at the last minute, much as I would have loved to have it, I couldn't justify the cost against the usage it would have got. I do like to extract the urine a bit, on a quiet road, on a TT bike, but having got it wrong on at least one occasion in the past, I can live without another super bike that ends up in the parts bin / knicked.

However I've just been to pick this up earlier

It's very nice, full Carbon, Tiagra 10 speed, comfy geometry. They took the bell off, and the orange reflectors from the wheels though. That'll teach me to order lots of bikes from the same place.

.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Very nice, when are you going to have it painted?

 

[Racing roadkill]

Very nice, when are you going to have it painted?

Yeah, the whole 'Matt black' thing is a bit . But it's a fabulous bit of kit. I've spent the weekend taking all the other BTWIN bikes apart, doing any servicing that needs doing / replacing anything that's goosed, and putting it back together. The bearings are all fully serviceable, and nothing major needed replacing, so I'm happy with that, given the hammering my bikes take (especially during winter).

 

[Slick]

Nice, looks good.

 

[Stinboy]

I'm not sure I did post the right link, it may have been just a commute on the cycle paths I posted, I can't be bothered looking for the correct one, but the Ride I tried to post was one where the KOM's still hold, despite some stravanker's best efforts. This is the point I was trying to make. Strava 'racing' is for proper mugs. It's too easy to blag it, I'm really not losing sleep over what anyone thinks of it. For me, it's just a tool for creating and mapping rides, that people I know on there can download and follow if they wish, I couldnt give a monkey's how fast they do it. For a laugh, I created a couple of 130 + mile 'segments' and oddly, no one has bothered trying to 'get my KOM'

In that case, have you tried Ride With GPS?

I find the mapping much better. Also, the whole the feels a lot less fussy to use.

 

[Racing roadkill]

In that case, have you tried Ride With GPS?

I find the mapping much better. Also, the whole the feels a lot less fussy to use.

I have used it, it's very good.

 

[Lozz360]

Very nice bike. How does the ride compare to your Ultra AF720?

 

[Racing roadkill]

Very nice bike. How does the ride compare to your Ultra AF720?

It's very different. The geometry is much more sportive / leisure, than the 720, and there is less transfer from the road, because it's CF. The brakes and shifting are very similar to my CF bike with the 105 groupset, and very different to the 720's Ultegra set up. As soon as the pedals I ordered yesterday arrive, I'll get out on it for a proper ride, my first impressions are that it will be good for long distance rides. I haven't had a chance to ride it properly yet, but my initial impression is that it's going to be a very useful addition, for long leisure rides, and events like the Isle of Wight Randonnee. I wouldn't want to risk it in the Ride London crash fest though, I'll probably take the trusty 520 for that ( solid tyres and all ).

 

[Lozz360]

It's very different. The geometry is much more sportive / leisure, than the 720...

I'm glad you didn't say it was better, as I've just bought a 720!

I find this geometry thing a bit puzzling. I also have a Triban 500SE which I was going to say was similar to your CF Triban, but it looks like the head tube is shorter on the CF Triban. Anyway, the Decathlon write ups claim that the Triban is for commuting and training rides and the Ultra has a more racier geometry. However, by measuring the reach and stack from the bottom bracket the two bikes are practically identical. So it appears, to me anyway, that the more expensive B'Twins are marketed by claiming they have a racier geometry and the lower cost Tribans are marketed as starter road bikes / commuters with a more leisure geometry, when there is no real difference. I may of course be missing a point or two, so I would be interested in peoples views, even if it just stops me starting a new thread!

 

[Racing roadkill]

I'm glad you didn't say it was better, as I've just bought a 720!

I find this geometry thing a bit puzzling. I also have a Triban 500SE which I was going to say was similar to your CF Triban, but it looks like the head tube is shorter on the CF Triban. Anyway, the Decathlon write ups claim that the Triban is for commuting and training rides and the Ultra has a more racier geometry. However, by measuring the reach and stack from the bottom bracket the two bikes are practically identical. So it appears, to me anyway, that the more expensive B'Twins are marketed by claiming they have a racier geometry and the lower cost Tribans are marketed as starter road bikes / commuters with a more leisure geometry, when there is no real difference. I may of course be missing a point or two, so I would be interested in peoples views, even if it just stops me starting a new thread!

The geometry on the Ultra is very different to the Tribans. Some measurements are superficially similar, but the key measurements are different. A very big difference is the sloping top tube on the Ultra. The effective stand over height is affected, for starters. There are some other more subtle differences, which do indeed make the Ultra more 'racey', geometry wise. They feel very different to ride.

 

[Lozz360]

The geometry on the Ultra is very different to the Tribans. Some measurements are superficially similar, but the key measurements are different. A very big difference is the sloping top tube on the Ultra. The effective stand over height is affected, for starters. There are some other more subtle differences, which do indeed make the Ultra more 'racey', geometry wise. They feel very different to ride.

Mmm... not convinced that less stand over height would make the bike more racier in itself. What I have noticed though is that the crank is further forward on the Ultra by a good 3cm compared to the Triban measuring from the wheels. This is the only significant difference between the two bikes and maybe that's it. Riding position is exactly the same on both bikes although of course I could adjust the Triban to be more upright than the Ultra but I could do that with identical bikes.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Mmm... not convinced that less stand over height would make the bike more racier in itself. What I have noticed though is that the crank is further forward on the Ultra by a good 3cm compared to the Triban measuring from the wheels. This is the only significant difference between the two bikes and maybe that's it. Riding position is exactly the same on both bikes although of course I could adjust the Triban to be more upright than the Ultra but I could do that with identical bikes.

They really are very different, tube size, shape, weight, angles, are all totally different, I've got both, I've ridden them 'back to back', they really are like chalk and cheese. That's before you get into the weight saving and aero improvements due to the wheels. If you can't see / feel the difference, you really can't be looking very hard.

 

[Lozz360]

They really are very different, tube size, shape, weight, angles, are all totally different, I've got both, I've ridden them 'back to back', they really are like chalk and cheese. That's before you get into the weight saving and aero improvements due to the wheels. If you can't see / feel the difference, you really can't be looking very hard.

Yes, I agree with everything you say above, they are very different. I also have both and also ridden them 'back to back'. I can also see that the top tube, seat tube and forks are at different angles. I'm just talking about the idea that a racey geometry would have a lower stack and a longer reach than a more leisurely geometry.

The only point I wish to make, is that the difference in geometry between the "racy" Ultra and the "sportive" Triban is either so subtle it is impossible to identify with a tape measure or they are essentially very similar geometry and they are sold to diffferent markets. I.e. £1,050 = racing, training, endurance; £300 = commuting plus the odd sportive.

 

[biggs682]

I now have a different bike for each day of the week.

What about the following week ?

Nice bike do they do a full handover when you pick it up ?