All Road Build . . . Need Advice

[ORMojo]

OK, I couldn't resist, so I ended up buying the Alliance Allroad Ti frameset that I outed in a PSA (https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=204888).

I'm now considering the build. I already have on-hand plenty of options for the stem, bar, saddle, pedals (and fenders, if needed!). And the frameset comes with new King Ti headset and custom Ti post, as well as Velo Orange Grand Cru brakes and Sheldon Nuts.

I'm pretty certain I'll go with Ultegra 6800 for the drivetrain. But I'm very open to hearing other suggestions for all road use. I intend this to become my frequent rider for hitting the many combinations of back roads, gravel roads, and paved & dirt paths readily available to me both here and around Bend/Sunriver.

I'm also pretty certain I'll run Schwalbe S-One tubeless tires. This leads to what may be my main question for you folks: What wheels? Obviously I'll want to appropriately accommodate the 30/31 tire width and rim brakes. Erik at Alliance is suggesting Boyd's Altamont Lite rims with White T11 hubs. Any thoughts on those? Other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[sparky33]

Boyd makes good wheels quickly, and they have a discounted upgrade for White hubs going right now. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Why a 30 S-One when you can fit a slightly fatter tire? Maybe something a tic wide like an WTB Exposure 32 or 34, Clement Strada USH 32, etc. Several 33ish tubeless offerings right now.

[ORMojo]

Boyd makes good wheels quickly, and they have a discounted upgrade for White hubs going right now. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Why a 30 S-One when you can fit a slightly fatter tire? Maybe something a tic wide like an WTB Exposure 32 or 34, Clement Strada USH 32, etc. Several 33ish tubeless offerings right now.

Good thoughts on the tires. I'm not completely decided on the S-One's, but my research so far is leading me to them, thinking that they would give me a lot of versatility. And the S-One's are light - 80 grams less per tire than the Clements. But the Clements in particular had also caught my eye.

Thanks! This is exactly the type of input I'm looking for.

[AngryScientist]

first off, that is really a great looking frame!

edit: wait - did you get the blue or the green one? both great!

anyway, 6800 sounds rad.

the boyd wheels sound good too, as they are basically handbuilts. you dont want weight weenie wheels for such a build, so those are probably quite appropriate.

cant wait to see it built up.

[ORMojo]

edit: wait - did you get the blue or the green one? both great!

Yeah, that's the best part, almost like getting two bikes for the price of one! And all that on top of ti, so when the paint is worn, I can just take the steel wool to the whole thing!

[AngryScientist]

Haha! At first glance I thought those were two different frames. Spectacular! You made the right move biting that!

[doomridesout]

6800 is perfecto... What brakes?

Also, 32c Gravelking slicks are totally awesome, but not tubeless-- maybe that's a thing for you.

[ORMojo]

6800 is perfecto... What brakes?

Also, 32c Gravelking slicks are totally awesome, but not tubeless-- maybe that's a thing for you.

Velo Orange Grand Cru brakes - nice strong long reach, plus the builder (Erik at Alliance) has a near-new pair he'll include with the frameset for next to nothing.

Tubeless is pretty important - planning on running lower pressures on rougher surfaces, would like to avoid pinch flats!

[p nut]

I've got an "all road" bike and needed to replace the tired Sora group. I was contemplating the 6800 groupset, but decided to give the Potenza a try. Price was good through Ribble. Only bad thing is, they didn't have 32t cassettes available. I can make do with 29t.

I wouldn't have had an issue going 6800 either, though.

[John H.]

I would go 6800 for an all road bike.
For Bend, I would use a long cage ultegra derailleur, 34/50 rings, and a SRAM 11-36 cassette.
I have been all over that area- when you need the low gears, you need them.
Also, I would consider a tire with a bit more meat than the G One.
G one is great, but Bend gets powdery in a hurry- It is nice to have something more like a WTB Riddler 700x37 or a Clement MSO 700x36.
Tubeless for sure.
Boyd wheels are great- I have had great luck with the Hed Ardennes Disc too.

[ispy]

edit: wait - did you get the blue or the green one? both great!




I think he got both colors for the price of one? :banana:

[72gmc]

I'm going to be nearby (Sisters) this summer and will be on 700x33s at least. Bon Jon Pass, Soma Supple Vitesse, Paselas--something Panaracer-y and not knobby.

On a prior occasion I spent two weeks rambling those back roads on 700x28 T-Servs, and it worked, but it would've been more fun with more tire.

[pdmtong]

Eric builds a great frame (friend has one) - congrats you really scored.

[happycampyer]

I've got an "all road" bike and needed to replace the tired Sora group. I was contemplating the 6800 groupset, but decided to give the Potenza a try. Price was good through Ribble. Only bad thing is, they didn't have 32t cassettes available. I can make do with 29t.

I wouldn't have had an issue going 6800 either, though.One advantage of using Campy (aside from the obvious) with mid-reach brakes is that you get two brake releases--one at the lever and one at the brake. Not a big deal if you don't need to remove the front wheel that often, e.g., for transport. If you do need to remove it frequently, with Campy you might not need to deflate the tire (or not as much) depending on tire choice, pressure, etc.

[.RJ]

A friend has those wheels and has been very happy.

Go wider with the tires - I've been using these in 700x36 and they're awesome - http://clementcycling.com/xplor-mso - seem to roll well enough on pavement and handle singletrack just fine too.

[crankles]

So Glad you scooped this up... I have an all-road and a Ti CX from Erik.

Lets start with the basics. 1st, You'll need Erik to make you a matching ti stem. Sorry. That's what it has to have. Then you'll need to pick up some Ti Honjo fenders from simworks and send them to Ollie so he can paint them to match. Again, my apologies, but there's just no other acceptable alternative.

At that point, you could throw tiagra on there and no one would notice ('cept you).

In all seriousness, I have the velo-orange brakes on the all road and they work great. I think they look way better than shimano too imho.

cant' go wrong with the ultegra suggestions. Sooo many options with wheels.
I've been beating on some stans 340s and iron cross sets for some time. So far so good.

[R3awak3n]

I was just telling hollowgram5 via pm about that frame. What a sweet frame, if I had not just got a hampsten, like literally a day before the alliance popped up, I would have bought that in a heart beat.

My hampsten is a similar bike (well not really, steel not TI but it will also clear 32mm tires and I have the same VO brakes). I am going to do a campy build (record, super record) and for tires I am going with the gravel king in 32mm. The schwalbe one looks awesome and is tubeless which I wish the gravel king was.

this is going to be a hell of a bike

[pdmtong]

So Glad you scooped this up... I have an all-road and a Ti CX from Erik.

Lets start with the basics. 1st, You'll need Erik to make you a matching ti stem. Sorry. That's what it has to have. Then you'll need to pick up some Ti Honjo fenders from simworks and send them to Ollie so he can paint them to match. Again, my apologies, but there's just no other acceptable alternative.

At that point, you could throw tiagra on there and no one would notice ('cept you).

In all seriousness, I have the velo-orange brakes on the all road and they work great. I think they look way better than shimano too imho.

cant' go wrong with the ultegra suggestions. Sooo many options with wheels.
I've been beating on some stans 340s and iron cross sets for some time. So far so good.

Listen to the man. Truth!

[ORMojo]

So Glad you scooped this up... I have an all-road and a Ti CX from Erik.

Lets start with the basics. 1st, You'll need Erik to make you a matching ti stem. Sorry. That's what it has to have. Then you'll need to pick up some Ti Honjo fenders from simworks and send them to Ollie so he can paint them to match. Again, my apologies, but there's just no other acceptable alternative.

At that point, you could throw tiagra on there and no one would notice ('cept you).

In all seriousness, I have the velo-orange brakes on the all road and they work great. I think they look way better than shimano too imho.

cant' go wrong with the ultegra suggestions. Sooo many options with wheels.
I've been beating on some stans 340s and iron cross sets for some time. So far so good.

Listen to the man. Truth!

Enablers! All of you. Enablers!

[crankles]

"Enabler" is this sites middle nameEnablers! All of you. Enablers!

[AngryScientist]

honjo fenders painted in a mirror color scheme to the bike would be amazing!

[R3awak3n]

honjo fenders painted in a mirror color scheme to the bike would be amazing!

That would icing on the cake

[ORMojo]

honjo fenders painted in a mirror color scheme to the bike would be amazing!

That's actually not a bad idea, and would be fun. And since the frame and fork were painted in Portland, it would be super easy for me to use the same shop to paint the fenders as perfect matches.

But . . . what do you think would be the best "mirrored" result: painting the fenders to match the color perspective of the frame/fork from either side, or painting them to match the interior paint on the stays/legs that each half/side of the fender is adjacent to?

https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/attachments/f3/101804d1494606619-alliance-titanium-allroad-frameset-57-5cm-long-reach-clears-33s-20170420_094858-jpg

[pdmtong]

matching the interior may be too subtle and the nuance lost unless studying the frame.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/67/9e/0c/679e0cddad20db9637e535bc52c98294.jpg

[sg8357]

Thanks for buying the frame, you saved me $1000.

My Black Mountain Monster Cross is on the way.

[crankles]

I'm like 99.99999% sure this was painted by Ollie at Darkmatterfinishing (http://www.darkmatterfinishing.com/) He's in Colorado Springs.
Ship the fenders direct to him...oh and be sure to get the Ti ones. Gotta be the Ti ones.
Did I mention the Ti ones.

Since Ollie did this paint job to show off his skills in the painters booth at NAHBS, I'd be tempted to defer to him regarding how to best keep the look.

Looking forward to the complete build....as I almost bought it myself ;-)

Curious. Are you going to split the bar tape?

That's actually not a bad idea, and would be fun. And since the frame and fork were painted in Portland, it would be super easy for me to use the same shop to paint the fenders as perfect matches.

But . . . what do you think would be the best "mirrored" result: painting the fenders to match the color perspective of the frame/fork from either side, or painting them to match the interior paint on the stays/legs that each half/side of the fender is adjacent to?

https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/attachments/f3/101804d1494606619-alliance-titanium-allroad-frameset-57-5cm-long-reach-clears-33s-20170420_094858-jpg

[joosttx]

I would go 6800 for an all road bike.
For Bend, I would use a long cage ultegra derailleur, 34/50 rings, and a SRAM 11-36 cassette.
I have been all over that area- when you need the low gears, you need them.
Also, I would consider a tire with a bit more meat than the G One.
G one is great, but Bend gets powdery in a hurry- It is nice to have something more like a WTB Riddler 700x37 or a Clement MSO 700x36.
Tubeless for sure.
Boyd wheels are great- I have had great luck with the Hed Ardennes Disc too.

I think this is very sage advice. The sram cassette is 1170.

[ORMojo]

I'm like 99.99999% sure this was painted by Ollie at Darkmatterfinishing (http://www.darkmatterfinishing.com/) He's in Colorado Springs.

Thanks, I'll have to confirm with Erik who painted the frame. I said "Portland" because Erik's Alliance Bicycles sites says "All of the finish work on my frames is performed by the professionals at Black Magic Paint" in Portland.

[ORMojo]

Thanks everyone for the input so far.

May be reconsidering 6800 in favor of eTap. This seems like a great frame to try eTap out on (aside from the 3 leftover cable stops, but that is just called versatility), and Erik agrees.

Another helpful update from Erik - the Schwalbe S-One tires are now called the G-One Speed, and he highly recommends them.

Still trying to decide on wheels.

And whether to really paint the fenders, and ti stem, to match, or whether that would be overkill? Thoughts?

[crankles]

Thanks everyone for the input so far.

May be reconsidering 6800 in favor of eTap. This seems like a great frame to try eTap out on (aside from the 3 leftover cable stops, but that is just called versatility), and Erik agrees.

Another helpful update from Erik - the Schwalbe S-One tires are now called the G-One Speed, and he highly recommends them.

Still trying to decide on wheels.

And whether to really paint the fenders, and ti stem, to match, or whether that would be overkill? Thoughts?

My preference is to match stem and post, so i'd leave the stem naked. I like painted fenders though ;-)

[John H.]

Etap is great- But I don't think it will work with a 36 tooth cassette.
You want a 36 tooth for gravel riding around Bend- trust me.

Thanks everyone for the input so far.

May be reconsidering 6800 in favor of eTap. This seems like a great frame to try eTap out on (aside from the 3 leftover cable stops, but that is just called versatility), and Erik agrees.

Another helpful update from Erik - the Schwalbe S-One tires are now called the G-One Speed, and he highly recommends them.

Still trying to decide on wheels.

And whether to really paint the fenders, and ti stem, to match, or whether that would be overkill? Thoughts?

[ORMojo]

Etap is great- But I don't think it will work with a 36 tooth cassette.
You want a 36 tooth for gravel riding around Bend- trust me.

That is a thought that has occurred to me - I would have to have the WiFLi option to at least get 32. And that gearing has worked for me so far all around Bend, Sunriver, and home base. But I might be pushing this bike further than previous bikes, so I may want the 36. Not decided yet...

[ORMojo]

My preference is to match stem and post, so i'd leave the stem naked. I like painted fenders though ;-)

Yep, that's my dilemma exactly. Although . . . I was thinking about half & half, like the seat stays.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/AllianceSeatstayBlue_zps7tqylyrx.jpg (http://s668.photobucket.com/user/ORMojo1/media/AllianceSeatstayBlue_zps7tqylyrx.jpg.html)http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/AllianceSeatstayGreen_zpsp4iregyn.jpg (http://s668.photobucket.com/user/ORMojo1/media/AllianceSeatstayGreen_zpsp4iregyn.jpg.html)

[weisan]

Yep, that's my dilemma exactly. Although . . . I was thinking about half & half, like the seat stays.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/AllianceSeatstayBlue_zps7tqylyrx.jpg (http://s668.photobucket.com/user/ORMojo1/media/AllianceSeatstayBlue_zps7tqylyrx.jpg.html)http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/AllianceSeatstayGreen_zpsp4iregyn.jpg (http://s668.photobucket.com/user/ORMojo1/media/AllianceSeatstayGreen_zpsp4iregyn.jpg.html)

It is a dilemma, isn't it?
:)

https://www.phactual.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/braveheart.jpg

[pdmtong]

And whether to really paint the fenders, and ti stem, to match, or whether that would be overkill? Thoughts?

paint the fenders but brush the stem and post. less is more. you do not want to create an overly matchy distracted mess.

as for the bar tape, you can play around with it like some folks do with their CTS blue/green respos.
http://majl.zenfolio.com/img/s10/v115/p1696697605-4.jpg

[ORMojo]

It is a dilemma, isn't it?
:)

Yeah, real 1st-world dilemma, I realize.

[oldpotatoe]

OK, I couldn't resist, so I ended up buying the Alliance Allroad Ti frameset that I outed in a PSA (https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=204888).

I'm now considering the build. I already have on-hand plenty of options for the stem, bar, saddle, pedals (and fenders, if needed!). And the frameset comes with new King Ti headset and custom Ti post, as well as Velo Orange Grand Cru brakes and Sheldon Nuts.

I'm pretty certain I'll go with Ultegra 6800 for the drivetrain. But I'm very open to hearing other suggestions for all road use. I intend this to become my frequent rider for hitting the many combinations of back roads, gravel roads, and paved & dirt paths readily available to me both here and around Bend/Sunriver.

I'm also pretty certain I'll run Schwalbe S-One tubeless tires. This leads to what may be my main question for you folks: What wheels? Obviously I'll want to appropriately accommodate the 30/31 tire width and rim brakes. Erik at Alliance is suggesting Boyd's Altamont Lite rims with White T11 hubs. Any thoughts on those? Other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Record or DT 350 hubs, shimano FH body laced to DT440(or 411 if yer light)..

PM me

[ColonelJLloyd]

That is a thought that has occurred to me - I would have to have the WiFLi option to at least get 32. And that gearing has worked for me so far all around Bend, Sunriver, and home base. But I might be pushing this bike further than previous bikes, so I may want the 36. Not decided yet...

What would be useful is if SRAM offered a second eTap FD with a cage that was ideal for a big ring of 44-48t. 46/30 crank with an 11-32 cassette is nice. Hell, I set my all road bike up with 42/28 and 11-32. Top gear of 105" might not be enough for some, but with the kind of rides this bike will see it's plenty.

[ORMojo]

Not the Lites, but not a bad deal, huh? Thoughts - will I regret not getting the Lites; should I stick with the T11 hubs?

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/Altamont-DA_zpsqnucdxl1.png (http://s668.photobucket.com/user/ORMojo1/media/Altamont-DA_zpsqnucdxl1.png.html)