HELP Selecting New Bike

[thoreau]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and looking to solicit opinions. I currently ride a 2013 Orbea Orca and love the thing to bits. However, I am spending more and more time addressing little things here and there and figured it's time to select a new bike.

I like race geometry and not a big fan of more sportive bikes (wife has an Orbea Avant that i sometimes ride and always regret).

Looking at the following:

2014 Cervelo R5 - Have one available at my LBS as a model on clearance for $5K. What i imagine riding Angelina Jolie is. Everything is perfect but obviously price point is very high.

2017 Orbea Orca - New Old Love. Rides like your first love.

2017 Caad12 - Have heard really good things and was a great ride when i tested it out. Very stiff and yet comfortable.

2017 Merlin Nitro SL Di2 - Mentioned to me by LBS as a tremendous deal at $2K. Have no idea how it rides as not available locally.

I do a lot of group rides through hills and flats (northern CA) and use the bike to commute to work at least twice a week in lieu of driving.

Your help is truly appreciated!

[gasman]

Nothing will give you more feedback as to what like better than a test ride.
Just make sure tire pressure, saddle height, etc are all as close as possible.
There are no bad choices.

[rnhood]

Be sure to test ride a new Specialized Tarmac. Get an extra set of cheap wheels and put 28 or 30 tires on it for commuting or greenway rides, then 25s for your race or fast group ride days. Outstanding bike.

[ontarget]

What's wrong with your present Orbea? It sounds like you enjoy riding it very much. I'll bet these small problems can easily be remedied for minimal cost.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[thoreau]

I should add there’s nothing wrong with the Orca and I’ll likely keep it for some of my group rides and treks up some hills but wanted to get a second bike in an effort to minimize downtime for when I’m tinkering with it.

I’ve been committed to trying to commute via bike to work more when I have dedicated office days and only driving when I have client meetings. Right now I am doing twice a week at minimum.

Long story short me gusts Nuevo bike and am looking for ideas in which frames to look at. Budget is likely $5k at most but obviously less would keep the wife happy.

[sonicCows]

What i imagine riding Angelina Jolie is.

:rolleyes:

I'd get a fat tire bike (gravel bike) for more breadth, you'll be nearly as fast and able to cover more rides than just the Orca (which should still be fine)
https://www.wrenchscience.com/cyclocross/frames/Litespeed/Gravel+105+Bike/2018/

[fogrider]

others to consider:
Allied, BMC, Scott, Argon 18...

[Louis]

Looking at the following:

2014 Cervelo R5 - Have one available at my LBS as a model on clearance for $5K.

If your budget can go that high, then why not get a custom frame?

Think about what you want, do some research, create a short list of respected builders, (one-man or custom shops like Waterford/Gunnar) start the discussion and see if someone says something that resonates for you.

Good Luck