Originally Posted by Clean39T
A few thoughts..
If you're considering a Pegoretti performance-focused road bike it must be because you want to experience riding a road bike the way road bikes are designed and intended to be ridden - hard, fast, and to the edge of control. The trend is of course to wider tires but I'd caution you not to follow that too far. Because you are more robustly built, you're going to run about the same pressure in 28s as a more svelte rider might in 25s, or the same in 30s that they would in 28s, etc. - so sizing up just a bit is fine, it will still feel like a road bike and not get muted and mushy when you're putting your considerable power down on the pedals. The concern there is if you go to a 32mm or 34/35mm option, you're going to start running pressures in the 50s or low-60s, and you're just not going to feel the same handling and feedback you get from a hard-edge road bike. Some are fine with that. I'm not. Not in context anyway. For an allroad bike or endurance rides or party pace? Sure. For experiencing riding a road bike the way some might desire to experience an early 90s 911? Not a chance.
But back to the bike.
A Mxxxxxo is perfect for what you have in mind and will be a great bike for you all the way down to 75-kgs, provided you keep that muscle around and still have the will to treat it like the tool it is. Yes, they are stiff. But they don't chatter like a stiff carbon bike. They take the hit and urge you to push harder - to turn over those gears and maintain the momentum. It's a wonderful feeling, not to be missed. No other bike I've owned or ridden has felt like a Mxxxxxo.
And, afaik, the Mxxxxxo is the most bombproof of all the builds, second only to the BLE. I know the SS versions are not as prone to issues under strong riders the way they used to be, but I'd still err on the side of caution and stick with the steel that's proven to stand up to everything you could possibly throw at it.
As for disc vs. rim, a Mxxxxxo should be experienced in rim-brake form. It was perfected for that and is balanced perfectly with the Falz fork in that guise. There will ALWAYS within our lifetime be plenty of performance rim-brake goods out there to keep you going. Have faith. I could in 20-mins right now go assemble a near NOS Campag Record 10 build. The parts aren't magically disappearing. Wheel choice? Sure, try WTOs. Or get Nexties. Or find some Bora Ultra tubulars just for shiggs and giggs.
Last thing - I'm sure there's a reason to go with 160mm cranks - Zack is a good fitter.. just, umm, think if that 5mm really matters that much if it also matters to you to be able to get certain components. I have size 49 feet and have ridding 170, 172.5, 175, 177.5, and 180mm cranks. The 180s felt a bit weird. The others all disappeared after a ride or two. But that's me. And I'm not one who likes to maintain a 100rpm cadence up hills, so the smaller I went the less at home I felt. I need a bit of a lever to let the torque do its thing. YMMV. But if 160mm vs. 165mm is the difference between two sizes, I'd want to spend some time on the shorty cranks before locking in on the frame.
Whichever way you go, enjoy the process - and share the journey... it's never too early to start that thread in the galleries.
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