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#17
05-10-2018, 05:00 AM
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1) Am I arrogant for discrediting the everyday-ability of modern carbon? (There are so many offerings)
Not really. But you won't be happy if you don't get either a genuine Litespeed or at least a titanium frame, because that's your mindset right now. 2) I don't have a real parts bin, is piecing together a build not the most patience-molesting task... Should I just bite the bullet? You're relatively new to the road bike world and don't have a parts collection. Just buy a complete bike and be done with it. 3) Am I sentimental/fixated on going for another Litespeed (I really do believe in their quality and value, relatively speaking)? What other bikes would you recommend? Forget Litespeed; the name was sold so they're no longer what you remember. You want titanium; get a Lynskey. You could easily race their Sport Riding, Gravel, or Cyclocross models. Don't get wrapped up in bike label names i.e., Sport Riding, Gravel, or Cyclocross. Specs between bike styles have become so fuzzy as to be almost meaningless. 4) Where else would you look for a groupset / part bundle? I'm not in tune with all the on-line offerings. Others here can offer better advice. I did have good luck with Excel Sports, however. You CAN get a jack-of-all-trades road bike, with the only trick is to swap wheels from your commuter wheels to "fast ride/racing wheels".
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http://hubbardpark.blogspot.com/ 
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#18
05-10-2018, 05:47 AM
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https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=209717 Quote:
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1. Every day ability of carbon is much better today than it was 2 or 3, or even 5-10 years ago. Technology has improved, and that shows with the offerings from the major manufacturers. I don't currently own a full carbon bike, but I've been looking more and more lately. 2. There will always be preferences here. Often times, for wet weather commuting my preference is disc brakes for exactly what you mentioned. Rim brakes and being able to stop safely. There are people I know who won't ever consider riding a bike with disc brakes unless its a mountain bike. Everyone will have preferences, go to shops and ride a variety of options. Cross bikes vs. gravel bikes vs. road vs. commuter oriented bikes. Geometries can vary greatly, but when you get on the bikes, you'll know if it works for you and if it doesnt. From the way you describe your current set up, your frameset is way too long for your body. A fit, and some additional information about height/riding preferences will help the gallery to point you in the right direction. 3. You aren't sentimental/fixated, but everyone has preferences and biases. I have always been a Cannondale fan, and been anti- other brands but its only been in recent years that I have expanded into others more deeply. Bias will exist, but there are tons of beautiful and wonderful riding bikes that are made from materials other than Titanium. I know this all too well. I own frames made from round steel, shaped steel, aluminum, alum+carbon, ti, and ti+carbon. Once you understand your fit preferences, you can get a greater appreciation for materials. 4. There's forums like this one, and the obvious eBay/Craigslist, as well as Facebook/pinkbike marketplaces. Take your time. Sometimes its easier to piece things together; often groups can be had for cheap as a lot. This is especially true if you don't NEED to have 11s (you may not) and are totally fine with less expensive and more readily available 9s or 10s gear. I personally own a bit of everything, after years of riding/working in shops/collecting stuff. Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions, but seriously welcome to the forum. You'll learn a lot; we've got a great community here and there are a number of people who will be willing to help you out. Also, the search function can extremely helpful. 
Last edited by hollowgram5; 05-10-2018 at 09:41 AM.
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#19
05-10-2018, 06:19 AM
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Cheers...Daryl Life is too important to be taken seriously Last edited by Black Dog; 05-10-2018 at 06:08 PM.
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#20
05-10-2018, 09:18 AM
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The Thomson setback (opposed to other layback posts) was chosen because the assembly on top could be adjusted to correct my saddle angle even while installed backwards and the angle of setback was subtle enough to not look totally wonky.
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#21
05-10-2018, 10:05 AM
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Io non posso vivere senza la mia strada e la mia bici -- DP
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#22
05-10-2018, 10:30 AM
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#23
05-10-2018, 10:51 AM
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I trust the knowledge of the guy that gave me my fitting last week, but I didn’t get a definite answer on why I was so far away from my bb/ pedals (anatomy?). We didn’t look at my current bike just looked forward at specs of the 52 and 54 T3.
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#24
05-10-2018, 11:14 AM
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Alrighty, so...
If you want titanium and discs, and you're willing to put out the cash, I'd say go for it. There has been a step-change forward in holistic design evolution for a certain segment of bikes, and at this point, I don't think the value is there in the used market just yet. For example, most of the used titanium bikes you find right now are rim-brake and relatively narrow in the tire clearance, or if they are disc, they are quick-release and post mount. If what you are wanting is a do-it-all road bike (commuting and fast road rides), you're probably better off going new right now so you get: thru-axles, wide tire clearance, flat-mount discs, integrated fender mounts, etc. For where you are in the sport, going new and getting things right the first time is the easiest place to be. Sure, you'll lose some depreciation, but when it's your only bike and you plan to pile up miles on it, that's not such a big deal. Not that I wouldn't encourage the opportunity to tinker with older stuff, I just think that can come down the road once you have your main needs met. There's no shortage of 5-20yr old titanium frames out there that are fun to build up and ride the he11 out of - and plenty of parts and wheels to experiment with, all with little out-of-pocket risk given where they are in their depreciation curve. That isn't where I'd go first though. If there's one mistake I've made (or one lesson I could have learned earlier) it's that it is very helpful to have an anchor-bike in the garage - something that doesn't change even as you experiment with other stuff. This is a perfect way to get yourself setup for the "want to try crits" part of your experimentation. CAT-V crit races at PIR and elsewhere are fun (dangerous, but fun). And you don't need anything too special for that - pick up a road-race frameset of semi-recent vintage, a used 10spd group, used 10spd tubulars, etc., and you'll have a machine that's plenty fast for under $1K that you can bang around, train on, etc. You don't need disc brakes and 32c tire clearance for that, so piecing one together can be really cheap. Join OBRA. Check out their classifieds.. We can work on this part down the road. So, getting back to the original questions, what should be that "one bike"??? If it's Litespeed you want, go for it! The T3 Disc is a great looking bike. So is the T5 and so is the T2. But none of those are necessarily fire-road bikes, or perfect commuters (yes, you can commute on them, and one of us here does commute on his T2, on tubulars no less, but for the rest, it's a stretch). If I were you, I'd look at the Cherohala SE. It has a bit taller stack and shorter reach than the road-disc frames. It has fender mounts and clearance for wider tires. Flat-mount discs. And you're not giving up anything in terms of weight on it, except compared to the T2. It's not a bike for racing crits, but I think it's a perfect bike for the rest of your riding - cruising into deep SE (Estacada, Molalla, Sandy, Mt. Hood), far Northwest (Skyline out to all the climbs, fire-roads out to Scappoose and Vernonia and beyond), far Southwest (wine country and into Tillamook Forest), up around St. Helens and Mt. Adams, Central Oregon, etc. That bike will take you everywhere, be reasonably fast, and still feel fine banging through broken pavement on your commute. You could get one really nice carbon tubeless wheelset for fun rides, and one cheaper bang-around wheelset for during the week. If it were me, and if I had no funds constraints, I'd go for either Di2 or eTap hydro - because the levers are so much nicer than the mechanical hydro levers from either company. Short reach, flared drops for bars. And Compass tires run tubeless on a mid-depth, wide carbon wheelset. If you liked your experience at WesternBikeWorks, go in there when it isn't busy, and talk to them about putting together your "dream bike" - get an estimate, then do some hunting on your own and go back to them with a price that's reasonable and works for both of you. Once you're in their "club", you get unpublished pricing. And they really are a good company and good group of folks to get to know, ride with, etc. At this point in your riding life, that's worth more than saving $200 by buying from a wholesaler operating out of their basement... Whew, that's enough for now. If we're both around this weekend and you want to ride your current one out to a cafe meetup, let me know. I'm probably doing a solo-century on Saturday, so Sunday AM will just be coffee and spinning out the legs.
__________________
Io non posso vivere senza la mia strada e la mia bici -- DP
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#25
05-10-2018, 11:34 AM
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#26
05-10-2018, 11:58 AM
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A lot of the dimensions in that fitting pic were redundant for me because they’re the same as my present setup. He didn’t look at my current bike, but when I got home and measured my bike, the numbers he came up with we’re spot on save the 44mm behind bb measurement(difference in STA and STL?) for the 52cm T3 and the 0mm ‘97 Classic I’m on now. The fit was more of a second opinion, 52 vs 54cm T3, ideal stem length/angle, brain picking kind of get together.
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#27
05-10-2018, 12:07 PM
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That has nothing to do with frame angles, which can only really account for 1cm of set back. So I don't understand how going from a bike with a lot of forward saddle position, a 56cm TT and 9cm stem to one with a 54cm TT and normal set back isn't changing your reach to the handlebars by 10cm or so.
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#28
05-10-2018, 12:39 PM
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Riders who are frequently out in wet weather seem to consider Kool-Stop Salmon pads really good when the rims are wet. Living in San Diego I have no experience riding in rain but those pads work very well when it's dry.
While wider rims and/or tires are very popular it seems that you must be a rather light-weight rider so you can run 25-28mm tires as soft as a 180 lb. rider can only do on 32+ tires. This may make your selection of bikes bigger than a heavier rider who really wants those bikes with clearance for fatter tires. When I see prices for used bikes it seems like a buyer will usually get a better deal on a complete bike rather than collecting individual components. If you're not experienced building bikes you probably should have a pro do it. It would be great if the tech allowed you to watch/learn as he does the job. I'd guess building a bike that doesn't need extra work like facing the BB or head tube might cost about $100?
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#29
05-10-2018, 12:40 PM
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Clean39- I went down the Cherohala thought process before I landed on the T3 and my frame of thought is that if I’m going to get into racing, I’d rather lean towards commuting/gravelling on a racier bike than the opposite. I’m good with a strap on rear fender and I joined OBRA right after my bike fit! Thru axles wouldn’t come on the T3, but flat mounts do and I feel like it might be easier to upgrade my wheels in the qr used market.
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#30
05-10-2018, 12:49 PM
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Still, that's quite a large change in setback in anybody's book. I agree that there's something else going on here apart from a degree or two difference in seat tube angle. Was the same saddle used by the bike fitter that you currently have on your bike? A vastly different shape/length saddle could produce a large difference in setback. Different length cranks could also change the setback a bit, but usually by less than 10mm.
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) and will definitely be able to help
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