The new BMC Teammachine R looks pretty sick. Ronan was talking really highly of it on the October 12th Geek Warning podcast
Yeah, I kept meaning to mention that…thanks for posting it.
The other bike that has really caught my eye lately has been the new Look 795 Blade…the special edition with the Mondrian color scheme is chef’s kiss.
I have that same bike, 2021 TCR advanced pro disc 1, and it’s awesome. Three things stick out to me with this bike compared to others I have ridden:
- Seems like every bit of power you put in goes to the wheel, the thing jumps when you put power down
- It’s light
- It rails turns better than anything I’ve tried before
I don’t agree, but all the more reason LBS’s need to offer test rides. We’ve argued both new riders and experienced riders need one.
I would love the white version of this one day.
this is so beautiful, I’d gladly pay a premium for it but have no idea if it’s going to be available where I live. Hands down the best looking frame/colorway imho.
I currently have a supersix evo 2 (raw color) on pre-order, although I can cancel anytime. Still on the fence about it, not because I’m unsure about it (I’m sure it’s a great bike) but do I need it? I don’t race, I currently have a gravel bike that I treat as a road bike and it’s perfectly fine. And while it looks really nice to me in an understated way, it doesn’t give me that feeling like this Look frame.
If I do keep the supersix, I plan on putting a 11-34 cassette on the rear and 28" tires so it’s not too different from my current set up
Specialized kind of broke the market with the SL8. You can’t buy another bike based on performance.
Would love some opinion on this for myself.
Looking for a new rig for Self Supported Ultra Road events. Figure 500 miles/30k ft.
Requirements:
Be able to run Clip-on aero bars(rules out any bike with integrated bar/stem)
Not be super aggressive.
Reasonable weight, current rig is a Ti Colossal, it’s supremely comfy, but damn it’s heavy
What’s the best choice in the ‘more aero’ category that can still run clip on aerobars? SL7?
Factor Ostro VAM with Black extensions would seem to fit the bill. I haven’t ridden one, but they do the integrated aero bars thing well.
ohh, that looks nice, Can’t find much info, do you know, is there wedges/spacers to adjust the angle/stack of the extensions?
I don’t know that, but contact them. I was looking at one of their bikes before and they were helpful in providing info with regards to fit, etc.
There are a ton of options in this realm, more now than ever. A lot of it depends on your preferred position/fit on the bike for this type of riding. With even the most pure aero bikes now having clearance for +30mm tires, you gain a lot of comfort from that. Don’t get hung up on the clip-on aerobar compatibility, as this can be remedied by swapping any stock handlebar to a compatible one, something all but a few bikes are capable of(Cervelo S5 and a few others excluded). Even many of the new integrated bar stem bikes have clip on compatibility, if you look at the Factor/Black Inc setup, or the new BMC ICS bars with bolt on extensions.
I originally built up an Aethos in 2021 for my a 1500 mile road ultra, and it worked well. I added a “go fast” bike to the rotation, and I landed on the SL7 last year, and would probably lean the same direction again. I am using Enve SES Aero road bars, and purchased their clip on aero bar setup for these bars. There is also the stem mounted option of the Venge ITU clip on bars, which again opens you up to nearly any handlebar you’d like on there.
These days, even the pure aero bikes are pretty comfortable compared to the stiff boards of ten years ago, so you really can’t go wrong in that regard, although I’d prioritize a bit of comfort over pure aero, as the speeds simply aren’t as high during these type of events.
True, but the increased cost of binning parts is discouraging to say the least.
I’d say the front runners for me currently are the Aethos, SL7 and the ENVE Melee. Spoke with the folks at ENVE and they can custom part together any order to avoid the issue of expensive, but useless cockpit parts.
SL8 is a possibility when done from a Frame up build, which isn’t totally unrealistic
need to be able to fly with it fairly easily, so maybe the Aethos would be best?
The odds of any bike off the hook having the size/width/length/preference of components is pretty slim, I’ve never bought a complete bike and kept the bars, saddle, stem, etc… This is an obvious benefit of building your own bike from the frameset up. Enve offers the Melee “module”, and some retailers will allow you to specify the stem length, and bar width, but don’t kid yourself that you’re saving money by going that route at $5500… You could spend $4000 and get just about any frameset out there and then pick-and-choose those components for less money.
The SL7/SL8 use a pretty user friendly routing setup if you use the SL7 stem, which also gives you two angles to choose from, and 7 lengths. It’s totally feasible to disconnect the handlebars and turn them 90d for packing into a bike case.
Now there I can share some firsthand experience. Love it!!! Compared to my last ride (BMC Teammachine SLR01) it is way more comfortable on rough roads (with same wheels and tires), more more composed descending but just as quick to turn in, and feels better/stiffer climbing out of the saddle. Doesn’t feel worse in any area. Enve says it is aero optimized for real world speeds (e.g 20mph), so could be a good fit for the 508 or similar. The ‘chassis’ should include the stem, bar and seatpost of your choice.
Right, but the fully integrated bar/stem combos are easily double the price of most separate stem and bars.
I’ll look into the feasibility of being able to fly with the SL7 stem setup.
The Melee has got to be one of the best looking bikes out there. I love the aesthetics of the frame. Plus, the components are quality.
For those who like the Enve Melee, but can’t swing the racy geometry, hold tight… Enve has had a third production frame rumored for a while, and the buzz was another gravel bike… But it turns out its what most would call an “endurance road” bike. With clearance for 40mm tires, and a more upright geometry, it’ll be a really nice bike for many.
interesting, bridging the gap between he Melee and Mog. Talking about enve, does anyone know for sure if ENVE is lowering the msrp for the melee and mog to $4450 like rumors and google are saying? Looks like it would follow the Foundation wheels price drop that happened not long ago.
Let me know when the Melee Foundation is out.
I’ll take a 100-200g heavier frame for half the money. 