I’m curious — I’m sure I’m not the only one like this — is there a bike out there the you REALLY want that you just can’t justify?
I’m not talking about a bike that your wife/husband/partner won’t let you buy…I’m talking about a bike that makes you play cycling Tetris in your head. A bike that YOU can’t justify because you have it’s intended use covered in your current stable.
I’ll go: I race gravel 3-4 times a year. Michigan gravel races are my favorite way to compete. They are fast and road-like. My current gravel race bike is a Norco Search Carbon Ultegra 2017. I race with 700x35 tires and has clearance for up to 42mm rubber. But…
Takes 700 and 650 wheels…light, stuff, rugged. Hot.
And If I bought it, I’d have absolutely no use for it outside of my Norco
I’ve got a dedicated Tri bike that I never use anymore, a dedicated road bike, my Norco gravel racer and am about to take delivery on my first mountain bike…but, damn, that OPEN U.P. is a looker
Probably a Madone SLR9 Disc, although I’d happily have an SLR6 Disc which isn’t outside of the realms of possibility I guess… (Still expensive though!)
One week it is also an OPEN U.P., the next one a 3T Strada, and the week after a custom steel frameset with my individual geometry and a personalized paintwork…
But to be honest I am more than happy with my current bike set up and tight on space, so another bike is hard to justify, no matter what it is.
Gerard Vroomen is behind both Open and 3T. The Exploro is a similar design to the U.P., and is really an N-1. Wheel changes take it from a weekend club bike to a CX bike, to a gravel bike to an adventure bike.
It would be sufficient as a road race or Crit bike for a CAT 5 dipping their toe in the water or someone who is not a contender, but, likes to mix it up and help the team every now and then.
On the flip side, the Exploro and Strada are probably the only two bikes you need.
Absolutely a Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey 3. It’s my dream bike. But I need a size bigger than 58cm, and it would spend far to much of it’s life on a trainer or with road wheels and not out in the dirt on adventures where it belongs.
I’ll substitute it for a Open UPPER in the Yeti Turquoise, but that’s not an option either.
I’m really tempted by a project right - almost hit the button last year but its just the 18-month lead time (ok and not insignificant cost) that held me back.
If I were to continue my current line (Colnago Tecnos (steel) ,Colnago CT1 (ti/carbon), then a C60 with Campy Super Record and maybe some Enve wheels/stem/bar