New bike - pull the trigger?

Currently I am riding a 2018 Sprint Allez Comp with minor upgrades (Ultegra Brakes and Ksyrium Wheels). It was purchased in February 2019 and since then I have put ~7000 km on the bike. After selling some bike stuff I have cash and the opportunity to get a Scott Foil 20 Disc 2019 for 30% off (2400 €). A testride is not possible (5-6 H drive one way). Is this really an upgrade and should I pull the trigger?

My thoughs so far:

  • Need to move to disc bevore getting nice aero carbon wheels (at 85 kg I am a heavy rider)
  • Weight wise this is a wash 8 kg for rim brake Allez vs. 8.3 kg for disc brake foil
  • Probably some aero watt savings with the foil (5-10 W)
  • Probably the Foil would be more comfortable.

Thanks for any advice… :slight_smile:

P. S. Main purpose → road racing / crits and going fast :slight_smile:

I cannot speak towards the Allez or Crit racing, but I recently got a 2019 Foil 10 Disc. Before that I rode a 2014 Cervelo R5 with Zipp 303s and Ultegra 8000.

So in terms of weight, I downgraded - the Cervelo was sub 7kg, the Foil is now 8,2 kg.
In terms of components however, it’s a massive upgrade - from mech Ultegra to Di2, from rim breaks to disc, and I splurged a little and replace the stock alloy handlebar with a Enve SES Aero handlebar - it really makes a huge difference in terms of ride feel.

Personally, I think the bike is awesome!
It’s light enough, but certainly feels super fast and I can also tell it’s just more modern - I wouldn’t be able to say a lot about stiffness (sinceI don’t race, I never get up and springt ;-)) but it’s really comfortable and dampens vibrations really nicely.

The only thing I don’t like, compared to many other modern (aero) bikes, is the cable routing in the front - Scott doesn’t set the cables up nicely and you have those huge junctions dangling around, it really isn’t pretty. But sorting that out would require a mechanic to work for it on several hours, which isn’t worth the investment to me right now.
If you have any other questions, let me know!

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You might struggle to find people to advise you not to buy the bike on this forum.

The answer is always yes to new bikes :joy:

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There is the option „buy a different bike“

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Once you’ve got a decent road bike (and the Allez is certainly that) with race wheels, good tires and a good position, the reality is that any further bike upgrades are only going to give marginal performance gains, if that. A few watts of aero here or there, a few hundred grams saved for climbing, it’s all pretty small beer. Some of the best racers in my area race and win crits on similar bikes and specs to yours.

None of which should stop you from buying a new bike! If it makes you happy you’ll ride it more, get fitter and stronger. If it is more comfortable then that can certainly improve performance, though in my opinion comfort is determined predominantly by saddle, bar tape, wheels, tires, position and geometry. Disc brakes can certainly make for a more enjoyable riding experience on some roads and conditions. And lots of advantages to having 2 bikes. E.g. one can live permanently on the trainer to save you taking it on and off if you’re switching between outdoor and indoor. Or you can set one up as a bad weather bike with training tires and wheels and maybe some fenders. Just having a spare bike so you’ve always got something to ride when one is being serviced or needs something fixing on it is nice.

So if you can afford it and want it then get it…

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I find myself agreeing with you a lot. Currently i ride alloy wheels, because i think investing in carbon rims with a rim brake bike does not make sense. In the end i consider buying a new bike so that i can put nice wheels on it :see_no_evil: …and i love my Allez. If it was 2016 i would have slapped on some nice wheels and would be happy.

Here is the silver lining: A lot of people unload their nice rim-brake carbon wheelsets because they switched to disc brakes. So there is a possibility to make a bargain - maybe also an option.

To say it with the wise words of my LBS: If we would only sell what people really need (=good enough), we would be out of business. We sell joy and emotion.

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YES, disc brake is amazing on the road. And Scott’s are ridiculously awesome. Pull. BANG. Have fun!

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