Now has mudguards and gearing is up from 46x21 (59.1") to 46x20 (62.1") ..... a proper old skool, all year round training tool.
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Bike to work ordered today, a foray back to my youth and a lovely mountain bike.
KTM Aera Comp, carbon frame, 2017 model. Lovely. Just got to wait for the voucher to come through to pick up.
40th present to myself!
New bike to work scheme coming.
I could do with some incentive. (A new bike)
So here is the wish list.
Titanium frame
Di2 shifters
Ultegra spec throughout
Disc brakes
52-36 front
11-32 rear
Mavic ksyrium elite wheels
Any suggestions welcomed please?
Raleigh Chopper?
Thanks Ian. In the less steep region at Leeds now. I will check the gearing again.
Whats your feeling on titanium?
I always get excited when I see any titanium bicycle - top of the range for me. It’s just like seeing someone out in an old knackered pair of Walshies - “okay, they know what they’re doing”
Titanium is THE material - especially if you have to buy your own bike - most of the 'wanna look like a TdF rider on carbon fibre' brigade overlook the fact that the pro team riders are handed a couple (or three) new bikes by the sponsor, every few races.
Buy a good titanium frame and you'll be passing it on to one of your lads, in your will.
My 'best' bike is a Planet-X Ti Sportive - one of the batch built for them by Lynskey in Chattanooga, Tennessee around 9 or 10 years ago .... the Lynskey family are long term proprietors of a titanium machining / fabrication business and are sub-contractors to the global aerospace industry.. They founded the Litespeed brand (which builds the 'Titanio' frames for DeRosa, as were supplied to Tony Romingers 'Gewiess Balun' team). They sold the brand to Merlin around 1999 but around 2004 Phil Lynskey decided to resume frame building under his own (sur)name. All his welders are young women and the welds are utterly beautiful.
So, in all but name, I like to think that to all intents and purposes I'm riding a DeRosa Titanio. It has a full Ultegra 6700 (3x10) groupset.
Don't know if he still has it, but when sponsored by Wheelbase, Rob Jebb had his own Litespeed titanium 'cross bike in addition to his team supplied aluminium Cannondales - there was a big article about it on one of the 'cross website.
https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/rob-jebbs-litespeed/
Have a look at Planet-X's "Tempest" gravel bike - looks a good all-rounder with disc brakes.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/...-bikes/Tempest
They would probably do you the Ultegra build for similar money to the "Force 22" build - just make an inquiry.
Then go for 2 sets of wheels and tyres - one for purely 'fast' road use, the other a tad stronger for on & off road 'gravel' use.
Thanks Ian, your a true gentleman.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/881/2...d4f5a149_b.jpg
I feel like a bit of a knob posting this after what Ian has just said about carbon bikes. As part of an attempt to save face i'd like to say i got outbid on a fabulous CT2 frame before this frame came up.
It's a lot more stable at speed than any of my other bikes. Something's different about the back end too, it feels more supple than steel. It's very willing to turn into corners, if you lean a bit it will basically steer for you.
Cost £1800 to build.