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I did the exact same bike 3 years ago because of the same reasons .. lack of space. I didnt enjoy riding it for several reasons (geometry wasnt one). I did a few more combine all bikes with different approach, still didnt work. You need to strike a good balance with given space and money hence going mechanical instead of Di2 and spending that money on a decent frame makes more sense to me.
Regarding wide tyres, if you are a skeptic maybe 28c with guards 32c without. I have everything between 25c and 42c; I ride 25c bikes for about 20% of whole year, the rest is 35 or 42c. You need to try a wider tyre to see the difference.
Regarding 5800 vs 6800; the money difference isnt massive but the gains in build quality is. You wont see that happen much between 6800 and 9000 where money substantially increases but the gains dont. Buy everything from Germany its way cheaper.
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amey
Hmm, Di2 maybe not the way forward then. I've always had trouble with the 105 this bike came with. Gear cables always snapping within the brifter and shifting's never been perfect, it's either fine up or fine down, with reluctance to shift the other way. That's with perfectly fresh new cable inners and outers and fresh new cassette and chain.
I don't think I'd mind the extra stiffness of the Kinesis, but admittedly have never tried one.
@amey I've already got a combined bike, I guess. I don't really see it as an issue. I want essentially what I already have, an all-weather bike that can be used for commuting, touring and day rides but a bit fancier and with disc brakes and better, more reliable gears. If that doesn't mean Di2 then so be it, but I'm not really looking for an excuse to turn one bike into three. I can't afford it, I don't have the space and the only bike I'd be able to use enough to justify buying would be the commuter. So it may as well do everything else as well.
Custom steel sounds nice, but I can see it being significantly pricier than the Kinesis, with a longer wait too...
I generally don't bother with really wide tyres, 25c all year round seems to do the trick, but maybe I'm missing out?
Would you go for new Ultegra over new 105? What's the benefit?