Road bike recommendations

^^ It's probably a fair reflection of how much it costs to make in america. Whether it makes sense is a moot point.

ftfy

also cervelo r5ca can fuck off

You know Argonaut do custom carbon right?

Yeah, going for COTS if possible for this.

Either lay off the pies, or ride with people who can't climb.

Ha!! :)
Have some rep.

(Fuck you, Andy)

Well, carbon is mega strong and much stronger than metals in ONE DIRECTION ONLY

Hence my note that if you can expect knocks on storage it's not the best material to use, as if it fails it fails totally and you may end up on your face. Hence touring frames are not made from carbon.

The rest is up for discussion and I never owned a carbon bike, so I can't comment. If you have a safe storage for it, knocks shouldn't be an issue.

ftfy

also cervelo r5ca can fuck off

That was implied, but a high-end carbon frame with custom geometry and layup would cost you rather a lot anywhere.

then high end carbon can >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

then high end carbon can >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Well…

Whether it makes sense is a moot point.

Well, carbon is mega strong and much stronger than metals in ONE DIRECTION ONLY

Hence my note that if you can expect knocks on storage it's not the best material to use, as if it fails it fails totally and you may end up on your face. Hence touring frames are not made from carbon.

The rest is up for discussion and I never owned a carbon bike, so I can't comment. If you have a safe storage for it, knocks shouldn't be an issue.

But downhill frames are...?

What you're saying, generally is nonsense- plenty of ballistic / military stuff is made from carbon composites these days so clearly it can be made to be strong on more than one axis and strong enough to survive landmines etc.

In related news, £2,800 for a Condor Acciaio Stainless is a bit of a joke.

http://www.condorcycles.com/Condor-Bikes/12040-Condor-Acciaio-Stainless-Frameset/flypage.tpl.html

XCr with no fancy stuff and a Columbus Minimal fork shouldn't cost that. A full custom Donhou or Feather would be less. Hell, a stainless Rourke would be about a grand less.

Hence touring frames are not made from carbon.

Nah. It's because there's no market for them. You could make a carbon tourer as durable as a steel tourer - it would probably be lighter too - but nobody would buy it due to all the carbon FUD out there.

Didn't your mother ever say "and if everyone would jump off a bridge..."

Yeah she did, but I never listened to her. You're pretty up tight about the whole carbon thing... Chill man, it's just a bike.

In related news, £2,800 for a Condor Acciaio Stainless is a bit of a joke.

http://www.condorcycles.com/Condor-Bikes/12040-Condor-Acciaio-Stainless-Frameset/flypage.tpl.html

XCr with no fancy stuff and a Columbus Minimal fork shouldn't cost that. A full custom Donhou or Feather would be less. Hell, a stainless Rourke would be about a grand less.

Condor in overpriced frame shocker...

Shut the front door!

Mike Hall, Around the World record holder. Small market yes, but a market nonetheless.

Around the world on carbon clinchers? P.I.M.P

Well yeah - there's an ultra niche market right now and a lot of FUD. When that clears there will be a mass market in the future for cheap, light strong carbon touring frames but until the FUD goes and there's price and comfort parity with steel there isnt really a market many manufacturors will want to step into.

Or something.

Roadbikes anyone?

Well, carbon is mega strong and much stronger than metals in ONE DIRECTION ONLY

Hence my note that if you can expect knocks on storage it's not the best material to use, as if it fails it fails totally and you may end up on your face. Hence touring frames are not made from carbon.

The rest is up for discussion and I never owned a carbon bike, so I can't comment. If you have a safe storage for it, knocks shouldn't be an issue.

I'll feed the troll.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_O9PLorYPA

yawn

Condor in overpriced frame shocker...

Shut the front door!

Hah. Even by their standards it's pretty cheeky.

general carbon tosh etc...etc...etc....

I've got a modern steel fixed gear (conder pista, deda sat 14.5) and a carbon road bike (Giant TCR). The carbon is nicer. End of. Smoother, stiffer, etc.

I don't work in bike manufacturing but I'm sure you could make a "good" bike out of any material if you know what you're doing and do it right. The reason I think carbon has a big advantage over something like steel is the degree of variation in the layup and manufacture of the tubes.

Maybe I've spent too much time reading and watching argonaut promos. Though.

Stock Geometry, Custom Layup $6K FUCK OFF!
Custom Geometry, Custom Layup $6.5K FUCK OFF EVEN MORE!

I think an extra £300 for a totally custom spec over a "standard" build is pretty good value. Also how much does a parlee, LOOK, or any other top end frame cost? Isn't the RRP for a CADD10 frame something silly like $1k?

Super Six Evo is ~£2,500

Cinelli XCR Stainless is around £2700... Condor doesn't seem out of line with custom geo and colour choice.

They still do Rapha oversocks for £15 and for the Assos Tiburu they are the cheapest in Europe.

Cinelli XCR Stainless is around £2700... Condor doesn't seem out of line with custom geo and colour choice.

Enigma Extensor XCR frameset is <£1600. A Pegoretti or Zullo or something in XCR is north of three grand, sure, but that's a bit different.

Nah. It's because there's no market for them. You could make a carbon tourer as durable as a steel tourer - it would probably be lighter too - but nobody would buy it due to all the carbon FUD out there.

Don't underestimate the luddite tendency in a lot of touring cyclists too. They are insistent on steel for it's repairability in remote far flung places, like France and Spain.

^ Ha! Repped. It reminds me of a blog rant about Riv cycles where the guy pointed out you could buy a cheap alu frame that did the same job as the steel Riv ones for a tenth of the price.

^^^ So is c.£3,800-4,100 really that out of wack?

I can think of quite a few bike parts that cost a lot more as a % over cheaper rivals.

^^ It's not the geography of the repairs that's important, it's the fact you can just do it with a hammer.

/luddite