1
Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: Overwhelmed and not sure which rim brake frame to get
« on: September 25, 2024, 02:26:32 PM »Others here will be better placed to advise on specific China rim brake frame options, but if it helps to inform your thinking then:
- unless you specifically want a brand new frame then well worth looking on EBay and other marketplaces for used rim brake frame sets. I’m guessing you might be in the UK (‘wits’ end’) in which case there are some really good deals to be had on eBay rn for out-of-fashion carbon rim brake frames. Probably true in other countries too.
- plenty of good reasons to choose a frame that’s compatible with existing components rather than one that requires you to start again. But worth considering st least if you’re likely to want to upgrade those components at some point - if yes it could make more sense to bite the bullet now. Debates about performance aside, disc brake bikes on the whole allow more potential for bigger tyre clearance (although the 32 on that TanTan is wild).
- if you’re riding your endurance frame slammed with a long reach stem (130+) then that suggests you could afford to ride a more aggressive frame, at the very least with spacers and a shorter stem. If you find your Allez too sluggish, too unresponsive, too sit-up-and-beg - then you may want to get a frame with a more aggressive geometry. If you like the characteristics just fine, then - based on what you’ve said - no great advantage i wouldn’t have thought.
- you don’t give much detail on the type and amount of riding you are / want to do. i’m currently 87kg. I’ve got race bikes with 25mm tyres and endurance geometry bikes with up to 33mm tyres. The latter type is definitely more comfortable but the former does just fine because they fit me. If I want to go on a fast club ride I’m on the race bike, for commuting and longer, more leisurely rides, I’m not. If I could only have one type I’d go endurance geometry - for me, the speed and responsiveness benefit of the race bike isn’t great enough to trump comfort.
Hope that’s at least marginally thought provoking. Good luck!
I thought about used frames, but those can be soooo sketchy. Not in the UK, so maybe I'm watching too many UK based content creators lol
I just don't have the wife-approved budget for anything besides a new frame at the moment. It would be irresponsible of me to do a whole new disc build right now, which is why I'm putting it off for a couple of years.
I don't think my Allez is too sluggish or unresponsive - it's just heavy and I feel like it's driving a brick through the wind. I often face some pretty hefty headwinds where I live in the US and it just doesn't do me any favors. I usually ride 500-700 miles/month, a mix of group rides and solo. No racing, but I love going fast (who doesn't?).
So I want something that's definitely faster than what I've got, but any reasonable upgrade would be fine. I just don't want to rattle the bones out of my body in the name of speed.