9/22/14 7:38 PM

OK, now I'm getting down into the details on a new bike and would like some feedback on various "features" on offer.

Tapered headset: the claim of course is that a headset with larger bottom bearings us more durable and allows for a stiffer frame due to the larger head tube. True? What about long term compatibility? Is this concept a fad or will I be able to find bearings in a decade from now?

Ti stem: very expensive and doesn't seem worth the cost vs. Al. IMO stem stiffness is highly overrated - why do people need to put so much energy into flexing their handlebars?

Ti seat post: very expensive. Any reason to go with this over Al?

Frame pumps: most bikes now don't come with a pump peg though you can jigger one up with a small zip tie. Seems that the market has gone to pumps that attach to the bottle cage mounts. Do these pumps work as well as a frame fit pump? Big deal or no deal?

Any other key features I should be worried about or ignore?

9/22/14 7:45 PM

Fork, more chance of a replacement down the road should it need to happen with most current offering.
Do you want it that stiff I guess is a fair question?

Carbon in my minds eye makes more sense for a seatpost.

Any stem may flex more now that we have a bigger steerer,tapered,stiffer head tube perhaps? 31.8 bar diameter etc...

That said, maybe some bars that give/flex may not be a bad thing. I find the EA90 bars I have overly stiff and seem to prefer the AL bars on other bikes.

Pump, got nuttin...

9/22/14 8:02 PM

No idea about the headset.

I have had alloy, ti and steel stems, can't tell the difference except that the ti is prettier. I have never noticed flex in stem or bars.

Can't imagine the need for a ti seat post, but haven't had one.

IMHO a frame pump is better but minipumps are serviceable. I hate the look of a bottle cage attachment, so I carry a minipump in my seatbag (on the bikes where I don't have a frame pump). IMHO CO2 is the easiest and most reliable, but a bit wasteful.

9/22/14 8:36 PM

Tapered steerer= more precise handling from my experience.

I have found some give in the bars to be nice these days because forks can be really stiff if they are aero.

Carbon is good in the seat post but only round ones gain in comfort. Aero ones vertically/fore-aft flex are really stiff as any STEEL seat post you ever road.

Cable stops or internal routing? Internal is a cleaner look but harder to maintain. I finally have my S2 shifting decently after a number of cable swaps, etc. The cables crossed in the down tube so I changed the hole the go in on the Top Tube which cleaned things up. (The S2 has an odd routing on that goes in the Top Tube behind the stem in an effort to clean things up for aero purposes. They dropped that design this year.)

Di2 battery ready? You can never tell where you may go in the future.



Once you go CO2 you never go back.

I have had 2 flats on the road in 15 years and put in plenty of miles, I can't say I ever felt that CO2 cartridges where wasteful. BTW get the one that uses the BB gun unthreaded versions so you can get CHEAP CO2 from Walmart which also means you can easily find them. The empty cartridge is AL and can be recycled if that concerns you.

9/22/14 9:43 PM

Tapered headset - I'm not in favour of excessive rigidity in bicycle frames or forks, so if it was me I wouldn't go with an option that claims to increase it. Plus who knows whether tapered headset is just another fad that will disappear in a few years, like the recessed headset cups on my c.2002 Litespeed that sit inside the head tube.

For the same reason I would go for English threaded BB and not one of the many new so-called "standards".

Pump - I have a frame pump, and it routinely gets used when someone else in the bunch gets a puncture and they only have one of the small token pumps. The only non-frame pump I've used that could easily get a road tyre up to pressure was the Topeak Road Morph, which operates a bit like a mini track pump.

Ti stem and seatpost - I have a Record Ti seatpost on one bike, but that's only because it came as part of the groupset. I can't see any reason to buy one in preference to Al. Ditto for the stem.

9/22/14 10:00 PM

I can only help on the last one.

I still use a frame pump, I see no reason not to, I have a pretty new "modern" bike so it doesn't have a pump peg but that really doesn't matter, it fits in really snug and doesn't ever pop out.

Also as far as seat posts go, you only mention Ti vs Aluminum, but carbon is a 3rd pretty serious contender, any reason that you don't want a carbon post?, I can see the logic in avoiding carbon bars and stems, but carbon a post seem like a good way to go.

9/22/14 10:05 PM

Is it looking like a Lynskey?

9/23/14 12:21 AM

Tapered headtubes are here to stay, I would have no concerns whatsoever about sourcing headsets in the future.

Stem: Al or carbon is fine.

Seatpost: I would go carbon. The trend is toward smaller diameters (27.2) fore more compliance.

Internal routing: I don't own a bike with one, but they are here to stay and in my mind go hand in hand with a modern frame. My next frame will have internal routing. (Road disc frame, carbon.)

Last edited by sanrensho on 9/23/14 3:41 PM; edited 1 time in total

9/23/14 12:40 AM

quote:

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I can see the logic in avoiding carbon bars and stems, but carbon a post seem like a good way to go.

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9/23/14 2:43 AM

I have not done it, but some people put the pump on the left seatstay, clamped between the seat cluster and dropout. I have long chainstays and fenders, so I got an old Campy peg and put a Zefal hPX between that and the BB on the rear of the seat tube.

Listen, CO2 is great if you have a limited number of flat tires, but I have seen people with flats > cartridges. Also I hate seeing empties on the road.

Minipumps can be OK, but even running low (85-90) psi, I've found them frustrating and disposable.

Zefal makes the world's best frame pump, IMO, and I'd find a way to carry it, unless I was a fully-supported racer backed up with a team car.

Edit: Not the seat cluster, apparently:


<img src="https://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/dirtbag-bikes/510-images/510-left-side.jpg" width=600>

Thanks, Sparky!

Without fenders, this would make me nervous, but I tend to be nervous. A little editing of a Campy pump peg might allow you to put that on a seatstay, for a more secure mounting point (apparently, some bikes have this feature built in or added on):



Last edited by Andy M-S on 9/24/14 7:18 AM; edited 1 time in total

9/23/14 6:54 AM

Tapered steerer-no parts source worries. However, I'll echo what others have said-the front end of the bike becomes precise but almost brutally stiff, at least in the experience of this small guy.

Agree that the bike should be Di2 ready. Internal routing is a pain but I can't tolerate the look of external on a modern rig.

Ti seatpost? Looks and weight.

Ti stem? Ditto. Carbon likely lighter.

Haven't carried a frame pump in years. Echo Eric's comments about unthread carts. Google Superflate-someone was blowing them out very cheap and they use both threaded and unthread carts, a real plus. Oh yeah, sealant in the tubes.

If the bike is built with a replaceable hanger, get a couple extra.

9/23/14 7:31 AM

Headset? I have no idea if the taped designs will remain or change to a different taper in the near future. Press in 1-1/8" headsets will be around for decades to come since there are so many existing frame that use them. For that matter 1" threaded headsets are still easily available and they've been "obsolete" for many years. I'd go with a straight 1-1/8" press in design if it's available in the frame you choose. I also agree that the trend to ever increasing stiffness has gotten silly.

Ti stems and seatposts both seem unnecessary extravagances. They offer no weight advantage over good quality Al, are heavier than carbon and probably more expensive than either. Again stiffness has been overstressed.

Pump. Lezyne mini-pumps have a separate hose so are much less likely to snap off a Presta valve stem than most others. It plus a CO2 inflater are lighter than a frame pump.

DI2? No recommendation since I'm unlikely to ever own it but, if the frame is ready for it, why not?

9/23/14 8:04 AM

The stiffness in a stem can be a result of design as much as material. I rode a friend's Bianchi years ago that had a pretty stout aluminum stem. It felt like a rock! Did NOT like the feel . . .

9/23/14 9:06 AM

I have no input on steerer/headset.

My understanding Ti seatpost and stem are largely weight saving. Whether it's worth the extra cash is for you to decide. Not for me.

Cable routing: I used to have a bike that has internal cable routing. Pain to maintain indeed but leaves a lot more clean "tubes" to strap bags and pumps on! (see below) And if you don't strap anything on, it looks nice and clean.

Pumps: this I'll add my 2 cents in since I have own TWO Topeak Morph which is one of the only 2 mini-pumps with a hose!

Pros: it's not quite as fast as an old fashion frame pump but perfectly capable to pump to whatever pressure your hearts desire, even for a weakling like me!

Cons: it takes up a bottle cage spot which means you don't have a place for a second bottle! Yes, there're various contractions you can rig up to hold the pump somewhere else. But most of them look ugly.

Conclusion: If you luck out with a frame having pump pegs, great. But it's not really worth limiting your frame choices just for that. Functionally, there're mini-pumps that will do the job JUST AS WELL, if not quite as fast (5 seconds difference?).

9/23/14 11:10 AM

Saw this, 40% off Lynsky Sportive-disc if that is an option. Seem to have decent size choices as well.


https://www.lynskeyperformance.com/store/sportive-disc-with-shimano-6800.html

9/23/14 2:32 PM

Go to your LBS and ask to see the broken ones that customers have returned. Then order the al / ti parts.

9/23/14 6:34 PM

I just bought and spec'd a titanium Lynskey Helix OS. It was a 2013 model I got on a closeout. I went through the same choices when deciding what to get on the bike. In your order:

Tapered headset - This was the big difference between the 2013 and 2014 Helix. In my case, the price difference was going to be $1000, so I went with the older spec of a 1 1/8 straight steerer. I had a tapered on my Cannondale Caad 10. Both bikes steer precisely. I would say go for the tapered steerer. The spec has been around a while and looks like it will be around for quite some time.

Ti stem - Waste of money. It's heavier and more expensive than aluminum. I do not see any performance gain, either.

Ti seatpost - I purchased the Lynskey ti seatpost and LOVE it. It's gorgeous, tightens the seat well and damps the ride a bit. It matches the finish of the bike exactly. I just love the ti seatpost.

Frame pumps - I used to have a Silca frame pump for years and years. I switched to CO2 and have not gone back. While I would not have switched voluntarily, the discontinuation of frame pumps in general and pump pegs on new frames in particular forced the change. I carry a small inflator with 3 of the 16g screw on cartridges. They will inflate the tire to 100 psi.

The most important feature is fit. If the geometry works, then you will likely be happy with whatever you buy. I really like the new Lynskey; riding it made me realize that ti design had advanced subsequent to my Vortex. The R230 is probably the closest to the Vortex.

9/23/14 6:45 PM

Carbon parts don't break like they used too. There are THOUSANDS of carbon post going strong these days. I don't think Cervélo sells a bike with a metal post.

BTW IIRC keep your pics under 200 wide to keep the page set so we don't have to scroll to read the posts.

9/23/14 6:54 PM

Suggested code to alter pic size if source is huge, without cropping the actual pic.

Just diddle the width=# to fit and preview before posting. It will constrain x,y if you just diddle the width FWI.



If I remembered my MOD/Admin log-in PSWD I would just edit the code myself. So the page might be cleaner.

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Carbon post experience. When I first built the Strong in 2000, I used a Easton Carbon EA-90 ? Post.

I rotate my saddles slightly left on all my bikes. A guy I was riding with looking at my new bike started heel of his hand slamming the post to make it straight. After 3 hits and me all over his shit...

The edge of the top of the seat tube dug into the carbon, yes he ruined a brand new post.

The new post [also in the year 2000 an exact replacement he paid for] is still here in perfect shape. This was on the Strong for 13 years. I put something shiny/glossy and pretty on when I revamped it into a SS with the ENO last December.

I used the other one to try a new saddle only last week, yada. Nothing wrong with it other than it's dated appearance.

I will admit to only using alloy on MTB bikes as far I can remember. :)

9/23/14 7:30 PM

quote:

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Is it looking like a Lynskey?

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9/23/14 7:35 PM

Not to be confused with Merlin bikes, merlincycles.com seems to have pretty good prices on groupos.

Chorus 11 under 1200, but you will need to add hubs to that I guess.


http://www.merlincycles.com/campagnolo-chorus-11-speed-groupset-2014-71985.html

9/23/14 8:31 PM

IIRC, they don't make them anymore.

9/23/14 8:42 PM

I'm pretty sure all groups use the Record Hubs, which are black, 32 hole, 9/10/11.

9/24/14 7:01 AM

quote:

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IIRC, they don't make them anymore.

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