Expensive commuter option.....

[dinga78]

Currently have an IGH avanti inc2 with a alfine 11 speed, drop bars and TRP spyre cable brakes for commuting.

Cant fault it for that purpose, perfect for any weather and nil maintenance except for brake pads.

However the bike is a tad heavy at 12kg and im constantly dreaming of road bike speed.

My riding is all commuting (20km each way) so to get the lightweight without all of the maintenance im considering Di2 and hydraulic discs to eliminate cable issues thus only leaving cassette and chain etc as the areas of cleaning.

Has anyone made the jump to a bike (cx or road) that is light, has di2 and hydraulic discs for commuting and can comment on whether it was a good decision or not based on the pleasure of the riding and the maintenance involved to ride it daily. Initial research suggests the cost is in the $3-$5k range. Obviously it will be glorius to ride compared to what i have now but im still concerned about the daily cleaning and the cost of replacing wearble components when riding a bike of this quality daily

cheers

[rusty842]

I was considering this proposition before. Go for an endurance based brand.

One thing you want to consider is it having fender attachments.

I ended up going a giant defy advanced pro 0 with ultegra di2 and discs. Bought a Rapha backpack but commuting in the rain without dedicated fender mounts like those in trek domane was my only regret.

[silentbutdeadly]

Not yet...but my new to me Niner RLT should be glorious...

[Patt0]

I have a Domane 4.5 hyd.disc but cable shift. In the 1000km I have ridden it it hasnt required any maintenance besides wiping the chain and sprockets with paper towel a few times and one lube with ceramic lube. For the price of cables I will just replace them once a year and be done with it. I like that it has sealed bearings throughout.

I shower when I get to work and clean my cycle clothes each day so havent worried about mud guards.

[fat and old]

I use an R5 Cervelo for everything, including all weather commuting on all sorts of crappy roads and paths. No disc, so I can't comment there, but Dura Ace Di2.

The joy of not adjusting derailleur cables every 2 weeks has not worn off. In maybe 8 months (?) of commuting I've replaced tyres twice, brake pads once, BB once (don't ask ). Nothing else. Look after it pretty well, but it gets used. I'm not the sort who can actually clean a chain on a nightly basis, and the bike just gets a hose down after a bad weather day. Full clean & lube on the w/e. No fenders, I just get wet and dirty. So what.

Pleasure factor is very high.

I'm at that stage of life where I can afford to indulge, and it's cheaper than a Ferrari

Although I can feel a new purchase revolving around discs creating an itch that needs scratching...............maybe after I see how this winter pans out.

Do it. Life's to short.

[dinga78]

thanks for the feedback

the giant defy advanced pro 0 is top of the list at the moment, was also looking at the polygon helios c8x

no mudguards or fenders required, dont have them now and dont care about a bit of spray

the no cable option was more to avoid the constant adjustment of deraileurs, indexing and brakes......is this actually a problem when u ride cables everyday or am i making more out of this than neccessary and i could drop the Di2 option to save some $$????

[dinga78]

Full clean & lube on the w/e

..........

aaargh i dont like the sounds of this.......i have to clean and lube the drivetrain every weekend????

[fat and old]

Full clean & lube on the w/e

..........

aaargh i dont like the sounds of this.......i have to clean and lube the drivetrain every weekend????

No, not really. I could probably get away with 3 or 4 weeks in good weather. Def in wet weather tho... I do it mainly to keep the cassette and chain sorta shiny. The torn up bar tape is bad enough according to the Beach Rd nazis

I don't know about anyone else, but my last mech bike was ultegra 10sp with fancy Gore cables and it went out every two weeks or so. Easy enough with the barrel adjusters but still a pain.

[dinga78]

sold......di2 is a keeper then, guess im up for slightly more maintenance than my trusty belt drive then

[MattyK]

sold......di2 is a keeper then, guess im up for slightly more maintenance than my trusty belt drive then

http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-bik ... -di21.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(won't help with the weight though...)

[dinga78]

yep.......sub 9kg alfine 11 di2 and hydro discs is doable im told by English cycles but they are around 6K........

[RonK]

Initial research suggests the cost is in the $3-$5k range.

So, another consideration is does your workplace have secure storage for a bike which would likely be the target of thieves.

[dinga78]

yep secure bike room

[dinga78]

Giant Defy Advanced pro 0 is leading the way at this stage, cant see a better value bike that ticks all the boxes

[softy]

If you are a bit concerned about wear and cost of replacement, get a mid range disc roadie or cx bike with shimano 105.

The parts are at the sweet spot for performance / cost, stuff wears out, whack on a newie.

I ride expensive road bikes as commuters, it is not as if your fiddling with them constantly, plus you get thousands of clicks out of even this lightweight equipment.

lubing the chain is really easier than re fuelling a car.

i personal don't see the need for electronic shifters, the mecahicals are so good now. I have campag chorus on one of my bikes, it doesn't miss a gear. SRAM and shimano i don't think are so precise. Although the new 105 is having rave reviews. Why have the extra complication of electronics and extra batteries to charge and upfront cost.

[dinga78]

yeah this is what im tosing up Softy. Im happy with the maintenance requirements and am aware that chains and cassettes will wear annually.

so can i assume after the initial stretch in period the shifting doesnt require constant tweaking with the barrel adjusters to keep the changes precise?

i know i dont touch the cable on the alfine 11 much at all (maybe twice a year to relign shifting) is this likely to be the same on a 105 or ultegra system?

Friends who ride mechanical shifting on commuters have said that the crappy weather plays havoc with shifting and they are constantly tweaking the barel adjuster to allign the derailleurs, this had me concerned initially,

as with everything a mechanical shift hydro disc bike can be had for around $2k compared to the $3500 for the di2 disc defy.

[kb]

Friends who ride mechanical shifting on commuters have said that the crappy weather plays havoc with shifting

This happens to me

and they are constantly tweaking the barel adjuster to allign the derailleurs,

Hmm.. that doesn't sound right, I doubt weather is going to change the indexing. For me, the solution is to clean all the gunk out of the cable guides under the bottom bracket.

[Mulger bill]

Friends who ride mechanical shifting on commuters have said that the crappy weather plays havoc with shifting

This happens to me

and they are constantly tweaking the barel adjuster to allign the derailleurs,

Hmm.. that doesn't sound right, I doubt weather is going to change the indexing. For me, the solution is to clean all the gunk out of the cable guides under the bottom bracket.

Convert the rear to full length housing and crud getting into the system is a distant memory

[dinga78]

sounds like a plan Mulger Bill.....this brings the giant defy advanced pro 1 back into calculations

[rangersac]

Friends who ride mechanical shifting on commuters have said that the crappy weather plays havoc with shifting

Convert the rear to full length housing and crud getting into the system is a distant memory

Or fit some full length mudguards and you'll get sod all crud on things.

[Mulger bill]

Or fit some full length mudguards and you'll get sod all crud on things.

I did both

[softy]

I have three bikes, all cassette and chain drive, i ride in the wet. Bikes are to be ridden, so they do get rain, although my fav bike is mostly fair weather thou.

When there is heavy rain, yes the gears can delay a moment, and be not as precise, but it is not like it doesn't change. It just hessitates or clicks for a couple of turns before it settles.

Once the rain stops they settle down again. I personally haven't had that much problem. When it is raining that hard, you are more worried about your shoes being slooshie.

[g-boaf]

Friends who ride mechanical shifting on commuters have said that the crappy weather plays havoc with shifting

This happens to me

and they are constantly tweaking the barel adjuster to allign the derailleurs,

Hmm.. that doesn't sound right, I doubt weather is going to change the indexing. For me, the solution is to clean all the gunk out of the cable guides under the bottom bracket.

I have mechanical shifting on my bikes I use for commuting and I am not constantly tweaking the indexing. Bad weather or not, the shifting is fine. One of them I sometimes race as well. It's not a great drama.

[dinga78]

for what its worth and if anyone is interested here is my current list of options........budget dependant of course
ATM i'm favouring the BH

https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/road- ... /102653331" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/road- ... /102827066" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.avantiplus.com.au/products/ ... corsa-er-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.pmcycles.com.au/cannondale_c ... %282016%29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.99bikes.com.au/bike16-merida ... signal-red" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/road- ... /102635508" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dinga78]

down to 3

BH quartz disc ultegra $2899
Cannondale CAAD12 105 disc $2699
Cube GTC pro disc 105 $2639

have also seen a second hand trek domane 6.2 disc for 2800 but its a 56cm frame which may be just a touch too small