I'm in the market for an aerobike...

[ALawson]

I reckon the Venge looks like serious stuff, and you had better be able to pedal a bit. The Awroad whilst probably as aero just looks more sensible (notwithstanding the S-Works pricing).

Fairly good article about the new Boardman wind tunnel, probably better spending £300 quid there first on your existing bike, trying out positions before committing to a potentially more aggressive position.

I find a 4 year old S Works Tarmac ok, but do lust after a Aeroad. Main thing for me would be disks I justifying the bike.

[couzens]

I'm very much taken with the venge expert as was linked earlier, admittedly not full aero but a good in-between, an upgrade in frame, wheels and groupset as to what I have now.

Only issue is, my secture is disc and this is rim brake, will I notice that to be an issue?

[russy01]

If the braking on the Venge was that bad it would be available. Admittedly my buddy says the brakes aren’t anything special - but we completed a 100mile ride with lots of fast downhill and he didn’t die...

I considered a Venge and the reviews often fell in favour of the Aeroad in terms of usability and what I required. Nearly there in terms of raw speed, but ahead in terms of comfort, compliance and value.
The Venge also gets a bit of grief in terms of maintenance - with all cables/hoses concealed basic work/adjustments can become a PITA.

[stongle]

russy01 said:

If the braking on the Venge was that bad it would be available. Admittedly my buddy says the brakes aren’t anything special - but we completed a 100mile ride with lots of fast downhill and he didn’t die...

I considered a Venge and the reviews often fell in favour of the Aeroad in terms of usability and what I required. Nearly there in terms of raw speed, but ahead in terms of comfort, compliance and value.
The Venge also gets a bit of grief in terms of maintenance - with all cables/hoses concealed basic work/adjustments can become a PITA.

I don't think you can buy an S Works Vias without discs now...... SO I suspect it WAS an issue.

I’ve 3 aero bikes currently (well the ESX is aero-ish) and owned several others. The Bontrager brakes on the 9.9 are by far the most powerful rim brake’s I’ve used, and I run same wheelset pad combination on all. Either the S Works rim brakes were comedy bad or the pad / wheelset match was off If you and your set up is as efficient as possible; the biggest benefit (for the average cyclist) of an aero bike is on the flats and coming down hill – brakes should be a big part of the bike selection criteria.

I like the look (and price) of the Aeroad; but being an odd size / and odd position; cant trust myself to fit it right from the internet.

[Daveyraveygravey]

russy01 said:

Hang on, is that the childs version

I see the Ultimate has been mentioned above... this is also a lovely bike. My riding buddy got the Aero version when I got the Aeroad. So his has the Carbon Cosmics, mechanical Ultegra and the same Carbon bars. Both fab bikes and both weigh about the same... (Aeroad is Medium and the Ultimate is Large in this pic)

I think that Ultimate looks nicer than the Aeroad!

OP, will you be keeping your Secteur? I'm only asking because my Propel is my only road bike so winter really fooks it up. The clearances everywhere are so small, leaves/grit/mud are always getting stuck. If it's your only road bike and you want to keep riding throughout the winter (which lasted until a week ago down here this year!) be prepared to spend more on replacing things that wear out, and more time trying to keep it clean/efficient...

[clart]

Another vote for the aeroad here. Probably the most comfortable I've felt on a bike

[Ballistic]

z4RRSchris said:

i saw one of these the other day and fk me its a serious bit of kit.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Specialized/S-Wor...

I've got one of these and can confirm that yes it is a serious bit of kit, although it is surprisingly comfortable to ride and not the bone shaker that I thought it might be.

Mines a Peter Sagan custom build with a full DA Di2 Hydro groupo including the power meters (which held up delivery of the bike for months and in the end the bike shop told me that I was one of the first UK customers to get them).

I decided to buy one after trying most of the current superbikes at one of the Cyclist track days and it was the bike that impressed me the most, plus its one of the best looking bikes out there.

Edited by Ballistic on Sunday 22 April 08:42

[bakerstreet]

You haven't reached the limits of the Tiagra groupset, you just want new and shiney, which is fine. The bicycle market thrives on that.

I would personally go with a Gant Propel as a base then spend the rest on a decent wheel set. Something like the Shimano RS81s? I'd even ride round on 105 and sacrifice that for some decent wheels. As others have said, bike fit is worth spending the money on and I would also allow for some decent tyres.Continental GP4000s?

I'm also a big fan of adding decent bar tape and carbon bars as it increases comfort IME.

[DamienCBR]

I have a Cervelo S2. The only difference between the S2 and S3 was the forks. It was due to come with 105 but i had a few Ultegra bits on my old bike so put those on. Since then i have had Di2 fitted. I love my S2, the only think i have issues with is the BB, i dont like the push fit, have gone through a couple of Rotor ones and now have a Token one, this is a push fit that connects with thread in the middle. Also ride a Lynskey which i love too but the Cervelo is quicker and lighter. Plus i love the look of aero bikes. Incidentally i have a 54, the effective top tube is quite long on these, to match my fit on the Lynskey i had to get a 56.
D

[TAZ 215]

Vote for a Merida Reacto from me; I am lucky enough to have had Team level bikes with Dura Ace di2 etc for the last 4 Year’s.

Comfortable and fast, elastomer in the seat post makes it ride like a 27.2mm carbon post.

Have used it for commuting along cycle paths up and down kerbs, due to ride it on the Mallorca 312 next week.

In my view no need for a compromise between normal and aero. It’s a full aero bike that rides as well as a normal bike.

[couzens]

Bit of an update on this. Managed to secure a decent price on this...

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-VENGE-Size-54...

Picked it up yesterday. Never used Q-Rings before so looking forward to seeing how I get on with it.

[danspec]

I was just going to post that my friend is selling one -

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

It’s a Merida timewarp 4 full carbon bike. It’s brand new never ridden (I told him he was crazy at the time) imo its a bargain because he paid £3500!!

Message him on eBay if your interested. He’s a really nice guy.

[stongle]

danspec said:

I was just going to post that my friend is selling one -

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

It’s a Merida timewarp 4 full carbon bike. It’s brand new never ridden (I told him he was crazy at the time) imo its a bargain because he paid £3500!!

Message him on eBay if your interested. He’s a really nice guy.

He wants an aero bike not a TT bike and probably one not 7 years old. Venge seems a reasonable deal to me. Q rings should be fine, apart fro when you drop a chain....

Edited by stongle on Saturday 26th May 20:05