Cycling UK Forum

I thought the max was 30t. If the Short Cage can do 32t, than I will go for that. Don't see myself using anything bigger than 32t.

Fork will be black (I think it is the only color available).

Bar tape will be "honey", like the brooks saddle. Thought of making something a bit different than the traditional titanium frame + black tape/seat.

However, I wont be using Brooks tape, it is just too expensive for what it is. I have previously used a leather tape from a company in Barcelona called Finna, which is as good (if not better) than the Brooks, at less than half the price, and comes with chrome end plugs.

That is the intention, go light without compromising reliability or comfort. I am on the light side myself (70 kg), so I will not need very large tyres, or heavy and resistant frames.

This is how it currently looks (some of the stuff is parts that I have lying around, some I am planning on buying in promotions/sales that I have found online):

Frame Enigma Etape Disc
Fork Enigma C-Six Carbon Disc Fork
Rear Derailleur Ultegra Rear Derailleur RD-6700-A GS grey
Crankset Shimano FC - R565 Compact, Hyperdrive 50 x 34 T Black
Front Derailleur Shimano Ultegra FD-6700G
Chain SRAM 1071
Cassette Shimano TIAGRA CS-4600, 12-30 T
Bottom Bracket Shimano Dura Ace BB-R9100
Shifters Shimano Ultegra ST-6700
Handlebars Enigma Compact 6061 O/S Handlebars
Headset Enigma
Seatpost Van Nicholas Titanium Seatpost
Stem Enigma 3D Forged Stem
Saddle Brooks Swallow
Brakes Avid BB7 SL
Wheelset Shimano RX31
Tyres Continental GP4000S 700x28

Quite interesting.

The bike fit I am doing is not free, but I do not think it is particularly expensive either. I have heard of people paying £200 plus for a bike fit, this one will be €80. It is done by academics, who specialize in performance enhancing for pro athletes, and these bike fits ar also a way of them getting useful data for their research, I suppose.

Thanks for your earlier post on seat angles Colin. So the angle of the seat tube affects reach? The smaller the angle the longer the top tube and therefore reach?

Sorry Csantos (OP) for partially hijacking your thread. But I'm genuinely interested as I've just started Audax. For now I'm doing the events on my Surly DT but I'm keen to learn about other options.

No problem at all. I am finding this geometry debate quite interesting, and will be very helpful for choosing the right frame. I am doing a proper bike fit this week, and this has already given me some stuff to think about.

This https://www.alpkit.com/sonder/bikes/son ... e-and-fork seems good value. No idea what they are like to ride though!

Looks nice, but I no not think it is possible to fit mudguards on that fork...

No I was saying the opposite, that with a disk brake frame there is no need to limit tyre size choice, I wouldn't chose a frame which did and that for me would rule out the J.Guillem.

Ok, I got it now. It is a very valid point, and that was why I ruled out the J.Guillem. But the looks on that frame are just stunning.

You missed out Van Nicholas in the major Ti brands - the website is a bit vague on disc brakes but they are an option.

When I was still aiming for caliper brakes the Van Nicholas Yukon was my favourite, but for what I have seen they do not have a disc version. Do they?

Tyre size - I quite like 28s for Audax and if you use caliper brakes that's pretty much as wide as you get, I really don't see why you'd restrict yourself with disks. Who knows what you might want to do in the future? There's some UK Audax where wider tyres would be an advantage, or... well just about anything. I'd not choose a frame with such a limitation.

Sorry, but I did not get the point. Are you saying disks limit tyre choice? I initially wanted to go for a caliper brake version, since I have some spare wheels that I could use, but the future seems to be disks, and calipers usually restrict the maximum tyre size you can use, so I changed to a disks configuration (I was thinking perhaps a pair of Avid BB7's).

As for the Sabbath maybe I got it wrong, but it seems to me that their finish is not as polished and bright as the Van Nicholas or the Enigma. Some people prefer it that way, since it is less seen, and hence more exclusive, but I really like the bright and shiny look.

I do not have a specific problem with the Scott, I have no pains or numbness, but after the 100 km the body starts getting tired of been hit by all those road vibrations. I can do 200 km brevet with it, but I was aiming for something that would leave me less beaten up after long rides. Furthermore, it is not very practical to put mudguards or dynamo lights on a Scott Addict. I would like to keep the Scott for summer days, and have the Titanium bike for long rides and winter. I also have a steel frame bike that I like riding (my dad's old bike), it is very comfortable, but really, really heavy, has impractical gear ratios and the frame is two sizes above my size, so it wouldn't be a good choice for Audax either.

Hello,

This is my first post in this forum, and I hope it will be the first of many.

I am the happy owner of a Scott Addict 20, 2014 model, with a beautiful stealth look. I like the Scott very much, it is light and fast and climbs really well. It is also quite rigid, which is simultaneous good and bad, all the power goes down to the wheels, no flexes, but any ride above 100km starts to get uncomfortable.

I plan on doing longer rides, I would like to do some audax events, and, who knows, maybe even try the 2019 PBP. So I decided to build something that would deliver more comfortable long rides, and that at the same time could be used as a winter bike (I tend to use the Scott only on sunny days, since it is a pain to clean the matte frame). I have long been an admirer of titanium bikes, and think one of those would really suit my needs.

I could go down the easy path, and just buy a complete bike, but I like the fun of building something from scratch. Last summer I completely rebuilt by dad’s old steel bike, and I really enjoyed it. Furthermore, I live in Portugal, and most of the bikes/frames I like are UK brands, some of which are hard to find around here, and it is much easier to buy a frame online and getting it through the post, than a complete bike.

I made a list of the characteristics that the new bike should have:
- Must be titanium
- Must be able to mount mudguards
- Must be able to mount 25mm tyres with mudguards (preferably 28mm)
- Must have disc brakes
- Must have a comfortable/relaxed geometry
- Must have fittings for rear carriers

After much reading, including in this forum, I came up with the following shortlist for frames:
- Enigma Etape Disc
- Kinesis GF_Ti Disc
- Linskey Sportive Disc
- Sabbath September AR-1 Disc
- J. Guillem Orient Disc Titanium Audax

After even more reading and analysis, I am very inclined towards the Enigma.

The Kinesis is very nice, checks all the boxes, and even has internal routing (may be good, may be bad, but it sure looks nice and tidy), but it is quite expensive. The Linskey is also expensive, and the looks don’t really fir my liking. The Sabbath also checks all the boxes, but I do not like the finish they put on the standard frame (they call it the “bright brush”). The J.Guillem is just beautiful, a real piece of art, but tyre clearances are tight, and the price is also a bit on the high side.

The Enigma ticks all the boxes, the looks are also quite stunning, price is reasonable, and I really like the attitude of the folks at Enigma. I have not yet contacted them, but I have several posts here where they are not afraid to explain why they developed the product as they did, and are quick to answer queries people have regarding their bikes.

I am sharing this since a lot of people here have probably come across these issues many times before, and it would be good to hear some opinions.