Cycling UK Forum

horizon wrote: ↑23 Jan 2024, 8:47pm
So, at least to put the other side of the argument, I would say, no, there is very little to be gained from the £7250 list price, certainly not the perfect ride. But funny things do happen. This bike might just be just right for you, it might inspire you, it might become your Sunday best. And yes, you really might notice and enjoy the difference. You might find of course that this bike still needs tweaking but there again it might indeed be "perfect". So if you do buy it, enjoy it and even better, come back on here and tell us about it!

I bought the bike. And I think it’s great. But the problem was the rider and not the bike (which may mostly always be the case?).
The Aethos is far lighter than the. Where I notice this the most is the responsiveness when putting in power, both at the bottom of the hill on the way up, and going round bends when in a bunch and it elastic bands out. I just feel as though the power I put through the pedals moves me. A bit like the difference between accelerating in an electric care compared to an ICE.
A couple of big things:
Di2: The electronic gears are good, but very much a “nice to have”. I can’t think that it would be worth the money to swap out mechanical Ultegra for Ultegra Di2. Just not worth it for me. I tried Di2 in fully automatic shifting, and semi automatic shifting, but have settled on manual.
Disc Brakes: Love them. Absolutely love them. So responsive.

One of the issues I complained about before getting the Aethos, was going downhill on the Van Rysel. Well that was 100% user error. Today I have just gotten a PR on the Van Rysel bike whilst out in the rain, 9th fastest on that segment this year and 2 secs faster than in the dry on the Aethos. I know the road, and I feel more comfortable leaning into the corner on both bikes. The new tyres that I put on the Van Rysel feel grippy in the wet.

Every other segment I have done has been PRd on the Aethos, but that is as much to do with fitness and the fact I have been riding the Aethos more in the summer months.

I'll put in 28 km/h as per one post, and if it's too fast I can drop back to the group behind. Whereas, if the group is too slow, there is no way of getting to other group until following day.
It's London to Amsterdam and will have a day where we do 1500m elevation.

Hi,

I am doing a cycling tour and we are being split into groups. To go into the correct group, I have been asked for my "avg speed on a flat ride."

I don't do flat rides, all my rides have elevation. How can I roughly calculate my avg speed on a flat based off of a recent ride which has elevation?
For example a recent ride on Strava is:
41 km
1:39:25 moving time
601m elevation
24.8km/h avg speed

What would the flat road equivalent be? Or in the cycling world, 600m over 41km is relatively flat, and so this is the figure to go with?

Thanks to all the responses.

First change I made was to add grippier tyres to the bike which appeared to have more channels for water, than what my existing tyres had. I also spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos on cornering, and asking for tips. Examples came back as to where to put my weight when going downhill, and whether I should be on the hoods or drops for more control of the bike. Certainly, choosing a better line, looking where I want to be in the distance goes some way, and also trusting myself to lean a little more and that the bike won't just topple over.
Had a good 60km ride in some pretty miserable weather at the weekend (yellow weather warning). Tyres made a real difference, could feel them gripping the road which was good. I did a route that I had last done on the borrowed Specialized bike, and I was ultimately slower, but that was more down to weather conditions than anything else. It was pretty sketchy going over the moors.

A new set of wheels (after looking around), could easily cost £1k. When comparing that to the after tax cost of a brand new bike (£2.5k due to cycletowork), plus some other upgrade, it doesn't seem like a good spend of money.
Keep the VR bike with the new winter tyres for winter, a new bike for summer, and continue focussing on bike handling skills (rather than blaming the bike for my inability to stay upright).

Jupestar wrote: ↑25 Jan 2024, 6:48pm If you want a bit more speed for the same effort. I would (in order) upgrade the tyres, then wheelset. Whilst making sure the brakes are as good as can be.

Brakes will give you confidence to go faster.

If you do then change the frame, for whatever reason the wheelset and tyres can go with you.

Upgrading wheelset, doesn't mean big aero carbon rims.. that could make you jumpy on the handling, but a pair of solid lightweight wheels especially as you are only 70kg could make a big difference (depending on what you have already).

Any decent road tyre will be a revelation compared to the armoured ones you are about to put on.

In the nicest way possible; so what tyres should I be looking at? These ones I have just bought have good reviews and seem perfect for the type of weather I am out in in winter.
Same goes for wheelset too. What’s a good rim brake clincher? If I wanted carbon aero disc tubeless, then I have a plethora of wheels to choose from. Not so much on the former.

rareposter wrote: ↑25 Jan 2024, 6:55pm

531colin wrote: ↑25 Jan 2024, 6:15pm I found VR head angle 73.5 in the OPs link https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/road-bike ... R-p-311959....but not offset.
Allez seems to be same angle and 45mm offset, so my guess is a close similarity......which is unhelpful in explaining different cornering!

Sometimes geometry charts just don't explain it.

A friend of mine used to own an Argon18 - on paper a very nice road bike. He is a very experienced rider (a professional guide and coach). Somehow he just never got on with the bike and swapped it for a Colnago C64. He's at one with that bike and (much as I hate the cliche) he can descend like he's on rails on that one. The geometry figures are very similar, both bikes were carbon, a lot of the kit that was on the old one got transferred to the new one and both bikes are of the same genre (quite racy, lightweight road bikes).

But he just never felt right on the old one.

I've seen it before when experienced riders hire a bike when on holiday - you can sometimes spot people who's previous confident riding has disappeared due to some abstract "feel" of the borrowed bike even though on paper there's little between them (in fact sometimes the hired bike is ostensibly "better" than their own bike).

This.
I can’t explain why I feel the way I do. I’m quite analytical, so I am thinking of the why. Is it because most of my riding was summer, got new bike in winter. Had an accident, lost confidence, got scared, had another accident which compounds how I feel? And then subliminally associate this current bike to falling, so that makes me tense, even when I try not to be?

I rode the Aethos for 10mins this morning to make sure the sizing felt right before I decide on if I’m buying it or not. Feels very light, nimble, brakes are incredible. Electric gears work. I certainly don’t need them. The Ultegra gearset I have works just fine.

When I say came off after going too fast, it was too fast for conditions. Road was wet and slippy, I was bombing down and car in front put brakes on, I put mine on, rear wheel locked, and down I went.

Tyres on the bike are Fusion 5, 27mm. I have them set to about 95PSI. I weigh 71kg. After looking online, it seems as though that’s on the high side, especially given the wet roads I’m out on. I’ve ordered a set of these tyres: Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elite II 700c, in 28mm as that’s the largest the specs says my bike can take. Will see how much difference that makes.

Van Ryder bike is a Medium, and I’m 177cm. Geometry is in 2nd image here: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/road-bik ... R-p-311959. No idea on the Allez, but would guess that it’s this one: https://99spokes.com/en-GB/bikes/speci ... 7/allez-e5, geometry at foot of page. Size 56 on this one.

With regards to the club ride comment; I am not in the club. I am invited along by a friend, as a guest. The social rides are fun, I can sit in and keep up the pace. If I were to get dropped, they'll either all stop, or the friend will drop back with me, as I am their responsibility. It's the longer weekend rides where I struggle, and my friend will drop off with me, or even take me ahead (if the club stop to wait on someone with a puncture being repaired). One of my goals is to be able to be in with their level, in time (I am not equating a new bike to me being able to keep up, just answering the question on type of riding I do).

The falling off the bike bit: I've come off 3 times; all in wet weather and for varying reasons (downhill too fast, and hitting snow after a cattle grid). How much of it is bike handling, and my ability to handle a bike, I don't know (I could even look at my ability get my shoe unclipped quicker, which may have helped my balance and not have fallen?) But I do know I feel less confident at speed than I did on the previous Allez. I am quicker on flat, and uphill than before, it's the downhill sections where I struggle in comparison to before.

The advice to take a look at the wheels, and tyres, is I think, sound advice (it's been mentioned several times). I will play with the PSI, not something I thought of until posting here. According to this: https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure, my PSI is way too high. I will look to buy new tyres before getting a new bike and see how I get on. It's something that would need to get done at some point anyway.

Thank you. This is all very helpful.

My rides are a mix of going out with people of various abilities, and going out on club runs where I work extremely hard not to get dropped.

The advice to get carbon wheels was from someone who I believe to have my interests at heart, and nothing to do with his own. Upon reading the reviews of my own bike, many say the first upgrade would be the wheels, and so the advice to get new wheels, wasn’t new. I just don’t know how much advantage I would gain by having carbon wheels. Certainly the weight gain wouldn’t provide much.
Similar to the person waxing lyrical about his carbon frame, upon doing research, there isn’t much between an alu and carbon frame for ride quality - unless I am reading the wrong stuff?

The initial conundrum started with the fact my work does a cycle to work scheme with a £5k limit, and this particular bike is on sale and within that limit. From what I can see, it’s a very good bike for the money.
The 2nd part of it, and this reasoning may be inexperience, is that I never came off the Allez, and I have had several falls on the VR. How much of it is the bike, and how much of it is me, I don’t know. But I don’t feel as comfortable going downhill and round bends on the VR than I did on the Allez; my Strava segments show as much. In my mind, if I go for the Specialized bike, I will enjoy riding more. And if I am getting a new bike, I may as well use the cycle to work scheme, and close out the max limit; hence coming across the Aethos.
I know a bike won’t make the difference between me getting dropped or not, and that’s up to me to work on that.

Coming back to the car analogy made, I know that a hot-hatch is more fun to drive than its non turbo little sister. Does getting the ‘better’ bike provide a better experience?

Hi,
I am reasonably new to cycling (Aug 2021).
I started off on a borrowed Specialised Allez with 8-speed Claris, alu frame and carbon fork. It was good to get started on. I then bought a Van Rysel EDR AF Ultegra, which is again alu frame, carbon fork, has 11-speed Ultegra gearset. It weighs 8.6kg; it cost me just over £1000 (I had a discount).

I've been told by many people, to get a carbon frame, get carbon wheels, disc brakes etc. etc. So I am looking at getting a new bike which will 'upgrade' every component. I have just reserved a Specialized Aethos Expert with Di2 Ultegra, which comes in at 7.2kg.
Apart from the weight, what benefit will I see from such a bike? And even with the weight; how big a deal is it for a someone doing 150km a week? I have lost 6kg recently, so an extra 1.5kg isn't a big deal surely?
In my mind, there is no point in getting a slightly 'better' bike. For example; a carbon bike with 105. Or going to one with mechanical disc brakes. But I don't know why I have that in my head either. I do not have the experience to understand the why.
Would £200 on a bike fit, be more valuable than a new bike? Foot position, hand position being improved will make the bike feel better and I will get more out of it?
Now that I have the bike reserved I am now questioning what I am doing, and not sure I can justify the spend.
Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks. I have done that, and sadly most out of my budget.
Seems like Club Quarters Hotel has one in it's gym, so will try that.

Maybe a long shot this, but does anyone know of any hotels in London, reasonably priced (£250 or under per night) which has bikes that can be used for Zwifting? For example, has a Wattbike, Technogym Bike etc.
I’m doing a training plan and travel quite a bit for work to London, and would like to continue the plan when working away.