The Bicycle / Biking Gear Thread

Ok, starting to save forward to a new project for the next cycling season, not this one. Based on the Kona Libre, or something like it. I rode a Libre last summer for just a few minutes and was blown away by how it accelerated, how light it felt, and how fun. It was fitted with 650b wheels and tires. I want to get one and swap out the wheels for 700c, or get a frame and build one up. Here is the bike. They are sold out for the season, and I have a good connection with the local dealer to help me put things together. I want to basically mash up the two bikes and end up with the purple bike with the 2x gearing, but with 700c wheels to run plus or minus 40c tires.



2019 LIBRE
  • Frame Material: Kona Race Light Carbon
  • Fork: Kona Verso Carbon Touring
  • Wheels: WTB KOM i25 TCS 650b
  • Crankset: Shimano 105
  • Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra/105 11spd
  • Brakes: Shimano 105 Flat Mount 160mm front / 160mm rear rotor
  • Seat Post: Kona Thumb w/Offset
  • Cockpit: Kona Road Bar/Kona Road Deluxe Stem
  • Front Tire: WTB Byway TCS 650x47c
  • Rear tire: WTB Byway TCS 650x47c
  • Saddle: WTB SL8 Pro
$2,999. (apparently it is also available as a frame set, but I don't know the price of that).

I am interested in road plus, and would likely graduate from my current road bike that I built up from a frame from @Tig . I love my old Merckx, but I do not race, and am not a down on the hoods type of rider a whole lot. I would also like wider tires and the ability to go out on the dirt roads for some longer explorations, but on a frame that is light and can feel quick in terms of acceleration. Most of my road riding is on the shoulder seasons, and most of the guys I ride with are on a cross or gravel type bike with good rolling gravel capable wider tires. The riding is a mix of pavement and dirt road. And they are strong riders who I have to work to keep up with. I liked the stack and position on the Kona due to a formerly blown lower back disc, and I tend to pedal for longer distances more comfortably if I can open up my chest a little, keep my hands pretty wide, and bear down when it is time, with the ability to go to the drops on a more gravel/randonneur type bar when I want/need to. I would give up some steering quickness, but the reviews say that despite the slacker angles, the bike does not feel sluggish. I can't say I had enough time to say for sure, or compare, but I do not think I would give up a ton in terms of handling for my purposes. I was more interested in the acceleration and light feel.

Also, honestly, I also really like the look, and how it pretty much matches up with my mountain bike. :facepalm: :bigg: .

There are some other bikes out there built up with 105 and maybe I will also check those out. Such as a Trek or Specialized. I hope to find out what the frame price would be so I could see if I could end up getting even some Ultra as part of the mix, pick my own bar, and build my own wheels and come in not too far from their build. The wheels would likely be built on DT Swiss 350's again, and some carbon hoops from china.

That would be the other way would be to buy the 105 bike, and sell the stock wheels and tires, and swap in the wheels I build up and replace parts over time.

I like that I have quite a while to plan and save up for this as I have NO budget for this right now. Vision boarding at the moment.

So thoughts from you guys on the project would be appreciated.
 

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I think at that price point you'd have a lot of opinions. Take a look at Cannondale's Topstone series as well since I've read some good stuff about them. Mostly they are out of my price range though. I have a CAAD10-3 but I got it on the cheap. When I was testing bikes back then I never noticed much difference between carbon and Al in terms of acceleration but there was some difference in ride quality. But I like Cannondale so would certain give it a look. It will boil down to what options you want and what you are prepared to live with or swap out later
 
Yeah, will look at some others. Never hurts. And was not pulling the trigger until after summer anyway. I did get the frame only price including frame, fork, and thru-axles. $1,999.00. So in talking to my LBS, thinking we will order the full build and just swap out wheels, or I will end up with two sets.
 
sunvalleylaw said:
Ok, starting to save forward to a new project for the next cycling season, not this one. Based on the Kona Libre, or something like it. I rode a Libre last summer for just a few minutes and was blown away by how it accelerated, how light it felt, and how fun. It was fitted with 650b wheels and tires. I want to get one and swap out the wheels for 700c, or get a frame and build one up. Here is the bike. They are sold out for the season, and I have a good connection with the local dealer to help me put things together. I want to basically mash up the two bikes and end up with the purple bike with the 2x gearing, but with 700c wheels to run plus or minus 40c tires.



2019 LIBRE
  • Frame Material: Kona Race Light Carbon
  • Fork: Kona Verso Carbon Touring
  • Wheels: WTB KOM i25 TCS 650b
  • Crankset: Shimano 105
  • Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra/105 11spd
  • Brakes: Shimano 105 Flat Mount 160mm front / 160mm rear rotor
  • Seat Post: Kona Thumb w/Offset
  • Cockpit: Kona Road Bar/Kona Road Deluxe Stem
  • Front Tire: WTB Byway TCS 650x47c
  • Rear tire: WTB Byway TCS 650x47c
  • Saddle: WTB SL8 Pro
$2,999. (apparently it is also available as a frame set, but I don't know the price of that).

I am interested in road plus, and would likely graduate from my current road bike that I built up from a frame from @Tig . I love my old Merckx, but I do not race, and am not a down on the hoods type of rider a whole lot. I would also like wider tires and the ability to go out on the dirt roads for some longer explorations, but on a frame that is light and can feel quick in terms of acceleration. Most of my road riding is on the shoulder seasons, and most of the guys I ride with are on a cross or gravel type bike with good rolling gravel capable wider tires. The riding is a mix of pavement and dirt road. And they are strong riders who I have to work to keep up with. I liked the stack and position on the Kona due to a formerly blown lower back disc, and I tend to pedal for longer distances more comfortably if I can open up my chest a little, keep my hands pretty wide, and bear down when it is time, with the ability to go to the drops on a more gravel/randonneur type bar when I want/need to. I would give up some steering quickness, but the reviews say that despite the slacker angles, the bike does not feel sluggish. I can't say I had enough time to say for sure, or compare, but I do not think I would give up a ton in terms of handling for my purposes. I was more interested in the acceleration and light feel.

Also, honestly, I also really like the look, and how it pretty much matches up with my mountain bike. :facepalm: :bigg: .

There are some other bikes out there built up with 105 and maybe I will also check those out. Such as a Trek or Specialized. I hope to find out what the frame price would be so I could see if I could end up getting even some Ultra as part of the mix, pick my own bar, and build my own wheels and come in not too far from their build. The wheels would likely be built on DT Swiss 350's again, and some carbon hoops from china.

That would be the other way would be to buy the 105 bike, and sell the stock wheels and tires, and swap in the wheels I build up and replace parts over time.

I like that I have quite a while to plan and save up for this as I have NO budget for this right now. Vision boarding at the moment.

So thoughts from you guys on the project would be appreciated.
Click to expand...


What's the deal with the 650 wheels? Do they have some sort of advantage?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
rickenvox said:
What's the deal with the 650 wheels? Do they have some sort of advantage?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

If you are bike packing and carrying a large load or on very rough terrain. Then sure. But for my mostly road and some gravel/dirt use, 700 C and plus or minus 40 should probably be the sweet spot.
 
Earlier this year Performance Bicycle closed in ABQ; I was pretty bummed, as the independent stores here focus on $200 Schwinns and REI has stopped really being a road bike source. Into the gap steps Trek! We have a Trek super-store!

I ask about some mechanical services, and they are a little pricey, but otherwise not bad.

Then I say to the sales person, "I'll be honest, I'm scared of your pricing. I'm looking at a carbon frame on BikesDirect with an Ultegra gruppo for $1,600. For those benchmarks, what am I looking at in your bikes?"

"For a carbon frame and a gruppo above 105 (note: I just don't like the 105's, they feel clunky to me), you're looking at $3,400 minimum."

Sweet Jesus, man.
 
There must be some markup in ABQ :shrug:
On Trek's website there is a carbon/105 Emonda SL5 for 2099 and a Domane SL5 for 2299. I'm not sure how they go with list price vs actual. When I got my CAAD3 back in 13 it was listed at 2200 I think but I paid 1200. YMMV but I doubt they will be anywhere close to what you can get from BikesDirect still
 
Danhedonia said:
Then I say to the sales person, "I'll be honest, I'm scared of your pricing. I'm looking at a carbon frame on BikesDirect with an Ultegra gruppo for $1,600. For those benchmarks, what am I looking at in your bikes?"
Click to expand...

Have you ever bought from BikesDirect? I’m already considering upgrading from the $900 Trek I bought last summer.
 
I have NOT bought from BikesDirect. But I think I would, if I had a local wrench I trusted. (That's cuz I think they come disassembled, and I do not think I'm capable of doing it).

I think that their bikes are very much for real, and a fantastic deal. The more I learn about road cycling's business model, the more I feel like I'd like to do business with BikesDirect. Why not?

* Great parts
* Seem very legit as a business
* "Cost of sales" for a LOT of road bike sellers is huge. HUGE. I can't even imagine the air-con bill for that Trek Superstore in ABQ.
 
I know a few people who have used them but I have not. I wish their website was a bit better but they are legit and if you don't mind getting your hands dirty (or care to pay someone to do so, just factor in that cost when you figure how much you are saving) they can be a great deal
 
Danhedonia said:
I have NOT bought from BikesDirect. But I think I would, if I had a local wrench I trusted. (That's cuz I think they come disassembled, and I do not think I'm capable of doing it).

I think that their bikes are very much for real, and a fantastic deal. The more I learn about road cycling's business model, the more I feel like I'd like to do business with BikesDirect. Why not?

* Great parts
* Seem very legit as a business
* "Cost of sales" for a LOT of road bike sellers is huge. HUGE. I can't even imagine the air-con bill for that Trek Superstore in ABQ.
Click to expand...

Most disassembled bikes only require that you mount the stem, pedals, seat post, and wheels. Pretty straightforward. But you do usually need a bike shop just to fine tune the brake and derailleur settings.


Also if you're looking for a serious bike
competitivecyclist.com is highly recommended. They offer big percentages off in their closeout section, if you can find your size. Also jensonusa.com is a great site, with more affordable options. I've used both sites many times and have always been happy.
 
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