Quote:
Originally Posted by otto_kretschmer
man... I'm feeling the love today, thanks guys
You guys convinced me to not go with option 1, so no mountain bike bars on the Cannondale. I'm 6'-4" so I need a big bike and I'm not going to find my bike on a show room floor. I made that mistake in 1988 with the Cannondale and I won't do that again. I remember while riding it I would switch positions often, on the hoods, then on the corners and then on the straight parts and then back to the hoods. I didn't use the drops that much.
The Gilmour frame should be on my porch by Saturday. It has a lot of "patina". If I can get new decals from Gilmour I'll paint it baby blue or orange and if I can swing it maybe I can get him to sign it again.
The Gilmour bike is a project and I have a rule of not starting a new project until I finish my current project and I'm breaking that rule now. My 76 911 is still on jackstands with the motor on the floor but I had to grab this Gilmour. I always wanted one of his bikes and if I waited it would be gone. I was worried it would be too big but I took a tape measure to my Cannondale to see where the top tube would be and I should fit it.
I never heard of gravel bikes until a couple days ago when I started researching a new bike. I really like the tires on those bikes but I don't know about the gearing. Tucson has lots of good bike paths and I have always rode on asphalt. I'm thinking a road bike with the wheels and tires of a gravel bike is the way to go.
New bike vs old bike. I have a 1975 BMW R90S and a 2008 Kawasaki Concours 14. I like riding both but for serious touring a new bike is better. A new 2023 BMW R1250RT is probably another leap.
I need to get going and walk that dog now..
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Once you go gravel you never go back.....
Well maybe... Built up a Ti gravel frame last year ...and added a 50/34 Ultegra chainset driving an 11-32 cassette. Hydro disc braking. All running on 48mm deep carbon aero rims and WTB Exposure 36mm tires @45psi.
After more than 10,000 miles in 360 days I'm pretty sold on it. Mainly ridden on roads and country lanes and it is fast and comfortable. At 55 comfort is a priority and it's fast enough for most club rides and fun and games.
As comparators I have:
i) 2016 carbon race machine with Ultegra Di2.
ii) 1986 steel framed (531c) Raleigh Road Ace (ridden since new) with Shimano Golden Arrow group set.
iii) Alloy framed gravel machine 2014 with Shimano 105 groupset.
The ti gravel frame is faster than all of them.... the carbon machine might be far more responsive and accelerates better but it lacks the flow of the ti machine. The steel is just sublime... but slow comparatively slow... I have ridden it for decades so it feels good, but the data doesn't lie. It's slow and with a full race position no longer that comfortable for a longer ride. Love it though.
The more relaxed position of the gravel bike, even with a longer stem than would be expected is far more appropriate for the type of riding I want to do and the weekly 120km rides are pretty much always done on the ti machine. The carbon bike's slim outright speed advantage is insufficient to overcome the ti gravel machine's additional comfort.
