Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Non-Thorn Related => Topic started by: Cambirder on March 26, 2013, 08:39:37 pm
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I've had my RST 18 months now and ridden it some 7000 km, including all my day rides and audax rides. My only other bike is a Dawes Galaxy which is mainly used for trips into town and shopping runs. Having two steel framed touring bikes is leaving me yearning for something compleatly different to add to my small stable.
I thought it would be nice to have something light and fast, unincumbered by racks and mudguards that I can blitz around the country lanes if we ever get any decent weather. Ideally also should be robust and comfy over 100-200k and so I'm now drewling over this
http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/road/race_performance/domane_4_series/domane_4_5_compact/#
Looks perfect for a summer 200km audax ride on some of the rather rough lanes they visit. Never had a road bike and I think I ought to before I reach 60 (next year) all I need to do is convince my treasurer that yet another bike is an absolute requirement for my continuing well being.
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I'm now drewling over this beauty.
Who are you, and what have you done with Paul? :o
All kidding aside, this looks like one fast ride, and I have no doubt from all reports that it will indeed fulfill your mission. A bit like keeping a Harrier in the garage for strafing country lanes.
My feeling: You've got the touring end of things covered with the Dawes. The RST pretty much covers the rest of sporty-riding. The Madone would cover the more seriously fast end of things. Of course you are aware of the compromises (this isn't a touring bike) and -- hey! -- you only live once. Just tell the treasurer if you don't get it, you'll always wonder, and nothing is worse than an unfulfilled life. A dramatic but proven claim. :D
All the best,
Dan. (...who might do the same, except *all* his bikes end up as touring bikes)
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Looks nice although I've never been convinced about carbon. If you'r contemplating something other than steel I have my eye on one of these
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s21p2573
though might not be quite what you are looking for.
Ewan
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I'd go for either a Specialized Roubiax or a Bianchi Infiniti if I were in the market for expensive carbon road bikes. The slightly longer head tubes and frame design is geared more towards long distance racing so would be more comfy. The Bianchi would be my preference just because they look so good!
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I'd go for either a Specialized Roubiax or a Bianchi Infiniti if I were in the market for expensive carbon road bikes. The slightly longer head tubes and frame design is geared more towards long distance racing so would be more comfy. The Bianchi would be my preference just because they look so good!
Whoops! I originally posted a link to the wrong bike I've now changed it to the Domane 4.5 rather than the Madone 4.5. The Domane is more along the lines of the Roubiax, it also comes in a much cheaper Aluminium form which might get past the treasurer with less sharp intake of breath.
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Ah, that makes a lot of sense, and the Domane can fit mudguards as well. Still i think the celeste of the bianchi infinito still wins it for me though (and its *only* 2250 quid... ;) )
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This may be my inner insecurities talking (yes, it is; I just checked), but I would be largely fine with a carbon bike for sporting purposes so long as I could replace the carbon fork with a steel one or even aluminum.
The one thing that scares the daylights out of me about carbon frames is the possibility of a fork breaking. I have seen several examples of broken forks at dealers, as well as warrantied forks that appeared to be largely fine to the casual eye, but it would sure be easy to miss some of the warning signs, like a scuff-damaged clear-coat. I know carbon forks are well-proven in millions of miles for manymanymany users and are the order of the day in competition, but still...a failure there is more likely to have tragic consequences than at some other point in the bike frame.
Danneaux's Seal of Qualified Approval on the Domaine's alu fork, though I wish it was steel 'cos steel is um, "real".
Best,
Dan. (...who has found the monster under his bed in this one)
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We really enjoy a quick Sunday morning blast on our whizzy bikes, obviously, they won't do what the two Thorns will, but that's not the point, which I think, means ... go for it ;-)
Alternative view: the optimum number of bicycles is either N+1 where N is how many you have now, or S-1 where S is the number which will cause strife in your relationship.
Beware though, there was a time when I had N bicycles and 'she who must be obeyed' had one, now we both have N, and it is not easy to get the green bin through the garage on recycling day.
sdg.
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Planet X has good carbon bikes for great value, if it must be Crabon but doesn't have to be "fancy".
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBBAC13U/battaglin_c13_carbon_ultegra_complete_bike
Ciocc (small Italian firm from the olden steel days) does carbon too if you want something off the beaten path.
http://www.racescene.co.uk/pages/ciocc-special-offer-bikes
I seen their bikes on Fleabay too. They reply to e-mails etc. and chat on their FB page, small firm.
As for N...I don't have a garage. That will limit my N.
1 beater (outside)
2 XTC (behind kitchen table)
3 Hob fixie (kitchen small corridor upside down)
4 Ciocc San Cristobal vintage racer. Errr....I need a wall mount. It's nearly built up need some parts.
The other half has 2 bikes, 5 vintage frames (I covet his Raleigh Team track frame from the late 70s badly good it's 3 sizes too big) about 3 wheelsets, 5 pairs of tires, a nearly complete Campy Pista groupset and I could go on... S-1 has not yet been reached. He does have a garage though...if we ever move in together and the bikes breed we will be in trouble ;)
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I've been brave and raised the subject with my "treasurer" and it looks like I have the green light for n+1, so I think I might be off to my LBS tomorrow to see about a test ride / fitting. Not going to make a hasty decision though I think I ought to try some of the alternatives although a Domane 4.5 is the absolute limit of my budget, which probable rules out that very nice looking Infinity
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Best of luck, Paul! A test ride goes very far indeed toward learning firsthand what you want and need.
Do you think you'll try the RST or Galaxy before the test ride so they'll be fresh in your mind for comparison, or will you hit it "cold" and let the test-ride of the new bike stand on its own merit? I've gone both routes in the past, and can't say for sure which is preferable when the new bike is so different from the old!
Best,
Dan.
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I will be riding over on the RST so it should be reasonable fresh in the mind :D. I've never tried STI shifters before so everything is going to feel very different.
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STI are handy enough I never had them before the XTC and they took about 15 minutes to learn :)
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Still not got to testing one yet forgot LBS would be shut on Good Friday. Hope to have a test ride this Thursday now.
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Well after real life got in the way, I finally got a ride on a Domane 4.3 last week but the 54cm frame was a bit on the big side for me, so I've been waiting for my LBS (Ben Haywards) to get a 52cm bike in and finally got to ride a 52cm 4.5 on Saturday, and have to admit I loved it so I now own that bike.
Only been for shot spins so far but I think I need to change those Bontranger R2 tyres for some Conti GP4000's and I'm almost certain that the saddle it comes with is going to give bum pain over long distances so I will probably swat it for a heavier, but more comfortable Brooks Team Pro.
My RST however will still be getting plenty of use.
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I loved it so I now own that bike.
Wonderful news, Paul! Thanks for the update. So glad you found a fit and the ride is just what you hoped for.
You still have the Galaxy for shopping trips and the RST for the rest as well, and this simply covers the "other" go-fast end of the spectrum.
Congratulations on a wonderful ride, may you have enjoyable times on both as the nicer weather comes to stay!
All the best,
Dan. (...who thinks Paul is well on his way toward the ideal +1 scheme of bike ownership)
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Well my dark side adventure lasted exactly 260km. 120 km into a 200km Audax ride I had it stolen at the village hall that was acting as the organising cycle club's HQ. My pain was increased as soon as I remembered I had left my car key in the small tool bag on the saddle so had to be rescued by a freind bringing me out the spare.
I am now mightily pissed off, and over £2000 out of pocket. My bike was sitting with over 20 others (nearly all unlocked and some more expensive than mine) and there were plenty of audax riders milling about, so I guess someone wander in dressed in cycling gear and just casually road of on it otherwise someone may have spotted something amiss.
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I rarely resort to Anglo-Saxon, particularly here but: What a complete bar steward. It takes a thoroughly nasty character to steal someone's bike, particularly given the context. One could speculate endlessly as to who the culprit is and whether it was a planned or opportune theft.
Clutching at straws here but I wonder if there are any photos knocking around that might prove useful.
Also, perhaps a note here on the forum and perhaps CTC might flag up the theft to those of a keen eye. Similarly keeping an eye on Gumtree or Ebay might be worth a go. All small beer I know.
It is quite apt to cast doubt on the thief's parentage and anticipate appropriate karma will come their way soon enough.
I'll keep an eye out.
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The darker side of human nature remains all too active... What a low thing to do. A friend here has a Domane, a lovely bike. Accounts of bike thefts on CGOAB make me wonder if a professional thief might have done it; but if it's someone local, maybe it'll resurface. Fingers/thumbs/toes crossed for you, Paul.
John
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Oh! Paul!
What a horritragic outcome to suffer; I am so very sorry at your loss, and angered along with you at this terrible act of thievery.
Wish I was on your side of the Pond to help keep an eye open for it.
Grumbling and muttering my distaste for the culprit and sending sympathy, empathy, and condolences your way...
Best,
Dan.
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Well my dark side adventure lasted exactly 260km. 120 km into a 200km Audax ride I had it stolen at the village hall that was acting as the organising cycle club's HQ.
I feel your pain, man. And a curse on the thief, forever.
Andre Jute
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Ach! I am so sorry to hear this! What a screwed up world!
I live in upstate New York, a small village in the woods. But I work across the internet with a small team in Seattle. We just moved offices there, from the Fremont district to the Pioneer Square district. Pioneer Square is near the central hub of the bus system, so getting to the office has become a single bus trip for several folks on the team, and hence practical, whereas Fremont took two buses plus the wait between, which was just too long for a regular commute.
My boss lives out a way - 9 miles from a bus stop. So just a couple weeks ago he started riding his bike to the bus stop, parking it there, and taking the bus in to the office. That new routine lasted less than a week - his bike got stolen!
He tells me he has now got access to a bike locker by that bus stop, so he should be able to ride again with less worries. I think the bike he lost was pretty nice. Not sure what his replacement plan is! But I was happy to hear that he wasn't throwing in the towel but was brave enough to be trying again.
Not sure how hilly his 9 miles is. For a regular commute, if a beater bike would do the job, I'd probably go that route. But with a bike locker he can get away with a nice bike.
On one of my rides recently, I was parked at a restaurant. Fellow came up to me in the line and asked if it was my bike. He said he'd had a nice Brooks saddle just like mine, a Flyer Special, stolen off his bike down in the city. I still don't have that thing secured beyond the regular hex bolts. But I figure I don' leave it anywhere for a long time or frequently in the same place. Such a tricky game, how to balance security against... not exactly convenience, more like avoiding a sort of paranoid approach to the world.
I still think about the various bikes that have been stolen from me over the years... my Raleigh Super Course (1974), the Panasonic city bike with the freewheel in the bottom bracket (1981)... even some real junker coaster brake bikes.
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I would be just devastated to lose a bike to theft. It is truly my worst cycling nightmare. I sure do feel for Paul, as we all do.
Fortunately (truly!) I have escaped all bicycle theft so far, but it seems increasingly just a matter of time.
I know that if I were to commute locally now, I'd probably have to go with a Wal-Mart Special and consider even that disposable. Nothing can be left around here unattended, at least not overnight. A few years ago, someone made sport of driving across wet lawns, tearing them up with muddy tracks. Having had this happen once -- and then again -- I left the head of a garden rake on the lawn near the house, figuring it would at least flatten a tire as a car drove over it. Even that was gone by the next morning. A cast-iron rake head with no handle! Dunno how anyone even saw it at night, being in the shadows and all.
I'm doing my best to just not leave the bike unlocked, even next to me when changing a jacket or to/from cycling tights over shorts. The current wrinkle here'bouts is the snatch-and-grab, even when the bike is next to you, leaning against a bridge rail while you change. Hopefully the ring-lock will help; I use it faithfully whenever I'm not actually astride the bike.
Goodness, what a world at times.
Best,
Dan.
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So far only one old roadster got nicked as I left it overnight at train station Bad idea in Nrtherlands.
My parents found it thrashed two weeks later. That really sucks.
Luckily in Belfast it's not too bad yet but London most people have a rat / beater to go into town.
Sorry to hear this it's a lot of cash and Witj time you put into finding the bike it's a bit of emotional loss too.
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...[in] London most people have a rat / beater to go into town.
I understand that this works for commuters but it shouldn't be necessary.
And for recreational riders like me it is totally unacceptable. I have a nice bike so I can ride it. I don't want to have to ride a POS just so I don't get robbed! A good deal of the pleasure in cycling for me lies in handling fine engineering and good ergonomics, and the fine aesthetics of a well-designed bike is another pleasure. I'd resent having to give up all that.
Andre Jute
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Totally agree Andre, just the way it is.
In Amsterdam most people have an old roadster bike, but then you aren't in a hurry/need to go long distances so it's OK. My student bikes weren't flashy and if you use an old, but good frame,with cheap non matching parts you can still built up a nice-ish bike probably :)
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Each of my Dutch "stadssportief" (1) were actually sold as a "vakansiefiets" (2), implying that the manufacturer thought they would be instantly stolen down at the station....
(1) Best translation is probably "city & country bike" -- literally translated it says, "city sport [bike)", the Dutch, being civilized, taking the bicycle part as read)
(2) "Holiday bicycle"
Andre Jute
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And for recreational riders like me it is totally unacceptable. I have a nice bike so I can ride it. I don't want to have to ride a POS just so I don't get robbed! A good deal of the pleasure in cycling for me lies in handling fine engineering and good ergonomics, and the fine aesthetics of a well-designed bike is another pleasure. I'd resent having to give up all that.
Andre Jute
Ditto, and the heavy duty locks insurance companies demand you use to be covered away from home would totally screw that up.
In the likely event that I don't get this back I'm not sure what I'm going to do for a replacement, part of me wants to get another Domane, but another part of my head says go for something less attractive to thieves or stick with the RST come rain or shine. Having felt the buzz of riding something so fast and responsive however I feel that the last option would be rather defeatist giving up something I enjoy because of the actions of low lives.
To cheer myself up I've been browsing the websites of custom frame builders. Oh boy! there are some lovely bikes out there.
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There *may* be other options such as a Boardman bike. Or another non-fancy brand that still makes a good ride but won't be such a thief magnet or break the bank. (not everybody's way I know...)
Uglifying with tape is another trick often used along with making it look dirty on purpose. We put pink rattlecan on the bike, and spoke beads to uglify our steeds in NL. Had to use a good lock to lock down to lamp post but still no guarantee...
Or...get a terrible colour used frame for cheap on the bay and build it up. Sometimes you see OMG paint jobs on good frames showing up, at least it won't get nicked and you won't notice as long as you don't look down :P
Second hand is a very good option too there's nice stuff on gumtree/the bay.
Steve Goff has a carbon frame for £660...made in UK and looks pretty stealthy http://www.steve-goff-frames.co.uk/carbon.shtml
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That really is terrible news.
The Stocks should be reinstated for bicycle thieves.
Bike theft is common here in Oz but apparently not as common as in a couple of Northern Hemisphere Countries. (You know who you are)
It's a fine line between carting around a Sold Secure Gold or Silver lock, which weighs you down, and going without to maximise the lightweight feeling of freedom.
I have an Abus steel o chain that I use if I have access to a car to carry it (like on holidays) but use something much lighter if I'm carrying it on the bike. I often use a vinyl covered cable and a mid range padlock for coffee rides and similar, or for touring. On Audax rides I use a cheap luggage lock with a retractable cable and a simple combination. It would be the work of about 30 seconds to defeat it but I consider the visible deterrent is sufficient to dissuade opportunists. It weighs almost nothing and is smaller than a mobile phone. I'm relying on the theory that if the would be thief is more than an opportunist, he/she will get past most locks in any case.
I hope I haven't tempted fate....
Cheers,
pj
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There *may* be other options such as a Boardman bike. Or another non-fancy brand that still makes a good ride but won't be such a thief magnet or break the bank. (not everybody's way I know...)
Uglifying with tape is another trick often used along with making it look dirty on purpose. We put pink rattlecan on the bike, and spoke beads to uglify our steeds in NL. Had to use a good lock to lock down to lamp post but still no guarantee...
Or...get a terrible colour used frame for cheap on the bay and build it up. Sometimes you see OMG paint jobs on good frames showing up, at least it won't get nicked and you won't notice as long as you don't look down :P
Second hand is a very good option too there's nice stuff on gumtree/the bay.
Steve Goff has a carbon frame for £660...made in UK and looks pretty stealthy http://www.steve-goff-frames.co.uk/carbon.shtml
I'm thinking of replacing it with something a bit more unique. I've found a frame builder a bit nearer me who does a nice looking range of custom frames in steel and Ti. He builds the steel frames himself but outsources the Ti frames to a Russian company.
http://www.burls.co.uk/tiRoad.php
Price for a Ti frame with carbon forks, Campy Centaur group set (Shimano cranks are just to fugly) and something like a pair of Zonda wheels should work out at a similar price to the Domane. A light weight steel frame in Columbus Spirit a bit cheeper (unless a flash paint job was deemed appropriate)
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http://www.enigmabikes.com/
Enigma does titanium steeds too. Though it's always good if the framebuilder lives nearby for fitting :)
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I think I can stop looking for a replacement as thanks to the Suffolk cycling community my Domane has been recovered, and I'm going to pick it up on Monday from Sudbury police station :)
It was being ridden round the village where it went missing, buy someone who clearly had no idea what they had.
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Awesome! Enjoy your new bike... again!
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Congratulations on recovering your bike!
Andre Jute
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WowZa! You're getting it back!!! Happy day, Paul. Yaaaay!
Huge tip of the hat to the Suffolk cycling community for spotting it and moving forward. Wow!
All the best,
Dan.
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Strange but wonderful resolution to it all! What great news -- enjoy it all the more, Paul.
John
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Woohoo!!!
Lucky you! ;D