Thread started by kevinmanuel at 03.21.18 - 3:32 am

Hello,

N+1 was inevitable. To complement my alloy endurance bike (Giant Contend SL1 disc - 9.49kg without pedals!) I\'m looking for suggestions of models to try.
Max $5k budget, under 8kg (I\'m so skinny I can\'t feasibly lose weight myself), I want this bike for group rides, fair weather riding and punishing myself up hills. Something good to go out of the box, I sincerely don\'t want to \"just buy the frame and upgrade the wheels later\" etc.
Easier gearing would be a huge bonus but I know this can be changed fairly inexpensively. I use all the range of my 50-34 and 11-32 to spin up the steeper stuff.
I\'ll likely buy around January once our tax is done.

Today I test rode:
- Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1 (2018) - amazing response to pedalling input, carbon wheels felt great, no braking noise. 11-30 cassette helpful. Exactly 2kg lighter than my alloy bike. Quoted $3700 including new pedals and a bottle cage - could be hard to beat.
- Trek Emonda SL6 Pro (2017) - felt surprisingly sluggish, the Vision Metron 40 carbon wheels shrieked horribly when braking and the rear kept wanting to lock up, which wasn\'t a problem on the TCR. $4500.

I\'m waiting on demo models of:
- Focus Izalco Max (2016? rim brake models) - Dura Ace model for $5000, Ultegra model for $3900 - Plain Jane, nothing fancy to look at, but every review raves about light weight, responsiveness but also comfortable. Only in my price range due to end of year clearance, especially that Dura Ace model.
- Scott Addict RC20 (2017) - $4000 for Ultegra
What other bikes can you suggest that fit the lightweight brief?

Please help

I didn\'t find the right solution from the internet.

References:
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=96106
Product video production

Thanks