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What properly fast bike with mudguards?
I'm sure this comes up all the time but I've not seen it on the forum yet.
I commute a 25 mile round trip and have just started to do a bit of road riding at the weekend (bored of getting wet and muddy on the MTB at the moment) and thinking about some 100mile sportives next year. I'm currently on a PlanetX Kaffenback drop bar and thinking that I would like something significantly lighter and faster.
I'm in love with the Cannondales in the LBS, but my back-lane commute is wet and muddy even in summer, so I would like to run proper guards all year round (no race blades). It will be my only road bike to compliment the three MTBs. Budget up to 2k at a push and I'll be on something like a 60cm frame. Really thinking about race geometry rather than a higher and shorter audax type frame.
So far I've spotted the PlanetX Sportive Ti (I think too short), maybe something from Enigma or the Kinesis Gran Fondo. What else is there that I've missed, what have you and what do you think of it?
Time for a road.cc test of something other than a TOTR carbon race bike?
Thanks
Austen
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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6 comments
Yup, zomerzet muddy lanes are great. Thanks for the advice so far.
Custom steel is a strong possibility, I'd be straight up to Robin Mather if he hadn't stopped taking orders for the time being. Maybe it would be worth talking to Argos but they feel (okay look) a bit old fashioned.
Other things I've found, if anyone else is interested, are the Sabbath (previously Sunday) September in Ti or the Pearson Audax Pro in Carbon flavour. The Enigma would be good, something like an Esprit with room for guards (budget blown) would be ideal. Realistically I think the Kinesis GF could be a good choice but I would like to see one in the flesh and I don't think there are many around.
I would have thought this would be the most popular type of road bike in the UK, but everyone clearly likes getting a cold wet arse (or they all stay indoors on the turbo when it's damp)?
Style over function, discuss...
You wouldn't go wrong with an Enigma, although you may be pushing your budget.
A Van Nicholas Yukon might suitvannicholas.com:80/WbmBikeHome.aspx or one of their Amazon's vannicholas.com:80/WbmBikeHome.aspx the former is probably closer to race geometry - although I think the problem you'll have is that you are unlikely to find a race bike with full braze-ons for guard - it's more likely to be something set-up for fast Audax.
Mind you, with your budget you could try a frame builder - what about Argos? Sounds like they would be local to you. Or you might be able to get something off the peg but customisable - again in steel (think your best chance of finding anything is in steel or ti) might be worth checking out Condor's website.
be very busy testing all these delicious sounding bikes, if you need a hand (and an unbiased opinion from a relatively inexperienced road bike rider) be sure to let me know B) Cheap rates too!
Keep going with testing everything, the more the better
.
If you _do_ happen to get anything suitable in for a test I'd be happy to help out, in fact a 60cm Gran Fondo would be great! My quest is for the ultimate ChewValleyBike(TM)!
They lanes round Nempnett Thrubwell do get sticky, don't 'em?
well, we're testing whatever we can get at the moment
- it's no more than a coincidence really that the first tests have been range toppers, though of course it's nice to get a few bits of bike bling on the site. next up we've got a crosser, a tt bike, a fixer, a Ti road machine, a couple of, erm, carbon road bikes (not TOTR though 
) and hopefully a folder....