SRAM vs Shimano

TinyExplosions

Hey folks, I'm looking at road bikes, and am a little torn between the Focus Variado and Focus Culebro... the Culebro is a bit lighter, and is SRAM Rival equipped, whereas the Variado has the Ultegra Ice, and is a bit cheaper... now, the question is if it's worth the extra for SRAM and a little weight loss, or should I go with dependable Ultegra?

If it makes any difference, the bike is for Audax/Sportive events (Wicklow 200, London-Edinburgh-London, Paris-Brest-Paris etc), so comfort over long distance is important -it's why I'm not going for carbon...

Any opinions, or should I look at something else?

penexpers

Look at something else. I don't think either of those bikes have braze-ons for racks, and racks are pretty essential for something like the Paris-Brest-Paris.

TinyExplosions

penexpers wrote: »

Look at something else. I don't think either of those bikes have braze-ons for racks, and racks are pretty essential for something like the Paris-Brest-Paris.

The plan is a large saddlebag and handlebar bag for things like PBP... having looked a a few articles on the event, this seems fairly common and a useable option

penexpers

Just another suggestion : have you considered a steel-framed bike. They would be pretty comfortable for all-day rides.

Raam

I wanna do PBP someday. If you can't fit something in your jersey pockets then you don't need it

blorg

If you are going for an out-and-out road bike without provision for racks, etc. I would also consider carbon. Certainly for the shorter events like the Wicklow 200. The Cayo is only £100 more than one of your options there. If you want racks etc. steel would be a better bet.

TinyExplosions

Is steel that much better than the Aluminum? I'm steering away from carbon due to the problems of adding saddlebags and stuff

penexpers

From what I've read, yes it is. I'll let you know after the weekend when I hopefully ride my Surly Crosscheck for the first time.

TinyExplosions

Cool stuff... be sure to let us know!

Chips Lovell

TinyExplosions wrote: »

...the Culebro is a bit lighter, and is SRAM Rival equipped, whereas the Variado has the Ultegra Ice, and is a bit cheaper... now, the question is if it's worth the extra for SRAM and a little weight loss, or should I go with dependable Ultegra?

I've never used Rival, but it's gotten great write ups to date. Used to have Ultegra before I swapped it out and it's a great groupset. Smooth shifting and very reliable. To be honest, it's probably much of a muchness between them in terms of performance, although I think Rival is marginally lighter. Comes down perhaps to which shifting system you prefer, Shimano's two lever affair or SRAM's double tap. There's also a difference in the hoods, so one might suit your hands better than the other, but that's really a personal preference and you'll never know unless you try both.

TinyExplosions wrote: »

...so comfort over long distance is important -it's why I'm not going for carbon...

I think most people would definitely prefer carbon over aluminium for a long ride. I've got both and would go with the carbon any day.

joemc99

IMO sram stuff is pretty poor. Quality is terrible, and the feel at the lever on the road stuff is brutal compared to shimano. Ultegra is bomb proof and great value, stick with it.

blorg

Aluminium is very harsh compared to carbon, at least on the bikes I have experience of. Most direct comparison I would have would be a Trek 1000/1500 (alu) vs a Trek 5000 (carbon.) 1500 was only a test ride but I had the 1000 for a while. Same geometry but they were like night and day. My commuter (Specialized Sirrus with drops) is also alu and is harsh compared with the carbon Trek (I have done a 1,000km tour on it- but not in one go ;-)

I don't have any experience with steel so I am only going on what I hear from others. Most people doing the likes of PBP seem to do it on steel, as do a lot of tourers. My GF has a Reynolds 531 lugged steel tourer from the 80s that she finds very comfortable and is still going strong. Personally I am not 100% sure to what extent steel is so great, vs. just being less harsh than alu road bikes and loved by traditionalists.

I'm considering getting something like a Mercian King of Mercia as a "proper" tourer to replace my Specialized; only way I'll find out I guess. Cheaper options which are popular around here would include the Cross Check or Long Haul Trucker from Surly.

I don't understand why you think you can attach saddlebags to an aluminum bike without rack braze ons, but you wouldn't be able to attach them to a carbon bike? I presume you are talking here about something that attaches to the saddle, no? In terms of attachability, there isn't anything between an alu or carbon road bike, I've put saddlebag and barbag on my carbon Trek no probs. Note a bar bag can be annoying from a steering point of view.

TinyExplosions

blorg wrote: »

I don't understand why you think you can attach saddlebags to an aluminum bike without rack braze ons, but you wouldn't be able to attach them to a carbon bike? I presume you are talking here about something that attaches to the saddle, no? In terms of attachability, there isn't anything between an alu or carbon road bike, I've put saddlebag and barbag on my carbon Trek no probs. Note a bar bag can be annoying from a steering point of view.

I read somewhere (can't find it now, but I definitely read it!) that attaching saddlebags to a carbon seat post can crack it, but that may be totally wrong!

Damnit, now I have to start looking all over again