Best “bang for buck” road bike finishing kit

Zipp?

ritchie/ey

Easton, Ritchey.

I've used Control Tech stuff on my builds.

Prime

Deda was the best balance of weight, cost and performance when I built up my last bike 3 years ago.

Easton, Thomson, Zipp and Ritchey are all more expensive unless you are happy having different brands on the same bike.

Brand x? What advantages does a logo make?

What advantages does a logo make?

Looks. I like the mid-range Ritchey stuff (i.e. posh aluminium rather than carbon) as it looks smart and is reasonably light etc.

I've had Brand-X carbon fail on me so I do think there is a small premium to pay for better kit, granted you do end up paying for logo/looks.

Fizik posh alu stuff all the way.

Well a stem is a stem IMO.

Not even sure what brand mine is, probably a Deda.

And I've always previously chosen bars and posts based on a mix of weight, reputation and price - and with discounts even more prevalent than normal at the mo, I'd just see what's going cheap and also fits your requirements.

It's funny how (as above) mid-range Ritchey stuff seems a good option (I loved the Logic bar) but their carbon is mega-money. I've usually ended up with 3t when buying carbon bars.

Fizik posh alu stuff all the way

Do they still do posh alu? I've got two stems as Wiggle were selling them off at one point. They are nice though.

Looks. I like the mid-range Ritchey stuff (i.e. posh aluminium rather than carbon) as it looks smart and is reasonably light etc.

So your paying for vanity, nothing else. Best bang for buck will always be black non & branded.

I’ve had Brand-X carbon fail on me so I do think there is a small premium to pay for better kit

Yep and I and many other will have broken other brands carbon (and Ali) parts.

So your paying for vanity, nothing else

I haven't tried all the brands, but I found my Ritchey alu bar to be notably more comfy than most and the best shape ever.

I'm by no means a brand whore, but ride feel and ergonomics do come into it with bars.

Stems not so much obvs.

So your paying for vanity, nothing else. Best bang for buck will always be black non & branded.

Aye fair point, I was forgetting the 'bang for the buck' element!

KCNC. Always well made and cheaper than the big brands.

Buy whatever fits your demands. I have a cheap carbon post off amazon, 380mm wide 70mm reach ZIPP ergo alu bars, grotesque blue bar tape, couple of gold bolts

Whatever high end aluminium stuff is on deepest discount.
Usually end up with last years Deda. I like the shape of the bars, quality is good, weight is ok.

I’m by no means a brand whore, but ride feel and ergonomics do come into it with bars.

Yep, this. I'd argue that it's worth spending more to source a bar with the right drop, reach and shape for your needs rather than just buying whatever's cheapest and might be okay.

Ritchey. Although I just swapped seat post and stem for titanium on the Enigma 😉

13th is correct. The 'only' answer is mid ranged ally Ritchey stuff. Looks decent quality (unlike Deda), is decent quality, is reasonably light and is reasonably priced.

/close thread

Runs and hides... 🙃 Of course there are other choices but why would you?

To be fair, i used to use a lot of Ritchey stuff, then i got a bar that had a subtly different bend on each side, one was rotated about 3 degrees down (or up) from the other side. Took me weeks to work out why the bike felt odd. Then the bar i got under warranty to replace it had the same fault.
And the super square shape of another (untwisted) bar, the top to drop transition meant i needed new outers twice a year...

Do they [Fizik] still do posh alu? I’ve got two stems as Wiggle were selling them off at one point. They are nice though.

Ah, it appears not. Just been on their website and the road components section is all on sale with nothing new.

Shame. I guess there is only a very small market for reasonably expensive road stems/seatposts these days as practically every new bike from the mid-range upwards has integrated versions.

Looks decent quality (unlike Deda), is decent quality

😀

Deda make me laugh. More than once I've been suckered in by some preposterously low claimed weight for Deda finishing kit and bought it only to find out its 40% heavier.

Ritchey kit always seems to be the the best bang/buck. Rarely the lightest claimed weight but (in the days before carbon) they would usually top group tests for handlebars for being stiff enough in the drops while sprinting without being harsh normally.

And a stem is a stem as long as it's not too flexy, although there are definitely stems that aren't stiff enough. If you don't believe me, try swaping between something cheap/light and something known to be overkill like a Thompson X4 or other MTB stems.

A seatpost is a seatpost (but even the cheap ritchey ones are oval butted internally).

Depends how fussy you are being. I've got Ritchey WCS on my nice road bike, it seems to make a difference on >100miles. My others have a random assortment, because either they have bigger tires or only get ridden for a few hours at a time.

Stuff that’s on offer mostly. I picked up a USE carbon post from their outlet for £20, a carbon slightly aero handlebar in the Ribble sale for under £40 and got a Deda stem for maybe £20. All pretty light and do the job as they should. You could spend more on bling stuff, but if it’s not in a sale then you’re mostly buying brand image and maybe some marginal gains.

then i got a bar that had a subtly different bend on each side, one was rotated about 3 degrees down (or up) from the other side.

Aaaaah now then. You got a couple of pairs from a special batch they made for the Police. Y'know, specially for the long arm of the law...

Badoom and indeed tish. I'm here all day, try the fish etc 🤣