I’m leaning towards getting a frameset and then building around it as that seems to arguably give the best bang for buck in terms of customising the position etc.
Looking at the prices, I could build a Cadex with Ultegra (save the brake levers and shifters) a custom cockpit and a wheelset of £2k for the same price as the Canyon Speedmax (albeit with Dura Ace)
The Cervelo, Giant and Trek framesets are around £1800-£2000 cheaper than the Cadex
I’ve got a few mates with the Cadex, very quick with good storage for an Ironman if you want to spend the money.
A story about an athlete on a Cadex bike at the European LD Champs in Almere in 2024. I was Chief TO for the transition zone with a couple of assistant TOs.
An age grouper came into T2 and racked his bike and left on the run. One of my assistants came over and said “I’m sure I heard that athlete playing music when he ran into T2 with his bike, but it stopped when he went on the run”. So we went to take a look at his nice Cadex bike - he’d fitted a compact boombox under the armrests where there is a large gap created by the wide layout. Sure enough we pushed a switch on it and music started up. He’d clearly been listening while out on the bike course but forgot to switch it off before entering T2. Called the Head Ref over for a look who immediately DQ’d him. If he’d switched it off before T2 we wouldn’t have noticed and he would have got a result.
I suspect that would be possible on a lot of bikes? But yes, foolish of him to enter T2 with it playing!
Yep. Pay £12k for a flash bike and a moment’s stupidity to get a DQ.
I guess it was his way of trying to get around the no earphones rule
go on, what music was he playing? Best of Boyzone? John Denver?
I went with a Shiv frame and then sourced what I wanted, I came in 3k cheaper than a full build from a site/shop
I think it was Bon Jovi
Should have been banned for life as well then 
Strewth Jeff !
Drunk drivers only get two years ..
I guess it was Bon Jovi
That’s kinda my thinking.
I’ll be able to get all the custom bits without having to ditch what already comes on the bike
I was being lenient
Did he have massive hair?
The storage is a big bonus if I’m honest.
However, if you’re riding that frame you don’t wanna be slow…..which I fear I might be this year
Dunno - I never saw him - he was DQ’d in the results and not even sure he was aware of it as there was no protest or anything said to us TOs when he collected his bike (which was handled by volunteers and not us TOs)
I need to get some better wheels for the TT bike, used my old 303’s last year which aren’t bad wheels but they’re at least 10 years old and a bit scared more spokes might start going on them.
Kind of like the Dura Ace C60’s as they clincher compatible and aren’t hookless. But the rear is 12 speed only unless I get the Ultegra’s or a combo. Decent price point as well.
I have got the old 404/808/Super 9 to sell and help finance them, would really like another disc but don’t think I can really justify it for a few races.
Been looking at a 12 speed upgrade but even 105 Di2 is fairly pricey. And Shimano will almost certainly start moving to 13 speed soon, the new Dura Ace would normally have been released by now and likely to be wireless. Not that I’d be getting DA!
Probably try and sell the old wheels when I get back and take it from there.
SRAM Etap is good but the replacement is awkward and expensive, TT groupsets aren’t very common and are often a mix of parts, the latest Shimano uses older shifters and a converter on the wire.
These wheels seem to be a good deal without going to a disc on the rear
The DA C60 wheels are good and I have them as my road race wheels. Very stable and can be found for a good price, I ended up biting the bullet and went 12 on all my bikes but I am a dick
I’ll have your 12 speed stuff when you upgrade to 13 speed
Spoke to Matt Bottrill yesterday and he’s going to come up with different builds on the Cadex for me.
Hopefully have a new bike by my first race on the 16th of May