Beyond all the reasons you explained why you wouldn't want one, the XPLR is a 1x groupset and only goes on bikes that are UDH (universal derailleur hanger) compatible. The Soloist is not. The Aspero is; your mechanic may have thought you were referring to that bike. If not, time to find a new mechanic.😀

@@intheknowcycling Wow, that has been a crash course in Biking 101 for me! I have now spent x xumber of hours googling up everything there is about XPLR, UDH, and the Soloist frame. You Seem to be correct, once again. The Soloist Does not seem to be UDH Compatible. In fairness, the Soloist I am building WILL Indeed be a 1x! (Personal necessity) So, the mechanic talked about XPLR In the context of that being the major “1x Only” Option… But yes, he was talking about the Soloist… So, SRAM Red AXS E1 Is the way to go! As a side note, it’s funny how 90% of Nate’s talk about the new RED AXS was in terms of brake levers, and this is the only area I thought I could cheapen out and go with FORCE… so, I I felt bummed after watching this video, and decided to upgrade to SRAM Red brakes as well. I am now debating whether the new E1 is worth the extra $280 that I would have to pay over the great clearance(!!!) deals that I already found on the SRAM Red AXS brakes-previous iteration… the question is literally, should I cancel my order that I just placed last night fore “regular” Red AXS brakes and shoot for the E1 version or is it not really going to make a world of difference, like many KZbin reviews claim??? Thanks! P.S. And no, my name is not Jonas or Tadej 🙂 I am very likely, not even Nate from your videos!! I just like the new stuff and thinking that if I go one-or half the level- down now, I’m going to regret it immediately, especially since this technology is here to stay for the next five years (we hope)… It’s like buying a car in mid-level trim, and immediately wishing you had gotten the top trim.

That'd be a nice upgrade, but the Madone isn't a particularly light bike. Depending on how "hilly" it is where you live now, if you still like your Prince, you might try training a bit for the hills, getting some lighter wheels, and getting a long cage derailleur and 11/34 cassette (in that order) before buying a new bike.

@ thank you! Yes I have considered that - but it will probably cost me as much as a new bike no? If I trade in the Pinarello I mean. I was also considering the Aethos, which is about 1 lbs lighter than the Madone and same price. But the Madone looks nicer and I was able to test ride it from the local Trek shop

@@conradopetrov8137 Sounds like you want a new bike. That's cool. The Aethos is a lot more versatile than the Madone, but there are a lot of good choices out there depending on the kind of rider you are, where you ride, your budget, and a ton of other things. Figuring all of that out is part of the fun!

@@intheknowcycling you got it. Yes I want a new bike. The Pinarello geometry and fit just doesn’t feel right for me and my riding style right now. I used to have a Cervelo RS before the Pinarello that I loved. I also test rode the Roubaix and the Madone Gen 8 and loved both but probably the Madone a bit more.

@@intheknowcycling I’m watching your climbing wheels video and tempted to try your suggestion. Do I need a new derailleur for the bigger cassete ?

Conor and I both like the Giant Revolt gravel bike.

@@intheknowcycling Thanks! that is very helpful. Cheers.

Miles is 5' 10". He's on a 54 Soloist and is very flexible. I'd suggest you focus on stack and reach rather than stand over height. I'm also 5' 10" and just finished reviewing a 56 Aspero with Nate who is 5' 11 and Conor who is 6'. The bike seemed a bit stretched out for us so maybe a 54 would have been better.

@@intheknowcycling thank you for the response, sir! Much appreciated. I have not watched your review of the Aspero. It is a bit shocking that someone who is 6 feet tall - a good 5 inches taller than I am - would feel more comfortable on 54 frame (while the Cervelo website suggest they should be firmly in the 58 cm range)… This is also an affirmation, I guess, that if I go two sizes down from the suggested frame size., I should be OK with the 48 Soloist, especially if other indicators are also pointing in that direction (wanting narrower handlebars, smaller 165 mm cranks, and longer stem on the 51 Aspero).

@@akmola1 You may have misinterpreted my message or perhaps I misinterpreted yours. Miles at 5'10" and rides a 54 Soloist. Conor at 6', and I at 5'10" rode a 56 Aspero. I urge you to measure your stack and reach to decide on your frame size. You can specify your handlebar width and stem length (Miles specified 37cm bars and 110cm stem) and cranks (I use 165mm) on any frame. You may be justifying going to a smaller size frame based on things irrelevant to frame size choice. Size the frame first based on the right factors (stack and reach, not standover height) and spec the components next. If the combo you want doesn't come stock, buy the frame (see snp.link/4a80960d) and components separately and have them built up. Better to do that than compromise frame or components. Unless you've got very short legs, I wouldn't think a 48 would be right for your height.

@@intheknowcycling thank you for imparting your words of wisdom on me, sir! Over the past week, I have had a chance to analyze the information about the Soloist geometry in these two sizes, and I have come to the conclusion that I am firmly within size 51 range for both the Aspero and the Soloist- this is also what my bike fitter said who did the fit for me on the Aspero,.. the stack of of the Soloist is actually 15mm lower, which w will be ideal for me, and if I need to make any more tweaks, I will easily be able to make those with stem length and seat height. Part of the reason I came to this conclusion is by comparing the geometry of different brands in the same all-around race, bike category. What I discovered was that the Cervélo Soloist size 51 is identical (down to a millimeter across-the-board!!) to size 49 Tarmac SL8, and it would have been insane at my height to even think about looking at one size down, the 44 Tarmac. As for the standover height, I was overthinking it too much. To my surprise, I just discovered that my other bike. Canyon Roadlite, has a standover height of 770 mm in Size S. It is 22 mm higher than the claimed standover height of the Soloist that I will be building, and yet I have had no issues whatsoever operating the Canyon bike.. In any case, long-winded story, but thank you again for making me think twice. This is indeed very important before pulling a trigger and ordering a frameset online, only to discover that it does not fit you and having to mess with the whole completed bike build and return/exchange the frame. By the way,Cervélo pricing rocks! My Soloist build looks to be in the $6500 range, with 70/30 SRAM Red/SRAM Force components and carbon everything, except possibly the stem!!! (I do have a wheel set already that I plan to use with the new bike, though).

@@akmola1 That all makes sense. Glad it worked out and happy to provide useful input. Feel free to use the link in the description box to order your frameset and support our efforts to keep this channel's content and advice ad-free and sponsor-free. We've also done reviews on both the Red and Force. Let me know how the build works out. Cheers.

Sorry. I don't.

Thanks.

I like the "RC" line too but the RC7 is too close in price to a discounted Sphyre. They should review their price strategy for the RC3,RC5 and RC7.

@wsbygt yeah exactly 👍

Shimano released a wide version

Yes. That’s a good choice for the situation you described. And go with 30 or 32mm wide Contis if your frame has the room

@@Skungaman Glad to help.

We reviewed the stock bike in comparison to other stock bikes (Nate's Specialized Venge) and with stock wheels and tires we know from riding other bikes (we've previously ridden and reviewed the stock Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 wheels and Bontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite tires on several other bikes that our our daily drivers). To review the frame, we compared the effect of other wheels and tires we've also tested on other bikes (the Reserve and Black Inc wheels and the GP5000 S TR and Trek Aeolus RSL tires) and the groupsets we've tested on other bikes (the Ultegra 8100 that comes stock and the Sram Red AXS and Force AXS). It's not an exact science, but if you test enough of the components on different bikes, you can make a fair assessment of their individual and collective contribution to the performance of this bike. Hope that helps!

Yes, Trek only sells the SL 7 in "matte lunar silver" in the UK market, which I also think is quite attractive and very similar to the color of Nate's Venge. The color of the Madone we tested is called "dark star." Someone was clearly working late into the night when they named those colorways.

Why is the Trek lettering so small? That doesn't look like any "trek" logo I've ever seen

@@aoganlynch Yes, quite understated compared to what Trek usually does. I prefer it. You?

The average rider is much more likely to sometimes need a very easy gear than they are to spin out at 50/11. Especially the "recreational rider" that this 3rd tier model is aimed at. And yes, it did hurt to call a $6000+ bike 3rd tier...

Thanks for your question and feedback. We're trying to get a hold of the Tarmac for long-term testing. Will post a review if/when we do. Cheers.

Thanks for your feedback. Street names come up in turn notifications. None on map. That’s enough for me.

Did you get it sorted? That direct mount hanger is the issue: not Ultegra.

Yoiu're welcome. Thanks for the feedback.

Rides like he's 35 too!

Raced at 15 in 1990... So born 1975 I guess. 48/49yo. Gives me hope then at 43 hehe

Did you try attaching it to the Ravemen itself without an adapter? Specifically, unscrew the two screws on top, rotate the connector 90 degrees and screw them back in? That's what I do when I use the Ravemen with my Roam.

@@intheknowcycling "Adapters" was not the correct term in my post. I should have used "connectors". My units came with 4 connectors, a male and female for both Garmin and Wahoo. My Roam did not connect firmly enough, causing it to vibrate when going down the road, and I felt that a good size bump would jettison it. I contacted Ravemen and they just told me to go back to the retailer and ask for other connectors. My results were only slightly better.

@@MacGruberville Ah. Must be a prior design of the FR300. The one I got doesn't have separate Wahoo and Garmin connectors. There's just one on the bottom to connect to your out-front and another on the top to connect to your GPS. With each, there are 4 holes in both the connector and housing at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, two screws, and two slots in the connector to accept the GPS. I merely unscrewed the two screws, turned the connector so the slots lined up with the Wahoo or Garmin quarter turn orientation and screwed the connector back down. So it connects equally well with the Wahoo and Garmin or the Hammerhead I used in the video that had a Garmin adapter.