I have a several years old Specialized carbon Diverge and while I love it, I would like to get a new bike. Something all-road or endurance geometry. The one thing that everything I look at seems to have is that bloody internal headset routing. While I’m not a mechanic and have no intention of working on my own stuff, I have grown to dislike the complications this design introduces into the frame and dealing with anything with the cockpit. Proprietary shit like weird seatpost shapes and cockpit parts are also something like I’d like to avoid.
I work for a independent shop that sells Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, Cervelo and smaller brands like Mosaic. I can’t afford a custom frame, and usually ride a 54/56. Carbon, aluminum, ti, all materials will be considered!
BMC Roadmachine - maybe. It has endurance geometry, and the lower-spec frames (not the "01”) have ports on the downtube for both a brake hose and mechanical shifting. Up until 2024, those bikes also came with external-to-the-headset routing into those ports from the factory. I think the 2024 update went to through-the-headset routing on all levels, but the ports are still there to undo that (again only on the lower level frames). It does have a D-shaped seatpost though. I bought the 2023 “THREE” level partially because it did not use through-the-headset routing and had a standard two-piece stem and handlebar.
Yeah, but then I was going down a route of looking away from the big brands, who are not playing the arms race of adoptiong every new thing.
Looked at all the Ti brands, lots of the steel specialists like fairlight, mason even stinner and blackheart in the US.
Criteria was a go anywhere /do anything bike that would take a 40mm tyre or a 35 with guards, dynamo routing, main frame internal routing, rack mounts and braze ons etc.
Ended up with a lovely Meteor Works Aesir, small batch steel rather than full custom. Mix of 853, Columbus and dead, right mix of utility, forward looking stuff like a t47 bb, but also traditional nods
My advice would be to go and work out what you want and take your time over your decision…
Fairlight’s Strael might be just the thing. Rave reviews for this allroad bike. No internal routing options. If I hadn’t already started a custom build with my local mechanic I would have gone that route.
I’ve done a lot of road riding on mine and it never disappoints. If anything, it’s made me realize that having more stack, compliance, and low end gearing is pretty damn fast.
I also had a ‘21 S-Works Diverge and the Crux is much more engaging to ride on the road, and only just slightly more stiff in its ride quality.
The Niner RLT 9 RDO would fit that criteria pretty well. I’ve ridden several flavors of the RLT series (both steel and carbon) and they are fantastic all-road/fast gravel bikes. I’m now on their ORE 9 RDO, but that geometry is geared much more toward rough gravel/light singletrack.
