Which Roadie..

soul1

Hi, new to the site, hope you can help..

I'm well into my mountain biking and am considering buying a roadie for the first time, but am getting tied up in all the different types of bikes and essentials..

I want a bike for everything from a quick blast on a warm summer evening through to a 100 mile sportive, my issues is trying to shortlist a bike that is suitable without getting something that is going to break my back/arse/bank.. not necessarily in that order.

I borrowed a mate's Bianchi with carbon forks, carbon stays and an ali frame, went out for a couple of hours over the weekend and all was well, but wasn't sure whether it might have been a bit aggressive for an all day ride as my wrists and shoulders were starting to ache, but that could well be just being new to it...

I’ve looked at loads of bikes, Focus Cayo, Fuji Team Pro, Wilier La Triestina, Bianchi Via Nirone, Trek 2.3, Cube Attempt, Spec Secteur and more.. mix of all carbon, ali with carbon stays, and all ali with carbon forks. Price range as near to £1k as I can keep it..

Is all carbon going to be too light and jittery? Do I need carbon stays? Will an all ali frame give me ‘roids after an all day ride.. and where does the geometry sit.. I just can’t work it out..

Thanks in advance..

mf5

The best idea would be to get down to your LBS and take a few bikes for a test ride and just go on what you feel most comfortable with. If you're looking at doing long days in the saddle you will want a bike with a more upright riding position.

unixnerd

You can get a lot of used bike for that kind of money. Maybe a used Specialised Roubaix? Nice and comfy yet light and fast. A lot of ebay bikes have hardly been used, trick is to find a good 'un. Many folk buy a bike with good intentions to get fit and then sell it after it's sat in the garage unsued for three years! I got a great Cannondale road bike that cost 1200 quid new for 400, it had been used 3 times :-)

Also, get some Bontrager Buzzkills. They slot into the bar ends and really do help reduce vibration.

ALaPlage

unixnerd wrote:

You can get a lot of used bike for that kind of money. Maybe a used Specialised Roubaix? Nice and comfy yet light and fast. A lot of ebay bikes have hardly been used, trick is to find a good 'un. Many folk buy a bike with good intentions to get fit and then sell it after it's sat in the garage unsued for three years! I got a great Cannondale road bike that cost 1200 quid new for 400, it had been used 3 times :-)

Also, get some Bontrager Buzzkills. They slot into the bar ends and really do help reduce vibration.

Echo this - I picked up my bike through the Cycling Weekly Classifieds - A Madone 5.9 frame from 05 unused and built up late last year with the intention of using it as a second bike. The guy then decided to sell it. All new Ultegra SL groupset with the latest 6700 carbon shifters - new Race X lite wheels and XXX bars. £2500+ of bike for £1300 and it looks and rides as new.

Try some bikes out at the LBS to find out what feels right for you. Carbon generally lighter than Alu bikes but each frame type has its own attributes and mixed frames at your budget can give you the best of both worlds. Friend has just bought a 2008 Pinarello FP2 with Alu frame and carbon stays and fork - £1250 with 105 groupset. Bike new from LBS and discounted as old stock which is another route for saving money if they have a older model bike you like in your size in stock.

All the bikes you list are good but you need to find what suits you.

neeb

ut wasn't sure whether it might have been a bit aggressive for an all day ride as my wrists and shoulders were starting to ache, but that could well be just being new to it...

It could have been that the sizing and fit was wrong for you (e.g. reach too long), it could just have been that you aren't used to road bikes (bound to have been a factor at least) or it could be that you do need something less aggressive. It's very difficult to say. How fit are you in general, and how flexible?

Is all carbon going to be too light and jittery?

No. Light is pretty much always good (all other things being equal), and jittery is determined more by the geometry and setup. Any road bike is going to be lighter and more jittery than an MTB, but that's also good.

Do I need carbon stays? Will an all ali frame give me ‘roids after an all day ride..

Depends on the individual frame but in general most carbon bikes or bikes with carbon stays will ride a bit more smoothly with a more lively feel. But only in general, and maybe not in the case of a cheap carbon frame.

and where does the geometry sit.. I just can’t work it out..

The most important measurement is probably reach, which is determined by the effective top tube length and the stem length. After that, faster, more responsive bikes will tend to have shorter chainstays and wheelbase with marginally steeper angles for a given frame size.

It would really be worth finding a shop that does a full cycle fit, as they will be able to recommend a bike best suited to your body and intended use and set it up correctly for you.

soul1

Thanks all.. I will defo get down to a few shops and go for a few laps of the block to get a feel.. guess I also need to look at some of the geometry set ups and get a feel for the sizing ..

I'm generally pretty fit and reasonably flexible through various sports and can quite happily spend 4-5 hours on the MTB without issue, other than hanging out my ar$e on the last few climbs of course :-)

soul1

OK.. so done a bit more rooting around.. been to a couple of bike shops and seem to be recommended quite different bikes..

Cyclesurgery said Wiliers La Triestina, another has said Trek 2.3, Another has said Specialized Sectuer, another said if I can afford Carbon to get full carbon, but others said the 'cheap' carbons aren't worth having..

The problem seems to be that none of the shops have the right bikes in my size built up, although they're happy to build up for test rides.. let alone different bikes to compare side by side.

I know for sure that I don't want a super bent over full on turbo race machine, and equally know I haven't got weeks to spend trawling shops, so if I can eliminate/shortlist based on a few key metrics that would really help... then I can ride a few that seem to tick the boxes and get on with it... or maybe I'm getting too scientific about it..

So, my question is, what type of geometry should I be looking for that gives a more 'sportive' position than racing?

neeb

I know for sure that I don't want a super bent over full on turbo race machine,

Just as a matter of interest, why are you so sure about this? If you are young, fit, slim and flexible enough a lower, more stretched out position (within limits) is usually faster and needn't be uncomfortable once you get used to it. Having said this I'm sure I'll get flamed by someone from the sensible brigade about wannabe pros buying race machines when they'd be better off with nice, boring, all-rounder type bikes, but for many people the joy of riding a road bike is to go fast, or at least to skim along as efficiently as possible for the effort expended. I'm 43 and certainly don't feel the need for a sportive bike to ride a sportive, I'd rather be pushing it near the front and aiming for a fast time...

But you may have very good reasons for wanting a bike with a more relaxed geometry, in which case go for it.

So, my question is, what type of geometry should I be looking for that gives a more 'sportive' position than racing?

It's basically down to the length of the headtube (the bit of the frame the fork goes through) relative to the reach, or the effective top tube length. Sportive bikes have taller headtubes for a given frame size, allowing the bars to be set higher without needing lots of spacers underneath. But you can achieve a more relaxed or more aggressive position on most bikes by changing stems, setting the bars higher or lower, and to some extent by choice of frame size.

soul1

hi neeb, i guess my thinking stems from having had back troubles from the age of about 18 through to 25... could have been leftover growing pains, could have been from playing lots of hockey, could have been from chucking bags of spuds round on a mates farm.. could have been from the drinking games.. ok maybe not the last one, but could have been a lot of things, all I know is for the last 8 or 9 years it has mostly been under control (although I have pretty much completely stopped running which seemed to be the biggest aggrevator), and I figure a slightly more relaxed position might do me good, while still not being too much of an inhibitor to speed.

OK, so based on head tube to top tube the Trek 2.3 seems to be the most appropriate, at least on paper.. this seems to have a head tube 2-3cm longer than the others. Seems like a tiny amount, so I guess that's the difference between slighly taking the edge off versus turning it into a complete upright Mary Poppins basket case :-)

neeb

Yup, that's the sort of good reason I was talking about.

I haven't looked at the geometry of the Trek 2.3 but an extra 3cm is maybe the sort of difference you might expect on a sportive bike, it does make a fair difference. But make sure you are comparing like with like - different manufacturer's frame sizes are measured differently, the first thing to look at is the effective top tube length and then see how the headtube length is in relation to that. The top tube length is most important, if you are too stretched out that will put as much or more train on your back as being too low at the front. So make sure you get good advice on frame sizing, given your requirements.

The trek would seem quite expensive to me for a bike with an all alu frame, unless it is a very good alu frame (which it might very well be, I don't know the bike).

Lillywhite

neeb wrote:

I haven't looked at the geometry of the Trek 2.3 but an extra 3cm is maybe the sort of difference you might expect on a sportive bike, it does make a fair difference.

Some of the bikes in the current Trek 2010 range have Pro or Performance fit frames with the Performance frame having the longer headtube.