The Endurance bike that is as close to the complete package

Serious Cat

The whole ideology of the endurance type road bike is to facilitate long miles , offer comfort and not look nor ride like an old duffer. Its certainly not going to ride like a bespoke racing bike with low front end, steep angles and stretched riding position, but which endurance style bike do you think could be called the real deal ?

I don't think the perfect bike has been created and I`ll outline shortcomings which I think impact on some of the endurance bikes that are out there.

Specialized Roubaix : kind of the grandaddy of the endurance type bike but don't they have toptube lengths that appear to be very long for given sizes, ie 548mm for a size 54 bike seems long to me, the groupset supplied when the you take into the cost of the bike are underwhelming and the base model bike which costs £1200 coming with a sora gruppo is insulting to say the least.

Cannondale Synapse haven't tried a 2014 model but the 2013 ones were seriously heavy and the wheelset was abysmal to behold, sad news is that the 2014 alloy bikes come with the dreadful RS10 wheels .

Trek Domane 2.3 Havent ridden one of these yet and the slack 71.5 degree head angle signifies Trek have taken relaxed geometry seriously onboard. Pity it has the name "Trek" on the downtube as there will be those who know its related to Cancellara and there will also be those who lump it with that cheating scumbag Lance.

Giant Defy 1 haven't tried one of these but sadly the 2014 models come in 2 colour choices of " horrible " and " dear god no " 2013 models were very well thought of but again came with sub par wheels.

Felt Z85 haven't ridden one, seen one or know anybody else who has ridden one or seen one.


Wouldnt it be great to pick up a bike you didn't have to immediately toss a cr@ppy wheelset or sell naff groupset componentry in order to replace with the level of gear it should have came stock with. Im sure there are other endurance bikes from other manufacturers , Genesis ( ? ) and it would great to read what the owners think of them. Which endurance style road bike out there do you think has the least annoyances that gets it close to being the best of its kind out there ?

marcusjb

Depends on what you are calling endurance. As a pretty keen long-distance cyclist, I have rarely seen any of the models you mention on rides.

Plenty of great light touring and Audax framesets out there that are ideal for eating big miles.

What sort of events/distances are you looking at riding?

Sawilson

I am on my second Roubaix and I think there Fantastic bikes, but I am sure you will get lots of feedback on alternatives, the best judge is your backside and to demo as many as possible.
If your looking at the Domane 2.3 you should be comparing to the Specialized Secteur not the Roubaix as the Domane 2.3 and Secteur are both aluminium steeds and the Roubaix is carbon.

bendertherobot

Condor fratello. Self build

marcusjb

bendertherobot wrote:

Condor fratello. Self build

That would be my answer too really.

Fabulous mile muncher.

Father Faff

Perhaps you are not spending enough - try the Giant GF01 and the Colnago CX Zero. I've tried the latter and what was most impressive was the combination of direct power transfer and lateral stiffness with accurate and confidence inspiring steering while at the same time giving a smooth ride for your backside. The only slight problem I had was the feeling that I was riding two different bikes at the same time!

Grill

Micky Mouse topic. My Foil munches miles in comfort as do my Wyndy and Ritchey. Not everyone needs a two foot head tube and penny-farthing geometry.

Serious Cat

I hadn't considered audax bikes and their inclusion because of steep seat tube and slack head tube is interesting. To anybody who suggests a particular bike, please don't just name the bike as I am interested in why you choose it and why it ticks almost all the boxes.

marcusjb

What are you planning to do on this bike?

LegendLust

Serious Cat wrote:

The whole ideology of the endurance type road bike is to facilitate long miles , offer comfort and not look nor ride like an old duffer. Its certainly not going to ride like a bespoke racing bike with low front end, steep angles and stretched riding position, but which endurance style bike do you think could be called the real deal ?

I don't think the perfect bike has been created and I`ll outline shortcomings which I think impact on some of the endurance bikes that are out there.

Specialized Roubaix : kind of the grandaddy of the endurance type bike but don't they have toptube lengths that appear to be very long for given sizes, ie 548mm for a size 54 bike seems long to me, the groupset supplied when the you take into the cost of the bike are underwhelming and the base model bike which costs £1200 coming with a sora gruppo is insulting to say the least.

Cannondale Synapse haven't tried a 2014 model but the 2013 ones were seriously heavy and the wheelset was abysmal to behold, sad news is that the 2014 alloy bikes come with the dreadful RS10 wheels .

Trek Domane 2.3 Havent ridden one of these yet and the slack 71.5 degree head angle signifies Trek have taken relaxed geometry seriously onboard. Pity it has the name "Trek" on the downtube as there will be those who know its related to Cancellara and there will also be those who lump it with that cheating scumbag Lance.

Giant Defy 1 haven't tried one of these but sadly the 2014 models come in 2 colour choices of " horrible " and " dear god no " 2013 models were very well thought of but again came with sub par wheels.

Felt Z85 haven't ridden one, seen one or know anybody else who has ridden one or seen one.


Wouldnt it be great to pick up a bike you didn't have to immediately toss a cr@ppy wheelset or sell naff groupset componentry in order to replace with the level of gear it should have came stock with. Im sure there are other endurance bikes from other manufacturers , Genesis ( ? ) and it would great to read what the owners think of them. Which endurance style road bike out there do you think has the least annoyances that gets it close to being the best of its kind out there ?

:?:

Camcycle1974

Why no planet X or ribble? Value to be had. £1400 gets you a rt58 with ultegra 11 speed from PX. A similar build can be had from ribble for their gran fondo. Look further than the big brands and you will find a bargain.

keef66

If I was wanting a bike just for distance and comfort I'd go for a steel frame and build it up with components of my choice. Condor Fratello already mentioned, Genesis Equilibrium, Dawes Century SE, or maybe a Bob Jackson or something Audaxy from Spa Cycles?

Crucial for me would be room / mounting points for full Chromoplastic mudguards and 25mm tyres.

Brooks B17 special saddle, some compact shallow drop bars, 105 or Ultegra triple GS (or Veloce triple if you have continental leanings) and some repairable handbuilt wheels with a reasonable spoke count relative to rider weight.

thegreatdivide

Grill wrote:

Micky Mouse topic. My Foil munches miles in comfort as do my Wyndy and Ritchey. Not everyone needs a two foot head tube and penny-farthing geometry.

This.

nevman

keef66 wrote:

If I was wanting a bike just for distance and comfort I'd go for a steel frame and build it up with components of my choice. Condor Fratello already mentioned, Genesis Equilibrium, Dawes Century SE, or maybe a Bob Jackson or something Audaxy from Spa Cycles?

Crucial for me would be room / mounting points for full Chromoplastic mudguards and 25mm tyres.

Brooks B17 special saddle, some compact shallow drop bars, 105 or Ultegra triple GS (or Veloce triple if you have continental leanings) and some repairable handbuilt wheels with a reasonable spoke count relative to rider weight.

This.For older riders.

marcusjb

Grill wrote:

Micky Mouse topic. My Foil munches miles in comfort as do my Wyndy and Ritchey. Not everyone needs a two foot head tube and penny-farthing geometry.

Any bike can work for long-distances - the key is fit for the specific rider.

Check this Foil out - got the rider 1400km with reasonable speed! :

keef66

nevman wrote:

keef66 wrote:

If I was wanting a bike just for distance and comfort I'd go for a steel frame and build it up with components of my choice. Condor Fratello already mentioned, Genesis Equilibrium, Dawes Century SE, or maybe a Bob Jackson or something Audaxy from Spa Cycles?

Crucial for me would be room / mounting points for full Chromoplastic mudguards and 25mm tyres.

Brooks B17 special saddle, some compact shallow drop bars, 105 or Ultegra triple GS (or Veloce triple if you have continental leanings) and some repairable handbuilt wheels with a reasonable spoke count relative to rider weight.

This.For older riders.

Guilty as charged m'lud! At 56 and chained to a desk for much of the working week I'm not as bendy as I once was, and fear I am evolving into a light touring kind of cyclist. Comfort and practicality appeal more than speed and bling.

littledove44

One man's endurance bike is another man's racing machine.

It's all down to how flexible you are, how strong you are, how fit you are and how you deal with pain or discomfort.

marcusjb

littledove44 wrote:

One man's endurance bike is another man's racing machine.

It's all down to how flexible you are, how strong you are, how fit you are and how you deal with pain or discomfort.

Indeed - I present the legend that is Drew Buck and his amazing Hirondelle bike:



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-25238228

His 2011 bike:



(seeing him come down hills on that thing was terrifying!)