Which endurance bike to upgrade to?
yoonchee
Posts: 4
Hi everyone,
I have been happily riding my '01 Trek Alpha 1000, mostly for commutes and recreational rides on weekends. (10~15 miles, 1~2 hours) Aluminum frame, chromoly forks, Sora components, nothing fancy but it served me well. I think I have over 5,000 miles on it by now.
As I am riding longer sessions (30~50 miles, 2~4 hours) and plan to participate in gran fondos and Olympic course triathlons, I am looking to upgrade my bike. The main issue is the Trek's geometry is too racey/forward for comfy long rides. I start feeling pressure on my lower back after 1+ hour of ride on fairly smooth tarmac.
So I am looking at the endurance/sport models. I test-rode Specialized Roubaix and I didn't like how the rear did not communicate road info, although I did like the relaxed geometry (quite comfortable even on drops). Also tried Tarmac and I liked its stiffness and road feel, but it was too racey and the saddle was a little harsh on me.
I guess I want something fairly stiff to give enough road feedback/confidence while having somewhat relaxed geometry. I narrowed it down to three models now: Trek Madone 4.3, Bianchi Intenso (Japanese spec), Canyon Endurance CF 8.0. They all have mostly 105 components, retail for around $2,000.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/ro ... 2_compact/
https://www.cycleurope.co.jp/bianchi/bi ... mpact.html
http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3501
I know this is much more a matter of personal preference and fit, but since I cannot test ride the Bianchi and the Canyon, can anyone shed some light in terms of their geometry and road feel?
Best Regards,
Chee-Hyung
p.s. Since there is the new 105 groupset due for 2015 models, should I wait for the 2015 models to hit the LBS? That will probably be August/September here in South Korea. FYI: Canyon is actually 2015 model with the new 105 groupset.
I have been happily riding my '01 Trek Alpha 1000, mostly for commutes and recreational rides on weekends. (10~15 miles, 1~2 hours) Aluminum frame, chromoly forks, Sora components, nothing fancy but it served me well. I think I have over 5,000 miles on it by now.
As I am riding longer sessions (30~50 miles, 2~4 hours) and plan to participate in gran fondos and Olympic course triathlons, I am looking to upgrade my bike. The main issue is the Trek's geometry is too racey/forward for comfy long rides. I start feeling pressure on my lower back after 1+ hour of ride on fairly smooth tarmac.
So I am looking at the endurance/sport models. I test-rode Specialized Roubaix and I didn't like how the rear did not communicate road info, although I did like the relaxed geometry (quite comfortable even on drops). Also tried Tarmac and I liked its stiffness and road feel, but it was too racey and the saddle was a little harsh on me.
I guess I want something fairly stiff to give enough road feedback/confidence while having somewhat relaxed geometry. I narrowed it down to three models now: Trek Madone 4.3, Bianchi Intenso (Japanese spec), Canyon Endurance CF 8.0. They all have mostly 105 components, retail for around $2,000.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/ro ... 2_compact/
https://www.cycleurope.co.jp/bianchi/bi ... mpact.html
http://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3501
I know this is much more a matter of personal preference and fit, but since I cannot test ride the Bianchi and the Canyon, can anyone shed some light in terms of their geometry and road feel?
Best Regards,
Chee-Hyung
p.s. Since there is the new 105 groupset due for 2015 models, should I wait for the 2015 models to hit the LBS? That will probably be August/September here in South Korea. FYI: Canyon is actually 2015 model with the new 105 groupset.
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