Endurance Road Bikes - Noticeable Difference?

jon33

Hi all

Quick query for those that might have experience with different bikes. I currently own a Scott Foil that I picked up a few years back when I had ambitions of starting to road race. Not cycled for a couple of years and I'm getting back into it and I wondered if the "endurance" style road bikes actually make much of a difference to comfort or if it's more or a marketing thing? Would I notice much difference in comfort if I sold on my Scott Foil and picked up something which is classed as an endurance style bike?

Cheers in advance.

thegreatdivide

I reckon you'd be better spending money on a good bike fit rather than a 'next big thing' bike.

jon33

Thanks for the reply, the Scott has been fit and it fits fine.

To make my question a little clearer, the Foil is designed to be an incredibly stiff bike frame whereas the "endurance" bikes (Synapse, Roubaix, Canyon Endurance etc) claim to absorb some of the vibrations/bumps from the road and make it more comfortable and less fatiguing for longer rides - I was wondering, is that actually the case?

daniel_b

An alloy, synapse, for me, is stupendously comfortable.

I currently run mine with alloy seatpost (though I have a carbon one to fit) but carbon stem and handlebar.
It's so comfy I still haven't gotten around to fitting bar tape!

And that's with a carbon railed Fizik Arione.

hypster

I've got a GT Grade carbon Ultegra. I have done a few 70-80 mile rides on it and it is noticeably more comfortable than the aluminium Scott S3 that I used as my Winter bike but it does have 28mm tyres compared to 25mm on the Scott. One thing that does take some getting used to is the generally longer head tube and slightly more upright position than a race geometry frame.

If you were thinking about getting an endurance geometry bike I would advise getting a test ride as you might not like the more upright riding position. Having said that it does grow on you after a while and I also have a Scott Carbon CR1 which is also a very comfortable ride over 100 miles.

My daughter has just taken delivery of a Trek Domane carbon and she thinks that is a lot more comfortable than her Planet X RT-57 carbon bike. A friend also has a carbon Synapse and he thinks that is the most comfortable bike he has ever ridden and he's had quite a few over 40 years of riding!

EDIT: Just to add, if I were doing a 100 mile ride and was only interested in comfort I would take the GT Grade, if I were interested in speed I would probably take the Scott CR1.

bikingjohn

I would not say all endurance bikes are built to the same comfort level, but I found that Trek Domane is really much comfortable than NeilPryde Alize and my current bike CAAD12 Disc.

Domane just like a very well damped sedan, but still very fast.

JesseD

Hayman just won PR2016 on a Scott Foil!!

I think the type of tyres and pressures you run will make more of a difference to be honest.

I have an "endurance" bike simply because the geometry fitted me, its a little longer in the wheelbase than a pure race bike by about 1cm avg, but is fine, I have also done very long sportives on a Scott Addict which was as stiff as a stiff thing with no problems.

As has been already mentioned, get a bike fit and buy something you will be comfortable on, position on the bike is key!

bikes`n`guns

Try a Trek Domane to find out what comfort actually is.

ugo.santalucia

The trend is to moan about body pains as soon as the traning steps up, hence a new more comfortable bike is needed. IMO bikes are not comfortable, beds are and sofas are too... I can spend 8 hours in bed and not have pains, there is no bicycle that allows you to spend 8 hours pain free. Adjustments (stem, saddle height and position) and tweaks help making things better, but personally I don't think you need a completely different bike

JesseD

ugo.santalucia wrote:

The trend is to moan about body pains as soon as the traning steps up, hence a new more comfortable bike is needed. IMO bikes are not comfortable, beds are and sofas are too... I can spend 8 hours in bed and not have pains, there is no bicycle that allows you to spend 8 hours pain free. Adjustments (stem, saddle height and position) and tweaks help making things better, but personally I don't think you need a completely different bike

THIS!!!

keef66

JesseD wrote:

Hayman just won PR2016 on a Scott Foil!!

But remember his Foil is a very different beast from the earlier versions; http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... oil-46798/

"While early aero bikes earned a reputation for being overly stiff and harsh — with the original Scott Foil falling somewhat in this category — the new Foil was completely overhauled with increased compliance being a goal for the Swiss company."

Could you fit 28mm tubulars to your Foil??

thegreatdivide

keef66 wrote:

JesseD wrote:

Hayman just won PR2016 on a Scott Foil!!

But remember his Foil is a very different beast from the earlier versions; http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... oil-46798/

"While early aero bikes earned a reputation for being overly stiff and harsh — with the original Scott Foil falling somewhat in this category — the new Foil was completely overhauled with increased compliance being a goal for the Swiss company."

Could you fit 28mm tubulars to your Foil??

Hayman has done loads of cobbles on his old Foil. Google away for images.

thegreatdivide

JesseD wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

The trend is to moan about body pains as soon as the traning steps up, hence a new more comfortable bike is needed. IMO bikes are not comfortable, beds are and sofas are too... I can spend 8 hours in bed and not have pains, there is no bicycle that allows you to spend 8 hours pain free. Adjustments (stem, saddle height and position) and tweaks help making things better, but personally I don't think you need a completely different bike

THIS!!!

Yip.

bsharp77

Its been mentioned a couple of times already - try a Trek Domane.
Its very hard to describe just how good it feels - an amazing combination of comfort and speed. Ive had a wide range of very nice bikes, and this is the only bike I now have, as it does everything so, so well.

Some models of the Domane are available in different geometries, giving you the best option to find something that fits perfectly.

ugo.santalucia

Riders don't choose a bike for Paris-Roubaix because it is comfortable, but because it is best suited to ride fast on the cobbles... you don't lift any trophy by being comfortable!

jon33

Thanks for all the replies guys, food for thought.

With regards to Hayman winning on a Foil, he's a pro looking for speed, I'm getting older with niggling lower back injury

I've got 25mm tyres on the bike now and they just fit on so I'm thinking 28s are out of the question.

bsharp77

jon33 wrote:

Thanks for all the replies guys, food for thought.

With regards to Hayman winning on a Foil, he's a pro looking for speed, I'm getting older with niggling lower back injury

I've got 25mm tyres on the bike now and they just fit on so I'm thinking 28s are out of the question.

This is why I made the change. I had back problems with Izalco Pro, Boardman Pro, Cervelo R3 to name but a few.
The Domane is like some sort of witchcraft that leaves me feeling fresh even after 3-4 hours at a reasonable pace!
Of course the geometry plays a role, but I think the isospeed system has a lot to do with it as I had a BMC GF02 and it still left me beaten up and sore in comparison.

If you have a chance to try, go and throw your leg over one. You will notice the smoothness instantly - I did anyway, and it put a grin on my face as to how smooth and fast it could be.

jon33

bsharp77 wrote:

jon33 wrote:

Thanks for all the replies guys, food for thought.

With regards to Hayman winning on a Foil, he's a pro looking for speed, I'm getting older with niggling lower back injury

I've got 25mm tyres on the bike now and they just fit on so I'm thinking 28s are out of the question.

This is why I made the change. I had back problems with Izalco Pro, Boardman Pro, Cervelo R3 to name but a few.
The Domane is like some sort of witchcraft that leaves me feeling fresh even after 3-4 hours at a reasonable pace!
Of course the geometry plays a role, but I think the isospeed system has a lot to do with it as I had a BMC GF02 and it still left me beaten up and sore in comparison.

If you have a chance to try, go and throw your leg over one. You will notice the smoothness instantly - I did anyway, and it put a grin on my face as to how smooth and fast it could be.

I'll see if I can find somewhere local that stocks them and give it a go, cheers!

JesseD

Do you have the exact same set up on the Domane as you did on the BMC, same saddle setback/height, reach etc?

Not saying you didn't but if the bikes have different geometries then the instant lack of pain could be down to you having a different position which is more comfortable as opposed to the actual bike change.

I would have thought the smoothness of the ride will have nothing to do with being comfortable on the bike and staying injury free, what it possibly will do is maybe eliminate a small amount of road buzz to leave you feeling slightly fresher on very long rides, the change in tyre pressures/width would have a more significant effect IMO.

For instance I ride an alu Felt with carbon forks and endurance geometry, I don't get pain as its set up perfectly for me after a bike fit and its comfortable to century rides with lots of climbing etc.

For me its all about bike fit, zertz, elastometrs, suspension thingys make very little difference in the grand scheme of things.

bikes`n`guns

I`m with Bsharp77. The Domane transformed my riding.

Less buzz and vibes makes for a much more comfy ride, which in turn fatigues me less.

Set up is important yes, but unless you`ve ridden Iso Speed decouplers you have no idea how big a difference it actually makes.

jon33

I can't see the post now but I'm sure someone mentioned head tube length; anyways I went to check out how my old Allez compared against the Foil, turns out it's nearly 3cm longer, something that I didn't notice initially when buying the foil but could be playing a part in the comfort of it - hindsight ey?!

bikingjohn

Bikes`n`guns wrote:

I`m with Bsharp77. The Domane transformed my riding.

Less buzz and vibes makes for a much more comfy ride, which in turn fatigues me less.

Set up is important yes, but unless you`ve ridden Iso Speed decouplers you have no idea how big a difference it actually makes.

I find the lack of faith (in IsoSpeed) disturbing.

As an owner, I totally agree with you about the Domane. Now I'm planning for the 2nd gen Domane SLR.

poptart242

I went from a Defy to a Supersix, and to be honest find the latter far more comfortable! I think it's about fit before geometry type to be honest. And I can ride it with a 13 cm stem slammed on to the head tube to boot. I'm just lucky to somehow fit a low position better than a high one.