Quickly Compare Bikes by Spec Level
sjalex
Posts: 26
99 Spokes is a hobby project (no ads) we put together to make it easy to compare bikes from multiple manufacturers in a single location. We just finished a new feature that we’re really excited about, making it super easy to see at a glance how the bikes in your comparison stack up against the rest of the market with respect to spec and cost.
Basically, we break down everything we know about a bike’s specs-- frame, fork, wheels, groupset components, brake type, suspension system, features like dropper posts, etc. and assign weights to each component or feature based on the intended use of the bike. We use this to estimate the overall “spec level” of the bike, which we can then use to find bikes that look like good deals.
Here’s an example comparison of four different Endurance road bikes in the $4k range - https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=cannondale-synapse-carbon-disc-ultegra-di2-2019,specialized-roubaix-comp-shimano-ultegra-di2-2019,giant-defy-advanced-pro-1-2019,trek-domane-sl-6-disc-2019
The chart below plots the bikes in the comparison against other 2019 Endurance road bikes. The Giant Defy (green) stands out as a good value here with nearly as high of a spec level as the more expensive Specialized and Cannondale models.
Another interesting usage of this view is to drill into the grey dots in the chart. Hovering reveals the bike name and clicking it will take you to the bike’s detail page. Looking at the dots to the left of the Giant we discover both Canyon and Rose are offering less expensive bikes with a higher spec level.
Of course, we can’t capture every unique detail or feature that makes a bike awesome, nor can we capture personal preferences. So bikes that land low on the scale are not necessarily bad bikes or bad deals. We hope a tool like this is useful to the community and would love to hear your feedback if you find cases where we may have missed the mark on scoring a particular bike or feature.
Basically, we break down everything we know about a bike’s specs-- frame, fork, wheels, groupset components, brake type, suspension system, features like dropper posts, etc. and assign weights to each component or feature based on the intended use of the bike. We use this to estimate the overall “spec level” of the bike, which we can then use to find bikes that look like good deals.
Here’s an example comparison of four different Endurance road bikes in the $4k range - https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=cannondale-synapse-carbon-disc-ultegra-di2-2019,specialized-roubaix-comp-shimano-ultegra-di2-2019,giant-defy-advanced-pro-1-2019,trek-domane-sl-6-disc-2019
The chart below plots the bikes in the comparison against other 2019 Endurance road bikes. The Giant Defy (green) stands out as a good value here with nearly as high of a spec level as the more expensive Specialized and Cannondale models.
Another interesting usage of this view is to drill into the grey dots in the chart. Hovering reveals the bike name and clicking it will take you to the bike’s detail page. Looking at the dots to the left of the Giant we discover both Canyon and Rose are offering less expensive bikes with a higher spec level.
Of course, we can’t capture every unique detail or feature that makes a bike awesome, nor can we capture personal preferences. So bikes that land low on the scale are not necessarily bad bikes or bad deals. We hope a tool like this is useful to the community and would love to hear your feedback if you find cases where we may have missed the mark on scoring a particular bike or feature.
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A website that confirms generally accepted ‘common knowledge’..?0
