Canyon Endurace or Rose Pro SL - My first road bike.

boyceuk

Hello bike people. I've been ill recently and as I slowly recover am I'm looking for my first road bike for fun and regain some fitness. A bit of an all rounder that can leave the door for a day on the road, but isn't restricted to smooth tarmac and can also manage some towpaths, a spot of grass and light gravel.

Budget is £1400, so I'm hoping for;
- Aluminium
- Full 105
- Hydraulic disc brakes
- Edging towards relaxed rather than racey
- Tyre clearance for the above tasks...

I think I've narrowed it down to the Canyon Endurace AL Disc 7.0 - £1350 (9.1Kg)
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes ... /2178.html

and the ROSE Pro SL Disc - £1400 (8.5Kg)
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/rose-pro-sl ... ow-2672228

I think the Rose frame looks a lot nicer with really smooth welds and drop stays, so would pick it, but i'm worried about tyre clearance.
The Rose is stated as 28mm, but bike radar reckon you could push it to 30mm; https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes ... 00-review/
Whereas the Canyon is stated as 30mm, and people have squeezed 33 and 35mm in; https://forums.mtbr.com/gravel-bikes/fy ... 85172.html

As I don't currently ride road I don't know how important this is.

fenix

I've ridden towpaths and gravel on 23mms - 28mm would be fine.

arlowood

The Rose looks far superior to the Canyon in terms of the frame finish - particularly the red one. Red bikes are always faster. Those welds on the Canyon look really ugly on a bike at that price.

You'll be fine with 28mm tyres - Choose some Michelin Pro 4 Endurance which come up slightly larger than 28mm.

I have to declare an interest a I bought a Rose X-Lite 4 about a year ago. Great bike and can't fault Rose for their delivery.

cookeeemonster

I've had both canyon and rose bikes myself (not those models though). I'd go for the Canyon myself. I'm sure they'll both be fine though

boyceuk

Fenix wrote:

I've ridden towpaths and gravel on 23mms - 28mm would be fine.

arlowood wrote:

You'll be fine with 28mm tyres - Choose some Michelin Pro 4 Endurance which come up slightly larger than 28mm.

I guess towpaths can be pretty dam smooth, but I'd like to be able to tackle things that were rougher and less flat too, even muddy. Originally I was aiming for 33mm tyres with tread, but maybe that would sacrifice too much when on the road.

boyceuk

CookeeeMonster wrote:

I've had both canyon and rose bikes myself (not those models though). I'd go for the Canyon myself. I'm sure they'll both be fine though

Any reason why Canyon?

Anything that stands out between these two particular models?

joe_totale-2

In that link you posted with the Endurace with 35mm tyres there's barely any room. It wouldn't take much mud or grit to build up before you start wearing away at the frame.
If you did damage the frame, given that you didn't comply with Canyon's own advice then they'd probably just laugh at you if you tried to claim on the warranty.

With those kind of bikes you've linked to I'd just use 28mm tyres and generally stick to roads although as pointed above 28mm tyres are fine for a bit of towpath.
If you want to go off road more then buy a gravel bike.

bonzo_banana

Neither of those bikes look that great to me in value terms and if you are new to cycling or road bikes why not go to your local bike shop and get a good bike fit as part of the buying process especially with many great deals on clearance 2019 bikes at the moment there are some real bargains to be had and they will support you with servicing etc as part of the purchase which can save you money in the long run. Giant bikes have probably the most advanced aluminium frames using 6011 aluminium at this price point and they actually manufacture the bikes themselves rather than import from other factories or just assemble parts completely sourced from other factories. I understand direct internet sellers can offer great prices but those prices don't seem that great to be honest. If you are already thinking about tyre clearance before purchase I would definitely think about what you are buying a CX/Gravel/Adventure bike might actually be a better choice with wider tyre clearance.

A Giant bike in my opinion is far superior to Canyon and Rose, not only do you get a long 25 year warranty on frame and forks but weight limits are far higher and actual bike weight can be lower thanks to the more advanced 6011 aluminium. Like most European and US brands we have little idea what factory was used to make the frame and forks and it may vary year by year depending on what far east factory was cheaper at the time.

The Rose frame is made from 7005 aluminium, companies like Giant and Merida abandoned that material years ago as 6000 series aluminium is easier to hydroform, reduces frame fatigue and is less brittle and simply rides better because you can allow more flexing in the frame. Why on earth would you spend £1500 on a 7005 road bike in 2019. The Canyon is likely a 6061 frame which Giant and Merida only use for their entry level bikes. Most 7005 frame production now is lower end factories in Cambodia, Indonesia and Bangladesh etc. Yes the Rose frame looks smart with its smooth welds but smooth welds is an extra time process that costs money, it's for cosmetic purposes only and done badly would weaken the frame. Of the two frames I'd take the Canyon's more honest visual welds on a mid quality frame than Rose's tarted up low end frame but I wouldn't choose either bike personally. The frame is the heart of a bike and a great frame is a great foundation for future upgrades. I also think normal welds is in some way a good thing. You can see the quality of the frame construction (welds at least) but smoothed out welds can hide many issues. Not a problem if you know the frame is coming from a good factory though.

JDG

No question, go with the Canyon Endurace. I have the 2019 CF SL 8 Aero Disc di2 & it is a dream. the AL version is also killer. You will get the best in quality components for the price. If you know sizing, it is a no brainer. Canyon now has it dialed in.