Should I buy a road bike?
#51
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Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 289
Bikes: Masi Giramondo, Trek 830 monstercross build, Raleigh Gran Sport, Lemond Tourmalet
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I'm sharing my experience, which is different than pushing my tastes. That said, the asphalt where I live sucks ass, and it is awful to ride with skinny tires, because the city streets are so haphazardly maintained if they're maintained properly at all.
#52
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
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Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter
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Preference, I guess. But I'm just trying to push back on the idea that road bikes can't handle some dirt roads, crushed limestone, etc. I'm thinking of someone in particular who recently bought a gravel bike because they didn't think they could use their bike on rail trails. Gravel bikes have a role to play, but they're being a little over marketed I think.
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#54
Newbie
I recently test rode a Domane SL6. It was awesome, but the fit just didn't work for me and they could not produce a shorter stem any sooner than 3-4 weeks. Go figure. Nor were they going to swap it over. They would charge me for the new stem and offer no discount whatsoever on accessories like gloves, helmet, bottles etc. (Trek only store) I was kind of surprised. But I'm sure they will sell the bike to someone else during this time of unavailability due to COVID Supply/demand issues.
Then I found a 2020 Specialized Roubaix Comp Ultegra Di2 locally in my size and it was $400 off, and they discounted all accessories. Super nice guys who were willing to build a relationship. I bought the Roubaix. (Actually prefer Di2 even though it cost more) But I would have bought the Trek Domane SL6 if they would have been able to make the geometry fit with a simple stem swap. The icing on the cake however was not even a 10% break on accessories with a $4K bike purchase? It's not the money. It's the principle that rubbed me the wrong way.
Then I found a 2020 Specialized Roubaix Comp Ultegra Di2 locally in my size and it was $400 off, and they discounted all accessories. Super nice guys who were willing to build a relationship. I bought the Roubaix. (Actually prefer Di2 even though it cost more) But I would have bought the Trek Domane SL6 if they would have been able to make the geometry fit with a simple stem swap. The icing on the cake however was not even a 10% break on accessories with a $4K bike purchase? It's not the money. It's the principle that rubbed me the wrong way.
#55
Senior Member
Occasionally I load my bike up on the car and I drive it to a different trail about an hour away. The difference is, that trail is 100% asphalt. My bike stands out there because it is so dusty! Everyone else's is spotless.
#56
Newbie
Buy A Road Bike!
I don't think anyone else has said it yet, sorry if I missed it. There is a mathematical formula to figure out how many bikes you should own.
N = X + 1
Where N is the number of bikes you should own and X is the number of bikes you currently own. Trust mathematics, it does not lie.
N = X + 1
Where N is the number of bikes you should own and X is the number of bikes you currently own. Trust mathematics, it does not lie.