I started riding 3 years ago. Today I finally bought my first road bike.
10-06-23, 06:39 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
I started riding 3 years ago. Today I ordered a Canyon Endurace CF 8!
During the pandemic, I bought a trek FX1 with Disc breaks and picked up a new life skill - I finally learned to ride a bike… yes in my 30s.
I’ve ridden my FX1 hundreds of miles by now. And all the while I’d see all these cool dudes flying past me on hills in their super cool road bikes.
Well today, I finally decided to join you all. I ordered a Canyon Endurace CF 8! It’s my first road bike and I’m kinda scared but also really excited.
It feels exactly as scary as when I first ordered my hybrid 3 years ago. But I’m looking forward to the challenge of learning to put it together, and understand how to ride it properly with clipless pedals.
I’m like 95% excited, and 5% intimidated since this is such a more sophisticated (and expensive!) ride. But I already have some road buddies who have been waiting for me to make this upgrade and who will ride with me on my first outing.
Part of what makes me nervous was the direct to consumer nature of this purchase. But the deal was unbeatable. It was $2200 on sale for a carbon fiber bike with ultegra components. Everything else in my area was either sold out or twice as expensive for a carbon fiber ride. And that was something I didn’t want to compromise on because I love the look of “no welds” showing (as superficial as that may be). I wanted to love the bike and I think I will.
Any tips for putting together the bike or transitioning to a hybrid would be appreciated.
I’ve ridden my FX1 hundreds of miles by now. And all the while I’d see all these cool dudes flying past me on hills in their super cool road bikes.
Well today, I finally decided to join you all. I ordered a Canyon Endurace CF 8! It’s my first road bike and I’m kinda scared but also really excited.
It feels exactly as scary as when I first ordered my hybrid 3 years ago. But I’m looking forward to the challenge of learning to put it together, and understand how to ride it properly with clipless pedals.
I’m like 95% excited, and 5% intimidated since this is such a more sophisticated (and expensive!) ride. But I already have some road buddies who have been waiting for me to make this upgrade and who will ride with me on my first outing.
Part of what makes me nervous was the direct to consumer nature of this purchase. But the deal was unbeatable. It was $2200 on sale for a carbon fiber bike with ultegra components. Everything else in my area was either sold out or twice as expensive for a carbon fiber ride. And that was something I didn’t want to compromise on because I love the look of “no welds” showing (as superficial as that may be). I wanted to love the bike and I think I will.
Any tips for putting together the bike or transitioning to a hybrid would be appreciated.
Last edited by 33yearslate; 10-06-23 at 06:44 AM. Reason: More descriptive thread title.
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10-06-23, 06:55 AM
#2
Newbie
Awesome! Getting a new bike is always fun and I'm sure will lead to new adventures for you. I'm sure your buddies will be able to help you with the basics. Everything I've read about the Canyon Endurace have been positive, I'm sure it will be a great bike for you, and at that price, you got a great deal!
One thing you may want to consider is having a pro bike fit at a shop that does that. Even a basic fitting will probably go along way to make the beginning of this journey more enjoyable. Things like seat height, saddle angle, bar reach, saddle fore/aft, etc, should be done properly in order to maximize comfort and efficiency and minimize the possibility of injury.
One thing you may want to consider is having a pro bike fit at a shop that does that. Even a basic fitting will probably go along way to make the beginning of this journey more enjoyable. Things like seat height, saddle angle, bar reach, saddle fore/aft, etc, should be done properly in order to maximize comfort and efficiency and minimize the possibility of injury.
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10-06-23, 07:47 AM
#3
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Putting together is a breeze. They have a couple of videos on their website on how to assemble the Endurace. They even throw in a set of flat pedals. And yes... Canyon is an incredible bang for the buck purchase.
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10-06-23, 07:59 AM
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There is not much difference between a hybrid and endurance road bike, other than the cockpit set up. You will likely find a need to replace some stock components, saddle likely the first thing.
Get some time and miles in and get a feeling of how your positioning on the bike feels. When you make changes, do it in small increments with only one or two changes at a time. Keep notes on what you changed, and what the change was. Being your first road bike, It is likely going to take
Some trial and error to get it dialed in.
As to get a professional bike fitting done, you are paying someone for an opinion, a someone with training and knowledge that might help. Though hopefully based on knowledge and experience, is still an opinion, not fact. For transparency I have never had one done.
Get some time and miles in and get a feeling of how your positioning on the bike feels. When you make changes, do it in small increments with only one or two changes at a time. Keep notes on what you changed, and what the change was. Being your first road bike, It is likely going to take
Some trial and error to get it dialed in.
As to get a professional bike fitting done, you are paying someone for an opinion, a someone with training and knowledge that might help. Though hopefully based on knowledge and experience, is still an opinion, not fact. For transparency I have never had one done.
10-06-23, 08:39 AM
#5
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New Bike Day! congrats. Looking forward to reading about the assembly, tuning and riding experiences you have. Enjoy.
10-06-23, 08:50 AM
#6
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Thread Starter
Those videos sold me on the idea that I’m capable of putting this thing together. The biggest thing I’m worried about is not knowing if something is faulty since this is the first time I’ll ever see this group set in person, and I’m not particularly knowledgeable or handy.
There is not much difference between a hybrid and endurance road bike, other than the cockpit set up. You will likely find a need to replace some stock components, saddle likely the first thing.
Get some time and miles in and get a feeling of how your positioning on the bike feels. When you make changes, do it in small increments with only one or two changes at a time. Keep notes on what you changed, and what the change was. Being your first road bike, It is likely going to take
Some trial and error to get it dialed in.
As to get a professional bike fitting done, you are paying someone for an opinion, a someone with training and knowledge that might help. Though hopefully based on knowledge and experience, is still an opinion, not fact. For transparency I have never had one done.
Get some time and miles in and get a feeling of how your positioning on the bike feels. When you make changes, do it in small increments with only one or two changes at a time. Keep notes on what you changed, and what the change was. Being your first road bike, It is likely going to take
Some trial and error to get it dialed in.
As to get a professional bike fitting done, you are paying someone for an opinion, a someone with training and knowledge that might help. Though hopefully based on knowledge and experience, is still an opinion, not fact. For transparency I have never had one done.
My goal is mostly a comfy ride but still in an athletic enough position to be fast/aggressive when I want to sprint and feel some speed.
Last edited by 33yearslate; 10-06-23 at 09:02 AM. Reason: More context
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10-06-23, 09:10 AM
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Practice unclipping a lot on a soft surface before you head out on the road, and unclip well in advance of stopping once you venture out into the wild.
10-06-23, 11:23 AM
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10-06-23, 11:43 AM
#9
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Hence, the practice. The more you clip in and unclip, the more it becomes second nature to tilt the bike toward the side you unclip as you stop. BUT even those of us who've been doing it successfully for decades sometimes mess up....
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10-06-23, 12:22 PM
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Maybe take it to a shop after you're done and ask them to give it a once over. They will probably charge you for a "tune up", but your peace of mind might be worth the cost.
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10-06-23, 01:10 PM
#11
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10-06-23, 03:00 PM
#12
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Congrats!! I think you made a great choice with the Canyon. I would also say that getting a bike fit is a good idea. While they are doing the fit, I'm sure they would "check over" the bike. Depending on how comfortable you feel putting it together (it really is easy), having the shop go through it is not a bad idea...
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10-06-23, 04:26 PM
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10-07-23, 07:49 AM
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The Endurace is a really nice road bike. Putting it together is pretty straightforward and they are usually pretty good with factory setup of the drivetrain etc. But taking it to a reputable shop for a check over is a good idea for peace of mind. Otherwise just follow their assembly instructions carefully and it should be fine. The main tasks you are faced with are setting the bars straight and fitting the seatpost. You may also want to convert to a tubeless tyre setup. The wheels and tyres will be tubeless ready, but they come fitted with tubes from Canyon. You can just ride with tubes if you prefer.
10-07-23, 07:56 PM
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10-20-23, 03:49 PM
#18
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10-24-23, 02:35 AM
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No way! I made the same transition (Trek FX 2 to Cannondale Synapse CF) in 2017 and never looked back. A hybrid and an endurance road bike ride completely differently, and the latter will allow 33yearslate to ride faster and longer at the same fitness level.
11-02-23, 10:45 AM
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Assimilation complete
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11-02-23, 01:08 PM
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I agree that a pro fitting is probably not necessary, unless:
- You have physical limitations or injuries that affect your flexibility or your ability to consistently apply (approximately) equal force to each pedal.
- You have significantly unusual body proportions or asymmetries.
- You have over-use injuries due to cycling that you are not able to resolve with rest and/or minor modifications to your set-up (raise/lower/tilt saddle; raise/lower bars).
- You ride 10K+ miles/year, and even a minor deficiency in set-up can have large effects over the course of a season.
- You are looking to optimize your power output (i.e. you're into racing).
- You're a bike geek and just want (and, can afford) to get a fitting - more information being better than less.
11-06-23, 09:07 PM
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Makes me want to buy a new Canyon ... check who this guy works for ... 
11-07-23, 04:49 AM
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I agree that a pro fitting is probably not necessary, unless:
- You have physical limitations or injuries that affect your flexibility or your ability to consistently apply (approximately) equal force to each pedal.
- You have significantly unusual body proportions or asymmetries.
- You have over-use injuries due to cycling that you are not able to resolve with rest and/or minor modifications to your set-up (raise/lower/tilt saddle; raise/lower bars).
- You ride 10K+ miles/year, and even a minor deficiency in set-up can have large effects over the course of a season.
- You are looking to optimize your power output (i.e. you're into racing).
- You're a bike geek and just want (and, can afford) to get a fitting - more information being better than less.
https://www.myvelofit.com/?utm_sourc...SAAEgK6w_D_BwE
The fitter below also offers a great DIY fitting guide for a few peanuts. It's quite an in-depth guide, but well worth a read and very logical with no bs involved.
https://www.bikedynamics.co.uk/shop.htm
Even if you go to a pro fitter it is still useful to do some background reading first and go in a bit more informed. If you go to 10 different fitters you will get 10 different fits based on their skill, equipment, methodology and customer feedback. It is not an exact science and that's why I prefer to do my own thing, although I have spoken to several pro fitters and read a fair bit about fitting.
Back in the day (80s, 90s, 00s) I simply used to buy bikes in the obvious frame size for my height (6' tall = 58 cm or L) and adjust the saddle height using the heel method plus a bit of random tweaking on the go. I never felt the need to change stem length etc.
Today I do all the research and use the latest online AI fitting tools and then end up with exactly the same result! 58/L frame, saddle height +/- a couple of mm and stock stem. I also have the luxury of a Wahoo Kickr Bike, so I can play around with fit parameters very quickly and independently. I usually do this over the winter months. I've experimented this way with saddle height, bar reach/drop, saddle setback and crank length. I've concluded that I'm not actually very sensitive to bike fitting parameters.
