rdmn

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy my first road bike and would appreciate some input. My plan was to get an affordable aluminum bike with r7000 105 or r6800 Ultegra, ride it all year and then in 1 or 2 years when I have an idea of what geometry, stem and crank length and handlebar width I want, buy a nice carbon bike with wireless di2 or etap and use the aforementioned aluminum bike exclusively for winter and smart trainer.

I'd also prefer to use 28mm if possible.

So far so good, I read a lot about aluminum bikes and I really like Cannondale's CAAD models. My idea was to get either a used Caad12 with rim brakes or a Caad13 with disc brakes.

Pro Caad12
renowned frame
cheaper because used
a bit "racier" geometry
round seat post offers more choice in parts

Pro Caad13
28mm tires and enough space for screw on fenders
more comfort
aesthetically more pleasing to me (I know this is controversial amongst caad fans but I like the black pearl color way and the dropped seat stays)
new

Now I know that the decision between disc and rim brakes is also an important factor for a winter bike but I don't want to focus on that because ultimately there's been enough discussion about brakes and I'll have to weigh up myself how important the right brake is to me.

My question is which CAAD would you recommend me in my situation, and if it's a Caad12 is there a specific model (2016-2019) that is significantly more worth it than others?

upthywazzoo 

Would you ever be riding in snow or ice?

Elvo

https://www.cannondale.com/en-us/bik...ku=c16200m1046

rubiksoval

Just buy the carbon bike now. No reason to "settle" if you're just planning on turning around and buying another bike in a year.

Carbon can be ridden in the winter, too, and has nothing to do with your component selection. Get what you want and save money in the long run to buy more of what you want.

rdmn

No, road only but in winter there’s dirt and salt.

Good point but a) I don’t have the money for that right now since I’m gonna have to move soon and I’ll be starting my first job end of the year.

And b) I‘m afraid that if I buy expensive now I will make mistakes with the geometry, ultimately I want a bike with an integrated cockpit where the stem length has to be perfect from the start. And maybe by riding a year I find out that I need a bit less/more stack/reach.

upthywazzoo 

Ah, okay. Just wondering if you were going to need fatter, treaded tires (and thus a different bike from the CAAD12/13). IMO, if the eventual fate of the bike will be to become a trainer bike, then geometry won't matter all that much. You should just pick what speaks to you now. If that means picking the 13 because it looks better, then so be it. Also, definitely consider investing in a professional fit. That could save you a great deal of money in the long term if you're afraid of buying the wrong size when you upgrade.

rubiksoval

You'd likely have to pay for a different stem/handlebar length anyway. They typically just don't switch out parts like that for free... Kind of the problem buying stock bikes. So regardless, you'll have to make changes at some point.

Easiest/cheapest to build up yourself, but yeah, that'd take more experience and knowledge.

WhyFi

The other thing to consider is whether the future bike is going to be disc (likely) and if you want to any hope of interchangeability of wheels, etc. Frankly, if I have a fleet of bikes, I don't care. If I have two bikes, I want to be able to swap if a wheel needs to go in to be rebuilt, etc.

rdmn

I've had a pre bike fit and it was terrible and didn't help me at all. They didn't have some of the bikes in their system even though those are being made by a manufacturer in my country and are relatively popular. I could only ask about 4 bikes and was able to try out 2 geometries in total. Then I was told that I needed sizes between XL/61 and XXL/63. Most of the bikes I was recommended I can't actually ride because the seat post can't be put so far into the frame that my feet touch the pedals. I'm 183cm height and 89cm inseam btw with relatively short arms. For me most bikes feel best in sizes M(56) or L(58). I really don't want to waste any more money on that.

There might be more disc wheels in the future but I don't think that it won't be possible to get any rim wheels, I mean you can still get parts for vintage bikes.

upthywazzoo 

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your pre-fit. I tried Retul last year and it was excellent. The fitter really knew his stuff and what to look for as well. That said, I had the fitting done on a frame that was not hugely different from a bike I'd been fitted on before (not Retul). 53cm Lemond Zurich to S/M Look 785. You stated earlier that you're afraid of making mistakes with geometry--so in my opinion you should be open to getting fitted by someone who knows what they're doing. The geometry differences between different series frames from different manufacturers in the same size is splitting hairs, generally speaking. The bikes will feel different, but any of them can be tweaked to fit you.

WhyFi

That's not exactly what I was talking about. I have no doubt that you'll be able to buy rim brake wheels in the future, but buying new, top end rim brake *bikes* is going to be more and more difficult. IOW, the further out you push your "nice bike" timeline, the less likely that it'll come with rim brakes. With that in mind, and for the sake of simplicity, redundancy, and tool outlay, I would personally prefer to keep as many of the parts interchangeable as possible, which would mean buying a disc brake bike now with the assumption that the future bike purchase will be discs, too. If that's not important to you, that's fine - I'm just pointing out the kind of wrinkles that I'd prefer to avoid.

ARider2

It is also important to consider the impact of the pandemic on your chances of even finding a used or new CAAD now or in the next several months. New CAADs are more or less sold out and likely to be available not earlier than 2022 unless you get lucky and find one a dealer has in stock. The same is true for finding a used CAAD as it may be difficult to find one in your size. Given the current situation you may have to widen your choices or wait a while to get something closer to your original requirements.

Hmmm

Get a CAAD3. I love mine.