bmcer

I have no serious reason to be considering a new bike. The ride I have is sweet if a bit dated. But things have changed, both in the industry and in my body.

Let's address the body thing first. I got serious about riding in the late 1970's. Been involved to one degree or another for the 40-something years since. Having recently turned 72 and carrying the reminders of a few serious injuries, I don't have the flexibility to get as comfortable on today's tightly coupled, steep angled geometries as I did, say 15 years ago., Frankly, I've come to value stability over responsiveness.

On the industry side, as enthralled as I am with modern drive trains and their connectivity, in my humble opinion, the advent of disc brakes has more impact on usable bicycle performance than whiz-bang shifting. And it's the one upgrade I can't perform on my current ride. So...

The Canyon CF SL Disc 8.0 looks very attractive to me. It's geometry and measurements (for their "M" size) are remarkably similar to the steel bike I had Bruce Gordon build for me in 1979. That bike was intended to be a sports/touring bike and it suited my build and handling tastes beautifully. So I've reason to believe that the Canyon will have similar manners. Yes, it's mechanical. I'm fine with that and more than adept enough with a wrench to maintain it. And yes, it has hydraulic disc brakes. Finally, it's at a price point I might just maybe if I beg get past SWMBO.

Comments welcome...

shelbyfv

Why not? You might look at Ti as well if you want comfort.

DorkDisk

You only live once, and you're only getting older. Get it sooner than later.

BobbyG

First, of course, ride the bike before you buy it, if at all possible (who knows these days?)

If you want stability, I think a longer wheelbase combined with a slack head tube angle and high trail is what you want.

I had fun but" twitchty" bikes. But since I commute and do a little distance on the weekends I wanted something more stable. My 2015 Charge Plug had longer chain stays and more relaxed geometry. I find I don't have to "sheppard" the bike as much as the others, that is, fewer steering corrections.

Also, some of the newer bikes allow for bigger tires, which may or may not be slightly slower, but definitely more comfortable. My 1984 Nishiki roadbike can only fit 28s, but they are more comfortable than 24s. My befendered Charge Plug Commuter can fit 35s. But my drop-bar converted 1997 Nishiki Blazer Mountainbike wears 26x 1.85 slicks and it is fast and very, very comfortable...just a little heavy because of the frame.

And I agree, buy and ride NOW while you still can. I'm "only" 58 and in decent shape, but my body keeps surprising me in very unpleasant ways. I have some older friends and if you can ride now at 72 and enjoy it...Buy that bike and enjoy!

...my two cents.

Tacoenthusiast

Are you talking about the endurace, ultimate or aeroad


I'd assume endurace

Canyon is great, easy to put together and they do a nice job adjusting them before they send it your way. My canyon arrived better adjusted than any of the bikes I bought at an lbs

If you don't get along with the canyon they have a good return policy too...
It can be tough to find the bike you want in stock though

bmcer

Dude!! 72 ain't that old. Hell, puberty lasted until I was 45. Just ask the wife. Seriously, I've been blessed with a good set of genes. The last bike crash I had, the one that broke my pelvis about 8 weeks back, the EMS team that responded thought I was 59. So the ER staff was a bit surprised when I told them my DOB. I'm gonna play heavily on the sympathy card when I talk this over with the wife. So all the "Hell yeah, by it while you can ride it" stuff is just ammunition. With a seat tube angle of 73.5 and a head tube angle of 73 and chain stays that are 415 mm, plus discs, plus a drive train I'm already familiar with, this IS the one for my "golden years".

Mulberry20

I honestly don’t see the value in Canyon bikes. A Specialized Roubaix with either Ultegra or 105 to me is a much better choice especially for someone your age. The 105 bike is the same price and the Ultegra bike is just a few hundred more.

The new Roubaix has a threaded bottom bracket as well. I won’t buy a bike with a pressfit bottom bracket.

I rode a friend’s recently and it is an amazing bike. You mentioned injuries, if those include hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder, you must ride a Roubaix because of the damper in the headtube.

Tacoenthusiast

Roubaix $3600 https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ro...ext=94420-5244
endurance $3000 https://www.canyon.com/en-us/road-bi...-8.0/2185.html

So canyon is a pretty decent chunk cheaper
on 105 bikes the canyon is $500 cheaper

It's not a better value to pay 20% extra for a similar product

Mulberry20

The Roubaix Sport is $2900 and I priced the Comp at $3300 with pedals.

There isn’t a big enough difference to me that makes a blind purchase advisable. Moreover, Specialized bikes have great resale, thus a better value.

Tacoenthusiast

You wanna talk about good resale, canyon raised the price of the bike I bought last year by $500
ultimate CF sl 8.0

They're increasing in value hahahaha (by the time I'm ready to sell my stuff it's worthless anyways)

BobbyG

If you're gonna "go" kickin' and screamin', might as well put a bike between your legs!
Wishing you and everyone here many years of good health!

bmcer

I tried a Roubaix at my LBS. To me, it was a bit underwhelming. With the 105 components and a Praxis crank, it was priced at $2900. It was comfortable but felt sluggish to me. Maybe it was just the lack of feedback from the road. In any case, the Canyon I'm considering offers a similar geometry (seat and head tube angles ~ 73º, chainstays 415, wheelbase 990) geometry, and Ulterga groupset for an extra $100. I've had press fit BB's on the last 2 bikes I've owned and not had a problem with either.

The injuries mentioned include, but not limited to, a comminuted fracture of the femur, a broken pelvis, blown ACL and medial meniscus, Colles fracture of the left wrist, and 2 fractures of the mandible.

And if you don't mind me asking, what's my age got to do with it? It's bad enough that I have to convince my doctors not to throw me in with the assisted living crowd they're accustomed to seeing. Don't make the same mistake. Thanks.

blakcloud

Because you are the one who brought it up! It must have been important enough for you to lay it out in your first post.

bmcer

Fair enough. I offered that bit of personal profile only because some folks associate it with a stereotype that doesn't fit. Since it was important enough to you to mention as well I was just curious if you harbor a few of those assumptions yourself. No big deal either way. The point is I have tried a Roubaix and found it wanting. I haven't had a chance to ride a Canyon in their Endurance line, so I was hoping for some input from someone who had. If it turns out the choice is which bike I like least, I'll most likely stick with what I have. I also made in clear in my first post that this is a purely disgretionary purchase. It's not like I need to jump out and buy a bike before I die