Sol588

Seriously got the "want to upgrade my bike" syndrome...ever since I saw the Giant Propel Advanced SL 2 online I cannot get the thought out of my mind. Hope this urge fades but I am afraid that once I see one of these bikes on the road I am going to really want to do this upgrade.

Anyone have a 2016 model yet? Let me know your thoughts on it.

jimc101

Looks nice, but you haven't say what you already have, and it's a lot of money to have to shift gears yourself (i.e. if you dropping that much in 2015/16, you would expect electronic shifting)

Sol588

I have a 2015 Defy Advanced 2 which I like a lot. However, I experienced a clyde on a propel pass me one day early this bike season and I could not get over how he effortlessly left me in the dust. The seed was planted that day!

jimc101

The new bike won't make you better overnight, you need to improve the engine, if you already like what you have, maybe a bike fit, and some new wheels to help with the current Defy?

Lazyass

Is there a new automatic shifting system out?

svtmike

The cool thing will be that same clyde will pass you on your Propel.

I'm an advocate of buying new bikes, but the bike is not why he left you in the dust. He was probably just a big, powerful fit guy and (I'm guessing) on the flats -- in other words, he was in his wheelhouse and you were not. There are a lot of clydes who can diesel along for miles at a pretty high rate of speed. When the road turns up, though, the tables turn. I love that about cycling.

dvdslw

I say the bike you already have is a decent bike so I'd look into fit and fitness first. Getting passed by anyone like you're standing still happens every so often but you never really know what the situation is. Are you actually trying to go fast all of the time like you're in a race? Were you towards the end of a ride and fatigued? Did he have fresh legs or get up a big head of stem to purposely blow by you? Don't assume its the bike. I'm considered a clyde being 6'5 and 225lbs but I'm pretty solid with a good nutrition plan, weight training regiment, and get out to ride at least a couple times a week to keep my legs conditioned to cycling which all adds up to me being pretty fast out there when I want or need to be, even grinding up hills. What else do you do besides ride to help your efforts? How long have you been riding? It takes hard work and dedication to be fast.

jimc101

Yes, Bioshift promises automatic gears for your bike - Cycling Weekly

However; II was meaning in the way that if you buy a car, you get an auto vs manual (you paid for it, why should you have to do any extra work, more of a UK vs US thing), and clarified with saying 'electronic shifting', of which there are only 3 types currently available, EPS, DI2 and eTap.If your budget is in the area of the Propel, (given it's a Shimano equipped bike) would be looking for DI2 shifting, not mechanical.

Lazyass

Yeah but I don't see how shifting Di2 is less work.

dvdslw

The reduced amount of pressure it takes your fingers to depress the shift lever on a di2 system will conserve energy for the rider and shave 14 seconds off of a 40km time trial.

Sol588

I like your questions. I definitely think the guy on the Propel had fresh legs and I did not. And, early in the bike season I was not in the shape I am in now. I've lost 55 lbs, do spin classes one/two times a week, workout three times a week, and have a personal trainer that I see one time a week. I definitely have my breathing down and legs are much stronger. I have been seriously riding for a year now and like you get out a couple times a week in between everything else. I loved riding as a young adult and wish I had not stayed away so long but glad I have rediscovered the sport (I am 51 now).

I average 17 mph on most of my outings (usually somewhere between 15-40 miles) with my top speed coming in around 30 mph (mostly flat terrain). I am gearing up for a few centuries this coming spring and summer and have been adding more hill climbs in my routine.

With all that though, I still can't get that Propel out of my mind...

dr_lha

Now every time I pass someone I'm going to consider that a sale for the LBS.

dvdslw

Keep at it and you'll be hanging with him someday. I'm 44 and it's taken me a couple years to get to where I'm at as far as my cycling fitness goes. If I choose to skip a ride during the week it will affect my abilities on the bike next time out so you have to stay committed, if you wake up on the fence about riding that day just go. I also stopped keeping track of my average speed because it doesn't really do anything for you but make you crazy. It's good to measure what your doing every so often but I find worrying about speed all of the time takes away from the actual ride itself. If I were looking to race competitively then I might be more concerned about it and would be all in with a power meter too.

hueyhoolihan

when that guy got around the corner and out of sight, he probably coughed up a lung for a couple of minutes. and just be thankful you don't have a Jones for expensive foreign cars or international super models. they can cost you real money.

silversx80

Instead of getting a new bike, you can pick up a power meter for a fraction of the cost, making your current steed a far superior machine to train your legs and get you faster. You can pick up a Shimano 105 based Stages power meter for just over $500. Using it properly will transform your abilities, and help you get to your physical limits.

dr_lha

Or not.

I'm a clyde and can ride 40 miles in central PA (i.e. hilly) at a faster average speed than the OP's quoted one, on a steel bike.

Sol588

I will definitely look into a power meter. Thanks for the suggestion.

TimothyH

We should get a commission.

Higher commission for making it look "effortless."

TheRef

I was doing a metric century with my then 12 year old son. We were averaging just a little over 14-15MPH which to my son was on the fast side. We slowed down a bit on a gentle uphill, maybe 1 to 2% when a guy on a Cervello passed us like if we were standing still and withing a few seconds he was long gone. He was the epitome of a cyclist. Thin, strong legs, perfect position. He was probably going well over 20mph on the uphill with no sign of pain on his face.
As he passed my son and I looked at each other and I said: "He has a better bike" !
He laughed and up to this day every time we get passed he says " he's got a better bike" . Only him and I know our inside joke and we are still trying to convince his mom to let us buy " better" bikes.

series1811

My average speed on my CF 2015 Cannondale Supersix EVO and my steel 1988 Basso Gap on the flats are nearly identical. Uphill the Cannondale is notably faster.

Shuffleman

Everybody gets buyers fever at some point. You have a nice new bike now and that bike will not make you any faster or better. If you buy the bike, after a few weeks the fever will die down and you will be no different than you are now, except for the fact that you are lighter in the wallet. I would suggest that you save the money and wait a few years.
Prior to building my Colnago CLX out, I thought that I would never look at another road bike again. I loved the way that my bike looks. Funny thing happened....I noticed a DeRosa Idol and that got me wondering....
Thankfully, I did not wonder for long. My point is simple, there is always something else around the corner that convinces you that you need to buy it. Maximize your output, save the money and reward yourself with that new bike down the line.

Darth Steele

What if he is some ex national champion that is now getting back to into.

and here you want to purchase a new bike because some guy that spent most of life training and riding at the highest level, then took a few years away from the sport to "enjoy life" and is now getting back into it.


some days I just take my bike out and ride as slow as possible while enjoying the out doors, hopefully when you zip past me you don't think bad of me

Lazyass

When a bike is calling your name for whatever reason then it's calling your name. Sometimes you can't even explain why. Kind of like women. Like, why did I fall for that girl with two illegitimate kids. I don't know, I just did. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. If money isn't an issue then don't fight it.

alexvpaq

I went from a trek 1.5 to a felt AR, it's hard to get a bigger jump in aerodynamics than that and while the bike looks and feels fast, the guy I ride with who is 50 pounds heavier than me, still crushes me on flat roads, it is just supposed to be easier on the long run because of all that saved energy but really, it's hard to tell. At least I now have a nice bike and motivation to train harder!
The man I ride with used to do marathons and had been riding bikes for far longer than I do. That helps a lot too.

Aubergine 

You are focusing on the wrong thing to upgrade.