truflip

It'll be my first road bike. I'm riding a Fuji Feather now but just doesn't go fast enough anymore and it's not a good geometry for me for longer rides.

I'd like a 105 bike with decent wheels. As much as possible, i dont want to be upgrading components. Ideal price is $1500 ish but I'm willing to go up to $2000 CAD if the value proposition is there. I was initially looking at the Giant Defy 1, Scott Speedster 20, Felt Z85 for price/value but been eyeing the Defy Advanced 2, Felt Z5 and Cervelo R2 ($2350 here so probably out of reach and it's not endurance geometry) for carbon frames.

Anyway, I did the competitive fit calculator and been comparing it with different road bike geometry's online. I'm looking to do climbs and long endurance rides (3 hrs avg at decent speeds).

In CMs
Actual inseam 77
Trunk 65
Forearm 31.5
Arm 59
Thigh 56
Lower leg 50.5
Sternal notch 139
Total height 170.5

If you have been in my shoes before, am i looking at the right bikes for my body geometry and expectations? what was your decision making process like? what bike did you choose, happy with it? etc... thanks in advance for the help and any info you can provide!

dr_lha

Defy. Get the best one you can afford. Although I'll admit my recommendation on this is waivering since they seem to be moving them all to disc brakes.

d1961

See if any bike shops in your area carry any of your target models. If so, go try one out. Most shops will let you take one for a spin. Nothing like actually riding the bike to determine if you like it.

ColaJacket

Agree with this. Road test. Road Test. Road Test. Narrow it down to 2-3 bikes, and Road Test them, again.

If you want 105 and good wheels, you'll probably want a top of the line AL alloy bike.

GH

truflip

Thanks. There's a Giant store here. Will go try the Defy. one place carries the Felt and Scott bikes but nothing in my size. With my measurements, looks like I'd be a a size Small for the endurance bikes. Shops give the usual "eye measure" and say I'm a medium. Any thoughts on that?

d1961

Again, ride the bike. Sometimes a medium fits like a small or a large and visa versa. Depends on manufacturer. I would ride the Giant and also at least go look at the Felt and the Scott. You may be able to fit on these bikes with some adjustment in saddle height. At least enough to ride and get a feel for them. Money doesn't come very easily so I would ride everything I could before opening my wallet. Also...one of these shops may have another brand that fits your needs. Unless your set on a certain brand, ride everything that you can in your price range. Riding bikes is fun. Riding someone else's new bike without paying for it is really fun.

eyewannabike

Most manufacturers make an "Endurance" line. That's made to be more comfortable for people on long rides. Unfortunately, most everyone in this country thinks they need to be on a racing bike. If you're not looking to add medals to your collection, then being slightly faster by being a lot less comfortable isn't what you need. Find the endurance or comfort bikes from the manufacturers.

Carbon rides a lot easier than does aluminum but costs a lot more. Try to get at least 105 components.

I would HIGHLY suggest you buy a used bike. In your price range, after you pay tax and GST, you'r looing at 1800$ Canadian tops. On the used market, you'd get a lot for that price. Just where I live...

Specialized Roubiax Bike under $800, decent components, comfort bike, carbon frame
Specialized Roubaix Elite Compact Carbon Fiber 56cm Originally $2500 + tax, you could probably talk the guy down to $1,300. High end Ultegra components, nice carbon frame

The LBS can help size you on a bike, but they're a really bad purchase. Just throw whatever other business for things you need at the LBS to make up for their bother.

longe

I don't understand endurance frames besides touring. I'd ride my Felt AR 100+ miles any day.

eyewannabike

Relaxed body position, frames that don't put stiffness as the highest priority, wider tires, etc. That's not to say that a road bike can't be comfortable, but the primary goal is speed, not comfort. There are lots of folks who ride granny bikes in europe and few people would ride them here.

San Pedro

I am partial to the look of Felt bikes, even if they're road camo. Giants, at least around here, tend to be really good for the money, and they're probably good at making frames.

bronco71

Giant's shaped alloy frames ride as comfortably as many lower end carbon bikes. Don't discount a bike as uncomfortable just because its aluminum.

sam_cyclist

The Giant Defy 1 is very comfy for an alu frame. The seat tube, seat stays and I believe seatpost flex a lot, absorbing a lot of road shock. You can test out the flex for yourself just by pushing down with a moderate amount of force on the seat before you ride.

I don't think the defy is quite as comfy as a carbon (at least not giant's carbon offerings), however. Carbon can be simultaneously very stiff yet also very comfortable.

You've got a great list of bikes. I think the defy 1 is a great value, but I simply could not take to the very tall, upright feel of the bike. It felt sluggish turning, too.

Just give all of the bikes thorough test rides, and if possible, try to eliminate confounds such as tire pressure differences between bikes, as this can have a major impact on your assessment of comfort.

truflip

Giant store didnt have much of their Defy's left. I was able to test ride the Defy 1 from another store. Very comfy bike. From same store, I got to compare it to the CAAD10 5 and Spesh Allez Comp.

I did find the Defy 1 very stable at high speeds and on turns but I'd like it to respond a bit quicker when I need it. I'd consider removing some spacers to get a lower stance.. something in between a performance and touring i think. Thoughts on that? The brakes were the best on this bike (of the three). Comfiest too and I could feel the more upright (no saddle to handlebar drop) position's difference right away. The new seat post is nice. Could tell it works and never have to worry about straightening it as it is D shaped. The flex is at the right places for this bike since I could still crank it and pick up speed nicely.

As for the CAAD10, I found it too twitchy and unstable at high speed turns. the ride was rough ish (100psi on 23C's) and I felt rather stretched when on the hoods. Might be longer stem and the handlebar? or seat stay angle makes me sit bad further? The saddle was pretty good though. The thing I didnt like a lot about this bike though were the brakes. Not sure if the rim surface was just weird, or the brakes were not broken in or just crappy tires but it just didnt brake well at all.


The Specialized Allez Comp was the winner of the three I rode yesterday but not by much I think. I found it quite stable but still responsive when steering. Def. inbetween the Defy 1 and CAAD10 to me. The stock saddle sucked though. Too soft and squishy. I'm a bit worried about the wheelset and brakes on this model though. They are an AXIS brand. The front wheel's hubs were wonky which the tech said just needs some cone adjusting. The brakes/stopping were so so (still better than the CAAD10 5). I'd like to like this bike but it's $1850 vs $1400 for the Defy 1. The CAAD10 i think is out of contention ($1870).

When it stops raining, I will be test riding a Felt Z85 and Scott Speedster 20.

d1961, you were right, sometimes a M feels small and this M Defy 1 did feel smallish, while a 54cm (M) CAAD10 felt a bit large. The Specialized M felt just right though.

eyewannabike, as much as id like to buy used, finding the right mix of bike model, age, type, size, condition, price etc is rather difficult in my area.

thanks for the input everyone. Will get back with results later this week. hopefulyl can help somoene else in the same boat in the future.

eyewannabike

Fair enough. I shoudl point out that you're not comparing apples to apples there. Some of those bikes are race bikes, some are endurance. If you like the comfort and being upright, then you'll want to get the endurance line of each manufacturer. For specialized, that would be the Roubaix and not the Allez, etc.

There's also Ebay for bikes.

truflip

in a way, was good to compare apples to oranges. as i think without doing so, i wouldnt know that i prefer the likes of race bike geometry. though my test rides were only 15 mins per bike, the endurance geometry may prove better for doing centuries

MisterP

Hey TF: just my 2cents, but it seems like you're aiming too low. I got a Giant Defy advanced 2 last September from my LBS for $1550 and it's really a sweet and fast ride: 105 components, carbon frame, disk brakes. My previous bike was a Specialized Sirrus cro-moly: not a bad bike, but the difference is amazing. I'm really flying on the Defy: this bike just wants to go!

MisterP

BTW: saw a nice bike on eBay:
2012 Giant Defy Advanced 2 Carbon Ultegra 6700 10 Speed Size Large | eBay
I know it's 2012, but it is carbon fiber w/ Ultegra groupset for $1599.
Here's another 2012 w/ Ultegra groupset, smaller frame:
2012 M L Giant Defy Composit 1 20 Speed Shimano Ultegra Road Bike 300 Miles Use | eBay
I hope these links work!

vanrider

I just picked up a defy advanced pro 1 and could not be happier. Defy advanced 2 looks to be a great choice too, love the white, black, and green combo.

sam_cyclist

Hey, great review on your test rides!

It seems from the bolded that you've already made your selection. I agree that specialized tends to skimp on it's wheel and brake specs.

There are tons of recommendations on wheel upgrades, so, you can do a bit of research on that on this forum--I don't have a particular recommendation, although I agree the axis spec. is pretty mediocre.

As far as brakes, an upgrade to shimano calipers, or even just kool stop pads are not especially expensive.

Have you test ridden the roubaix 105? It's almost exactly $2K, and gets you endurance geometry, a carbon frame, and 11 speed 105. The secteur has the roubaix's geometry with an alu frame.

Shuffleman

I will be curious to see which one you buy. I like the Defy and it is always a good choice. I really like the Felt and Scott more though. I think that they both make great bikes and they are not everywhere. The nearest Scott dealer is about 2 1/2 hours away and their prices are quite high. Felt and Giant dealer in our area seem to deal a little more than others on price. Try them out and see what you think. If you do not mind buying on line, there are two Colnagos below. The Air for under $1200 with 105 is a great deal. It is more relaxed than the AC, which is carbon but is under $1800.
I ride Colnago so I am partial to them but these are simply great deals as well. My first road bike was a Felt, so I am also partial to them. They are all good bikes though and I wish you the best of luck.

Colnago Air 105 Bicycle - Complete Bikes - Excel Sports

Colnago AC-R 105 2014 Bicycle - Complete Bikes - Excel Sports

PiLigand

Just because no one has said it:

I have a Scott bike that I really enjoy, and I know a couple people who are big fans of their speedsters.

Fuji Altamira 2.7 or 2.5 may be of interest to you. They use Oval Concepts wheels, (an ASI brand, also sporting Fuji) which I've heard people are only so interested in, but few have said anything directly bad. Solid 105 group, though.
Full carbon frames and while being a race-ish geometry, the round tube construction is supposed to make for a pretty forgiving ride. They're pretty similar to the Caad 10 kind of construction.

I don't have one of these, but if I were looking to buy a bike, it may very well be an Altamira.

truflip

What are your thoughts on buying rental bikes? There's a rental company that has Giant Defy Advanced 1 for sale at the end of the biking season for 25% discount. I'm just curious if it's smart to buy carbon bikes used and especially since they were rentals?


Thanks! They do. I'm not really an ebayer. Being in Canada, shipping customs complicates things and with the current exchange rates, it doesnt provide much value anymore.
Thats awesome! I'm looking for stock on Defy Advanced 2 here. I can probably only afford the 2 and that's pushing it.
Thanks! Yes.. I like the ride of race geometry's but I'm still considering for long ride days. The test rides were short (couldnt go for an hour ish as wife was waiting at the store) but perhaps I will take another ride for longer this time. Since this Specialized is $1800, i would not even want to think about upgrades till maybe Im seasoned enough to feel the difference.
Thanks for your input. I'm still looking for Scott and Felt bikes to test ride. No one seems to have my size in stock and built for test ride. The colnago's you posted look nice. tried to search for Canadian dealers and local dealers. Only found one in Montreal which isnt terribly far. WIll do more reading on this bike. THanks!
Thanks for your feedback on the Scotts! I read good things about their speedsters. Will look into the Fuji. My current bike's a Fuji but never even thought to look at their road lineup.

ColaJacket

Is that 25% off MSRP? Or is that 25% off what most people are paying for it?

It sounds like they want to sell you a used bike for what a new bike costs when the new models come in.
Use the Bicycle Blue Book to determine if this is a good deal or not. It's possible that they're better maintained than a single owner bike, but they've probably got a lot more miles on them. Ask them what kind of warranty they're willing to give you on it.

GH

truflip

Sorry, its 25% off MSRP but it's actually more. Looks like 35-40% off. Here's their list: RentABike Ottawa | Sales
I'll look into the Bluebook. thanks! and will call and ask about warranty. The Defy Advanced 1 is $1600 end of season. daaamn

Lanovran

I'd recommend a Trek Émonda ALR 5 (or 6 if you want to spring for Ultegra), though it seems that the ALR models aren't currently available in Canada... *shrug*