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New Bike - Canyon vs Trek vs Specialized vs Giant

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

New Bike - Canyon vs Trek vs Specialized vs Giant

Old 05-11-20, 01:27 PM
  #51  
jjankie
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Why not the Giant Contend AR1 - Shimono 105, hyd disk brakes, $1550. What's not to love?
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Old 05-11-20, 01:55 PM
  #52  
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My preference in order is Specialized closely followed by Trek then Giant. I haven't had a lot of experience with Canyon but I have heard that they are good. Since your budget is $2500 I would suggest spending $2499.99. You'll be glad you did. I've also had good luck with Fuji too so might want to check those out as well. Bikes Direct does have a lot of discounted bikes.
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Old 05-11-20, 02:41 PM
  #53  
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Originally Posted by surak
I would caution against going with a Canyon unless you know what you want is exactly what they offer, know how to modify it to make it what you want, or have a good LBS who will have no issues tweaking it.

105 would be better than Tiagra, but Tiagra runs fine and 10 speed components are cheaper, which is nice when it comes time to replace wear items. Other than weight, the only thing I dislike about Tiagra are the hoods being less comfortable than higher tier ones.

Other considerations that you can use to differentiate between bikes would be their max tire clearance, whether they have fender mounts if you'll ride in the rain, and if the gearing is good for your typical elevation profile. If you want to do tri, are the bars a standard shape and support clip-on aerobars, or are they easy to swap out?
​​​​​​This was my experience too.
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Old 05-11-20, 02:48 PM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by jjankie
Why not the Giant Contend AR1 - Shimono 105, hyd disk brakes, $1550. What's not to love?
While I generally agree and would go Contend if it were my $ but Alloy vs Carbon is the main difference between those two.
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Old 05-11-20, 02:55 PM
  #55  
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And the advice, complete with off-script suggestions, continues to come after the OP buys. #41ier
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Old 05-11-20, 07:11 PM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by Bah Humbug
And the advice, complete with off-script suggestions, continues to come after the OP buys. #41ier
Post 48 actually, but point is well taken.
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Old 05-11-20, 08:08 PM
  #57  
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Have you received your bike yet?
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Old 05-11-20, 09:40 PM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by lykbutta
Have you received your bike yet?
He ordered it Saturday, today is Monday
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Old 05-11-20, 10:09 PM
  #59  
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Dam I didn’t know the forum police were here to monitor my post. Sorry about that.
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Old 05-11-20, 11:34 PM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by lykbutta
Have you received your bike yet?
Originally Posted by Tacoenthusiast
He ordered it Saturday, today is Monday
should arrive friday or early next wek.
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Old 05-11-20, 11:52 PM
  #61  
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So last weekend I also ordered Garmin Edge 530. Strava mapping feature and the live segments are awesome. I first looked at the Edge Explore, but for nearly the same price I went for more options and against the touchscreen display.

Still searching for a helmet. My favorite atm is the Kask Mojito. Goes around $90 atm at some ebay stores. I dont want to spend over $100.

Also I try to find the right quality for jersey and bike shorts. These $20-$30 jerseys/shorts are probaly not last long right? Any suggestions for a good source?

Other than that, I cant wait until the bikes arives. Will take pictures. Had to take flashblue because stealth was sold out.
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Old 05-11-20, 11:55 PM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by lykbutta
Dam I didn’t know the forum police were here to monitor my post. Sorry about that.
200 miles in Gatorskins as penance.
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Old 05-11-20, 11:57 PM
  #63  
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Yea brotha the search for clothes now huh. I have come to find out it’s a pricey hobby. I think like anything you pay just a little more for quality. I know a few of my friends get a lot of stuff off eBay but to me it looks quite cheap. Can’t wait to see your bike. I was super antsy waiting for mine and it’s finally here so I know that feeling.
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Old 05-11-20, 11:58 PM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by seattle forrest
200 miles in gatorskins as penance.

lmao!!!!
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Old 05-12-20, 03:04 AM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by hydrationnation
Still searching for a helmet. My favorite atm is the Kask Mojito. Goes around $90 atm at some ebay stores. I dont want to spend over $100.
Also I try to find the right quality for jersey and bike shorts. These $20-$30 jerseys/shorts are probaly not last long right? Any suggestions for a good source?
For helmets, the main 2 things are fit and ventilation. Depends on whether your head is round or oval, some helmets will fit a lot better than others. Eg, i find Giro helmets fit me great and Catlike absolute do not.

As for jerseys and bibs - it may be ok to skimp a little on jerseys, if you want. But for bibs, you really do get what you pay for. Look for Castelli, Gore, Sportful and Giordana on sale at the usual online sites (Wiggle, PBK, etc). 2-3 nice bib shorts will hurt at the beginning but will give you years of use and also be a lot comfier than cheaper bibs (I still use Assos bibs that are 4-5 years old). Wiggle's house brand, DHB has decent bibs in their pro line- but they dont last as long. And i never liked the quality of the Santini kit from Prendas.

That said, i have just ordered a couple of cheap bibs off Ali Express for trainer workouts of 60 min or less. They are decent - the thigh grip feels weird, but the pads are surprisingly decent and for $20, i cant complain.
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Old 05-12-20, 07:44 AM
  #66  
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Originally Posted by lykbutta
Dam I didn’t know the forum police were here to monitor my post. Sorry about that.
Lol it's a bike not a pizza
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Old 05-12-20, 11:09 AM
  #67  
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Originally Posted by lykbutta
Yea brotha the search for clothes now huh. I have come to find out it’s a pricey hobby. .
Cheaper than golf or tennis. Healthy for you as well.
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Old 05-14-20, 01:25 AM
  #68  
hydrationnation
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short update:
The shippment of my bike is delayed
I have to wait one more week.
My wife gets her bike now earlier ....
this will be my weekend:
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Old 05-15-20, 09:21 PM
  #69  
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Oh man I’m sorry to hear that. There are delays everywhere.
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Old 05-18-20, 10:43 PM
  #70  
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If the lever pulls in too far before the brake engages, you need to adjust the free stroke. See page 54 of this manual.

https://si.shimano.com/pdfs/dm/DM-RADBR01-03-ENG.pdf
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Old 05-19-20, 04:17 AM
  #71  
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Sweet looking bike!
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Old 05-19-20, 06:22 AM
  #72  
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Free Stroke is Ultegra and DA.

The most likely cause is that a bubble or three worked in to the brake line in transit - this is why Shimano doesn't want you flipping your bike upside down.

For the front brake, which is mostly vertical, it shouldn't be too tough to get the bubbles back up and in to the reservoir. Orient the bike and handlebars such that the brake line is constantly going upwards from the caliper to the lever - you don't want to give the bubbles any traps/downward curves to hide behind. Give the brake lever some vigorous flicking for a good 20 seconds - you're trying to agitate the fluid enough to get the bubbles to travel up. Give the lever a good test squeeze. If it's still not firm, tap along the exposed brake line, with a screwdriver or wrench, from bottom to top, and then try another round of lever flicking.
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Old 05-19-20, 09:05 AM
  #73  
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
Free Stroke is Ultegra and DA.

The most likely cause is that a bubble or three worked in to the brake line in transit - this is why Shimano doesn't want you flipping your bike upside down.

For the front brake, which is mostly vertical, it shouldn't be too tough to get the bubbles back up and in to the reservoir. Orient the bike and handlebars such that the brake line is constantly going upwards from the caliper to the lever - you don't want to give the bubbles any traps/downward curves to hide behind. Give the brake lever some vigorous flicking for a good 20 seconds - you're trying to agitate the fluid enough to get the bubbles to travel up. Give the lever a good test squeeze. If it's still not firm, tap along the exposed brake line, with a screwdriver or wrench, from bottom to top, and then try another round of lever flicking.
It's like this, but only on the left lever. The right lever is fine. 3:35 Mark.
Might be from the transport. The bike wasnt upside down here.
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Old 05-19-20, 09:51 AM
  #74  
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That blue is sharp looking!!!!! Canyon may be able to help trouble shoot that brake issue on the phone. Theyre worth a quick call
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Old 05-19-20, 10:12 AM
  #75  
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On my SRAM road brakes, if the throw of the lever is more than the adjustment can handle, I’ll remove the wheel and keep squeezing the levers until the pads almost touch. Then I use the SRAM spacing tool to spread them back out to the proper gap. This is straight out of the SRAM manual. I assume Shimano would be the same. You may have to spread the pads a bit more than the spacer spreads them if you have brake rub.
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