Originally Posted by
circlemaker
Thanks, PeteHski. Compliance is certainly a factor worth consideration, especially at my age. Now I must consider which kind of pain I prefer: the pain of rattled bones and a sore butt from a less compliant bike, or the the pain of lactic Acidosis from fighting the wind without optimal aerodynamics. OK. I'm not being completely serious here. And your preferance for the lighter, more compliant bike is sensible. But I'm still undecided because one of the two advantages of being a smaller rider is that I can ride a very light frame without flexing it. ----- How do you like your Endurance? And how is the experience of buying direct from Canyon?
No worries you are welcome. I chose the Endurace (over both the Ultimate and Aeroroad) because my target events are typically 100 mile Sportives with some serious climbing (Letape du Tour was my main event this year). Our local roads are also pretty rough, so I appreciate a little extra compliance. As for speed, the Endurace is plenty competitive enough for most people. Obviously it wouldn't be the best choice for a flat TT, but for anything else it doesn't hold me back at all. It's light and nimble and reasonably aero with mid-depth carbon wheels and integrated bars. It's a very nice bike to ride on a daily basis and holds its own in any impromptu road battles!
The only thing that puts me off the Aeroroad is ride comfort. I love the compliant split seatpost on my Endurace, along with the slightly more relaxed geometry (although it's still very much a race bike). If I was riding mainly short, flatter routes I would probably be riding an Aeroroad.
I think Canyon are great too. This is my second Canyon and almost certainly not my last. Their bikes are top quality (on a par with the likes of Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, etc) but a significant amount cheaper for an equivalent spec (based on UK pricing). Customer service here in the UK is pretty reasonable too, although I've not had to use it much.