GhostRider62

I am shopping an endurance bike now. Nobody has stock, so, it is not an easy decision.

Disc brakes for sure.

Ability to easily swap from 700C to 650B would bring additional capability. Not easy to do with rim brakes. Say 700x35 to 650x42 mm.

unterhausen

I moved this to its own thread for visibility.

Disc makes the switch between 650b and 700c particularly easy. iTrod did that, went to 650b from 700c by 35mm. He has a lightspeed gravel bike that has never been on gravel except on Eastern PA rides.

GhostRider62

I don't know what to buy, considering/considered

1. Cervelo Caledonia 5
2. Trek Domane
3. Specialized Roubaix
4. Canyon Endurace
5. Cannondale Synapse
6. BMC Machine
7. Bianchi Infinitimo

At least 32 mm tires, some believable absorption claims of road bumps, not an aero brick, comfortable, and reliable. Saddle setback is always an issue for me if the seat tube angle is too steep. 75 inch height and 36 inch inseam makes a 58 cm tight and 61 cm potentially big. My primary use would be randonneuring and light touring. I would use it on stuff like Paris Brest Paris in 2023 or light gravel but nothing really hardcore or technical. Touring would be a handlebar bag and a tailbag possibly with a light tent setup. It would have a short clip on aerobar attached for comfort. An endurance bike's higher stack, disc brakes, and large tire capability over my current stable of bikes is the driver.

With supply so short and my size so large, there is no chance to test ride any of these bikes. Any tips how I should proceed? I am thinking Cervelo or Domane. The cervelo takes fenders, which is a plus. The domane has the best vibration damping but I wonder about the stem and seat fixing points in terms of reliability

unterhausen

The big aero brands certainly make some aspects of maintenance difficult with the way they run housing through the head tube. I suggest looking into that before buying, that's for sure. I don't think I have seen as much complaining about the Domaine, but my memory fails a lot. OTOH, you can get it serviced ahead of any big rides.
The way the PBP mechanics in 2019 seemed stumped by just about anything that wasn't 10 years old was a bit disconcerting. If you had 11 speed, they couldn't help you.

I think big sizes are particularly challenging right now. In the before times, the 6'5" people I know had their choice of bikes nobody would buy because they were too big. Nowadays, I think the brands just didn't have bikes that size made.

clasher

I bought a new frame for rando/gravel use, I was gonna buy a Thesis OB-1 in the winter but they were out of stock at the time, and it only builds up 1x or electronic 2x. I ended up buying the Carbonda 505 the same open-mould used to build the Thesis bike. The geo seemed pretty close to my specialized Roubaix so I bought the frame and built it up over winter with 650b and shiny fenders. It seemed pretty comfortable when I rode it on the flèche a couple weeks ago. I kind of wish I'd built it up with 45mm deep carbon rims and went with 700x32, probably would just go battery lights if I go that way... but I'm okay with the 42mm 650b tires, they are nice on the alligator pavement and gravel roads I end up riding.


I'm waiting for a new pump mount, that one is just temporary... dunno if I will use those top tube mounts for anything, and I doubt I'll ever use it for bikepacking so the front fork mounts are useless for me too. I wish I'd have had a hole drilled on the right fork leg for dynamo wire routing but it's pretty innocuous taped on the inside of the fork, the rest of the wiring runs through the frame, it came with a lot of plugs for different kinds of setups. The seatpost clamp is kinda unique so I bought 2 spares, as well as two spare RD hangers.

GhostRider62

In my search for a new bike, I have found the following websites to be very help in assessing whether the bike would fit me. If anyone else is looking to find a new bike, these have been helpful to me.

Supply chains issues combined with my indecision has been a challenge or maybe a blessing in disguise from a budgetary perspective. I went to the local Trek shop to buy one of those and the soonest might be next summer.

The two bikes/frames that are available and seem of interest to me are the Enve Melee and Felt AR FRD. Both are too expensive. The Enve can take 35mm tires but some have ridden it with 40mm, plus it has fender mounts which is sort of rare for a fast carbon bike. It has a very generous crash/damage replacement policy. The Felt is rather unique in many regards, expecially the seatpost design and clamping mechanism. The SP is split like the Canyon SP. It is supposedly 113% more comfortable than the previous Felt AR frameset SP, which I rode in 2015 on Paris Brest Paris using 25mm tires. This new AR Felt can supposedly take 30mm tires. I'd like 32 mm but 30mm should be ok. That old AR was fast as stink and surprisingly very comfortable despite being a little noodly in the headtube, it would like to wander a bit on bumpy corners. Both have partially hidden cables. I don't want a full integrated mess to deal with.

https://bikeinsights.com/compare?

https://www.velogicfit.com/frame-comparison/

https://geometrygeeks.bike/bike-dire...rch/?q=colnago

phedge

Caledonia and Domane are different enough that you need to be sure you want one over the other. My LBS carries both so I got to test ride back to back to back. Caledonia handles and accelerates quicker while the Domane is slightly more sedate and deliberate. Not huge differences, but over longer rides the difference would add up. Neither one is a race frame but the Cervelo is probably more like a race endurance while the Domane would be the touring endurance (an exaggeration but you get the idea). Another comparison, I also owned a 2022 Cannondale Synapse for a couple months, it's closer to the Cervelo, with quicker handling but less efficient pedaling. Amazing how designers can dial in just the ride feel they think their customers want.

Cervelo sells through online retailers so you may be able to find something out there, but end of 2022 beginning of 2023 makes it tough. Good luck.

GhostRider62

Thanks for the input. I decided against the Domane due to the stack and insufficient reach. My upper body and especially arms are disproportionally long for my height (75 inches), my so-called "Ape Index" is almost 1.05. I wrote off Cervelo. I have one now (S3 model) and a few things bug me, the BB is a pain, the derailleur hangers break easily and the itty bitty screws that they use to secure the hanger are insufficient, and the icing on the cake was a broken proprietary seatpost was almost impossible to replace. A seatpost that they had had to redesign due to problems and then they did not stock sufficient replacements for suckers out of warranty like me.


A flexible seatpost, flat carbon handlebars, and large tires go a long way towards meeting my comfort needs. A more subtle aspect is being able to mount clip on aero bars that will meet the PBP requirements of not extending beyond the hoods or levers. I have two Rube Goldberg solutions but the STA, Reach, stem length, and handlebar reach all come into play. The radial nerve in both hands is shot, so, the ability ride on the bars once in a while is important to me and eventually, I am usually riding solo and thus, it really isn't a safety concern.


The Cannondale Super Six high Mod looks interesting but they seem to only have made it in a 60 cm and it is too small unless I wanted to run a 140mm stem but 130 mm is the max Cannondale offers. The Synapse would fit but it is heavy and the integrated speed sensor, front light, battery below the water bottle, and the rear tail light would not work. I thought of ripping it all out but then it looks awful.

phedge

I'd guess a Hi-Mod Synapse will show eventually, whether they keep the integrated lighting set-up is another question, doesn't seem to help sales. In case you go the Synapse route I've got 5 of the cover plates for when you remove the whole assembly. Be glad to mail you one. It's pretty invisible when removed and a bottle in place.

Bacciagalupe

I'd add gravel bikes to your list. Many have similar (if not identical) geometry to endurance bikes. They tend to have lots of mount points for racks, fenders and bottle cages. A few (like the Specialized Diverge, or the higher-end Canyon Grail) have mild suspension options.

I'm not planning anything quite as ambitious as PBP, but I'm currently bouncing between my Roubaix (carbon, rim brakes, max clearance 28mm) and Diverge (aluminum, disc, Future Shock, 32s). They have the same fit without going to any extremes. I'm still experimenting but it seems like these two bikes offer the same speed and comfort performance. The Diverge is a little more flexible and a little less precious as well.

By the way, the Specialized "Future Shock 2.0" (i.e. latest version) is a suspension headset that can be adjusted on the fly with a dial. This could work well for you, but you'd have to find out if FS can handle the additional weight of aero bars. Also, keep in mind that the 1.5 version isn't adjustable on the fly.

That said, given your fit and health constraints, you might want to consider... dare I say it... a custom frame designed in collaboration with a pro fitter. That may be your best shot to get the right geometry and aerobar setup.

GhostRider62

I ended up buying the updated version of the ugly bike I rode on PBP in 2015. It can take 32mm tires and has disc brakes.

On my first ride, a couple verses of Thunder Road popped into my head thinking of the feeling of the impending sunrise riding thru the night.

So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty but, hey, you're alright
Oh, and that's alright with me

Maybe, I'll call it Mary. Oh, I wish the thoughts were more like Golden Earring's.....There's a voice in my head that drives my heel...
And it's a half past four and I'm shiftin' gear......The road has got me hypnotized. But, Bruce will have to do.

phedge

Lookin' at that, I'm reminded of:



The song is about a charming and manipulative woman who can get men to acquiesce to her every need. The singer is letting her know that she has met her match in him, a self-described "son of a B."

Nice ride, enjoy.

GhostRider62

Yes. The Felt has needs although I am not sure to met her match, there might be magic in the night. Or, it could just be NBD.

clasher

Looks like a sweet ride, and fast.

GhostRider62

I'm not yet sure if it is fast. It is much easier to handle than my current ride, which I would attribute to better balance between the front and rear of the bike, wider tires, and better brakes. I suspect those factors will make me faster on lousy roads in my neck of the woods but probably not a factor on PBP type roads. Compared to my current ride, it has much less handlebar to stem drop and less reach, too. It is setup more like an endurance bike. I might need to remove some spacers......maybe once the gut is gone. LOL. The seatpost is interesting. It is split and held in place under tension and sits in a rubber sort of cradle. I have aluminum bars on it and will put a clip on bar to it to help with hand and arm issues.

It wasn't my first choice but bike availability is still a problem supply chain wise. Also, very, very shops stock 61 or 62 cm bikes and Mfgs don't have them either. It ain't a beauty but it is alright.

Thanks.