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Potential bike upgrade from a 2013 Trek Madone 5.2

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Potential bike upgrade from a 2013 Trek Madone 5.2

Old 09-04-21, 04:39 AM
  #26  
PeteHski
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I think you are putting far too much emphasis on aero in your decision, when you really want to be thinking about fit - especially if you are not very flexible. Comfort and aero are also a trade-off to some extent. I would look at all the mainstream brands and forget about your past experience with an ancient alloy framed Cannondale! The SuperSix Evo could be a great choice for you.
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Old 09-05-21, 12:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Moisture
Have you considered trying to "upgrade" yourself?
Bah, why do that when I can throw money at the problem? J/k, yeah, of course. Going for a dual pronged attack sort of thing. Plus I've found that after enough time passes (5+ years, probably) tech gets good enough to make a bike upgrade worthwhile.
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Old 09-05-21, 01:02 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by PeteHski
I think you are putting far too much emphasis on aero in your decision, when you really want to be thinking about fit - especially if you are not very flexible. Comfort and aero are also a trade-off to some extent. I would look at all the mainstream brands and forget about your past experience with an ancient alloy framed Cannondale! The SuperSix Evo could be a great choice for you.
Yeah, I will definitely be experimenting with fit. I guess I assumed Cannodale, had a different philosophy than I did about road feel vs. comfort. Looks like my local bike shop doesn't stock them anymore. But something to consider if I get the opportunity. Re: comfort vs. aero, I'm also wondering if I shouldn't hang on to my current bike (which is pretty comfortable), and make the new one the more aero/aggressive one. Have to see where modern bikes fall in terms of all that, especially w/the trend towards wider tires and wheels nowadays.
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Old 09-05-21, 06:56 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by roadie276
Yeah, I will definitely be experimenting with fit. I guess I assumed Cannodale, had a different philosophy than I did about road feel vs. comfort. Looks like my local bike shop doesn't stock them anymore. But something to consider if I get the opportunity. Re: comfort vs. aero, I'm also wondering if I shouldn't hang on to my current bike (which is pretty comfortable), and make the new one the more aero/aggressive one. Have to see where modern bikes fall in terms of all that, especially w/the trend towards wider tires and wheels nowadays.
The big brands don't have a single philosophy about road feel vs comfort. What they do have are a wide range of different models with different philosophies. Like for example Specialized have the Tarmac and the Aethos. The Tarmac is aero optimised, while the Aethos is weight optimised. Your previous Cannondale will have nothing in common with their current models other than having 2 wheels. If you are set on an aero race bike then comfort will be secondary (although the latest crop of aero bikes can be reasonably comfortable too) and fit is likely to be fairly aggressive. The important thing here is to be realistic about actually riding in a more aggressive position. I mentioned the SuperSix Evo because its geometry is slightly less aggressive than most race bikes and therefore perhaps a bit more versatile.

At the end of the day you are only going to ride faster on any of these bikes if the fit is good for you. If the position is too aggressive for your flexibility then you will end up being disappointed with the results. I'm not very flexible, so I tend to keep away from aggressive race bike geometry. But then my target events are timed gran fondos and so comfort is far more important to me than aero. If I was riding short TT races I would be on a different bike.

Last edited by PeteHski; 09-05-21 at 07:00 AM.
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Old 06-22-22, 09:52 AM
  #30  
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So here I am almost nine months later and I still haven't upgraded. I did try; I ordered a 2022 Specialized Tarmac SL7 direct from specialized (the only place I could find it in stock) a few months back, delivered to my bike shop. Then, after I read it was actually one of the more aggressive-fitting road bikes out, I had a fit done, which I should have done first, in hindsight. Which determined that I wouldn't fit on it comfortably, so I got to return it and start from scratch. The person doing my fit said a Trek Emonda could work, and that a Parlee RZ7 would also give a lot of good fit options, too. I test rode both and the Emonda was pretty harsh riding compared to my current 2013 Madone, so I didn't like it. It took ages, but a Parlee finally came in and I test road that, and it felt decent. Not as lively as my current bike, but rode pretty reasonably overall. BUT it had SRAM red components, which is ok, but I was strongly leaning towards the new Shimano Di2 (Ultegra 8100 or Dura-Ace 9200). They did have a 2022 SLR 7 Madone in stock with the new Ultegra 8100 Di2 that I test rode to check out the shifting on that. It was lovely, as expected. I had ruled out the Madone because the fitter guy had said it looked like it wouldn't fit me, but after the test ride, I was like, "So, that actually wasn't that bad," and he checked and it takes one more spacer than he thought was possible, and the fit is only 3-4 mm lower than he'd come up with for my fit, so could be workable (though it's basically at the height limit w/spacers, etc). The ride of the Madone was much more similar to my current ride; lively and smooth. Because it's so damn hard to get anything, still, and since this is in stock, I'm strongly considering pulling the trigger on this. If the fit is pushing it too much, I should know within the return period, I think. I have also been hoping to get a bit lower so as to be more aero.

To make things even more convoluted, the newly redesigned 2023 Madone has been sighted, and is due to be officially announced on the 30th. My main complaint against the 2022 Madone SLR 7 is that it may be about a pound heavier than my current bike. But aero probably matters more than weight in the riding I do (not lots of sustained climbs around my neck of the woods). The new bike is likely going to be more aero and lighter, and also seemingly does away with the rear isospeed in favor of the arguably weird-looking diamond shaped hole thing in the seat post. I have no idea about availability of any new bikes or how many months or years it'd take to get one, and my impatience definitely risks getting the better of me here.

So I'm left with the main decision right in front of me: Do I spring for the 2022 Madone SLR 7? Wheels are good depth (Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51's). I may look into upgrades down the road, but getting something relatively deeper now should be good. It will likely be months before an Ultegra Di2 Parlee RZ7 is available, and I liked the way the Madone rode better anyway (for responsiveness). Anyone have any further thoughts, impressions, advice, etc to share?
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Old 06-27-22, 12:35 PM
  #31  
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I pulled the trigger on the 2022 Madone. So far it seems really great...guess I'll find out in a few days when the new one's announced if I regret the decision or not. : )
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