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Old 10-14-15, 07:06 AM
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sTeezZy
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New Bike Opinion and Suggestions

Greeting All!

Recently my Scott CR1 Comp "bit the dust". During a century ride (only 32 miles in) the rear derailleur hanger failed causing the rear derailleur to fly into the rear wheel causing damage not only to the rear wheel but also to the frame; needless to say this was not my best day on the bike. As a result I am now in the market for a new bike. I was a big fan of my Scott CR1 Comp's fit and ride comfort; however, I'm not entirely sure I want to go the Scott route again. I'm 5'7", 200lbs, club rider who wants to break into the criterium world soon and I'm looking for some opinions on new bike models. My budget is at $2000 (+/-$500).

Cannondale CAAD10 or CAAD12
Scott F75 or F5
Cervelo R2
Trek Emonda S5
Specialized Tarmac Elite

I plan to throw a set of FLO 30s or 60s on whichever model I end up purchasing.

At the end of the day I'm looking for a ride which I can comfortably tackle my weekly club rides and long distance event as well as hit a criterium on the weekend. All ideas are welcome and appreciated.

Thanks!!!
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Old 10-14-15, 07:09 AM
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The bike that has the best FIT.
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Old 10-14-15, 07:15 AM
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Originally Posted by 10 Wheels
The bike that has the best FIT.
I absolutely agree and I am all ready working on trying each one out with a proper professional fitting. However, many of the shops won't allow me to really put these bikes to the test on the road. I am interested in opinions on ride quality.
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Old 10-14-15, 07:18 AM
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Buy from The Friendly Shop...Brand doesn't matter.
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Old 10-14-15, 07:27 AM
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Originally Posted by sTeezZy
At the end of the day I'm looking for a ride which I can comfortably tackle my weekly club rides and long distance event as well as hit a criterium on the weekend.
You will probably get strong opinions on this topic since you are asking which bike will be a good blend of race and comfort.

I'm also planning on racing crits next year and I'm building a bike specifically for these races.

The guy mentoring me in crit racing told me point blank.. Racing crits will kill your bike.

His advice to me, that I'll pass along to you...Buy a cheap frame that can be easily replaced (for a couple hundred bucks) and has RD hangers that are easy to source. Dropouts that can be replaced are a must, and use shifters that are also cheap and plentiful.

If I were you, Id buy a fancy new bike for club rides and see about an older CAAD frame to transfer the drivetrain from the busted Scott to for racing.
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Old 10-14-15, 07:28 AM
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Have you though about repairing the Scott. It should have a replaceable derailleur hanger. And if there's damage to the stays themselves, they can usually be repaired for a couple hundred dollars.

Calfee Designs does repairs like that, and there is also likely somebody local who can do it.
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Old 10-14-15, 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by 69chevy
The guy mentoring me in crit racing told me point blank.. Racing crits will kill your bike.


His advice to me, that I'll pass along to you...Buy a cheap frame that can be easily replaced (for a couple hundred bucks) and has RD hangers that are easy to source. Dropouts that can be replaced are a must, and use shifters that are also cheap and plentiful.


If I were you, Id buy a fancy new bike for club rides and see about an older CAAD frame to transfer the drivetrain from the busted Scott to for racing.

I have read this and heard this very often which is why I was leaning towards getting the F75 or CAAD series just for this reason. However finding someone who has riden and review a new F75 is proving difficult and while I could get my hands on a CAAD my LBS does not rep them.


Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Have you though about repairing the Scott. It should have a replaceable derailleur hanger. And if there's damage to the stays themselves, they can usually be repaired for a couple hundred dollars.


Calfee Designs does repairs like that, and there is also likely somebody local who can do it.

Unfortunately the stays were damged as well as the components. I have serious concerns with repairing carbon; call me paranoid but this just seems risky,
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Old 10-14-15, 07:46 AM
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Have you though about repairing the Scott. It should have a replaceable derailleur hanger. And if there's damage to the stays themselves, they can usually be repaired for a couple hundred dollars.

Calfee Designs does repairs like that, and there is also likely somebody local who can do it.
Smart advice.

Ruckus Composites in PDX also does excellent work.
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Old 10-14-15, 07:52 AM
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Originally Posted by sTeezZy
CAAD my LBS does not rep them.
I meant a used CAAD from ebay, or locally listed. Your LBS would make as much money switching the parts from your Scott to a CAAD frame as they would selling you a new bike.

A CAAD 9 or 10 frame can be scooped up for $300-500.

You already have the parts to put it together.

Racing crits and only owning one bike could get very expensive and lead to a lot of down time if your bike gets wrecked. You have to realize that your first season of racing will be full of squirrly new riders who won't always handle themselves like you expect.

Even if you don't go down hard, do you want scars on your new 11 speed shifters and RD?

If carbon repair scares you, also realize that lightweight alloy bikes dent easily. Do you want to ride a dented CAAD 12 on club rides?

Just food for thought.
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Old 10-14-15, 07:53 AM
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Originally Posted by DinoShepherd
Smart advice.

Ruckus Composites in PDX also does excellent work.
Or this ^^.

Keep the repaired bike for crits, and buy a nice bike for club riding.
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Old 10-14-15, 07:56 AM
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Originally Posted by sTeezZy
I have read this and heard this very often which is why I was leaning towards getting the F75 or CAAD series just for this reason. However finding someone who has riden and review a new F75 is proving difficult and while I could get my hands on a CAAD my LBS does not rep them.


.



Unfortunately the stays were damged as well as the components. I have serious concerns with repairing carbon; call me paranoid but this just seems risky,
Well done it will be as strong or stronger than the original.


As for crits destroying bikes, I think the risk is dramatically overstated.

No doubt you can trash a frame in a crit, but it's not all that likely. I've raced a hundred plus crits, crashed in a handful of them, including on CF bikes, and never broken a frame.

Race enough crits, odds are strong you will eventually crash, but it's not like your going to be rolling on the ground every other race. And I'd bet fewer than 5% of crashes in crits result in totaled frame
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Old 10-14-15, 08:02 AM
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Well done it will be as strong or stronger than the original.


As for crits destroying bikes, I think the risk is dramatically overstated.

No doubt you can trash a frame in a crit, but it's not all that likely. I've raced a hundred plus crits, crashed in a handful of them, including on CF bikes, and never broken a frame.

Race enough crits, odds are strong you will eventually crash, but it's not like your going to be rolling on the ground every other race. And I'd bet fewer than 5% of crashes in crits result in totaled frame
I'm talking about him preserving the asthetics of his new bike. I'm not saying that death and destruction is emminent (even if I did make it sound that way).

When I say destroying, I mean scratches, scars and dents.

The reason my "mentor" says to buy a frame that can be easily and cheaply replaced, is the "cya, just in case" aspect of the worst case. No fit to worry about, just swap parts.
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Old 10-14-15, 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by 69chevy
The reason my "mentor" says to buy a frame that can be easily and cheaply replaced, is the "cya, just in case" aspect of the worst case. No fit to worry about, just swap parts.
I agree with this logic. Unfortunately I do not have a money tree in my backyard which will endlessly allow me to purchase new expensive frames in the event of a crash should it ever happen.

I would like to bring the topic back to one of my original questions regarding ride quality. As I stated previously my LBS are hesitant if not completely against allowing customers to ride out the door to test their bikes. As such I am interested in difference in ride quality between an alloy say Felt F75 and a carbon say Cervelo R2. Will an alloy bike caused serious discomfort on a long ride? Will upgrading the wheelset improve the ride quality?
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Old 10-14-15, 08:51 AM
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Originally Posted by 69chevy
I'm talking about him preserving the asthetics of his new bike. I'm not saying that death and destruction is emminent (even if I did make it sound that way).

When I say destroying, I mean scratches, scars and dents.

The reason my "mentor" says to buy a frame that can be easily and cheaply replaced, is the "cya, just in case" aspect of the worst case. No fit to worry about, just swap parts.
Tool not a jewel.

I do understand not wanting to race what you can't afford to replace.

I don't understand buying an expensive fancy racing bike, and not racing it.

It's like buying a 911 and not taking it to the track because it will get dinged from debris.
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Old 10-14-15, 09:10 AM
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I'd find a new Lbs that will allow you to test ride.
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Old 10-14-15, 09:19 AM
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Tool not a jewel.

I do understand not wanting to race what you can't afford to replace.

I don't understand buying an expensive fancy racing bike, and not racing it.

It's like buying a 911 and not taking it to the track because it will get dinged from debris.
I really need to work on being more clear...

The point was to buy the fancy new, comfortable bike for club riding and not spend his $2000 budget on a fancy new race bike.

It's not at all like buying a Porsche, because his body is the motor that will work just as well on a CAAD 10 as it will on a Dogma f8.

If you think a brand new racing bike should be his priority when he says he "might" race, but mostly does club rides, then that's your opinion.
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Old 10-14-15, 10:13 AM
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It's absolutely a personal opinion, and others can clearly come to a different conclusion. For me, the reason to buy a more expensive bike is to get better performance. Where you most want that performance is racing. So I'm going to race my best bike.
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Old 10-14-15, 10:56 AM
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I am biased and would say Cannondale, but the first post nailed it - get the one with the best fit.
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Old 10-14-15, 01:11 PM
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Originally Posted by series1811
I am biased and would say Cannondale, but the first post nailed it - get the one with the best fit.
I have read many great things about Cannondale's alloy bikes but how is the ride? Would a long ride (40+ miles) on a CAAD bike make me feel sore simply due to road vibration or is this an exaggerated claim?
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Old 10-14-15, 01:32 PM
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Originally Posted by sTeezZy
I have read many great things about Cannondale's alloy bikes but how is the ride? Would a long ride (40+ miles) on a CAAD bike make me feel sore simply due to road vibration or is this an exaggerated claim?
Road Bike Action | The Aluminum Shootout: A Study in Relevance
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Old 10-14-15, 02:52 PM
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Originally Posted by sTeezZy
I absolutely agree and I am all ready working on trying each one out with a proper professional fitting. However, many of the shops won't allow me to really put these bikes to the test on the road. I am interested in opinions on ride quality.
Tell them that if they don't let you road test the bike,tthen you won't be buying the bike. If they persist in not letting you road test the bike, then cross that bike off your list.

GH
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