What kinda road bikes is everyone riding these days???
- Thread starter walter
- Start date
StayHydrated
Swedish Chef
I rode one in the Marin Headlands last month. Actually climbed really nicely for me and was pretty comfy. On the road with those giant tires it didn't feel like it wanted to lean over, but that's probably user error? Hydro was nice, glad I had it. Was very at home on doubletrack.
qclabrat
Well-Known Member
checked out the Merit a few months back, it's a real bargain for what you get
think it's the cheapest 142TA rear you can find today
DownhillR3
Well-Known Member
Agreed, its my main go to road bike while my Specialized Roubaix Comp Disc collects dust being wall art, kind of sad but funny. I'm riding proof you don't need to spend $3k on a road bike to ride at a fast level. Makes riding that much more liberating to not break the bank.
DownhillR3
Well-Known Member
Somebody give Evan a 40lb lead jacket and 20 more years of mileage please
that being said, how did you get that fast using lift service!!!
ha, I know right. Its funny going from growing up riding Downhill to racing XC to becoming primarily a roadie now that i'm back into biking. Natural ability and fitness guess goes a long way. Hope to see you soon on a group ride come Spring!
chuprinko
Well-Known Member
I love my BMC GF02 disc, got a great deal on a slighly used one. It rides great. Can easily swap the gravel grinder wheels for the carbon tubular road wheelset or daily road wheels. I do like the discs.
But, for what its worth, what's old is new again, saw this picture in the Madison borough building today - 1890 drop bar fat tire gravel grinder! Pretty cool.
But, for what its worth, what's old is new again, saw this picture in the Madison borough building today - 1890 drop bar fat tire gravel grinder! Pretty cool.
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-YETI-
Active Member
I can strongly vouch for Felt. I didn't know much about the brand before trying one
(Always thought of them as more triathlon focused) but love the three I have. For road, I own a FR- which I find to be stiffer and more aggressive than my evo with still a very comfortable ride for long workouts. My F1x cross bike has a very similar feel- fast handling and a direct power transfer. Obviously different bikes than the VR, but very high quality frames and great handling bikes.
(Always thought of them as more triathlon focused) but love the three I have. For road, I own a FR- which I find to be stiffer and more aggressive than my evo with still a very comfortable ride for long workouts. My F1x cross bike has a very similar feel- fast handling and a direct power transfer. Obviously different bikes than the VR, but very high quality frames and great handling bikes.
I just sold my last 56cm vr4 on sat. I’m bummed they aren’t bringing back that bike in 2019. They will have a new bike in the gravel category, which is what they were trying to do with the vr4.
Look closely at the 3t exploro and the new Libre from Kona. Both are categorized as gravel bikes, but honestly they make fine road Bikes.
Really what they are is a mtbers Road bike
In this photo, i was messing around with mixed wheel sizes. 700x32 F and 650x47 rear. The bike can do either.
I’ve been happy with the 1x for my needs. It spins out at about 36mph with the 44x10. You can run a 46t round ring, but I prefer the oval. Of course the 44x42 is low enough for anything I’ve encountered.
After years on the mtb, 1x feels right here too. Many will say the gearing is too gappppy, but I haven’t noted that. I just like the quiet and simple setup.
Mine is an unpainted frame with custom decals. The stock version looks more like this.
Look at the Libre and rove too. Both can take 700c or 650b. I’m fairly convinced that 650x 47 is the answer when riding solo. I just switch out to the faster
http://www.konaworld.com/platform_libre.cfm
I had a chance to ride this in BC a few weeks back, it I passed at the chance so I could ride more mtbs. The guys who did ride it raved about it. The fit is not normal you must look at stack and reach.
I’ll post up the new gravel bike from Felt when I’m allowed to in a few weeks
For what it’s worth, road bikes as a whole are dying off in total sales nationally and gravel bikes are eating up that market share. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you need a road bike. You can have a ton more versatility with a bike that fits and feels like a road bike, but allows bigger tires. Of course a road bike isn’t faster, but this is a mtb forum and honestly these bikes can be more fun.
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trener1
Well-Known Member
There are so many good bikes out there, it really depends on what kind of riding you plan on doing, what your budget is a few other things.
As far as Value goes the CAAD12 with 105 is hard to beat, but obviously isn't carbon.
Anyone have an opinion on the sweet spot in the Synapse lineup? I'm looking at everything between the Ultegra and Red eTap. I'm curious about the fancy new wireless electronic shifting and all, but on the other hand it seems like there isn't a gigantic component spec difference for twice the price. Ultegra Di2/Dura Ace? I'm thinking maybe go for the Ultegra mechanical spec and then spend some of the saved money on nice wheels.
That was where I started, then I talked myself way up in price, then way down (as I'm prone to doing). After riding 1x for mountain bikes for years, the constant front derailleur trimming on my 15 year old 9 speed Dura Ace setup is less than amazing so Di2 seems like it would be cool.
e-shifting make me not think twice about shifting the front der to keep the chainline straighter. etap uses a formula 1 shifting paradigm (think paddle shifters - left down, right up, both to switch the front) - didn't take long to adapt. they are very sensitive - so wearing large gloves could yield an unintentional shift.
And if you are going to keep a bike for 15 years, just divide the cost by 15! (spouse logic.....)
Mare
Well-Known Member
You mentioned the Warbird. Did you try one? Are you looking at that style too, or are you looking for a dedicated road bike? If you are looking for Warbird styles, I have been looking as well and would recommend trying the Salsa Vaya. I am also trying to find a Cannondale Topstone (but I don't think they come out until 2019), a Bianchi Impulso All-Road (which no-one will ever stock so I won't find it), and a few others. I am honestly not sure which frame material I want, but I do not want carbon.
Chris(NJ)
Well-Known Member
Why no carbon?