Spec me a road bike

[Plai]

@cbk stated experience building bikes in the road bike pricing thread got me thinking of an inch. @cantunamunch was also voicing encouragement...

Right now I'm riding an endurance frame because of comfort, 2014 Specialized Roubaix SL4 Comp Compact.

But, for my next bike I want (yes, *not need*):
disk brakes -- better control (feathering), braking power (I'm going too fast for me), and less troublesome (alignment issues w/ calipers)
more road vibration dampening -- hands sometimes still go numb (still working through riding positions, relaxing and different gloves)
still good on bombing hills with tight corners (sorry, not much here, other than I want to go faster.)
I'm cheap (don't think I need to say more here ;-)

I've been curious about titanium frames for a while, but haven't yet ridden one. [I've ridden steel (early '80s swchinn le tour) and have good memories.]

So,most of the titanium frames I can find on craigslist are older, race oriented geometries. They just kinda scare me, imagining all the pressure on my hands. So, I got to wondering if titanium endurance bikes exist and the articles best titanium bikes 2016 and Terrific titanium: 14 (2018) show frames which are definitely more friendly.

Is there a more comfortable road bike geo than endurance?
Is my focus on endurance frames with titanium unfounded?

So, how to do this on the cheap? My current plan was to wait 2-3 years until the owners of 2017/2018 Roubaix with "future shock" are upgrading to the next new thing.

BTW ... this is a thought exercise.... I'm unlikely to do anything with any knowledge gained in the near future.

 

[scott43]

Well geometry may or may not make a difference to your riding comfort. A lot of that can be tuned via seat position and handlebar position. Not saying it's impossible, but geometry, I think, has a lot less to do with ride comfort than most people think. Handling/feel? Yeah maybe..but not harshness or comfort.

As for material, carbon would have the most obvious difference in my opinion. It's mostly a price thing I think. Or personal pref.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Well geometry may or may not make a difference to your riding comfort. A lot of that can be tuned via seat position and handlebar position. Not saying it's impossible, but geometry, I think, has a lot less to do with ride comfort than most people think. Handling/feel? Yeah maybe..but not harshness or comfort.

As for material, carbon would have the most obvious difference in my opinion. It's mostly a price thing I think. Or personal pref.

Geometry will make a huge difference for someone not flexible enough for a racer's bike. The Roubaix with Futureshock is a great ride. I own a shop and can ride whatever I want and that is what I chose.

As for material, just get a bike that will accommodate large volume tires and the run them at lower pressure. Then the material won't matter except for weight.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Well geometry may or may not make a difference to your riding comfort. A lot of that can be tuned via seat position and handlebar position. .

BTW, that's kinda like saying which boot you choose may not make a difference as the bootfitter can stuff some pads in there.

 

[Jwrags]

I am currently in the market for a new Specialized Roubaix. It seems to fit me the best and rides very nicely. Now if only I could find a good price on one! @Jersey Skier, got any deals on a Roubaix Expert in your shop? If so feel free to PM me!

 

[Ken_R]

@cbk stated experience building bikes in the road bike pricing thread got me thinking of an inch. @cantunamunch was also voicing encouragement...

Right now I'm riding an endurance frame because of comfort, 2014 Specialized Roubaix SL4 Comp Compact.

But, for my next bike I want (yes, *not need*):
disk brakes -- better control (feathering), braking power (I'm going too fast for me), and less troublesome (alignment issues w/ calipers)
more road vibration dampening -- hands sometimes still go numb (still working through riding positions, relaxing and different gloves)
still good on bombing hills with tight corners (sorry, not much here, other than I want to go faster.)
I'm cheap (don't think I need to say more here ;-)

I've been curious about titanium frames for a while, but haven't yet ridden one. [I've ridden steel (early '80s swchinn le tour) and have good memories.]

So,most of the titanium frames I can find on craigslist are older, race oriented geometries. They just kinda scare me, imagining all the pressure on my hands. So, I got to wondering if titanium endurance bikes exist and the articles best titanium bikes 2016 and Terrific titanium: 14 (2018) show frames which are definitely more friendly.

Is there a more comfortable road bike geo than endurance?
Is my focus on endurance frames with titanium unfounded?

So, how to do this on the cheap? My current plan was to wait 2-3 years until the owners of 2017/2018 Roubaix with "future shock" are upgrading to the next new thing.

BTW ... this is a thought exercise.... I'm unlikely to do anything with any knowledge gained in the near future.

What is your budget? What is your size/weight? Where do you ride?

 

[Plai]

What is your budget? What is your size/weight? Where do you ride?

Given that this is mostly hypothetical, I was hoping for some design/component considerations. Let's pick a model of frame and components, not a particular iteration of a frame or particular deal on components.

FWIW I'm 5'6" (168cm), 165# +- 3#, currently riding 52cm (small) 2014 Specialized Roubaix SL4 Comp Compact. I'm in the SF Southbay and ride the Santa Cruz Hills between Palo Alto to Morgan Hill. I also visit North Lake Tahoe, so riding there is a consideration. Not looking for a gravel bike -- rather have a specific MTB for that.

Recent Previous bikes: '05 Specialized Allez Elite, '09 Specialized Tarmac. Hands felt most numb on the Allez -- I can handle the twitchiness of the Allez/Tarmac, but perfer the longer wheelbase/stability of the Roubaix.

Per budget: Let's shoot for under $1K --- that seems to be my emotional pain point. (Less is more).

+1 Geometry makes a huge difference.

 

[cantunamunch]

Your wants and budget read on the 'adventure' bike segment - among current models think Felt V85, GT Grade - where it's not a 'gravel' bike but close, it's not a 'touring' bike but close, and where you can definitely fit tires in the 30++ mm range.

 

[Ken_R]

Given that this is mostly hypothetical, I was hoping for some design/component considerations. Let's pick a model of frame and components, not a particular iteration of a frame or particular deal on components.

FWIW I'm 5'6" (168cm), 165# +- 3#, currently riding 52cm (small) 2014 Specialized Roubaix SL4 Comp Compact. I'm in the SF Southbay and ride the Santa Cruz Hills between Palo Alto to Morgan Hill. I also visit North Lake Tahoe, so riding there is a consideration. Not looking for a gravel bike -- rather have a specific MTB for that.

Recent Previous bikes: '05 Specialized Allez Elite, '09 Specialized Tarmac. Hands felt most numb on the Allez -- I can handle the twitchiness of the Allez/Tarmac, but perfer the longer wheelbase/stability of the Roubaix.

Per budget: Let's shoot for under $1K --- that seems to be my emotional pain point. (Less is more).

+1 Geometry makes a huge difference.

There are several used bikes that come to mind including the one you already have and the Cannondale Synapse. Disc brakes are awesome but the lower end ones are not that good. They work but are quite heavy and the feel is not that nice. I like to keep things simple and rim brakes just work and are easy to service. Gearing wise, 50/34 cranks and a 11-32 cassette are a must. Look for 28c or even 32c tire clearance/compatibility. They make a large difference in reducing vibrations and increasing comfort compared to even 25c tires on tarmac.

 

[scott43]

BTW, that's kinda like saying which boot you choose may not make a difference as the bootfitter can stuff some pads in there.

Not quite.. I was generalizing. I have plenty of experience, believe me. You're unlikely to get exactly right sizing without a custom frame. So you're compromising somewhere. I was talking in terms of seat and head angle and people's perception that they can feel the ride difference between a 73 degree seat tube and a 74 degree seat tube. If anyone on this board can tell that different blindfolded I'll buy you a steak dinner. Can one geometry fit better than another? Yeah..but it still won't be perfect. Especially without some dimensions besides height and weight..

 

[Plai]

Disc brakes are awesome but the lower end ones are not that good.

I think I need an education on "disc brakes". Is there a model compare to shimano tiagra/105 for shifters/derailleurs -- which I usually characterize as "competent". It wasn't until I got the ultegras on the 2014 Roubaix that it felt "smooth". Will continue to wonder what dura-ace adds to the feel.

Hmmm... Cannondale usually doesn't make the cut when I look local used. Seems like more are much more pricey than the comparable Spesh, and there also seems to be a tendency for taller riders, larger frames. But that maybe mostly because Spesh dominates the local market pretty well, a local company and all.

 

[Tom K.]

As for material, just get a bike that will accommodate large volume tires and the run them at lower pressure. Then the material won't matter except for weight.

+1

 

[Ken_R]

I think I need an education on "disc brakes". Is there a model compare to shimano tiagra/105 for shifters/derailleurs -- which I usually characterize as "competent". It wasn't until I got the ultegras on the 2014 Roubaix that it felt "smooth". Will continue to wonder what dura-ace adds to the feel.

Hmmm... Cannondale usually doesn't make the cut when I look local used. Seems like more are much more pricey than the comparable Spesh, and there also seems to be a tendency for taller riders, larger frames. But that maybe mostly because Spesh dominates the local market pretty well, a local company and all.

Shimano 105 hydraulic is really good. Ultegra is as high spec tas one needs to go really. When I talk about low end disc I am talking about the mech disc brakes. The Hydraulic from SRAM and Shimano are quite good.

 

[Carl Kuck]

My Ti frame came from habcycles.com, but that was in the late 90s. They're a bit different and you can even customer order from them. That's the Ti bike in my album.

 

[Tony S]

Spec maker, spec maker, spec me a bike ...

[nods to Fiddler on the Roof]

 

[martyg]

I think I need an education on "disc brakes". Is there a model compare to shimano tiagra/105 for shifters/derailleurs -- which I usually characterize as "competent". It wasn't until I got the ultegras on the 2014 Roubaix that it felt "smooth". Will continue to wonder what dura-ace adds to the feel.

Hmmm... Cannondale usually doesn't make the cut when I look local used. Seems like more are much more pricey than the comparable Spesh, and there also seems to be a tendency for taller riders, larger frames. But that maybe mostly because Spesh dominates the local market pretty well, a local company and all.

On discs.... Look first at the tire cross section diameter that you will be riding. If it is going to be >28mm I feel that the benefits of discs are warranted. Your contact patch of tire to ground is on the smaller side. The limiter in that system will be the coefficient of friction that the contact patch will deliver - i.e., our tire will brake loose far in advance of caliper brakes reaching their limit. I'm riding S-Works Turbo Cottons in 26mm and never feel like my caliper brakes limit me. If I bump up to 33mm - noticeable difference. I also tend to ride the bike with 33mm tires on gravel roads - some with 4,000' descents at as much as 20% grade. I like the degree of modulation that they provide.

Where I might get excited about discs on a road bike is running carbon rims. There are definitely times when I think about tube blow-outs due to heat build up from braking. Discs, with a light carbon rim. would eliminate that concern. In a wet climate discs would also be a welcome addition.

Almost 100% - when you see a national / world champion, US Team rider, Olympian, TDF rider around here and they are on a road bike you don't see discs. Once they are on a 'cross bike discs are universal.