The time has come to send my 10 year old road bike (Stevens Aspin) to retirement and I am looking for a bit of input for my next road bike.
I have been strongly considering an aero road bike. This is because I also do a few draft legal races a year (so far only sprint but will try at least 1 olympic next year) and I really like the aero look.
I have been looking at the Cervelo S3, BMC TMR02, Scott Foil, Merida Reacto but as I am 194 cm tall I am a bit limited by sizes (biggest size for most bikes if that isn't already too small) and the top tube length of all these bikes come close to that of my Aspin and I'm currently using a 140 mm stem (which looks great btw). That's why my choice came down to 3 bikes:
Felt AR1, Specialized Venge and Canyon Aerod CF SLX.
As far as I know the AR1 and the Venge seem to be great bikes and have now been around for a bit but my favorite would be the Aeroad since it looks simply amazing and has Canyon's own new H11 Aerocockpit which they claim saves 5.5 W vs a traditional cockpit. The downside of the Canyon is the lack of reviews (except some first impressions on short test rides) and the availability. The frameset will predictably be available in late May/early June. This is why I would probably go for the complete bike (Aeroad CF SLX 8.0 Di2) which could be available in a few weeks and would cover my need for race wheels.
One last thing which has to be said is the fact that I want to ride a road bike for IM Nice next year (first full IM) because I feel so much safer on a bike with drop bars while going downhill and I assume the descents in Nice a far more technical to what I am used to.
I don't expect too much input on the Canyon as the new Aeroad is all new and I doubt there are too many Canyon riders on Slowtwitch but I'm living 2 hours away from their showroom in Koblenz so why not consider them...
So is there anything useful I should know about the Venge and the AR1, especially when considering to use them with clip-ons?
Are there any reasons why not to buy one of the above?
Did I miss out on any models which I should absolutely be considering?
Are the Reynolds Strike SLG which come on the Canyon any good? (I am currently training and racing on FLO 30's and would love to have some fancy race wheels)
I'd be very thankful for any good advice.
I have been strongly considering an aero road bike. This is because I also do a few draft legal races a year (so far only sprint but will try at least 1 olympic next year) and I really like the aero look.
I have been looking at the Cervelo S3, BMC TMR02, Scott Foil, Merida Reacto but as I am 194 cm tall I am a bit limited by sizes (biggest size for most bikes if that isn't already too small) and the top tube length of all these bikes come close to that of my Aspin and I'm currently using a 140 mm stem (which looks great btw). That's why my choice came down to 3 bikes:
Felt AR1, Specialized Venge and Canyon Aerod CF SLX.
As far as I know the AR1 and the Venge seem to be great bikes and have now been around for a bit but my favorite would be the Aeroad since it looks simply amazing and has Canyon's own new H11 Aerocockpit which they claim saves 5.5 W vs a traditional cockpit. The downside of the Canyon is the lack of reviews (except some first impressions on short test rides) and the availability. The frameset will predictably be available in late May/early June. This is why I would probably go for the complete bike (Aeroad CF SLX 8.0 Di2) which could be available in a few weeks and would cover my need for race wheels.
One last thing which has to be said is the fact that I want to ride a road bike for IM Nice next year (first full IM) because I feel so much safer on a bike with drop bars while going downhill and I assume the descents in Nice a far more technical to what I am used to.
I don't expect too much input on the Canyon as the new Aeroad is all new and I doubt there are too many Canyon riders on Slowtwitch but I'm living 2 hours away from their showroom in Koblenz so why not consider them...
So is there anything useful I should know about the Venge and the AR1, especially when considering to use them with clip-ons?
Are there any reasons why not to buy one of the above?
Did I miss out on any models which I should absolutely be considering?
Are the Reynolds Strike SLG which come on the Canyon any good? (I am currently training and racing on FLO 30's and would love to have some fancy race wheels)
I'd be very thankful for any good advice.