I’m finally buying myself a new bike and I’ve decided it’s got to be a road bike since I want one bike that will serve multiple purposes. I’m training mostly for 1/2 IM now (likely 3 next year), but I want to be able to do some long distance biking (i.e. multi-day) as well as certain climbs I have in mind - I’ve always wanted to do the Cabot Trail. I’ve been looking at Cervelo Soloist and Giant TCR. Trying to keep it under $3,000 CAD, all in. My LBS now has me looking at the Specialized Allez Comp, but I’m worried that sticking aerobars on a regular road bike won’t work for me. I’m a relative beginner at cycling and I’m worried about handling. I’ve read reviews of the Soloist and TCR that convince me that aerobars on those bikes will work fine, but I’m not so sure about the Specialized. What do you think? I’d love to hear opinions about the above bikes as well.
I have a 2004 Specialized Allez Comp and had clip on Profile bars on it up until the last month or so when I bought my P3.
I LOVE the bike and it actually worked well with the aero’s. Granted, even with a short stem and the seat slammed forward (on the spec seat post) I was still “stretched out”, but handling was fine. I haven’t ridden the bikes you mentioned, but I know that my Specialized is very “peppy” and quick and climbs really well.
This is not directly responsive to your question, but it’s arguably more important.
Before you concern yourself with aerobars on a particular model, please make sure that you have been fit properly for the bike. All too often a LBS will try to sell you the brand that they carry with only a passing glance to fit (this happens a lot with the larger manufacturers, e.g., Specialized). If your LBS uses the “stand over the top tube and then sit on the saddle and put your hands on the bars” method, you should go someplace else. Most better shops will charge between $100-$200 for a fitting, but that fitting will entail taking measurements, etc. and should last for more than an hour. I realize that this is real $$, but it’s more than worth it (In fact, I was just fitted for a new bike in October and it took 4 1/2 hours from start to finish). If the bike doesn’t fit you properly to start with, it really won’t be fun if you try to ride in the aero position. Once you have determined which model will fit you best, then you can worry about whether aerobars will work.
If you live in the Northeast, I can point you to some pretty good fitters.
The main thing on a road bike is to not use aero bars designed for a tri ike or you will be too stretched out. There are a number of shorty aero bars designed for road bikes from Syntace, Profile, Vision Tech, Oval, etc.
The TCR, Soloist and AllezComp are all compact frame road bikes with similiar geometry. They allare “regular” road bikes. The Soloist has a flip around seat post that will put you more forward for tri/TT but you can get the same thing with the other two by purchasing a separate neutral set back seat post and moving the seat forward on the rails. Then change back to the regular seat post for regular riding.
All are good bikes and handling will not be an issue. I’d suggest joining a roadie group and going on group rides to learn the basic bike skills.
I agree with Chris and Cerveloguy. Get a road bike fitting before picking a bike. Then a shorter clip-on is often better than a full length.
Recalling where you live from another post - The guy in Scarborough who sells Specialized and Giant has good prices on bikes but doesn’t always suggest a bike that fits you before you buy it. He will make it fit after but you end up paying for the parts. Usually he will suggest a Syntace C2 or Profile that may stretch you out a bit on a road bike.
Enduro will have about the same answers for aero bars. Decent prices on Cervelo this time of year but that is all they will let you look at if you walk in with a preconception of what you want.
My bias is La Bicicletta where they put you on the Serotta fit machine first, then let you look at bikes. The clip on they gave me was appropriate for the position I was riding in and surprisingly comfortable from the very first ride. It is a Deda that extends past the levers and clips under the bar so you don’t get too high. Not too long or short like the new shortys that are trying to make it under the UCI rules for a road race. There are other bars like it. Make an appointment for the fitting. They didn’t charge me for fitting the bike or the clip-on.
Dukes does a better job of fit, good pricing and selection of bikes but has limited clip-on choices.
And yes, come out to the doughnut ride. Not every pack is screaming fast and there are long and shorter routes.
Thanks for all of the replies. Great information to have. I’ve been to 2 bike shops and each one seems to want you to pick the bike, put your money down and then they’ll fit you on it which is contrary to everything I’ve read here. PB is right on with the shop I was at today. I think I’ll take a trip to La Bicicletta. Thanks again. This forum rocks!
D.
P.S. I’ll show up to the doughnut ride when I think that I can hang on for at least the first 5 miles!! The length of the ride doesn’t bother me, but I think I’d get dropped on the first hill!!
The decision making process, as previously mentioned by others, is more like what type of bar not so much what brand of bar: full length or shorties. This will depend on type of racing you intend to do and also on the bike and your dimensions.
As an aside very recently my wife went through a very similar bike buying process (latter stages now) she wanted one bike for multiple uses from road racing (stable) to IM (use of aerobars) but at the same time maintain the pedaling position (for want of a better term) as constant as possible hence not moving seat too far forward etc., so there were a number of compromises to be made.
She approached Ves at yaqui and has ordered a draft legal geometry bike. It has been a very interesting experience. Ves had some very interesting ideas about building bikes for women, the correct seat angle etc. Anyway we got the drawings and his solution is to change the stem (and seat post) in order to shorten the top tube for use with aerobars (full size Syntace) Other aspects of the geometry are custom. Ves post on this forum from time to time. It was interesting that he came up with almost identical dimensions to those of our coach (road biking) based on measurements only.
Anyway to get to the point: in your buying process have yourself fitted (insist on it) two ways: typical road/group riding and tri bars. At that point you will know how much of a compromise it will be for you to adapt the road config to the full length bars for a tri confige, if its marginal (relative small difference in top tube length that will not affect handling etc.) then no big deal, if not shorties/shorter stem etc. But there are a bunch of other considerations in bike fit as well that might affect this whole process. The experts on this forum are better equipped than I am to discuss those, but I think focusing on the decision making process to give you good information is what you need to do.
We are in the Vancouver area and if you want to know more about the wife’s buying experience to date (also her experiences with different types of bikes - she already has one road one tri but not that happy with either!) drop me a PM
as per Kiwipat comment. For the intended usage the wife is better off with the longer than the shorty, which meant needed to shorten the top tube otherwise she would be too stretched out, hence shorter stem. if she was racing shorter course with lots of turns then shorty might make sense as you will be on the hoods more than the bars.
The Profile Jammer bars will permit you to minimize the stretched out effect of many clip-on aero bars but still help you get into a more comfortable aero position on a road bike. Also using a forward seat post may permit you to effectively “shorten” you existing top tube slightly, Thompson and Profile both make angled seat posts as do some others. Slight changes should not drastically effect handling, but handling issues may become a concern as ones significantly shifts the rider’s weight forward on any bike.
I have never been a fan of the forward seat posts. I think that is where the real problems start to arise when you use these on standard road bikes. It puts too much weight too far forward on the bike.
If you can’t achieve the position you need with shorty aero bars, and the seat slightly forward on the seat rails, then you may want to look at a tri specific bike with a steeper seat angle.
Depending on your frame size, you can achieve a theoretical seat angle of about 76 degrees on a standard road bike. Again, if this is not ennough for you, you need to go to a bike with a steeper seat tube.
La Bicicletta no longer carries Cervelo (at least that’s what they told me last time I was in). They’re carrying QR bikes now. Apparently, Sporting Life may be carrying a few Cervelo’s next year, as they up their entry into the roadbike world.
If you are going to Endurosport, and looking to talk bikes, talk to Peter (the store manager) or Dan (the owner). Two very decent guys, not pushy and very well informed. As well, Fiona does a killer job fitting…she just refitted me on my tri bike last week…I believe she and Dan are FIST certified, as well.