If you look at a bike manufacturer, they have different models.
Some are endurance and more upright, some are lighter for climbing, some have lower handlebars and are more aero. A classic example is the specialized roubaix, tarmac and venge.
Between the different models, is there much difference in the:
comfort over a long century ride
speed in a TT
feeling of weight up hills
I’ve tried both a triathlon/TT bike and also putting clip on aero bars on my road bike but didn’t like the feel of either so looking to go a bit more aero on the bike set up, looking at something like the specialized venge or giant propel advanced for example.
comfort over a long century ride: it depends. the main difference is geometry, and in the case of some endurance bikes, ability to run tyres up to 28mm or wider. You can set up an endurance bike to be as aggressive or as slack as you want. same on a ‘aero’ or ‘climbing’ bike. Look at the geometry on tom boonen’s specialized roubaix. it’s an ‘endurance’ model. but you or I certainly would find it very aggresssive.
My main road racing bike is an endurance model, but it’s set up pretty aggressively with about 12cm of drop. The main difference I find is that endurance geometries favour stability and easy controlling over agility in handling ( depends on which you prefer.). Do note that tyre pressure, contact points, and geometry are the main drivers of comfort, not frame material.
of course, there are exceptions, such as the trek domane and infinito CV, which do have real, measurable suspension qualities. They do ‘feel’ different. but not neceessarily in a good way. some people just don’t like it.
speed in a TT- again, it depends. depends on how you set it up. you could buy an aero bike and have a totally un-aero position, or be unable to sustain it. All else being equal, you SHOULD be faster in a TT with an aero road bike than a traditional frame, but unfortunately, not everything else is always equal.
feeling of weight up hills? definitely not. the difference between top level frames ( e.g. robaix s works, tarmac S works and venge S works,) is less than 500 grams. a typical Bike + rider system weighs 70+7 kg ( give or take a few kilos). 500 grams is 0.6% of the entire system. if you can feel that, you must be the world’s most sensitive bike tester.
The big issues that will affect “comfort” over a long ride.
(1). Wheel choice, tire choice and air pressure
(2) frame geometry - longer wheel base, slower handling, viewed by some as more comfortable AND how is your weight distributed over the bike. Both factors affect how the bike handles.
Aerodynamics is all about how you are set up on the bike, and that will affect speed. There is a whole lot that goes into making a bike setup more aerodynamic but the primary issue is fit/position and being comfortable in that position so that you stay there and don’t sit up.
Ok slightly off topic but if I was upgrading from a Cervelo RS to a 2014 S3 would you think it would be noticeable change or would the 2014 R3 be better - Do not race but ride close to 100 days a year 50-80km per ride
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Ok slightly off topic but if I was upgrading from a Cervelo RS to a 2014 S3 would you think it would be noticeable change or would the 2014 R3 be better - Do not race but ride close to 100 days a year 50-80km per ride
Not likely you will notice 100grams of drag aero savings, if you don’t race I would just stick with the RS you have, or if you need a new bike, the R3 because it is cheaper.
Ok slightly off topic but if I was upgrading from a Cervelo RS to a 2014 S3 would you think it would be noticeable change or would the 2014 R3 be better - Do not race but ride close to 100 days a year 50-80km per ride
Not likely you will notice 100grams of drag aero savings, if you don’t race I would just stick with the RS you have, or if you need a new bike, the R3 because it is cheaper.
You might then ask - why do they even make bikes other than aero ones?
I don’t know.
Because endurance bikes are an easier sell to people on their first drop-bar bike, you can market it as ‘less intimidating’ or ‘not racy aggressive, but still offering multiple, comfy hand positions’.
Just a comment on the Venge, I hadn’t had anything but touring bikes in 10 years, bought a Venge this year and thought I wouldn’t ride it for more than 30-40 miles at a time. I didn’t think it would be comfortable for that long, I was wrong, I can do a century on that bike no problems. Also the aero benefits are very noticeable, riding with some buddies on similar level bikes we were in a hilly area and they would be soft pedaling down a hill and I would be flat out coasting and pass them.
I’d like to include an old lugged steel frame one day. My guess is it’d be better than those. So: since the days of steel frames, bikes have gotten better *and *worse.
Tied for highest aero drag we’ve measured:
Cannondale EVO
Specialized Tarmac
Giant TCR
That’s pretty shocking for the other two given that the TCR has a massive flat face on the DT and ‘beefy’ head tube. Must gain a little back with the profiled ST/seatpost.
I’d like to include an old lugged steel frame one day. My guess is it’d be better than those. So: since the days of steel frames, bikes have gotten better *and *worse.
Cheers,
Did you see the Win Tunnel video with the Venge vs. old Steel Allez? IIRC, the difference was only ~10W, which would be less than what was claimed for Tarmac vs Venge, no?
