Possibly an unanswerable question, but would love to hear some opinions on the matter between bikes.
I’ve been riding a 2010 Cervelo S2 DA Di2, 25mm tires on narrow rims as 25’s won’t fit with the newer wide rims… and wife said the words I only needed to hear once…why don’t you buy yourself a new bike!!
I really enjoy riding the Cervelo S2 and like the added speed of an aero bike, but getting older and no longer racing so basically out for exercise…but still love trying to keep my speed and Strava #'s respectable. My initial thought was to go the endurance bike route between the Trek Emonda or Canyon Ultimate - and 95% sure I was going to go disc. Not a fan of carbon rim braking so all my wheels still have aluminum tracks…disc on a new bike although heavier would allow me to go with a lighter carbon wheel and net effect (for me) would be the same.
Now…the more reviews I dig into the more I hear that the Trek Madone and the Canyon Aeroad are really comfortable bikes…so coming off an old S2…I am sure both would offer a more compliant ride than my Cervelo (which I don’t think is that bad) and I’d still enjoy some of the added aero speed I’m loosing with age
Anyone have any thoughts or experience between riding both bikes?
Negative on the Madone would be rim brakes only…but I could be ok with that. Cost seem overpriced at $7,500 (Ultegra Di2) and at that price, the new Cervelo S3 Di2 w/ disc would be an option…which is overpriced as well. Positive is buying and support thru local dealer, Treks warranty plus I could actually test ride one. Not sure of Max tire size?
Canyon Aeroad would be disc and less expensive (Canyon is saying price should be around $5,200 Di2 model). Max tire size is 25’s. Negative is no local support if ever needed although I do all my own wrenching so not sure I would even need it. Unable to test ride one.
While I haven’t ridden the Canyon, I am trying to branch out from my Cervelo fanboy habit, and recently picked up a 2018 Trek Madone 9.0 through the project one site. While I had not so great of experience with the overall purchasing procedure, I must say the bike is stunning. It is comfortable, stable, and a blast to ride. I agree that what they were charging for di2 is just ridiculous, so I bought the bike bone stock other than adding the integrated stem/bar combo, and then upgraded everything to 9150, and sold off the R8000. This bike is kind of a pain to work on, especially compared to a S2. I would put it on par with working on a P5, or maybe just heavily integrated bikes in general. If you have any specific questions about the Madone, would be happy to answer them. Have only had it a month, and have already torn it apart and rebuilt it.
There is nothing wrong with your S2 so, if it’s not comfortable and/or you want to run bigger tires then consider the Domane, Roubaix or whatever Cevelo offers that is equivalent. The new Madone is not going to take 28 tires and might not take 25s. Also, bikes like the Madone and Venge Vias have a lot of proprietary parts that make maintenance a headache. They are the last type bikes that I would want if I were not racing.
BMC road machine looks to be a good all-around ticket.
Aero features like fully integrated cables, room for wider tires, disk brakes. Geometry between “race” and “roubaix”
New Trek Madone’s come stock with 25mm Bontrager R3 tires. I don’t see why a 28 wouldn’t fit but would verify if that’s a deal breaker for you.
I ride a Madone 9 and agree with all above: all-day comfort and aeroness allows me to be my own peloton (lots of solo rides for me). If you don’t race, it would be an argument FOR the Madone’s integration (assuming you like the clean look) — not as much pressure to take apart/pack the bike or fix something quickly in a race. I find the only adjustments necessary might be a turn of the brake pad adjusters on the brakes (one for left/right); I also have etap so that is easy to install and adjust on the fly.
For bigger maintenance items eg replacing cables in the future, there is a pretty comprehensive installation manual for the Madone that you could refer to since you do your own wrenching.
The only other points to raise: I’m almost certain a disc Madone will be coming out just like many other high-end models from Trek and every other bike company’. Also, the Scott Foil disc is another one to look at. I hear the massively dropped seat stays have made it much more comfortable ie Paris-Roubaix comfortable.
Er, wait, let me think of a better suggestion to give a fellow STer.
Rim breaks are fine unless you plan to ride often in the rain. However, because the industry is shifting to disc then you might have a lower resale value (if/when you plan to sell/upgrade).
I built up a Madone frameset this summer. I didn’t think the wrenching was too bad, but I also didn’t get the integrated stem/bar (I would have purchased sooner but had been waiting for the option to use standard stem and bars, which they finally support now). I actually found the placement of the main Di2 junction and battery in the downtube really simplified wiring for Di2, and like that it removed the need for another junction at the bottom bracket. Brake setup was also no problem, anyone who’s wrenched TriRig brakes will find the Madone brakes familiar.
The bike has no problems with 25mm or 28mm tires, whoever said otherwise above is misinformed. I’m running a 28mm rear and a 25mm front on Jet+ rims, and clearance is not an issue at all with either the frame or the brakes.
My previous bike was a Cervelo S3, and I’m really liking the upgrade. Handling is more responsive, front end seems stiffer, and the bike feels more stable at speed. Between the ISOSpeed seatpost and the ability to run wider tires at lower pressures, the ride comfort is also much better than the S3 was (and the S3 was considered pretty comfortable for aero bikes at the time of its release, my old Blue AC1 was much worse).
The Cervelo C3/C5 is Cervelo’s version of the endurance bike. I compared it to the Roubaix and the Domane, and ended up picking up a C5 with DA Di2. Fantastic bike! The geometry is still ‘endurance’ but not as upright as the Roubaix so I can still get into a fairly aggressive position on the bike. I was expecting to sacrifice some quickness for comfort, but the bike is stiffer, faster and more responsive than my old Trek 5200 that it’s replacing… and vastly more comfortable at the same time. There are some crazy-good deals on the 2017’s right now if you can find your size.
I have the Canyon Aeroad, 2016 model with Di2 and the one-piece handlebars (which are lovely) but no disc brakes. I absolutely love it. It obviously excels on fast, flat rides, but I’ve also done plenty of centuries on it (both fast and leisurely) and also taken it on a long weekend down to the Alps where we were spending 6+ hours a day riding Alpe d’Huez, Galibier, Croix de Fer, etc. and it was fine on those rides. It feels solid descending and cornering fast and no real comfort issues. A little bit of lower back tightness towards the end of long, hot mountain climbs but that’s pretty normal for me as my local terrain rarely allows me to climb for more than 10 minutes at a time. Roads near me are also pretty rough in places with potholes and debris, it copes as well as any other road bike I’ve ridden.
I’d say if it’s cheaper then go for it. I’m in Europe and have a lot of riding friends with Canyons now, they’re universally happy with their purchase.
I have the Canyon Aeroad, 2016 model with Di2 and the one-piece handlebars (which are lovely) but no disc brakes. I absolutely love it. It obviously excels on fast, flat rides, but I’ve also done plenty of centuries on it (both fast and leisurely) and also taken it on a long weekend down to the Alps where we were spending 6+ hours a day riding Alpe d’Huez, Galibier, Croix de Fer, etc. and it was fine on those rides. It feels solid descending and cornering fast and no real comfort issues. A little bit of lower back tightness towards the end of long, hot mountain climbs but that’s pretty normal for me as my local terrain rarely allows me to climb for more than 10 minutes at a time. Roads near me are also pretty rough in places with potholes and debris, it copes as well as any other road bike I’ve ridden.
I’d say if it’s cheaper then go for it. I’m in Europe and have a lot of riding friends with Canyons now, they’re universally happy with their purchase.
x2 and it is simple to work on, and lighter than the madone.
New Trek Madone’s come stock with 25mm Bontrager R3 tires. I don’t see why a 28 wouldn’t fit but would verify if that’s a deal breaker for you.
This is good to know, Obviously the Madone offers some good options. Is it more comfortable than his S2…that I do not know.
I like my Madone 9.5 but it will not take an oversize 28mm tyre (eg GP4000). It clears everywhere ok but is very tight to the seat tube. A true 28mm tyre would fit ok and certainly any 25mm.
However they do ride very comfortably and I see no need for bigger than 25mm anyway.
Another happy Canyon rider here, albeit the Endurace SLX (disc). Very light & comfortable, and the one-piece bar is great. I would say the disc Aeroad would be a great punt; that said the 2018 Foil disc also looks sublime. I guess it will depend which bike suits the OP’s needs as far as comfort/fit as they age.
Hey thanks so far for all the good tidbits of info. To elaborate on the tire size…don’t really need a new bike to fit a 28 (although if it did couldn’t hurt just to try it out) as I have a cross bike for true gravel and any off road trails. I only made the comment as I had bought some new HED Jet 6 plus wheels and using 23 they barely worked on my old S2 (so close I didn’t want to take the chance). 25’s not a chance…so I had to go back to the narrow rims using 25’s (and again these barely work on the S2).
I have the Canyon Aeroad, 2016 model with Di2 and the one-piece handlebars (which are lovely) but no disc brakes. I absolutely love it. It obviously excels on fast, flat rides, but I’ve also done plenty of centuries on it (both fast and leisurely) and also taken it on a long weekend down to the Alps where we were spending 6+ hours a day riding Alpe d’Huez, Galibier, Croix de Fer, etc. and it was fine on those rides. It feels solid descending and cornering fast and no real comfort issues. A little bit of lower back tightness towards the end of long, hot mountain climbs but that’s pretty normal for me as my local terrain rarely allows me to climb for more than 10 minutes at a time. Roads near me are also pretty rough in places with potholes and debris, it copes as well as any other road bike I’ve ridden.
I’d say if it’s cheaper then go for it. I’m in Europe and have a lot of riding friends with Canyons now, they’re universally happy with their purchase.
Any chance you have ridden the Canyon Ultimate and can offer a comparison between the two?
Afraid not, but if it helps I have a riding buddy who works for Canyon, he is a lightweight roadie who specialises in climbing so he bought the Ultimate. And then spent the next year regretting it as he said the Aeroad was just as good for climbing and better at everything else.
with the IsoSpeed, the Madone will be much more comfortable and having a local shop is a big plus for these more complex aero bikes. Probably better to let someone be the Beta tester for Canyon’s customer service and warranty roll out.
