[Sidewinderpb]

Originally Posted by E30toF30

Lol. Not at an $800 budget though. I'd love to have high end carbon everything too but don't have $4k or $5k plus to outfit a bike

Carbon wheel set will take the whole budget

[BMW F22]

Bought a set of Shimano Sport Pedals for $65 from REI.

Pretty much set on a 2015 CAAD10 105 for $1,050. Trying to see a comparable Giant bike for less.

[E30toF30]

Don't go with anything less than 105's. I think that should be the minimum groupset for any bike. Tiagra's is very bleh IMHO. 105's are a solid choice. You might even find a good deal on a bike with full Ultegra groupo in your price range, albeit maybe the older 24 speed.

[BMW F22]

A member's father highly recommended checking out the Giant Defy so I went and rode a Defy Advance and a TCR. Really liked how nice and smooth the Defy was. Way outside of my budget at $3,499.

Went to REI, saw that they have a 2015 Cannondale Synapse Carbon (very similar to the Giant Defy Advanced) so I picked that up for about 45% off. Specs are below (courtesy of REI.com). Thank you for everyone that chimed in and special thanks to sidewinderp! I think I will love this bike!

Frame BallisTec Hi-MOD Carbon, Di2 ready
Fork BallisTec Carbon
Crankset FSA Gossamer Pro, 50/34
Bottom bracket FSA BB30A
Shifters SRAM Rival 22 HRD
Front derailleur SRAM Rival 22
Rear derailleur SRAM Rival 22 WiFli
Rear cogs SRAM PG-1130, 11-32, 11-speed
Number of gears 22 gear(s)
Brake type Disc brake
Brakes SRAM Rival HRD hydraulic disc
Brake levers SRAM Rival 22 HRD
Rims Fulcrum Racing Sport Disc
Front hub Fulcrum Racing Sport Disc
Rear hub Fulcrum Racing Sport Disc
Wheel size 700c
Tires Schwalbe Lugano folding, 700 x 25
Handlebar shape Drop bar
Handlebar Cannondale C3 compact
Stem Cannondale C3
Seat post Cannondale C2 UD Carbon
Saddle Prologo Kappa EVO STNL
Pedals Sold separately
Headset Synapse Si
Chain SRAM PC-1130, 11-speed

[Mr Tonka]

Nice! I've always liked the Synapse. I'm sure you will love it.

I know camera angles make things look weird sometimes but in that pic the frame looks a little big for you. Be sure to have it fitted. Remember that fit isn't just for comfort, it can save you from bad habits and worse, injury.

Post up impressions from your first couple of rides. Enjoy!!

Edit: Are you going to be riding in the hills a lot or mostly flat?

[Sidewinderpb]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

A member's father highly recommended checking out the Giant Defy so I went and rode a Defy Advance and a TCR. Really liked how nice and smooth the Defy was. Way outside of my budget at $3,499.

Went to REI, saw that they have a 2015 Cannondale Synapse Carbon (very similar to the Giant Defy Advanced) so I picked that up for about 45% off. Specs are below (courtesy of REI.com). Thank you for everyone that chimed in and special thanks to sidewinderp! I think I will love this bike!

Frame BallisTec Hi-MOD Carbon, Di2 ready
Fork BallisTec Carbon
Crankset FSA Gossamer Pro, 50/34
Bottom bracket FSA BB30A
Shifters SRAM Rival 22 HRD
Front derailleur SRAM Rival 22
Rear derailleur SRAM Rival 22 WiFli
Rear cogs SRAM PG-1130, 11-32, 11-speed
Number of gears 22 gear(s)
Brake type Disc brake
Brakes SRAM Rival HRD hydraulic disc
Brake levers SRAM Rival 22 HRD
Rims Fulcrum Racing Sport Disc
Front hub Fulcrum Racing Sport Disc
Rear hub Fulcrum Racing Sport Disc
Wheel size 700c
Tires Schwalbe Lugano folding, 700 x 25
Handlebar shape Drop bar
Handlebar Cannondale C3 compact
Stem Cannondale C3
Seat post Cannondale C2 UD Carbon
Saddle Prologo Kappa EVO STNL
Pedals Sold separately
Headset Synapse Si
Chain SRAM PC-1130, 11-speed

Nice find!

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

Nice! I've always liked the Synapse. I'm sure you will love it.

I know camera angles make things look weird sometimes but in that pic the frame looks a little big for you. Be sure to have it fitted. Remember that fit isn't just for comfort, it can save you from bad habits and worse, injury.

Post up impressions from your first couple of rides. Enjoy!!

Edit: Are you going to be riding in the hills a lot or mostly flat?

Mostly flat.

I got sized up at a few shops and I fit a 54 cm so that should be the correct size. The long polo makes me look short. Lol

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

Mostly flat.

I got sized up at a few shops and I fit a 54 cm so that should be the correct size. The long polo makes me look short. Lol

You'll likely want to change your cassette from the 11-32 to an 11-23 if you're going to be riding flat most of the time. If you're going to get some hills now and then an 11-25 or 11-28 might be a happy medium. That 11-32 is an all out climbing cassette and to reach the low 32tooth gear they had to skip several cogs which will leave you with wider gaps between gears. Meaning, in one gear you'll be pedaling at a lowish cadence of about 88 (pedal RPM) and feeling like you should down shift. But that down shift brings your cadence up to 105 or so which feels like your pedaling too fast. Basically it can cause you to work harder than you want in taller gears because the lower gear makes you uncomfortable with higher cadence.

The good part is, you'll be able to keep your 11-32 cassette and change it out when you go on the longer group ride out in the hills. It's a simple procedure and only requires an inexpensive tool to perform.

The drive train on my bike came with the exact same gearing as yours has and it's made for climbing. Smallish front chain rings with large rear sprockets makes for low gearing. Being in FL, you can imagine that most of what i'm riding is flat. The ride i do on Wednesdays is about 30 miles and only has 200' of elevation gain. The 11-23 is money on these rides because the cadence increase/decrease that results from a gear change is only about 3-4 RPM. This lets you dial in a very comfortable cadence no matter the conditions. On Saturdays, i drive about 30 min north and end up in San Antonio, FL where a 60 mile ride will result in 2300' of elevation gain. The difference in the low gear on the 32tooth gear and the 23tooth gear at the same cadence is almost 3 mph. It doesn't sound like much, but when you're mashing your way up an 11% grade, the higher cadence is very welcome.

This may sound greek or you may not care, but your cadence is a huge factor in your riding comfort as well as your speed and endurance ability. Think of low cadence as pulling away from a stop light and high cadence as cruising at interstate speed in your car. Pulling away from a stop light requires lots of power to counter act the forces working against you; weight, gravity and wind resistance. Where as when you're cruising on the interstate, your car's engine is using less power and consequently using less fuel allowing it to go further.

Same principle works with cadence. If you can maintain a highish cadence of 90-100 you'll be able to rider further, using less power, than you could riding at a cadence of 70-80.

Did you have something in mind for a bike computer? Are you interested in logging your miles, speed, cadence, elevation, calories, etc...? If you are, there are many options ranging from downloading an app to your phone to buying GPS equipped bike computers or watches. There are also sensors you can buy that read speed and cadence. If you're just using for commuting and don't care about any of this, it is of course unnecessary. If you're interested in tracking that and possibly training to get faster, most of that stuff will make it easier to train with and measure your progress. I have never used it but i think the most bang for your buck would be to start with downloading Strava to your GPS smart phone. From there you can buy a cadence sensor fro about $40 and pair it to that app. That will give you GPS mapping of your route, distance, speed, average speed, elevation gain, etc... all while logging it on their server making it accessible to you from any computer with an internet connection or obviously your phone app.

Sorry, clearly i geek out on the data collected when riding. I love seeing the gains that i'm feeling and knowing that i'm getting faster.


In regards to bike fit, i don't necessarily mean the frame size but rather the saddle position, stem length & height, stack height, etc... Those things are what create comfort (or cause discomfort & injury) You seem to be pretty young, so your body will adapt to most anything and feel fine, but getting a proper bike fit makes everything about riding better. I can't tell you how many times i or the wife suggests a bike fit to new riders and they don't do it until they start having kneed or hip issues only to find out that a bike fit alleviated all of their issues and the lack of proper fit is what caused those issues. If you're only going to ride 10-15 miles a week at a leisure pace, it's not as necessary. But if you plan on logging 40-50 miles a week while increasing pace, i strongly recommend a proper fit.

Glad your stoked about the purchase and riding it! Looks awesome and i love SRAM components.

I wish my bike would have come with it. I have it on my MTN bike and really like it compared to my previous Shimano components.

[US///M3]

I can't stand some of the guys on bikes in parks when i'm running. They can't slow down for 2 seconds around young children, you'd think they're running the tour de France or something.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by US///M3

I can't stand some of the guys on bikes in parks when i'm running. They can't slow down for 2 seconds around young children, you'd think they're running the tour de France or something.

Agree. Most roadies are indignant pricks. Most tri geeks are Type A pricks. I'm happy to have been born of roadie and tri friends so i can see the faults of both and avoid them.

There is a place for speed and training. If you can't train in the appropriate place, don't get pissed at all the people who are utilizing your alternate training spot.

There are a few trails around here that we ride on. On of with parallels the an express way for about 45 miles. There are sections that are 10 miles away from the nearest entrance. I've yet to see a child on this trail and very few runners. Another one that we do short rides on is a 7 mile loop with a 2 mile out and back to get to the loop which is in the heart of the burbs. Lots of families, rollerbladers, kids, leisure riders, etc... You have to be sure to announce when you're passing and keep a heads up for kids doing un predictable things. Keeps you alert.

On the flip side of that, the familys, rollerbladers, kids, leisure riders, etc... all have to be aware that they are sharing the trail with cyclist and obey the rules of the trail. About 5 years ago i was riding with my wife and her parents. All in a single file, on the right side of the trail. We came to a blind turn and a pair of leisure riders were riding on both sides of the trail. My wife avoided them, but her mother, riding directly in front of me, went down when avoiding them. She was flown out by helicopter unconscious with a broken clavicle and 3 broken ribs. She spent 5 days in a coma and has permeant damage to her brain stem affecting her vision and nerves in her right leg. She now walks with a cane, can not run (she was a marathon runner) has difficulty focusing on objects and can no longer drive. To add insult to injury, her hospital bill was over $130k. ......all because a couple of people didn't bother adhering to the rules of the park.

Just saying it goes both ways.

[BMW F22]

Rode the bike to work this morning. Felt quick and comfortable. I will probably get a power meter down the road as well as upgrade some components to make the bike lighter. Right now it's about 19 lbs with pedals. I would like to get it down to 15-16. One thing at a time.

Thank you for the heads up regarding the cassette! I will look into it.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

Rode the bike to work this morning. Felt quick and comfortable. I will probably get a power meter down the road as well as upgrade some components to make the bike lighter. Right now it's about 19 lbs with pedals. I would like to get it down to 15-16. One thing at a time.

Thank you for the heads up regarding the cassette! I will look into it.

Nice!

Lots changing in the power meter game. Putting it off for a few months will probably be advantageous dollar wise. So many new power options coming to market; Pedals, Chainrings, Cranks, hubs, etc... all good stuff.

[BMW F22]

First day successfully completed. Sweaty as hell though lugging around a work laptop. Lol

[Mr Tonka]

Great looking bike!

Get a bag, tire levers, tube and Co2. Getting a flat without a spare sucks.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

Great looking bike!

Get a bag, tire levers, tube and Co2. Getting a flat without a spare sucks.

Oh yeah, completely forgot about those things. Will check out REI this weekend.

I was going down an overpass today and was squeezing the brakes like crazy and it didn't stop completely. At the end it was squeaking. Maybe I was going too fast for the brakes to be that effective?

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

Oh yeah, completely forgot about those things. Will check out REI this weekend.

I was going down an overpass today and was squeezing the brakes like crazy and it didn't stop completely. At the end it was squeaking. Maybe I was going too fast for the brakes to be that effective?

Just like car brake pads, they likely need to be broken in a bit. Just like car brakes, if you ride them lightly they build up glazing on the rotor. Good time to practice some emergency braking. Stand up, get your ass behind the saddle and brake as hard, both front and back brakes. Do it harder and harder until you get a little rear tire lock up. Then you'll know your limits and how to modulate the brake levers for max stoppage.

[McBride]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

Just like car brake pads, they likely need to be broken in a bit. Just like car brakes, if you ride them lightly they build up glazing on the rotor. Good time to practice some emergency braking. Stand up, get your ass behind the saddle and brake as hard, both front and back brakes. Do it harder and harder until you get a little rear tire lock up. Then you'll know your limits and how to modulate the brake levers for max stoppage.

That's a top tip on a road bike. It's very easy to lock the back wheel, and when you do slide it's very difficult to hold it.

If your breaking from any speed make sure your on he droppers. Breaking from above is so much more difficult.