Advice. woman newbie looking for investment bike
Frossy
Posts: 5
New to tri and seeking first serious road bike. But would rather invest more now on the right thing to take me through to seasoned triathlete than spend less then realise I've not got the right kit. Women specific bike? Aero? Chain set? Aero. What I do want is light To compensate for my lack of ability for now. I've seen ads for the canyon aero slx 6.0 and fallen for their ad. But its a lot of money if I dont know what I'm looking for. Help!
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Comments
Women specific? On average women have a different body geometry to your average man. However, there is some overlap so a "man's" bike may fit better. Get a bike fit as part of your purchase and make sure you try out more than one for fit
Aero? What does this really mean apart from marketing stuff? Can treat all racing bikes as aero these days. Even in the aero tuck position you will provide around 80% of drag
Light? Expect light these days. Bike weight not important except when accelerating or climbing. Light wheels (especially rims) and tyres are important as are pedals and shoes. Lightness will not compensate for ability but training certainly will
Lot of money? If you love the bike then its money well spent. Getting the best you can afford seems sensible to me (my Cannondale CAAD7 is still brilliant) as long as the frame is good then everything else can be replaced as it wears out
Cannot comment on the Canyon but the spec and reviews tick your boxes. I would hesitate spending that amount on-line without some form of road test
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated. especially appreciate the feedback re bike fit so will aim for this and avoid a women's bike filter! shedload of information out there and trying hard to navigate it all!
Think I've found a bike that fits the bill. One o/s Q on it tho. It comes with shimano ultegra 6800 11-25 cassette, standard 53/39 chain set. I'm concerned that it's only 11-25 and not 11-28. Views as to limitations on hills? I'm relatively fit, relatively petite and it's a pretty light bike. Thanks for reading.
Glad you're getting close to your decision. My Cannondale also has a 53/39 chainring but an 11-27 cassette. I live in the Dales so am used to hills but even so I do find sections of a lot of hills a real struggle - out of the saddle and torque the bike. I am fit, have strong legs (back squat 1.2xbody weight in sets of six & similarly leg press 2.3xbody weight) and am lean.
If buying from a bike shop I'm sure they would be more than happy to swap the 11-25 for an 11-28 plus throw in some extras to help out. They may also have a view on your needs if the hills are local. An Ultegra 11-28 can be bought new for under ??40 and fitted in five minutes. Can always get the 11-25, see how it goes then change the cassette in your own time.
If you're still thinking of getting the Canyon you may wish to have a look at sites such as the BikeRadar forum where delivery time-scales are a hot topic.
Again thanks so much for the response Harry. Took your advice and they will fit an 11-28 for me. My mistake on the chain ring - its actually a compact 50/34, so I am hoping this combo will get me around...
The Canyon was always a bit of a dream bike and read that delivery has been problematic anyway so I have managed to get an awesome deal on a Btwin top carbon. I know it may not be up there for folks keen on their brands, but I'm not fussed on brand or aesthetics, would rather focus on what I appear to be getting for my money and it seems to be providing some top components so I have my fingers crossed.
Then its down to clocking up some serious training to get me to a decent level !
Enjoy
I have a compact 105 chainset and was running a Tiagra 10 speed 12-30 cassette but switched it for an 11-32 XT cassette, works just fine with a 105 SS rear mech. Probably pants for a flat course but great for munching away big climbs. The ex mtb'er in me told me to do it!