I’m looking to get a new bike. I’ve been on a Caledonia the past 4 years and I’m looking for something that feels snappier, lighter, faster. I’ve read for countless hours about different bikes and a couple sound pretty interesting like the Canyon Aeroad CF SLX and the Scott Foil RC 10.
I’m looking to stay under 7k out the door. Shoot me some ideas because my brain is fried and I have analysis paralysis.
If your main consideration is the price, maybe also share your location. Depending on which continent or country you are on, prices right now may vary a lot: a Canyon in Europe is priced way more competitive than in the US
Good call. US
Can you share more info on what bike you have now, including e. g. wheels and such, what kind of geometry you would like and can realistically ride for longer distances?
Plus, have you test ridden many bikes? Whenever I see someone writing they want a “light” bike, I immediately (rightly or wrongly) think they haven’t test ridden a lot of bikes. Geometry & fit >>> weight, specs.
New wheels on your current bike are going to make a bigger difference.
Pick a few that you can test ride and it’ll probably make up your mind.
Seconded.
I have seen a few bikes that should have been good/unremarkable/bad on paper, but that totally surprised me.
You don’t need agree with any of these opinions, but I am certain that learning about your own preferences by riding other bikes will allow you to make a more informed decision.
That could be the right solution, but need not be. It all depends on how @daness40 likes the geometry of his current bike.
Another thing to consider on a test ride is the tires and air pressure. I’ve test ridden bikes that felt incredibly harsh and that completely changed when I had them drop the tires a few psi. Same the other way around. I swear some shops over/under-inflate tires intentionally to influence your purchase.
The Canyon Aeroad looks great, but just make sure the sizing is spot on because it’s a real pain to swap out the cockpit (if you can find one).
That’s why when I was aero road bike shopping I purposely avoided any bikes that couldn’t take a standard stem and handlebar.
I currently ride a 2021 Cervelo Caledonia. Wheels are Scribe 50s. It’s always felt sluggish to me, but I bought it when it first came out towards the end of 2020 so going out and test riding things was a bit of a faff.
Test riding bikes is definitely an option. The nearest bike shop to be is 1hr away so I will need to get a really good idea of what I want to test ride before I make a trek down there.
Your wheels are decently light (1433 g according to the website), and the bike seems somewhere between a race bike and an endurance road bike bike.
On paper that seems like a good recipe for many people … on paper. So I’d definitely test ride a few bikes and see if you prefer another bike. I reckon it isn’t bike weight per se, though. Especially since your wheels are already quite light.
agreed on test riding. I was 95% to buy a bike once and when I rode it, it was an immediate no. I almost turned around after one block - wound up riding 5 min just in case.
I was also once 80% to not buy a bike (I thought I’d never enjoy a road bike but liked how it looked)…then rode it just to rule it out and loved the feel and got it.
I wish that were an easy option because that is definitely the ideal approach. I’ve purchased 9 bikes in my life and never test rode a single one due to my location. The Aeroad is on my short list…no idea how test riding that is possible. I don’t know anyone that owns one and I’ve never even seen one in person. The Scott Addict RC 10…I’ve called around to the bike shops that are within a 2 hour radius and none of them have them in stock.
This is what brings me here to read about real world experiences of others. I’m fully aware that different bikes fit different people and anything that is said should be taken with a grain of salt, but I have to get information from somewhere and Youtube is hard to trust.
where are you? just curious.
tbh I’ve spent a ton of $ on bikes…but I’d be tempted to stay put or upgrade my bike that I knew I loved rather than buy one I couldn’t try.
High Desert in Southern California. About 2ish hours south of las vegas.
cool. never been there. sounds like a dream.
update us with pics with whatever you decide!
Apart from knowing someone who owns one, I don’t think you can. IMHO that would immediately disqualify it, unless I can test ride a bike with extremely similar geometry. But even then there may be differences.
I think this is tricky. Maybe you should reverse it and simply ask what bikes the shops have on the showroom and ride those? That will help you to make your criticism and ride impressions more precise.
E. g. you described your current bike as “sluggish”. Is that because the bike is heavy (possible, but not necessarily the cause, it seems reasonably light, you have light wheels on your current bike already)? Or is it because the head set angle is slacker and/or wheelbase longer so that it is more stable/less responsive to steering input.
Hence, you could test ride bikes to figure out whether you actually want a bike with more aggressive geometry or whether it is something else that is bothering you.
I’m with you, but I think we’re in the vast minority. I won’t buy a bike if I can’t ride something at least close first. I know there’s money to be saved, but it’s not worth it if you end up having to swap a bunch of components or end up hating the bike.
I don’t know the extension of this, not sure you can return it just because you didn’t like it