OK, so it’s a bit of a ‘friday afternoon’ type question.
I’m rocking a 2012 P2. Had it from new, and it’s fairly well optimised (fit, electric shifting, disc and deep section etc). But after 7 years, I have a yen for something new, and quite inclined to get something pretty ‘high’ end on the principle that I’m not going to get younger/faster/better able to appreciate it, I can afford it, and YOLO etc…
One thing to note is that I don’t expect the bike will make a material difference to performance, I figure that’s mainly the engine.
The three that immediately spring to mind are:
Canyon speedmax (CF SLX). Not sure what to say about that, but seems a silly one to miss. I’m in the UK, so it’s good from a cost/delivery pov, not as tricky as for the US folks.
Cervelo P5 - I was originally thinking about the previous gen, then they came out with the P5 disc. I’d need the p3x front end to go wider on the arm pads, and I like some up-tilt, but that’s doable. Less excited by the aesthetics, prefer the previous version in many ways.
Also a bit ‘meh’ about discs. Can’t really decide whether a) I should get onto discs as everything will go that way (maybe, not convinced on the TT side, inevitable for road). OR b) stick on rims as I already have a fair selection of fast wheels.
I don’t need to be UCI legal, but I’m not sure that I can get my head around a p3x…
Trek Speed Concept - It’s old, it’s rim braked… but allegedly one of the fastest bikes around…
Anything else I should be considering? Any advice/thoughts etc?
Cheers!
I have the speed concept and although it is an “older” model, it is super fast, well designed and imo the best value you can get for a super bike. Buy the mechanical, upgrade it to DI2 (you can swap all the parts over), get some of the stems if your fit is off (I run Low-far for a very aggressive fit) and bang, you literally have a bike that is just as fast as the top end super bikes for less than like 5k USD. There is a reason they havnt changed the bike in years, rumor is they tried to build a new bike (beam) and it wasnt getting faster so they didnt bother doing more R&D.
But if you are looking for the bike that you want because your not “expecting to get fast” dude get anything you want. Like money no option, just get the bike that tickles your fancy and looks awesome. Is it a dimond? Ventum? I assume your a triathlete because you mentioned the P3X. Get the bike you will ride more. But I can tell you that the speed concept is not a slow bike at all. It is just as fast as the P5 and all the other top super bikes
I think the Boardman TT bikes are reduced right now, and they also come with free wind tunnel time. I guess what you choose depends on what balance you want to strike between going faster, or just having a really pretty bike.
At some level, unless you are 100% focussed on performance, you just have to choose the bike you like the best.
Felt is a decent shout… Maybe I didn’t phrase well - I’ll try again!
I’m fast-ish (front mid-pack) and mix up Tri and TT. I’m 44 / been racing for 8 years, so I’m probably into slowing down rather than speeding up, so a good reason to get a ‘ultimate’ bike now rather than later. Fortunately over here there are plenty of TT’s, virtually none of which fall under UCI rules, so I could go crazy.
The aim is more ‘ultimate’/superbike than ‘value for money’ - tho I can’t/won’t go to the extent of a shiv-disc. I certainly don’t want a ‘slow’ bike, but I’m realistic that I don’t expect buying a new bike to make me significantly faster - I do think there’s some mileage/improvement to be had over the venerable old P2, but bike is small compared to the lump sat on top, and my position is pretty much what it is! To an extent it’s a vanity purchase, but I do care about going as fast as possible.
SC/Canyon are probably favourites at the moment, but I have no idea how to separate.
SC/Canyon are probably favourites at the moment, but I have no idea how to separate.
I am not aware how the market is in Europe but if its a total draw and all things are equal (both would make you equally happy from looks, bike etc.) I would go based on ability to source parts and get service done. In NA, Canyon has a huge issue with ordering parts for replacement and shops are a bit hesitant to do anything with them. I am not sure if its simply because of the Direct to User model or that they are a German brand with poor NA presence or a mix of both but while the bikes seem nice and are well designed, the warranty and support from Canyon has been lacking at best from what I read. OTOH Trek is the largest bike brand in NA and I think worldwide, they have a MASSIVE dealer network and while you might pay more overall for the bikes and parts, you will 100% get what you need fast and most shops will carry what you need or will order it for you quickly. Warranty is basically guaranteed with Trek and they seem to also give the original owners service beyond what is in their T&C wrt their warranty, service etc. You have an issue close to a race or are traveling to somewhere and a week before an event you need something? I have heard Trek will take care of you and will expedite you what you need from the dealer network. You have an issue with Canyon in NA? Enjoy back ordered parts for MONTHS. Dealer or user, all use the same que for parts so you are extra boned.
Maybe Europe is different but in NA IMO unless you have a shorter budget Trek makes sense to me, and this is coming from someone who does ALL the bike work myself. If I need a part on some trip I know I am not totally boned and theres Trek dealers everywhere.
If not optimizing for value, I’d optimize for minimizing headaches. If you’ve had good experiences with your cervelo in terms of fit, part availability/replacement, packing it up etc etc, that sounds like a dream. All the bikes being mentioned are blingy and awesome, I’d get the one that won’t be a pain in the ass.
I’d be more than a bit hesitant to do business with a shop that’s a bit hesitant to do business with me because of which bike I have/where I bought it. They will dump you when they stop selling the brand you bought, whichever that may be, and they will close shop much sooner than a competitor who understands the value of service.
I’d be more than a bit hesitant to do business with a shop that’s a bit hesitant to do business with me because of which bike I have/where I bought it. They will dump you when they stop selling the brand you bought, whichever that may be, and they will close shop much sooner than a competitor who understands the value of service.
I agree. However, if you read up on the ST thread of the Canyon NA issues, it seems that the dealers have no “dealer” network to work with Canyon. ie. they are using the EXACT SAME network to source parts, service, warrenty etc. that you would go through as a user. Therefore do not expect any special services, expect to pay fully for any work done to your bike, expect to wait in que for anything that needs to be ordered as you would if you contacted Canyon and did it yourself, there is no “dealer” que for ordering parts so if its out of stock, it will not matter if your shop contacted them or you contacted them as well.
I agree though, all good shops will still service them. But don’t expect anything special. And they will pay the EXACT same as you pay for parts, so there will be markup on the parts; don’t complain when they say the parts are like 30% more than quoted from Canyon. Also, most people who order Canyons are budget minded, so you can see how this causes an issue.
If you want to go bling, I’d go with the SC and get a custom Project One paint job. In my opinion the Canyons look a little generic (and I have an Aeroad and love it). Of course you can get a custom paint job on any frame but nice to get it from the manufacturer.
Mind you, I’m really not well placed to comment - I do my own wrenching and rarely go to a shop. The one I do use (buying helmets online is a PITA, they did the fitting for my wife’s bike, etc) is, in my opinion, service-oriented. They never asked where my wife bought her bike. They acted as if they could not care less, and the only thing they cared about was delivering a good service - and so did I. I returned.
I have never used a shop for actual bike service but I agree, the good bike shops accept the bike and do the work no questions asked.
But understand that when a “budget” user gives the shop a Canyon, the shop accepts the bike, looks at the proprietary parts that need replacing, looks it up and then says
A) The parts are sold out, no time line, we will check in but theres no back-ordering, we hope to look next week and see a “in stock” status
B) We see the parts, heres the price +30% markup or whatever it will be because we need to make a living too and theres no “manufacturers price” for parts
and ultimately
C) Heres the cost for the work done
The user is going to go “why would I pay for this” and then bitch and complain and cause a PITA. Then, warranty issues arise where the user brings the bike in for assembly, the bike has an issue like paint chipped/ missing pieces etc. and when the bike shop tries to contact Canyon, the warranty claims are met with “not our problem, how do we know the shop didn’t f**k this up” from Canyon, so now the shop has a half assembled bike that has an issue, Canyon isnt picking up the phone and the customer is pissed; who eats the cost of the replacement/parts/etc.? (hint: the budget oriented customer) Sounds like some bike shops have gotten tired dealing with the end user and the company and some are refusing to work on them for that reason alone.
Anyways, I think people have to realize you get what you pay for and if you get a budget bike (a good bike mind you) there are things you ultimately sacrifice. In NA, its definitely the ease of service and customer service but eh, I am hearing this from users and have absolutely no first hand experience. I can see how this direct to consumer approach does put bike shops in an awkward spot though with certain types of clients.
I assume this is mostly a NA problem though. And I have no actual first hand experience with this, so for all I know these are isolated instances/a NA problem only? Only way to tell would be buying a Canyon and seeing how it really is hahaha! But if you do all the work yourself I would think it would lend itself to being a reason why you should consider Canyon
