Quote:
Originally Posted by AngryScientist
I agree with all of this, but would remove the "modern" qualifier in the 1st paragraph.
I had an "ah-hah" moment many years ago. I am pretty short, and probably had been riding bikes too big for me. When I finally got on a bike that fit me properly, with compact bars that I could comfortably access the drops, contact points in optimal spaces, etc - wow, I realized that riding a drop bar bike is not meant to be uncomfortable, with the proper fit.
After that, everything changed, and IMO, fit on the bike is king. All of the other stuff, aero this, lightweight that, etc are all gravy and do make a difference, but not a game changer like the proper fit turned out to be.
I bet this is a great bike for many riders. It's not for me for a variety of reasons, but i'm not a hater either.
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Just want to clarify what I meant. Yes, fit and geometry as it pertains to fit and handling are paramount for most. I also meant that none of the bikes I mentioned feel the same in terms of sensory feedback, the way they translate the road into a tactile feeling. Also, all these bikes move differently underneath you, both seated and standing, even with identical wheels and tires; it's like every bike has a different sized fulcrum that it pivots horizontally upon when the rider pushes it side to side, as well as different weight locations. I'm sure this is down to tube shaping, geometry, bb height, stack, bar length/height, chainstay length, q-factor, and many other factors, some of which are changeable and some of which are permanent features of the bike. But anyway, my point is that no two bikes are the same. I have friends who swear by their Cannondale Super Sixes. I think the last two iterations are some of the most awful riding high end bikes I've ridden. They are similarly fast enough and smooth enough as every other good bike maker's top o the line bike, and I fit on them nicely, but gosh darn, I just don't enjoy the way they move or the feels they impart.