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#1
05-17-2018, 08:14 AM
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Help me decide if I want a dedicated road bike
I have a Gunnar Crosshairs. I have two different wheelsets.
I was thinking about a dedicated road bike. Will I notice a big difference? Is a Gunnar Sport or Roadie too similar to my Crosshairs? I'd like to run 28mm tires. Should I go test ride a CAAD (though it may be too long and low), a Synapse, a Domane/Emonda? Wraith Hustle? I love steel bikes, Carbon scares me but I have carbon bars on my Mountain bike..LOL.. Help   As additional info, I am 29, plenty flexible, but when I was fit for my Crosshair it ended up being a 566/382mm stack/reach. Long legs, short torso. Last edited by belopsky; 05-17-2018 at 08:20 AM. 
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#2
05-17-2018, 08:20 AM
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Look at the geometry of the Roadie Sport and Crosshairs..stack and reach...
__________________
Chisholm's Custom Wheels Qui Si Parla Campagnolo
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#3
05-17-2018, 08:21 AM
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#4
05-17-2018, 08:23 AM
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#5
05-17-2018, 09:47 AM
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__________________
Chisholm's Custom Wheels Qui Si Parla Campagnolo
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#6
05-17-2018, 09:51 AM
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Richard Schwinn was very candid and helpful when I asked him about upgrading from my RS11 to another Waterford. He told me I was unlikely to notice a worthwhile difference. How's that for a lack of hype?
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#7
05-17-2018, 10:16 AM
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You do.
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#8
05-17-2018, 10:36 AM
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Need, no. Want, maybe.
After decades of riding all-rounders that can take fatter rubber (and fenders and racks and handlebar bags), I got a lucky bargain CL find last April - a 2011 CAAD10 for $600. It's character is very different than my Anderson (or my '72 Bob Jackson) and it's just plain fun to have a bike that weighs under 17 pounds (with carbon only for the fork and crankset) and runs 25mm tires. But, I do live where the pavement is good.
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#10
05-17-2018, 11:38 AM
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How many bikes can you justify keeping? If it's 3 or more, I personally think one of them should be a pure road bike. For me it would break down as one bike for singletrack/snow, one all road/utility bike, and one go fast/sunny day road bike (+ a fat bike, TT bike, trainer bike, fixed gear, and a couple extra road bikes, but who's counting). Your breakdown may differ, but I've never gotten the same thrill from a cross bike on the road as I do from a thoroughbred road bike. I'm sure I could do without the road bike, but I'm in a position where I can afford a little vanity, and great news-- skinny tired anything is cheap right now.
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#11
05-17-2018, 11:41 AM
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Really depends on what feeling you're trying to get....
...from a dedicated "road" bike.
Having recently moved from a 2014 Supersix Evo Hi Mod to a 2018 Crux it's the small differences that add up to a whole. The bike weights were within a pound in road going guise, but the weight was tertiary to any real world differences. What I mean by that is the measurable and tangible differences are easy to pick out, but how they make the total ride feel will fully inform your decision. Since I don't do as many fast and hilly rides anymore the sharper handling, more connected chassis feel and snappier acceleration aren't as big a loss going from a road to a cross rig, but the total difference is easily noticeable. To use a tired car analogy, it was like going from a dedicated sports car to a GT - everything was more direct in good and bad ways on the road bike. With your stated fit a CAAD10 will probably be too long, and if you have to use a shorter stem the steering could veer from quick to downright skittish. Also the CAAD frame is very smooth for an ALU but it will be a big change from steel. Maybe a Trek in H2 or H3 fit would serve better, or something like the new Synapse, or an Endurace or BMC Road Machine. Even better yet a new titanium might hit all the notes you're looking for but the cost of entry is still very steep.
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#12
05-18-2018, 11:30 AM
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And then the related issue of whether or not the rim supports your choice of tire in terms of aero performance. Maybe just a lighter but still-sturdy carbon wheelset at the non-aero end of the scale, with enough width to support your choice of tire. There can also be the issue of braking performance with carbon rims, but some of the newer ones are greatly improved in this regard if you read the reviews. Switching back and forth between alloy and carbon rims will of course require switching the pads, too, and possibly tweaking the derailer adjustment. Then there is the frame geo issue, another big player, and perhaps lastly the weight of the bike, the gearing choices and any subtle alterations to your fit position. So yeah, I would say you might feel quite a difference with a different bike! Last edited by dddd; 05-18-2018 at 11:33 AM.
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