What should I be looking at?

[ridethecliche]

Had a bike fit the other day and it pretty much confirmed what I already know... That my body is better suited to something with endurance geometry. After 2 back surgeries my flexibility comes from my hips... Not ideal.

The fitter recommended the Cannondale synapse and specialized Roubaix.

My question is what other brands and models should I be looking at? Any models from any builders I should keep an eye on?

I guess my goal would be to get something I could fit at least 32s in for some mild gravel riding.

Honestly don't even know what I'm looking for but this stuff is fun to talk about and think about. Honestly, I'm hoping to pick up something used from this forum in the future. Down the line I'd like to get something custom but that's a few years off if not more.

Just hoping for some input to start. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

[pdmtong]

I bought a 2018 synapse hi-mod DA 9120 disc on closeout. it has the wheelbase of a tarmac but takes 32s and has fender mounts.

since my back is still hanging in there, I am running a slammed to the cone spacer -17d stem on a eTT 56 because the HT is taller than I need. That said, the owners manual allowed 55mm spacers!!! 5-5!!!

As much as I would love a SL7, I honestly cannot imagine spending 6x more than what I paid for the synapse no matter the incremental gain.

worse case, I will change the stock wheel to WTO 45's....

[nooneline]

Trek's stuff is really nice and their H2 geometry has a higher stack and shorter reach than most standard race-oriented bikes. That could help get you a more endurance-oriented position without a ton of spacers.

[weisan]

Giant Revolt series
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/endurance

[charliedid]

What is your current bike and what are your current gripes with its fit?

You have a Guru stye machine fit or did they use your current bike?

[Hilltopperny]

Are you set on a road bike? Most allroad/gravel bikes tend to lean towards endurance fit. There is a nice 56cm Warbird frameset in the classifieds that has a nice stack/reach and fits wide tires, but could be ridden on the rod with 32mm tires as well.


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[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by weisan

Giant Revolt series
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/endurance

I think this is a great recommendation. The bikes are light and should ride well with 32s, but give you the opportunity to try 650b or larger 700c tires if you end up wanting to go in that direction.

That said, if you still want to get a true "road bike" experience, I'd say something like the Synapse that was mentioned or a Canyon Endurace would trend more in that direction as far as handling is concerned, while still giving enough space for light gravel duty.

Gunnar is also worth a look if you like steel and want something on the affordable end that is classic and splits between road and gravel.

I guess the question is just how much road performance and handling you want - if you don't care about sharp handling and efficiency, and see yourself more enjoying the scenery at 16-18mph avg on the flats, I'd go more in the gravel/all-road segment. If you still want to do group rides and fast centuries, lean more to the endurance bike side of things knowing you're giving up some gravel capability there.

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

I think this is a great recommendation. The bikes are light and should ride well with 32s, but give you the opportunity to try 650b or larger 700c tires if you end up wanting to go in that direction.

That said, if you still want to get a true "road bike" experience, I'd say something like the Synapse that was mentioned or a Canyon Endurace would trend more in that direction as far as handling is concerned, while still giving enough space for light gravel duty.

Gunnar is also worth a look if you like steel and want something on the affordable end that is classic and splits between road and gravel.

I guess the question is just how much road performance and handling you want - if you don't care about sharp handling and efficiency, and see yourself more enjoying the scenery at 16-18mph avg on the flats, I'd go more in the gravel/all-road segment. If you still want to do group rides and fast centuries, lean more to the endurance bike side of things knowing you're giving up some gravel capability there.

^ this
figure out your primary use case - surface type, tire size and pick the bike to optimize that.

I bought the synapse to use as my winter road bike - discs and fenders.
I may or may not ever put 32s on it for light gravel since around here I would want a bigger tire for longer dirt rides.

[bigman]

Giant Defy as well.

[ridethecliche]

I appreciate the feedback so far. Please keep it coming!

I guess I'm of two minds about this for various reasons.
Firstly, there's a rather hilarious chance that I'll be racing collegiate for the next 2-3 seasons. So my current bike (2016 Ghost Nivolet) will likely be fine for that purpose. It's an Al framed bike that I bought with some chain suck on it... I don't think it's really worth much so selling it doesn't make sense. Sadly the frame looks like it has clearance for 28s but I just realized that a taller tire likely wouldn't clear the frames brake Bridge which is a huge bummer.

I like the idea of an endurance bike that can handle some dirt and take some wider tires but I honestly see myself mostly riding road at this point. If I can train on such a bike, my average speed doesn't really matter. If the fit is similar enough, I can just track power for training.

I can't say I haven't thought of getting an old cross bike for double duty or even triple duty of cross gravel Ave maybe some road.

[blakcloud]

I ride a Trek Domane SL6 and it is the most comfortable drop bar bike I have ever ridden. When I was looking, I test drove the Specialized Roubaix, Cannondale Synapse and a Giant Defy. All carbon, all endurance fit. They were all good but the Trek Domane stood out for me.

Trek and the Specialized use a front type suspension system which can rob you of that direct feeling to the road. It can make the bike feel sluggish but you gain in comfort and less road chatter. The Trek also has a T47 bottom bracket which is a welcome relief from PF 90. Last it has a storage compartment. This won't make you an faster or even add to comfort but it certainly makes the bike look better without a saddle bag.

Tire size goes up to 700 x 38 but I have thrown 650 x 42's for the heck of it and it was fine.

As I said lots of good bikes to choose from.

[Johnny P]

Originally Posted by blakcloud

I ride a Trek Domane SL6 and it is the most comfortable drop bar bike I have ever ridden. When I was looking, I test drove the Specialized Roubaix, Cannondale Synapse and a Giant Defy. All carbon, all endurance fit. They were all good but the Trek Domane stood out for me.

Trek and the Specialized use a front type suspension system which can rob you of that direct feeling to the road. It can make the bike feel sluggish but you gain in comfort and less road chatter. The Trek also has a T47 bottom bracket which is a welcome relief from PF 90. Last it has a storage compartment. This won't make you an faster or even add to comfort but it certainly makes the bike look better without a saddle bag.

Tire size goes up to 700 x 38 but I have thrown 650 x 42's for the heck of it and it was fine.

As I said lots of good bikes to choose from.

I also have a Domane SL6 and really like it.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by ridethecliche

Had a bike fit the other day and it pretty much confirmed what I already know... That my body is better suited to something with endurance geometry. After 2 back surgeries my flexibility comes from my hips... Not ideal.

The fitter recommended the Cannondale synapse and specialized Roubaix.

My question is what other brands and models should I be looking at? Any models from any builders I should keep an eye on?

I guess my goal would be to get something I could fit at least 32s in for some mild gravel riding.

Honestly don't even know what I'm looking for but this stuff is fun to talk about and think about. Honestly, I'm hoping to pick up something used from this forum in the future. Down the line I'd like to get something custom but that's a few years off if not more.

Just hoping for some input to start. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Did the fitter give you a chart and list of numbers from the fit? He should have. Take those numbers and look for a frame that 'matches'. If that's confusing, use a decent fitter that can look at various frames and help you find the one that works.

[commonguy001]

Another SL6 Domane owner and have nothing bad to say about it. Love the in frame storage, smooth ride, H2 fit for us older guys who don’t want race geometry and mega tire clearance for a road bike. You can run 28s for road or 38s if you ride mixed surfaces or whatever. I’m currently running Teravail Cannonballs 38s (they measure 40 on the wide rims) and there is plenty of clearance.
Maybe not the lightest but great bike.

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Did the fitter give you a chart and list of numbers from the fit? He should have. Take those numbers and look for a frame that 'matches'. If that's confusing, use a decent fitter that can look at various frames and help you find the one that works.

I guess most of his clients don't usually want or care about the measurements/numbers, but I do... so we measured things before I left.

I also just bought an industrial ruler with the leveler in it to measure that bike and take the fit over to my 'trainer' bike. So I should have some measurements.

He basically told me that I should be looking at the roubaix and synapse.

Some basic measurements:
Center saddle to center headset: 58.5cm (Reach)
Bar drop: 6cm
Center BB to top of seat: 76cm

I can't find the measurements for my bike online anywhere, but I can find some info on geometry geek and looking at comparable bikes by the manufacturer for that year.

Stack 545-555
Reach 380.

I guess I need to be looking at this in the short term vs long term. As I posted on an intro thread elsewhere on this forum, i'm a resident. For now I guess I just need something that's a bit more comfortable by virtue of allowing wider tires. The roads in my area can be a bit sketchy at times and I ride in NJ/PA and at times in philly. With something like 28's or 32's on a road bike, I guess I'd be less worried veering into a nasty shoulder or even bunny hopping into the grass if push came to shove.

The LBS supports the college team and I believe that the students I spoke to got a very reasonable deal for their 105 CAAD's with disc brakes. I wonder what the price for the base 105 carbon synapse would be if I were to get it through them... or the roubaix since they deal those too but I think cannondale offers better pricing to students/teams.