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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, 08:26 AM
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Where do you live? What kind of rides do you do and what is the condition of the roads?
A pure road bike (ie. racing bike) only makes sense, in my opinion, if you have plenty of high quality pavement. If the pavement is junk, I'd rather have a bike that can take 32s, and call it a day. You say you have two wheel sets, so I'm not sure what tire sizes you already run.
__________________
And we have just one world, But we live in different ones
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#6
05-17-2018, 08:28 AM
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Currently I have a wheelset with 32mm Compass tires and also one with 35mm. I also have 40-42mm (dont remember) cross/dirt tires.
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#7
05-17-2018, 09:47 AM
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__________________
Chisholm's Custom Wheels Qui Si Parla Campagnolo
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#8
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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#9
05-17-2018, 10:16 AM
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You do.
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#10
05-17-2018, 10:33 AM
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For me, the difference between my Black Mountain Monster Cross and my Serottas are night and day - but not in a bad way; just different. But is it a fair comparison? Not really. They are different tools for different jobs. My MC is left outside, gets a lot more dirt/mud on it and the parts are a mishmash of leftover parts.
To generalize, my Serotta feels like an extension of my body. Everything just clicks. I get out of saddle, the bike surges. The bike shoots up the climbs whereas I feel the weight of the MC. The MonsterCross feels more utilitarian - maybe cuz of the weight, fenders and usually load. BUT, it's still plenty of fun. I'm not afraid to ride my road bike on dirt/gravel but the MC just feels more secure on the rough stuff. Like you, I'm long leg, short torso. So fit will dictate more about the ride than what you can learn from a test ride. I would seriously consider a road bike from Black Mountain if I didn't already have two road bikes. Mike Varley is super helpful in determining the correct fit; I had a few email exchanges since I live in Canada and it was really quick and informative.
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#11
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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#13
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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#14
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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#15
05-17-2018, 12:14 PM
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Last edited by sitzmark; 05-17-2018 at 12:17 PM.
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