Anyone else lusting for an aero road bike?

[Monthly Payment]

There’s about a dozen which next gravel bike threads. I’m kinda going in the other direction - Madone, SystemSix, Venge, concept, Oltre/Aria, Factor One, orca aero, etc.

Anyone else lusting after one? Has anyone pulled the trigger on one lately? What do you have speed freaks?

[Clean39T]

Not lusting anymore - enjoying..

Turns out you still have to pedal the thing for it to go fast, but the feeling of efficiently moving across the ground is very nice.

Based on my first ride, I wouldn't buy aero just for aero - aero combined with excellent handling and fit though, that's a win.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Black Dog]

No. Unless racing why? Position, Clothing, Helmet, make a bigger difference than frame/wheels and the effects are best realized when speeds are high and you are in the wind and not in the draft. If marginal gains are your bag then its all good.

[buddybikes]

All I am lusting over is to put my leg over rear wheel, sit my butt on the saddle and peddle tomorrow.

[Monthly Payment]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

No. Unless racing why? Position, Clothing, Helmet, make a bigger difference than frame/wheels and the effects are best realized when speeds are high and you are in the wind and not in the draft. If marginal gains are your bag then its all good.

I got my position dialed. Fast helmet and clothes. I don’t race anymore, but I do some fast 28+ mph group rides. I can’t say squeezing out every last bit of speed wouldn’t be helpful to the type of riding I do, even if it’s not racing.

I also just like how they look, but that point about them being less than stellar road feel is something to think about.

[merlinmurph]

Nope. I'm simply too slow to take advantage of aero anything.

[Kyle h]

Originally Posted by Monthly Payment

There’s about a dozen which next gravel bike threads. I’m kinda going in the other direction - Madone, SystemSix, Venge, concept, Oltre/Aria, Factor One, orca aero, etc.

Anyone else lusting after one? Has anyone pulled the trigger on one lately? What do you have speed freaks?

I sold my previous gen Madone RSL and have been searching for a replacement since. I think the Madone disc will fix the only gripe I had about an otherwise perfect bike; the braking quality. Ride was fantastic on all fronts.

[madsciencenow]

I could give a sh@* about the aero benefits but the oltre, vr2-3, and f8-f12 do interest me. The likelihood I actually buy one is pretty low.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hellgate]

In a word, "No."

[rinconryder]

I’ve always liked the trek madone.

[BLD 25]

I just picked up a 2014(current generation until the new ones release soon) Felt AR4. What appealed to me about this one is how it was as aero as just about any other road bike, beating most, but also how it had a flipable seatpost to basically mimic a TT position. I like to do an occasional triathlon, and having this versatility was really appealing. I sold my TT bike and haven't looked back.

I feel like I could use this as my only bike with minimal compromise. It is about 16.5lbs with pedals and a powermeter, bottle cage, and garmin mount. It handles nicely, and climbs well. However, when I hop on my Supersix EVO, I am giggling within a couple pedal strokes. It may be a bit slower in the wind, but it has something that is difficult to describe.
Good luck in your hunting!

[echappist]

Originally Posted by rinconryder

I’ve always liked the trek madone.

it'd have been perfect, if only they had made OEM classic round handlebars

while the later iterations allowed one to use different handlebars, Trek also made the rim brake version less aero...

Originally Posted by BLD 25

I just picked up a 2014(current generation until the new ones release soon) Felt AR4. What appealed to me about this one is how it was as aero as just about any other road bike, beating most, but also how it had a flipable seatpost to basically mimic a TT position. I like to do an occasional triathlon, and having this versatility was really appealing. I sold my TT bike and haven't looked back.

I feel like I could use this as my only bike with minimal compromise. It is about 16.5lbs with pedals and a powermeter, bottle cage, and garmin mount. It handles nicely, and climbs well. However, when I hop on my Supersix EVO, I am giggling within a couple pedal strokes. It may be a bit slower in the wind, but it has something that is difficult to describe.
Good luck in your hunting!

Out of curiosity, what size is your bike and what wheels and group are you using?

I have a Size 54 AR2 with 8050 Di2 and a 1700 g wheelset, and I can't get it to less than 16 lbs without some significant changes (wheels swapped for something 1475 g, with racing tires), Dura Ace cassette, and EE brake rear.

If yours is 16.5 pretty much stock, that's quite the feat

[dancinkozmo]

no..internal cables are stupid

[veloduffer]

I just got a new Madone SLR with disc brakes. Best feature may be the new Isospeed that is fully adjustable (I had mine adjusted mid-way) and makes the aero bike as comfortable as Trek's Emonda. Also, the new 2 piece handlebar and stem are nice; you can tilt the bars up 5 degree. The Madone handles well and feels great in the flats and fast descents.

I usually don't buy the big brand bikes -- Parlee, Eriksen, Seven -- and since I have two gravel bikes (Seven Evergreen, Trek Boone), the Madone appealed to me. It's very neat looking and I'm glad the bike is more traditional as the seat stays are not low like most aero bikes (usually about 1/4 down the seat tube like BMC).

I chose discs instead of rim brakes because you can fit bigger wheels; plus my other road bikes are rim brakes. Though, I upgraded my wheels to Bontrager Aeolus XXX 4 - very nice and on par with Enve and Campy Bora. Stock gruppo was mechanical Ultegra, which I may upgrade to SRAM eTap or Shimano/Campy wireless if they ever come out.

Couple of things to note, if you get an aero bike than you should meet with the mechanic whilst putting it together. Since my main LBS sells Treks, I dialed in my fit so the mechanic could cut the housing just right. Otherwise, the mechanic will put it together using average measurements and you may need to revisit to get the fit dialed in correctly. So many housing running in the frame, it takes lot of patience and practice to put it together; I spent most of an afternoon & evening getting it fitted.. My Madone is the same fit as my other bikes.

Test ride one and I don't think you'll regret it.

[mtechnica]

I definitely want one. I often ride over 20mph so I can’t help but wonder what kind of a speed difference the aero could bring. If I could go 1mph faster it would be the difference between 200th place and top 10 on a lot of the Strava segments here.