Trying to decide on a new bike to buy this Fall. My main riding goals are to train hard and to be a top finisher in each of the centuries I plan on doing. I'd like to eventually participate in some of the gran fondo type rides and to be competitive not only in my age group, but overall. I feel that my bike needs to be comfortable for long rides yet not so relaxed that it would hinder me from getting a Strava KOM on a wicked descent or from riding the group off my wheel on a long fast flat. I do plan on staying with compact cranks and most likely a 30-ish tooth cassette. I have big hills that get 18% and over, I have bad knees and back, I like the easy gearing.
I'm currently on a 2003 Cannondale R2000, sporting a CAAD 7 frame, Ultegra 9-speed, and Mavic Ksyrium SL wheels. It's been a great bike and I don't plan on getting rid of it, but I do want a newer bike. I live in a very hilly area and between myself and water/food/tools put about 200 lbs on any bike I ride, and would feel more comfortable with disc brakes. Also, I really want a nice set of carbon wheels and feel that carbon rims with disc brakes will end up lasting longer and performing better. These bikes don't seem all that different from each other when I look at the geometries. I was surprised to find that the typical Trek H2 geometry is only slightly more aggressive than the Synapse. I'm trying to schedule time off work so I can get in a good test ride on each of these, but finding the time and the bikes is proving difficult.
Bike: reach, stack, chainstay (58cm frame)
SuperSix: 39.9, 58.4, 40.5
Emonda: 39.1, 59.6, 41.1
Synapse: 39.3, 61.0, 41.0
My CAAD 7 is almost identical to the SuperSix geometry, and I've been pretty fine with that. I have maybe 15mm of spacers under my stem, but will likely lower it slightly over time as I get stronger and ride more. I'm still working on dialing in my fit, as it's not quite right yet.
My price range is up to mid $4k range. I don't mind going a little lower or higher if the feel or spec of the bike warrants it. The bike that has most caught my eye is the SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod Disc Ultegra. It's priced well because of the cheap wheels. I do plan on making other cycling purchases over the coming months as I save the money- smart trainer at Christmas(Kickr or similar), power meter at start of Spring (maybe Pioneer, but definitely a 2-sided power meter), and new wheelset (Enve 3.4 Disc w/ Onyx road hubs) at start of Summer. The total bike package with the accessories and upgrades will be the most expensive thing I've ever bought except for my house, which is why I'm not trying to buy the best off-the-shelf bike to start. I like that the SuperSix comes with cheap wheels, since I plan on replacing them anyways.
Any suggestions?
I'm currently on a 2003 Cannondale R2000, sporting a CAAD 7 frame, Ultegra 9-speed, and Mavic Ksyrium SL wheels. It's been a great bike and I don't plan on getting rid of it, but I do want a newer bike. I live in a very hilly area and between myself and water/food/tools put about 200 lbs on any bike I ride, and would feel more comfortable with disc brakes. Also, I really want a nice set of carbon wheels and feel that carbon rims with disc brakes will end up lasting longer and performing better. These bikes don't seem all that different from each other when I look at the geometries. I was surprised to find that the typical Trek H2 geometry is only slightly more aggressive than the Synapse. I'm trying to schedule time off work so I can get in a good test ride on each of these, but finding the time and the bikes is proving difficult.
Bike: reach, stack, chainstay (58cm frame)
SuperSix: 39.9, 58.4, 40.5
Emonda: 39.1, 59.6, 41.1
Synapse: 39.3, 61.0, 41.0
My CAAD 7 is almost identical to the SuperSix geometry, and I've been pretty fine with that. I have maybe 15mm of spacers under my stem, but will likely lower it slightly over time as I get stronger and ride more. I'm still working on dialing in my fit, as it's not quite right yet.
My price range is up to mid $4k range. I don't mind going a little lower or higher if the feel or spec of the bike warrants it. The bike that has most caught my eye is the SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod Disc Ultegra. It's priced well because of the cheap wheels. I do plan on making other cycling purchases over the coming months as I save the money- smart trainer at Christmas(Kickr or similar), power meter at start of Spring (maybe Pioneer, but definitely a 2-sided power meter), and new wheelset (Enve 3.4 Disc w/ Onyx road hubs) at start of Summer. The total bike package with the accessories and upgrades will be the most expensive thing I've ever bought except for my house, which is why I'm not trying to buy the best off-the-shelf bike to start. I like that the SuperSix comes with cheap wheels, since I plan on replacing them anyways.
Any suggestions?