Bike suggestions

[Nancy Hummel]

This is all great information!

 

[Ron]

For instance, one of the questions I usually ask people is, can you touch your toes? If you can still do that, you're fairly good in terms of what you can ride.

well, kind a sorta, touching your toes is good indicator, but has nothing to do with a 2-4 hour ride, It also doesnt tell much about your neck or If you can hold that position while pedaling with force, you will be too spread out and most likely impacting your neck and have too much weight forward. it also impacts your hamstrings and core muscles too so evaluating the level of flexibility and strength overall becomes very important. even riders with equal length legs can have several MM differences in effective leg length due to tracking and flexibility which impacts everything on the kinetic chain.

I would start by getting the geo of the current bike, and in @Nancy Hummel's case, she has the RETUL findings and list what your like in your current setup and what you dont like. then, you can start by looking at some bikes that interest you. However, you cant go purely by the specs listed, there are too many variables in the mixture but they can at least tell you if you are in the ballpark. ) a stack that's 25mm lower than your current effective stack for instance) . Bike fit makes ski boot fitting look like Childs play.

 

[skibob]

I'm not sure you can really go wrong today if you buy a pretty decent bike. Biggest decision is "race" vs "endurance". I'd vote endurance for the more relaxed and slightly upright geometry which will help with shorter-torso folks.
Personally, I bought a Specialized Roubaix Expert this year and really like it. It's got a small-travel shock in the headset which takes the sting out of bad roads and 28c tires which also help. One note: I've become addicted to electronic shifting; Di2 Ultegra in my case. Easy, perfect shifts with the touch of a finger. I won't go back to mechanical shifting willingly.
Giant Defy also comes to mind in the same category if you don't like the idea of a shock.

Phil is generally right about availability, although I've noticed my local bike stores are slowly getting in inventory.
Edit after Scott's post: yes, you should think about material. I rode high-end ti for 20 years; the Roubaix is my first carbon. Personally, I find it much smoother than my ti or steel bikes, although personal preference may vary.

But if you are going full on comfort, consider a Cannondale Topstone with a lefty front fork and 30mm travel in the chainstay not mention, what 47mm tires I think?

There is a wide array of "gravel bikes" these days making comfort oriented bikes. The good ones don't give up too much performance, but some do.
The Roubaix is a great bike and a great compromise between performance and comfort, just kind of laying out how far that can be taken. I personally have a Cannondale Synapse that I squeezed 40mm gravel kings onto. Love it.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

Anyone know anything about these frames? The guy is in Rifle, Colorado. https://www.yamaguchibike.com/content/Index

There are many good bikes. Fit is the key. I think it would be awesome to have a bike that was built to my specifications.

 

[Ron]

you can put your name on the list for Binghambuilt Ti bikes here in town. Not the lightest by any means but a Ti frame with Ti seat post is a uber smooth, buttery ride. that way, you could have it to fit a second set of wheels for gravel use too. It is a compromise but its doable, especially if you are only riding mellow, smooth gravel.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

you can put your name on the list for Binghambuilt Ti bikes here in town. Not the lightest by any means but a Ti frame with Ti seat post is a uber smooth, buttery ride.

Thanks! Would love to come back to Steamboat and talk in person!

 

[scott43]

Anyone know anything about these frames? The guy is in Rifle, Colorado. https://www.yamaguchibike.com/content/Index

There are many good bikes. Fit is the key. I think it would be awesome to have a bike that was built to my specifications.

Yamaguchi look like nice bikes but steep in price. Local is nice if he's near you. Bingham is not taking orders until Jan 2022. Which is fine if you're not in a hurry. Most people aspire to getting Ti..lighter than steel and durable and a great industrial look if you go with brushed or blasted. And yeah..custom, why not? If you can afford it go for it. You can give them your reference points with the Lemond, they'll take your measurements and try to rationalize what you feel with what you like and make something terrific. These guys have decades of experience so you can trust them.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

Yamaguchi look like nice bikes but steep in price. Local is nice if he's near you. Bingham is not taking orders until Jan 2022. Which is fine if you're not in a hurry. Most people aspire to getting Ti..lighter than steel and durable and a great industrial look if you go with brushed or blasted. And yeah..custom, why not? If you can afford it go for it. You can give them your reference points with the Lemond, they'll take your measurements and try to rationalize what you feel with what you like and make something terrific. These guys have decades of experience so you can trust them.

I am 56 and want my "retirement bike". I plan to ride it many, many, many miles so would really like to have the bike that is right for me. My Sampson is fine for now. The more I ride it, the more I like it.

My husband actually worked with a bike frame builder many years ago. He built his own bikes to his specs and it is very nice. Sadly, he now builds acoustic guitars -which does not help my bike situation.

It is so much harder to demo bikes than skis.

I am going on a Trek trip in New Mexico in 2 weeks. I was going to take my bike but decided to ride one of their spiffy new Treks. We will see.

 

[luliski]

FYI I have an S-Works Crux ('cross bike) that I'd entertain selling. Maybe $1K? 56cm.

If this were just a little smaller, I'd buy it for sure.

 

[Larry]

I'm 5'8" not sure of other measurements but I've been looking myself. I think im leaning towards a Giant TCR. I've heard good things regarding the Defy too.

I have electronic shifting now but I think I prefer mechanical better so I'm going back. My size is listed as "small" to "medium". I plan to test ride a 2022 soon.

Another consideration is bike tune ups. I'm dumb as a doorknob when it comes to bike repair/adjustments. For me, a shop that gives good deals on maintenance on bike is REAL important. I have 2 shops close to me that give lifetime tune ups. I normally keep a bike for 10-15 years so it adds up. I sometimes go to shop 4-5 times a year.

 

[martyg]

I'm 5'8" not sure of other measurements but I've been looking myself. I think im leaning towards a Giant TCR. I've heard good things regarding the Defy too.

I have electronic shifting now but I think I prefer mechanical better so I'm going back. My size is listed as "small" to "medium". I plan to test ride a 2022 soon.

Another consideration is bike tune ups. I'm dumb as a doorknob when it comes to bike repair/adjustments. For me, a shop that gives good deals on maintenance on bike is REAL important. I have 2 shops close to me that give lifetime tune ups. I normally keep a bike for 10-15 years so it adds up. I sometimes go to shop 4-5 times a year.

One thing to consider about Giant.... They produce the vast majority of prepreg that everyone uses - including prestige European brands. They also produce many frames for other brands as an OEM supplier. You generally see a bit greater value when purchasing Giant due to those two factors.

Purchasing from a brand that which realizes most of its income from OEM work is a double edge sword (in any domain): Sourcing, manufacturing and QA are dialed; technology and engineering may not be on par with brands that have slews of the best engineers creating cool stuff.

Tough to go wrong with either of the big three though.

 

[tball]

Bike fit makes ski boot fitting look like Childs play.

Yes!

So, rather than looking for bikes, I suggest looking for a great bike fitter. Just like with boots, let the bike fitter pick the bikes that fit you best.

Nancy, I've had great luck with bike fitting from Wheat Ridge Cyclery. I think it's worth the extra $350 for a full-on fit with bike purchase:

Bike Fitting Services

www.wheatridgecyclery.com

I still love the Roubaix I bought from them 14 years ago. Fantastic bike. It fits me so damn well that I'm still not interested in the shiny new models.

Finally, for Colorado riding, I really like the comfort and shock absorption of an endurance bike. A bike designed for cobblestones makes our rough rec paths and mountain roads a lot more tolerable, especially over longer distances.

 

[Ron]

We have Alchemy Body and bike here in town. Ray Degli is a highly trained bike fitter certified in RETUL and Gebiomized computerized saddle mapping (the ultimate in dialing you in, Dont get me wrong, I am a fan of RETUL but its not as exacting as people think). and trained under a pro Team bike fitter. Ray is also a certified Manual Therapy Physical therapist who treated me for the past 6 years. By far, the most talented PT I have ever worked with. I still see Ray once a month for checkups and realignments. Ray has an incredible ability to spot and identify imbalances and kinetic chain issues. @Nancy Hummel was fit by Ray in July, so she has tons of data points.

For comfort on the road, Enve's AR series wheels with Enve tires are about the best you can get. . At 25mm internal, 31.5 external width rims, the ride is far more supple than conventional rims and you can still get all the aero benefits of a 25c tire, in fact, in most cases, the AR's even with wider tires are more aero. . I run 27's up front (29 actual inflated to 58psi) and a 29 in the back also inflated to 58 and inflates to 31.5. the combo meets the 105% Aero rule. Enve's new tires are the best Ive ridden on. Very supple with a very connected to the road feel. And, fast rolling on real road surfaces.

Alchemy Body + Bike

www.alchemybodyandbike.com

 

[Tony Storaro]

Whatever you can find in stock?

This!

 

[Nancy Hummel]

This!

I want my retirement bike and am not in a hurry. I have a good bike for now. I am in no hurry and don't want to settle for what is in stock.

 

[Tony Storaro]

I want my retirement bike and am not in a hurry. I have a good bike for now. I am in no hurry and don't want to settle for what is in stock.

Very good! If you aren't in a hurry just wait for the next year when things will hopefully come back to normal so you can buy the bike you really want, not the ones that are available.

Patience.

 

[scott43]

I just went through that Bingham Built site again. If they're more or less local to you, I'd go that route. They look great and spending time with the builder has benefits. Good luck!

 

[coskigirl]

One thing to consider about Giant.... They produce the vast majority of prepreg that everyone uses - including prestige European brands. They also produce many frames for other brands as an OEM supplier. You generally see a bit greater value when purchasing Giant due to those two factors.

Purchasing from a brand that which realizes most of its income from OEM work is a double edge sword (in any domain): Sourcing, manufacturing and QA are dialed; technology and engineering may not be on par with brands that have slews of the best engineers creating cool stuff.

Tough to go wrong with either of the big three though.

I meant to post on this thread earlier but tagging on to Marty's suggestion, I love all three of my Liv bikes which is Giant's women's line. Their Langma models are more aggressive geometry and I have an Avail Advanced 2 from a few years ago.

 

[martyg]

I meant to post on this thread earlier but tagging on to Marty's suggestion, I love all three of my Liv bikes which is Giant's women's line. Their Langma models are more aggressive geometry and I have an Avail Advanced 2 from a few years ago.

There might be a Liv bike available that was ridden to a silver medal in the World Championships, and a podium at the UCI World Cup - if you want to add to your collection.