If you're in Bristol you're welcome to come and see my Cube, it's 56cm. I can't fault it.
Defy is something on my list now
I have a Defy Advanced SL, but it doesn't have mudguard mounts, my other alloy one does - no internal DI2 though. Given your long legs, 54 sounds a better fit, but shorter HT. If 73 degrees parallel, sizing up might be better for your back. I run a steel trike with external DI2, but no FD so not so bad - in fact I don't really notice the downtube cable, battery is behind seat tube. If the headtube is long enough, get the Ribble, at least they have a long history of winter road bikes (the famous blue alloy frame of clubman choice in bygone years).
BTW for you budget, I was only suggesting Ti. Although their steel fixed wheel audax is a nice frame (down credit card, Down!)
Thanks @molgrips. So far I haven’t found a carbon attain frame only or full bike at a price I’d be happy spending. But will keep looking.
Just looked at the boardman slr 8.9 again and think the geometry is ok actually. It has a higher stack than what I’ve got in medium and a lot higher in large. Reckon the seatpost on the large is a similar height to my 54cm Cannondale but the ett is way longer.
Very tempted with the Free Ranger at the moment
If it were me and I had a nice s****y carbon Di2 bike and the sort of budget you seem to be mulling for this OP, I'd skip the Spa cycles Ti frame suggestion above and give serious consideration to this...
A ready to go winter bike, with guards already fitted and hydraulic braked 105, yes it's steel, but it'll be comfortable over winter with a nice long head tube and perhaps importantly will keep the Cannondale out of the muck so you won't find your clip on guards have started eating the frame next spring.
Plus when spring does roll round and you jump from that steel "boat anchor" to a nice carbon, leccy shifting race machine it'll feel like you're riding a chuffing rocket (for the first ten minutes at least).
If you're looking at upwards of £1k for a frame plus the faff of swapping parts you might as well just buy a whole 'winter bike'...
If you’re looking at upwards of £1k for a frame plus the faff of swapping parts you might as well just buy a whole ‘winter bike’…
That's what I'd do.
My carbon Defy doesn’t have mudguard mounts and it’s a while since they made an aluminium one.
The Aluminium Defy is just called a Contend now isn't it? Not sure if it has mounts for guards but I would expect so.
Here we go
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/contend-sl-disc-1
How about doing some stretching and core work so you don't have to ride so upright. Or maybe a bike fit could be worth it instead of trying the perfect position by trial and error.
How about doing some stretching and core work so you don’t have to ride so upright. Or maybe a bike fit could be worth it instead of trying the perfect position by trial and error.
Meow!
But perhaps the issue isn't just core strength?
You've flipped the stem OP, but how long is it? Might the stock stem be too long?
Like you OP IP I'm an annoying height (5'10”) putting my between 'M' and 'L' or 54 and 56 on most manufacturers size charts. What I've found is that where I size up to a 56 running a shorter than stock stem (70-80mm seems to work for me) can make a substantial difference.
The only Cannondale I've ever ridden in anger was a synapse rental where I accepted the stock 54 and got along fine with it although the wheel base felt kind of short and the front wheel a bit close on some turns...
At the moment the On One Freeranger or Ribble R872 are looking the most likely. Have to buy the R872 as a full bike and then flog all the bits I don’t need.
I can’t find the frame only weight for the R872 but looking at the full build weights it can’t be biblically heavy or anything.
Wife has an R872 as a winter bike, 28mm GP5000s and proper full length mudguards. Perfectly decent frame - stock wheels were a bit cheap / heavy (Mavic Aksium disc)
I’m coming round to the idea of the on one freeranger I think.
Planet X have confirmed frame only is 1350g so it’s not wildly heavy.
It has plenty of room to run say 28c tyres with mudguards
Stack is quite high
I can bike to work voucher it - frame only is £899. So will cost me £46 a month net for 12 months according to the calculator - plus the lease final cost. Total just over £600.
Think I’d need to buy headset / bb / cranks / maybe a new rear brake hose / RX4 flat mount front caliper / bolt through end caps for my hunt wheels.
Not planning on having 2 road bikes - just the one. Caad 12 is aluminium and I love di2 - so I don’t want a winter road bike without it.
I’m coming round to the idea of the on one freeranger I think.
We both have them as gravel bikes! Nice bikes, probably a bit chunky for a dedicated road machine IMO - plus I have a dedicated winter and summer road bikes already....
I'd try a shorter stem first, but if a whole new bike is the preferred solution it sounds like 20mm less top tube and/or adjusting those contact point positions when you build it up would be of significant benefit...
I think I’m leaning towards a free ranger with all my existing components that fit - then get a bike fit before thinking about changing stem / handlebars.
It will probably be a very boring looking black one as the other 2 colours aren’t to my taste. The 2 tone poo colour is particularly minging.
I’m not going to be road racing per se - mostly commuting / turbo training / some local hills for fitness + some tri club rides.
I may do a triathlon but probably won’t even bother with clip on tri bars - it would just be surviving rather than competing.
didnthurt
Full Member
How about doing some stretching and core work so you don’t have to ride so upright. Or maybe a bike fit could be worth it instead of trying the perfect position by trial and error.Posted 38 minutes ago
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cookeaa
Full Member
How about doing some stretching and core work so you don’t have to ride so upright. Or maybe a bike fit could be worth it instead of trying the perfect position by trial and error.
Meow!But perhaps the issue isn’t just core strength?
I don’t think I’m hugely lacking in core strength and aside from my lower back I’m pretty flexible.
I’m doing all the stretching and exercises from the physio so core strength is only going to get better.
Specially:
Glute bridges
Toe taps
Plank
Good mornings
Stiff leg deadlifts
Goblet squats
I've never really thought about road reach figures but I think my road bike is around 400mm, my mtb's are 510/528 and I'm 195cm tall. I don't know if that gives a reasonable % shorter that you would expect a road bike to be
It’s a bit of a mystery to me tbh on road bikes.
Thinking if I go free ranger then I’ll get an Ultegra 50/34 crankset and bb - which will match my Ultegra di2 stuff and should last ages. Bit heavier than my Cannondale si with spider rings but that isn’t fitting a base screw in bike.
Going to speak to Hunt and check the version of wheels I have can still be converted to bolt through / they stock end caps.
Need to check the RX4 flat mount rear caliper is the right one for the frame / rotor I have.
Someone has a Carbonda 696 thread running on here so will try to dig that out for a look.
@dc1988 At a guess, you have 110/120mm stem and then bars with ~75mm reach, so the road bike has ~590mm effective reach on the hoods. ~50mm stem on MTB would give you ~565mm effective reach to bar ends, depending on their sweep/width.
Just found the Dolan GXC looks to be almost the same Carbonda frame but with a nicer looking fork. Fired off a few questions to them about weight (they claim 1500 frame and fork and a t700/t800 mixture of carbon instead of just t809), whether theirs is a pressfit version etc.
They have nicer colours than Planet X!
A medium Dolan seems to have a shorter reach and 20mm higher stack than the caad12 54cm. I think that’s what I’m after.
This is the geo comparison of my current bike to the medium and large Dolan. Think the medium is the one. Same for the free ranger I believe.
If you like fast handling, I wouldn't be looking at a 71.5 degree head angle. Either 73 (traditionally parallel with same seat tube angle) or 72.5 with slightly steeper seat tube angle (gives a shorter TT) would be my choice. Geometry counts far more than weight. A light frame with slack geometry will always feel like it handles slowly. A steel racing geometry frame with an extra kilo (2x 500mL water bottles if you like), will handle like a carbon bike. Alloy frames, with larger diameter tubing, can be stiffer than carbon. Both can be stiffer than steel/titanium (there is little difference other than about one water bottle in weight). Your Cannondale has pretty traditional road geometry and you'd notice a slack head tube angle more than the weight.
I would second the bike fit suggestion. You haven't bought the frame/bike so you can completely start from scratch. Get on a jig and get the exact measurements that work for you (with assistance/advice from fitter) then armed with that go and look for a frame that can match. There may be other things that would help than just changing stack.
I have a Kinesis Racelight as a winter bike. Not sure what the stack is like on it, but I'm fairly upright on it and I've been able to get it to fit the same as my Trek Emonda. It has mudguard mounts, that work a treat at keeping me and others dry. Might be worth considering if you are open to another aluminium frame.
I think the equivalent race light frame has a lower stack than what I have now and shorter headtube. The Kinesis scandium frame looks interesting though - similar stack and ett / headtube length to the GXC. Also a little slacker headtube again.
I think I may have to compromise slightly on the quick handling to get the more relaxed position I want - whilst also staying in budget. Being comfortable if more important. I’m going to have a look into bikefitters around the area and see what’s what there.
Just to say: +1 on get a bike fit, mainly because it sounds like you have some specific needs and issues, and a decent fitter will offer advice and insight alongside geo numbers. They seem expensive - especially if they end up telling you what you basically know - but consider it an investment. Also, it doesn't take many stems/bars and eBay fees to add up to the cost of one. (I am getting one soon before I alter anything else).
I ride a more roadlike gravel bike - Revolt Advanced - as a road bike (as well as gravel), but am always wary of the answer to the question 'what road bike'? being 'a gravel bike'. Like, this thing has a 71⁰ head angle, which is very much not road geo, and I'm really beginning to get why road bikes are how they are. There might be more endurancey offerings that suit you better - though I appreciate the Carbonada set up 2x might be it, esp if you are looking for something now.
+1 for the bike fit. Really worthwhile.
Sounds like you've chosen a freeranger but I'll add my 2p as well that's what forums are for.
I have a cannondale supersix as my summer bike and a Focus Paralane (endurance) as my winter bike. The focus is my first choice as it is so comfortable with a considerably higher stack. The frame also has discrete mounts for mudguards deesjgned specifically for the bike which are silentin use. You can pick them up cheap on ebay as they don't seem as popular as the spesh etc endurance bikes.
@nt80085 - I’ll have a look at the Foxus as it’s not a brand I know well.
A mate has a Planet X hurricane that I might try and get a quick go on too.
But the Dolan GXC is top of my list right now - broadly the same as the freeranger but I can get it without the fork with bolts all down it and in a nice colour. Plus can roll in the cost of the other bits I need to one cycle to work voucher.
Found a bike fit person who is also a physio and specialises in sports rehab. Going to see if they have a proper jig thing or just fit on your own bike.
I use my old Diverge as a winter roadbike, does a good job
Snap...
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Any suggestions for a particularly stable frame?
A friend of mine is getting on and feels increasingly nervous on relatively twitchy road bikes and is looking for a more comfortable and stable ride. He is very tall,6'4", and is convinced this adds to his feelings of instability. I am not sure about that but he certainly needs a more reassuring bike.
I think from what I’ve found a properly sized endurance style bike with a decently high stack. The more gravel orientated bikes have a slacker head angle which will also contribute to a more stable feel.
What’s he riding now that’s twitchy?
A Giant TCR of some sort that he has had for years. I used to have one and didn't think it was particularly nervous but I was a lot younger then!
Wasn't there a back problem mentioned in the OP?
See a physio who also does bike fitting, you can probably get a recomendation off here.
Apologies if this takes the thread a little off topic, but I went for a road bike ride yesterday in heavy winds that got me thinking about road bike geometry. Just some context - long time mtb'er, a bit of a bike geek and like the OP I'd like to think I've got a decent handle on mtb geometry and the changes of the last 7 or 8 years etc. I know very little about road bikes. I have one for the turbo and some road rides purely for fitness to make my mtb riding more enjoyable. i.e. the fitter I am, more I can enjoy the descents and not finish rides buggered.
Anyway, road ride yesterday in heavy winds, and I had two or three very scary moments where a gust of wind caught me and nearly blew me off. Fair enough it was just the conditions and it was properly windy, but the bike was properly titchy and it was not pleasant. It just got me thinking though, why hasn't road bike geometry moved to longer, more stable geometry similar to mtb's? I don't mean 63deg head angles and 1350mm wheelbases, but just a bit more stable geo. It just seems that road bikes seem to priorities "quick" handling (even endurance or tourers or whatever seem to be only very marginally different). Steeper seat angles which mean longer reaches with shorter stems and slacker head angles etc.
To my uneducated mind, surely if the speeds are higher on the road than mtb (which they are), and even the twistiest of roads is still wideopen compared to a tight singletrack trail, wouldn't longer road bikes make it easier for riders to spend less "energy" on controlling the bike? I know that a bigger bike is heavier, but other than that is there any reason why road bikes haven't got any "stable" geometry wise over the years?
Old thread I know, and I presume @joebristol made his choice long ago, but a quick comment coming at this from the opposite direction. (Hi Joe, I have the Sentinel v1 and we corresponded a while back)
As well as xc turned trail rider I'm a slightly lapsed long course triathlete. Started off on a TCR from 18y ago, had a bike fit and loved it. Tried aero clip ons briefly but they don't make much sense in the context of a proper road fit tbh. Then got a similar age (2008) Cervelo P2C, used the same fitter, and still have it, much tweaked over the years - it's probably my favourite ever bike. Slower handling by some margin but that's fine, you settle in and enjoy the speed; that said, I set mine up for 'sporting' courses with Magura hydraulic rim brakes and alloy rims with deep/disk carbon shrouds. Anyway, back to road geo. I switched from TCR to a carbon Propel for a couple of years and, for me, that *was* twitchy, in fact I once had a near tankslapper coming off Wrynose towards Ambleside. Not sure the steering geo was that different, but the whole frame was really stiff (uncomfortable for me at 59kg) and the 50mm deep rims probably weren't the best for the mountains. I switched from Propel to a Scott Addict and was immediately at home on it - 30mm deep rims, first with 23mm GP4000s, now with 28mm tubeless. Again, that's a keeper.
I was on relatively smooth roads for the above, Camb area, with outings to the Alps but also Lake District. Now I'm on lumpy bumpy Shrops hills and my most ridden bike of the last 6 years is ... as mentioned twice above ... a carbon Spesh Diverge. For me this is a great rough-road bike, agile on gravelly lanes but a handful proper xc (too steep, too short) and the 20mm telescopic stem helps my wrists.
So where is this ramble going? A bike fit is really worthwhile, and it's important the fitter (and you) understand what you want out of it. Twitchyness depends a lot on front rim depth as well as steering geo, and how relaxed you are on the bars (as well as anticipating gusts etc). The best bike depends on your roads and surfaces - my Diverge is my closest to an allrounder, wearing 38mm Terreno Dry currently, soon will have Conti Terratrails, and has had GP5000TL 28mm in the past.
@Andyoiz that’s a thread revival out of nowhere!
I bought a Dolan GXC frame and carried all the bits over I could from the Cannondale.
Sold the Caad12 frame / cranks / chainrings.
Been commuting for a few years on the GXC and it’s perfect for what I wanted. Mudguards make such a difference when the ground is wet - not ending up with soaking wet feet or back is great. The geometry has worked out as I hoped - it’s much more forgiving that the caad on my back and it’s also better at handling potholes / rough bits of road where you can’t dodge it due to traffic.
It’s evolved slightly - the RX4 brakes kept leaking so I got rid of those and just went back to Ultegra and assume I’ll need to periodically replace calipers when they micro leak. Or, try the flat mount Magura calipers they make now.
I still have the hunt 4 seasons wheels but they’re now wearing Schwalbe G-One All arounds do mucky weather in the winter.
I have some 50mm deep Hint carbon wheels go the summer with 32c GP5000s on them. I’ve found these a bit sketchy when it’s windy though - wish I’d have gone for the 50 rear / 40mm front combo or just 40mm both ends. The freehub on them is outrageously loud and agricultural sounding too. Not a fan.
@joebristol nice one. Don't know why the thread appeared in my Latest Posts list, but there it was!
I like the Hunt alloys (on my Diverge, Oiz and Sentinel) but I've no experience of their carbons. I've used up to 66mm depth on the front, on the Cervelo TT bike, but always had a shallow option to fit when needed. For the likes of ironman Lanza I'd check the wind carefully in surf forecasts and take real care of gusts through gaps etc.
Spesh ally mudguards work ok on my Diverge and *just* fit my 40mm tyres.
My smooth brain finds bikeinsights.com easier for comparing geometries, pictures rather than numbers...
