New bike recommendation

[peanutz]

Hi,

Hope people here could give me an idea of bike I should be looking at.

Background info:
- female 155 cm
- fair weather ride
- current bike: 2012 Kona Phd 49cm roughly 8.5kgs, I believe
- speed: 25km/hr
- use: commute 2-4 times a week, 11km each way on bike trails/tracks and some weekend recreation ride along the beach
- bike maintenance knowledge and interest: near zero

Wishlist:
- light weight for easy lifting to my bikeshelf
- budget $2-3k
- fancy bike, bang for bucks
- look
- retro look bike with Brooks leather trimmings: leather seat, leather handle, etc.; OR
- sporty road bike with drop bar as I don't mind trying it coming from MTB and hybrid.

What's my option?
I can't seem to find any fancy lightweight retro/vintage bike. As for road bike, CE website seems to have bang for your bucks Azzurri Forza bike with SRAM Red or Ultegra Di2 which sounds interesting but I know little about.

[rodneycc]

Seeing nobody else wants to have a crack at this one I'll give you my thoughts

A small women's Lightweight Retro bike. Now yep that's going to be a bit of a challenge!

Retro bikes will mostly be heavy steel bikes so replica/look-alike retro might be the go so maybe try places that sell Kona (which you already are on) and Jamis. Otherwise maybe try finding something in Titanium which is all the rage at the moment and has that similar Retro look but lighter.

If you want to take Retro out of the equation for a minute then maybe have a look at a few cyclocross bikes like the Giant Liv Bravo SLR Cyclocross bike would be right up your alley. Also an XS or small Cell Brunswick possibly or the Kona Jake major again try their smallest size for fit.

Otherwise shop around and find a LBS that you are comfortable with and let them guide you. If your not planning to do much maintenance then the LBS relationship you have might be just as important as the bike itself.

Good Luck.

[KGB]

Good post, especially the last part about finding a good LBS if you have zero mechanical intentions.

[slidetaker]

You have competing interests and Brooks/leather is not lightweight.

If your currently Kona is equipped with stock wheels and tyres, the best for the buck will just be upgrading the wheels.

[peanutz]

Thank you for all the responses. I figured a carbon road bike is the way to go. I've been recommended Cannondale women's road bikes such as Synapse Carbon Ultegra or Super Six. Super six seems to be for racing which is not exactly for me. I Did test ride Synapse one and thought it's fantastic so I might go down this path. Should I check out other brands like Focus, Specialized, or Willer? I wonder if it necessary to get women specific bike or a super small men bike will do. It's so hard finding a xs frame bike to test ride

[nickobec]

Are you built like a small women or a very small man?

The reason I ask is that women specific bikes are designed for women with longer legs, shorter torso and narrower shoulders.

You can adjust a extra small man/unisex bike by changing the stem and bars, but is it worth the extra cost and changes in handling? From a women specific bike.

However, if you are proportion more like a male with shorter legs and longer torso than the average women an extra small male/ bike is the way to go.

Note I have narrower ankles than the typical male and prefer female specific shoes.

Bike choices

Retro steel and leather, you will find it difficult to get under 8kg here, my steel and leather retro ride weighs 9kg. To get it to 8kg would require some work including losing the Brooks saddle. Also requires bike maintenance knowledge as limited options new, so I built my own.

CX (cyclocross bike), the fashionable option, suit your needs, looks off road sporty.

Endurance road bike, the other option you don't need a twitchy race bike, so the other option is the more relaxed geometry of an endurance bike.

Don't knock alloy, my race bike is an illegal 6.6kg alloy framed race bike. So good alloy can be light and suitable to ride hard.

Best advice is find a LBS you can work with and trust. Then let them do the work for you. You are a good long term customer, a decent LBS will be willing invest time into you.

[peanutz]

Interesting question! I'm 155cm, petite and not curvy. I have broad shoulders, small hands, legs and torso length mmm probably more like a small woman I tried WSD 48cm and it seems too long for me, WSD 44cm fits me best and not necessary to go up to 46cm from what I've been told. I like the look of most men bikes but am now considering another women endurance road bike Trek Silque SL which has a hint of pink

6.6kg alloy! What bike is that!?

[nickobec]

Trek Silque SL which has a hint of pink

But it is only a hint of pink (could be covered up) on a matt black frame

But for a similar price you could get a Liv Avail Advanced Pro, better colour scheme and hydraulic disks.

For me the best value for $ is Liv BRAVA SLR 2, it is half that of an Avail Advanced Pro as it has mechanical instead of hydraulic disks, 105 instead of Ultegra. As long as you like Teal, replace the tires will 28mm Continental GP4000S II you will get a bike that does everything you want and more (excepting going road racing as it has disc brakes)

One thing you need to check with a road bike and brifters (integrated brakes and shifters) is as you have small hands, you can operate them safely. There are a few options, spacers, different models of brifters etc. the LBS were you buy your biker from should be able to sort it out before you buy the bike.

6.6kg alloy! What bike is that!?

Canyon Ultimate AL 8.0
insert gratuitous photo

lots of weight weenie components - SRAM Red groupset, Zero Gravity Brakes, no name lightweight seatpost etc.
And only a hint of orange

[Gsascha]

As a male only slightly taller, I have experienced the same difficulty in finding the right frame and, importantly, being able to test ride before purchasing. I have a cannondale caad 9 size 48 and a pinarello sdg size 46. Both of which needed some adjustment of stem, handlebars etc to get the right fit. Can I suggest that you get a bike fit, which will give you a good idea of the right dimensions that you need and the lbs should be able to help in working out if particular frames will work. If you are going to spend $2-3k,then spending $100-$200 on a good bike fit is a worthwhile investment.

I've only heard great things about the cannondale synapse but check out the pinarellos because they come on very small sizes and if you want fancy, well it's a pinarello.

[peanutz]

[quote="nickobec]Canyon Ultimate AL 8.0[/quote]
Amazing bike!

OK, update on my hunt for the bike.

I did a few test rides over the weekend with a combination of WSD and unisex bikes and sizes.

1) Trek Silque SLX - 47cm
- WSD
- full Ultegra component
- not sure about blue colour. I'm a big fan of black & red.
- most expensive one I tested over the weekend.
- It doesn't feel bad but not quite a WOW. Perhaps, it feels tiny bit on biggish side.
- Gear shifting doesn't feel as good as Cannondale Synapse I tested. The demo bike may have to be serviced?

2) Ridley Fenix - XS
- not a WSD
- full Ultegra component
- feel good
- not the best looking bike but not too bad.

3) Wilier GTR - S
- not a WSD
- not full Ultegra component but important bits are all there.
- feel a bit too big
- They say I could get XS in this one and it should fit me better.
- Love the look of the bike!
- Can get one with Campagnolo Athena

4) Merida - 44cm
- WSD
- 105 component
- fit alright but don't like it; perhaps, because of 105 shifters

Now talking about Pinarello, the shop said they could built one for me if I could stretch my budget a bit. It will be a red 2012 FP Uno Carbon frame with Camagnolo Chorus component and Campagnolo Khamsin wheelset for the same price as a demo Trek Silque SLX.

Too many options! I can't make up my mind. I guess it comes down to what I want out of this new bike.
- Good looking --> Wilier with matte black & red
- Shifters --> probably Campagnolo --> Wilier & Pinarello
- Light -- not sure which is the lightest
- Brand factor --> Pinarello
- Size --> 44-46cm or XS

[rodneycc]

If you go the Pinny try and upgrade the wheels to Campy Zondas. They are a much better wheelset.

[nickobec]

The best bike for you is the one that just want to ride and ride more

so looks and name factor do count,

weight, the difference between 6.5 and 7.5kg bike is 1 sec over a flat 40kph time trial or 150m after climbing a 7% gradient for a hour. So as long as you can lift it easily, I would not worry about a few hundred grams difference.

shifters, that is a very personal choice, you really need to take a campagnolo equipped bike for a decent spin (1 hour+) to find if the shifters are right for you. The ergonomics of campagnolo are not for me, I put in 1000km on campagnolo and everything felt wrong.

size, this is the important factor, that said I ride a small 53cm TT Canyon with 130mm stem as my crit bike and a large 57cm TT steel road bike with a 90mm as my "cruisy" ride.

custom build, main advantage is you can specify narrow bars, women specific saddle etc instead of buying a ready made "unisex" bike and then having to retrofit it for your needs and the associated cost

A 2012 Pinarello resale value will be less over the next couple of years compared to 2015 Trek, but if we were worried about that, we would never buy a new bike as the devalue by 50% as soon as you wheel it out the door

Best advice buy the bike you enjoy riding the most, the bike that will get you out of bed on a cold morning to ride it.

[peanutz]

If you go the Pinny try and upgrade the wheels to Campy Zondas. They are a much better wheelset.

OK, I'll check that. The shop now quotes Fulcrum R5 for the same price.

[peanutz]

The best bike for you is the one that just want to ride and ride more

so looks and name factor do count,

Best advice buy the bike you enjoy riding the most, the bike that will get you out of bed on a cold morning to ride it.

Well said, so I'm going with my heart and all set with black/red Pinny. I know by paper I will probably get more from other bikes for the same price but I find them bland in looks. Still not sure whether there will be any bike which will get me out of bed on a cold morning to ride it though LOL

[2wheels_mond]

Good choice, got to go with the heart on these things, you'll no doubt enjoy it.

[rodneycc]

I'd still push for the Zondas or the equivalent Fulcrums which would be the Racing 3s. Otherwise ask for a $250 to $300 discount without the wheels and go buy a set of Zondas off Wiggle or Ribble for $400! (Or $370 odd)

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ampwhfr505" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is also a zondas plus tyres and tubes package for $417!

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... 0000000000" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ps Plus $50 postage. Btw The cassette is part of the groupset so in theory they should give you that back off the old wheels.

[nickobec]

photo required when you get your new bike

[peanutz]

photo required when you get your new bike

https://instagram.com/p/0hHxhlh88V/