Road Cycling - Compact alu frame always better for sprinting?

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me.

I currently ride a Ribble steel frame (653 I think?) bike which I love. It has a very short wheelbase (my toes can touch the front tyre) and it feels amazing when I sprint out of the saddle. Trouble is, I can feel loads of flex at the back (maybe not helped by long seat stays - I'm 6'2") and also the bike is quite heavy by today's standards.

So, thinking that a compact aluminium frame bike would solve both these problems, I test-rode a Giant TCR Once Team replica. Blisteringly fast on the flats, but as soon as I pulled my favourite move and got out of the saddle in a high gear and stomped on the pedals, it felt all wrong. Felt like I was fighting the bike somehow, uncomfortable, and nowhere near as lively. It was fine once it was up to speed (though still not as nice as my bike) but the initial burst of acceleration felt deadened. Sprinting on the drops also felt particularly horrible.

My main question is, have I adapted my sprinting style to suit my current bike, and would the Giant ride better once I've got used to it? Or does the flex in my steel bike actually help my riding style (albeit must be losing power too)? I can't afford to buy the Giant "just to see". Also, call me weird but uphill sprints are the favourite part of my ride and I wouldn't want to compromise them just for lightness and speed on the flats.

BTW, road bike availability in this part of the UK is rubbish and I can't count on being able to test-ride any other compact bikes.

Anyone got any advice?

Thanks, Bryan

Originally posted by BryanW
Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me.

I currently ride a Ribble steel frame (653 I think?) bike which I love. It has a very short wheelbase (my toes can touch the front tyre) and it feels amazing when I sprint out of the saddle. Trouble is, I can feel loads of flex at the back (maybe not helped by long seat stays - I'm 6'2") and also the bike is quite heavy by today's standards.

So, thinking that a compact aluminium frame bike would solve both these problems, I test-rode a Giant TCR Once Team replica. Blisteringly fast on the flats, but as soon as I pulled my favourite move and got out of the saddle in a high gear and stomped on the pedals, it felt all wrong. Felt like I was fighting the bike somehow, uncomfortable, and nowhere near as lively. It was fine once it was up to speed (though still not as nice as my bike) but the initial burst of acceleration felt deadened. Sprinting on the drops also felt particularly horrible.

My main question is, have I adapted my sprinting style to suit my current bike, and would the Giant ride better once I've got used to it? Or does the flex in my steel bike actually help my riding style (albeit must be losing power too)? I can't afford to buy the Giant "just to see". Also, call me weird but uphill sprints are the favourite part of my ride and I wouldn't want to compromise them just for lightness and speed on the flats.

BTW, road bike availability in this part of the UK is rubbish and I can't count on being able to test-ride any other compact bikes.

Anyone got any advice?

Thanks, Bryan Your curent bike must have strange front end geometry if you have toe overlap in a size that fits your 6'2" size. It's more typical in smaller sizes.Compact does not always translate to stiffer.It's the tubing and how its built.You should at least try something like a Cannondale caad5 or 6 in a traditional frame to compare its qualities before deciding. Sean Kelly was a hell of a sprinter on a notoriously noodly old school aluminum Vitus.

Hmmmm.

I ride a TCR TEAM (http://www.anthonysloan.com/tcr.jpg) which I moved to from a Merlin ti road frame. The very first thing I noticed was the better sprinting and hammer climbing.

You may well have "learned" to sprint on your current steed and might need to unlearn that technique/habit.

I'm about your height and always had slight flex issues on the Merlin. I never was bothered by the flex, though I could hear the front derailleur rubbing on climbs.

After I put together the Giant, I converted the Merlin to a SINGLESPEED (http://www.anthonysloan.com/merlin1x1.jpg)
After riding the Giant, the flex of the Merlin became patently obvious.

Hope this helps,

A

Always is a tricky word to use. I would follow pokey's advice and check out Cannondale. I've been on a CAAD3 since '98, and I come in just under 200 pounds. No noticeable flex. I'm getting a CAAD7 in a few weeks, so we'll see. Ride some other bikes, though, and don't get hung up on the compact thing.

Also, is the Team Replica carbon or aluminum? I know that Giant has a carbon TCR out now, but I don't remember if it's carbon or aluminum.

Hi guys, thanks for your advice. I will try to get a ride on a Cannondale, though the only dealer within striking distance will only let me ride it round their local industrial estate.

I don't think the geometry at the front of my current bike is weird, though the top tube might be a little short - 57.5cm for a 60cm seat tube? (Centre to centre).

I do wonder, though, if I just happen to have lucked into a frame that really suits me. I got this one as a replacement for another Ribble frame which was damaged - it was supposed to be a straight swap but as soon as I got on this one (much shorter wheelbase) I found it much, much better when out of the saddle. Also, I can beat friends on short sprint climbs who are fitter than me, and who can beat me hands down off-road (though to be honest their road bikes aren't much cop).

Like I said, it's frustrating how difficult it is to test-ride bikes round here, though maybe I could get off my antisocial backside and join a club ...

Bryan

PS the Giant I rode was aluminium, I think it was called the Once Team Replica but it wasn't a "pure" replica, somewhere between the TCR2 and TCR1