Fifty Plus (50+) - Comfort road bikes?

I'm going to start looking for a new road bike. The one I have now is a '92 Myatia 914 (short wheelbase, shift levers on the down tube) it is very quick but no fun on long rides.
I want a comfortable road bike in the $1500 - $2000 price range.
I've heard that the Specialized Rouabix? is a nice riding bike.
What other options should I consider?

Trek Pilot 2.1 or 5.0
Giant OCR A0
Marin Verona
Cannondale Synapse 5

We had been riding hybrids for a year and wanted a lighter bike but not one with an aggressive geometry. In our search for road bikes with a relaxed "comfort" geometry, we settled on the Specialized Roubaix. We swapped out the stem for a higher stem to get us a little closer to the bars, and narrower bars to get our hands a little closer together (which, in turn, raises the shoulders a little). The narrow bars also fit our shoulder width.

In addition to having a relaxed geometry, the Roubaix is also a very nice riding bike. Lots of review comments saying that it does smooth out bumps.

I would highly recommend looking at the Fuji CCR series. They are specifically designed with more "relaxed" angles in order to be more comfortable than the more traditional road bikes. Older and less flexible? Additionally, they come with nice components. The top tube on the CCR is also sloping.

Fuji Road Bikes (http://fujibikes.com/2008/road.asp)

All else being equal I'm a big fan of steel frames. They just seem to soften the impacts better than aluminium. I'm basing this on having ridden like 6 of each style a fair amount over the last few years.

And on top of that if you're after a little more comfy riding posture but still as serious and you want then what about something like the Surly Crosscheck or Soma Double cross? In any event I'm tossing in for the cyclocross option. Room for tires as big as you want and fenders if you need them. Plus many of them have brazeons for rack mounting if that's an issue.

Thanks to all for the response.
I never thought of looking at cyclocross bikes, good idea.

Another steel option would be to build up (or have your LBS do it) a Surly Pacer (http://www.surlybikes.com/pacer.html) or Soma Smoothie ES (http://www.somafab.com/extrasmoothie.html) frame.

Habanero Ti. I have an S-Works Roubaix and my Habanero Team Issue Ti is more comfortable. However, the bikes are not the same size. The Habanero, by design is a tighter bike in terms of geometry. So, I purchased it in the next larger size. This allows me to move the handlebars up just a tad. There is no comparison between the two rides. Five, six or seven hours on the Habanero and I'm tired but not sore anywhere. That much time on the Roubaix and I'm a bit more tired and sometimes sore.

One other thing I would recommend for comfort, and that is careful selection of the seat. For me that is the Selle An-Atomica - expensive and worth every cent.

http://www.habcycles.com/index.html
http://www.selleanatomica.com/

The Habanero looks like a nice bike, but I'm not sure you could build one within the OP's $1.5K-$2K price range.

The most comfortable bikes I have ever owned have been circa 1960 road bikes with relaxed geometries and lightweight moly steel frames. These bikes were engineered for long distance European road races over cobblestones.

The Habanero looks like a nice bike, but I'm not sure you could build one within the OP's $1.5K-$2K price range.

I built mine for under $2000. Took some deliberate shopping on e-bay, but under $2000 with Ultegra SL and Mavic Open Pros.

Jamis has some nice bikes and to me they offer a better value per dollar than a lot of others. My bike is titanium and comfortable, but the most comfortable bikes I have owned and ridden were the steel ones. Here is a steel Jamis that lists for $1400 with shimano 105 components. http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/08_bikes/08quest.html

Be aware that not every bike with a sloped top tube is a comfort-oriented bike. Some still maintain a racing geometry. Compact geometry is not equivalent to comfort geometry.

Likewise a traditional geometry bike can be comfort / touring oriented.

You might also look at building up a Salsa Casserroll or Gunnar Sport. These are road bikes with "longer" and lower geometries for an easier riding position and smooth handling.

I have both a Gunnar Sport and Specialized Roubaix. They both have their strengths but both are excellent for long distances with the Roubaix being lighter and more responsive and the Sport ultimately being more comfortable over the long haul.

Comfort on the long road rides for $2K? How about a Rans Stratus...come over to the dark side.

Can't beat the Rans Comfy Chair for comfort.

Electra Glide

Touring bikes are meant for comfort for the long haul. Ask in the touring forum. It is too late for you to get a Bruce Gordon for under $2,000.

If you want to try out a cyclocross bike with a steel frame, then check your local Trek store for closeout specials on the LeMond Poprad. Trek is dropping the LeMond line.

This might not be what you want to hear but my older friends tell me that the most comfortable road bike around is the recumbent.

I'm happy with my Trek 1000c. Unfortunately, the whole road comfort series has been discontinued, so you'd have to find a used one. It has 28c tires, relaxed geometry, and a suspension seat post.

This might not be what you want to hear but my older friends tell me that the most comfortable road bike around is the recumbent.

Find new friends. ;)

Thanks for all the good sugestions!
I was looking at a Cannondale Synapse 3 today. It looked nice, all Ultergra,Mavic wheels and carbon frame.
It was a little out of the price range at $2250.00,:giver: but I can pack a lunch for a couple months to make up the difference!

Did you take it for a spin?

Hubby tried a Cannondale Synapse and liked it very much. He has very bad shoulders and cannot put much weight on his arms; he found the geometry of that bike very comfortable for him.

Did you take it for a spin?


I didn't ride it, the frame was much too big for me.
I'm going to try and find one in my size today if I get a chance.

I was in the same situation trying to decide which bike was best. I'm 52 and weigh 190. I was pretty sure I was going to go the cyclocross route for a sturdy bike that didn't need much pampering. My big concern was that most cyclocross type bikes don't have a triple crankset and I thought I would need one. In addition, I have lower back problems that I feared would sideline me.

Last week I found a different solution than I had intended. It was...a used recumbent. It is made by Rans, in Kansas. I ended up buying it and today I went on a 13 mile ride with a roadie friend of mine. He was surprised at how well I did on a bike I only had for a week. I couldn't keep up on the bigger hills, but I did keep going without having to walk it. He is 20 years younger than me too.

I had a blast and nothing hurts right now, although my legs are a little rubbery!

Last week I found a different solution than I had intended. It was...a used recumbent. It is made by Rans, in Kansas. I ended up buying it and today I went on a 13 mile ride with a roadie friend of mine. He was surprised at how well I did on a bike I only had for a week. I couldn't keep up on the bigger hills, but I did keep going without having to walk it. He is 20 years younger than me too.

I thought about a recumbent but I don't think I'm quite ready for one yet.
I took test rides today on an '07 Lemond Chambrey and a Felt Z35.
The Chambrey was nice but the Felt was a very luxurious ride comparing the two.
I think I'm going to pick up the Felt tomorrow, it was the last one in stock in a 54cm.

Good luck with the new Rans!