SteveFromNY

I'm not a racer (but I love going fast at the sacrifice of comfort) and admit that I bought the Soloist rather impatiently (and ended up with the incorrect size - 48cm). BUT - after getting onto a 52cm caad9 5 today after a long fit and some tweaking..the bike felt infinitely better and FASTER than the soloist. Now, I know the LBS has an incentive to sell me their Caad9 but I can't help but feel stupid for essentially trading in my soloist for a caad9. Do you think the shop can adjust the Soloist (stem, saddle, neck adjustments, etc) to fit me better, rather than getting a whole new bike?

MDcatV

compare the geometries of the frames and decide from there.

ri_us

Maybe. But it depends on what your fit demands. A soloist and a caad9 are pretty different, but there's no way for anyone on here to say because we don't know what you need out of the soloist. This is a better question to ask the bike shop that fit you for the caad9.

chevelle2291

Or you could just buy a 52cm frame off of Craigslist/Ebay or from the dealer to keep costs down somewhat. If its the new CAAD9-5, with BB30, it may be worth it, but you should definitely see if your soloist can be made to fit you.

SteveFromNY

that's the problem..I feel that they're more inclined to sell me a brand new bike than for them to fit me onto the Soloist, so they're somewhat biased. I don't and most likely will never do races, but I am in love with riding extremely fast, and I don't mind being a little uncomfortable for 3-4 hour rides so long as I can rocket through the gears when I'm inclined.

My 48cm Soloist has a TT length of 51.5 Centimeters
52cm Caad9 5 is 53.5

The minimal difference makes me think that adding a longer stem may help make me a bit more aero? My only problem now is that I don't feel that I'm stretched out far enough. My saddle is as far back as possible.

I also thought about buying a 51cm Soloist frame off ebay or craigslist, I see them all the time, but then I would have to have pay my LBS disassemble it. I don't have tools for the BB, etc. BUT, if I sell my soloist, I can probably have enough money left over to buy a cheap single speed to use as a beater!

SteveFromNY

I guess what I'm really trying to ask is whether or not you guys honestly think that by buying a longer reach stem, I can somehow get a better fit (thus saving me way more money), than to 1) get a whole new bike that is for argument's sake, only a few CM bigger) and 2) paying for a hole new fit for my current bike. I left the store all excited about the caad9, but times are frugal, and I really should be doing the responsible thing financially. Great, now I just made myself feel bad for wasting my LBS's time.

JoelS

Sell the Soloist and get a bike that fits right.

Incidentally, your seat should be adjusted to your cranks and not to the bars. Your seat needs to be set ergonomically to minimize knee issues and maximize power. Sliding it back to make the cockpit of your bike bigger is counterproductive.

Get the bike that fits.

chevelle2291

Yes they are. If you have the money, you might wanna go for it, but if your fit problems can be solved by a stem, then why buy a whole new bike? I'd try a new stem and/or fit before buying a whole new bike. You MAY be feeling a placebo effect on the CAAD9 because its brand new and you may like it better than your current bike in terms of looks.

MDcatV

this.

you could tell the shop you want to buy a frame that fits and have them build it by swapping your components onto it. although some compatibility things might arise with bb/crankset, hs & fork, seat tube and post, but otherwise this might be a good option.

2 cms isnt huge, but if you're feeling cramped, have your saddle fore/aft adjusted from the wrong starting point, and already have a stem that puts you way out over the front wheel, you're going to have a goofy and squirrelly handling machine that you'll never get to maximize performance on, and eventually, you'll increase potential for overuse/repetitive motion injury.

bite the bullet and chalk it up to experience.

DaveSSS 

Whether the fit can be adjusted depends on how the CADD 9 is setup. The reach on the Soloist is 2.5cm shorter and the head tube is 20mm shorter. The stem length change is obvious. The short head tube would require about 12 degrees more stem angle to produce another 20mm of height (assuming that the steerer is already cut and can't be changed).

The geometry of most Cervelos (maybe not the RS), in the two smallest sizes, is stupid, IMO. The steering trail is too small, the front-center is ridiculously short and the chainstays are too short (all sizes). I owned an R3 for a little over a week, rode it 200 miles, tore it down, sold the frame and bought a LOOK 585. No regrets.

sonik90

I jumped into buying something a little small aswell. The losses of selling it would have been too much. Buying a longer stem solved my problems, and it is nice knowing that some professionals choose to use small frames on purpose.

How tall are you?

intence

Keep both bikes? Do an extended ride on the CAAD if possible and also try the longer stem on your Cervelo. If you prefer the CAAD, why not get one and sell the Cervelo?

SteveFromNY

I'm 5'8" but my legs are insanely disproportionate to my torso (29.5 inch inseam). I think that selling my Soloist may be a good option since they're still selling for over $1600 in the used market today. I can probably get $1700 for it because of its condition (there's literally not even dirt on this thing, let alone a scratch or any blemishes). I know that a 54cm was too big for me, and I think I fall in between 51-53CM depending on the brand.

I guess the best thing for me to do now is to buy a longer reach stem and see how I feel with that, but as someone pointed out, it might make for an awkward ride. I was just curious to see what the general consensus was in regards to swapping out a stem if the TT difference is a matter of a few centimeters.

ImRael

[QUOTE=SteveFromNY;9464188]I'm not a racer (but I love going fast at the sacrifice of comfort)

Not a good idea. Comfort/ correct fit is the key to going fast well.

MONGO!

If you have to move the saddle back to get the right reach your bike is too small and there's nothing you can do about it.

I'd have no problem essebtially swapping the Soloist for a CAAD9, the CAAD is a better frame.
Other options are sell the Soloist frame and buy either a CAAD or another soloist frame on ebay.

You will have to pay the LBS to do the work and buy a few parts, BB, headset etc.

intence

I'd say sell the Cervelo outright and buy the CAAD9 outright. You should even have money leftover Wait for the '10 CAAD9-5 if you can help it. $100 more MSRP I think, but full carbon fork and BB30 from what others have mentioned.

roshea

You can probably compare the two geometries using bikeCAD to see if you can get your Cervelo set up the same as the Cannondale.

SteveFromNY

ok, threw my soloist on ebay. while taking pictures I knocked it over and the shifter hit the corner of my stove and left 2 scratches on it lol. there goes a few bucks down the drain since it's not really MINT now. anyway, let me know if you guys think of the auction. Thanks all for the advice! chaulk one up to experience.

https://cgi.ebay.com/Black-Cervelo-So...d=p3286.c0.m14

benajah

Truth is you would probably be faster on a heavy steel 70s bike that fit perfect than you would on a 2009 Pinarello Prince that was way to small or big. Fit is so much more important than anything else

Sinn

That is not a minimal difference. In bike fitting a few millimeters can make a world of difference.

You should consider at least these two things in this process:

1. How aggressive do you want your position to be? More comfortable (i.e., sitting up more) or more aero (i.e., leaning over more)? Your stack height and your saddle position (more forward or back) will determine this and the longer your top tube, the less you can lower your stack height without being too stretched out.

2. How long do you need your stem to be? A longer stem = a less twitchy ride, all things being equal. The Cannondale has a pretty steep headtube and seattube angle and a short wheelbase; this makes it GREAT for crits but it also makes it more twitchy. So a longer stem would probably be a good thing to have. The headtube angle on the Soloist is much more relaxed, so a long stem is not as important.

Good luck.

ridethecliche

Ask the shop if they can make the frame fit and go from there.

It's possible that with a long stem flipped up, you can get a similar reach and stack.

It might not look pro, but it'll work. Depends though.

I'd try this first, just because it's cheaper, and frankly I don't give a crap if I run a stem with rise on it.

jrobe

"I love going fast at the sacrifice of comfort"


I have had a Cervelo Team Soloist and my brother has a CAAD 9 so I have ridden both bikes extensively.

Buy a bike that fits you or cycling will be miserable.

Having said that, the Soloist is definitely a faster bike than the CAAD 9. The CAAD 9 is a little more comfortable than the Soloist. They were made to be like that. The Soloist was made to race. It has been ridden in many pro races in the past including the Tour de France. The latest Bicycle magazine even mentioned that some of the riders for Cervelo Test Team still ride this frame for training even though they have free access to the more expensive carbon bikes.

The CAAD 9 is a nice, comfortable affordable bike. You haven't and never will see a Pro Tour raceer race on one. I am sure you would be happy with one but if you want to go "fast at the expense of comfort," the Soloist is the better bike for you (in the right size of course).

Don't be influenced by the big CAAD 9 fan club here. If you want to go fast, trading a Soloist for a CAAD 9 is a step backwards.

ridethecliche

Lmfao, you have no idea what you're talking about Jrobe...

Health net used to ride them, and I'm pretty sure that Liquigas used to ride the 8's if not the 9? No?

That being said, the Al soloist is another bike that you'll never see the pros ride. They ride the carbon ones...

The CAAD series of frames have been race in the TDF and the Giro, probably the Vuelta as well. The riders on them have won many stages on them. Cippo used to race for Saeco, which used cannondales Al frames.

The 9 is better than any of those frames of the past.

What say you, noobypants?

Sinn

Almost all of what you say here about the CAAD9 is false or just plain stupid.

false_cause

It was along time ago, but the aluminum Team Soloist was what Bobby Julich rode to win the Paris-Nice in 2005. These days no one might be hopping on the aluminum S1 frame, but it has a pro pedigree and wins. Just to be clear.