Deiph

This is arguably better done as a poll, but frankly I'm more interested in the comments, rather than the decision, so I think a thread is better.

Here's the premise:
I don't know about you, but I enjoy riding different bikes. I currently have a Giant Defy 1 (first road bike) and a Trek Madone 5.2. Maybe I'm like the old Mounds/Almond Joy commercial, but sometimes I fell like a nut, sometimes I don't.

In any case, at my current level of riding, I don't feel any need for a groupset above Ultegra, and frankly that's probably overkill - 105 seems fine for the most part. So let's $ limit to the $3k - 4k-ish level. So, here's the question...

If you had a somewhat unlimited budget, and you could only buy 1 bike from each of the 4 "major" brands - Specialized, Cannondale, Trek and Giant - and you had to end up with 2 "racing" geometry bikes and 2 "endurance" geometry bikes, which would you choose? (Note: I'm not trying to start a religious war here. Where I live, these are clearly the 'major" (not necessarily best) brands. I know there are many other great bikes out there, and if I could, I'd have one of each.)

I apologize in advance if this is confusing. Perhaps if I show you my tentative choices, you'll get the idea:

Specialized: Tarmac (race)
Cannondale: Synapse (endurance)
Trek: Madone (race)
Giant: Defy (endurance)

So, where have I gone awry? Certainly the Roubaix, SuperSix Evo, Domane and TCR are good choices.

What say you?

gc3

If I had an unlimited budget, buying from any one of those four companies is pretty much the very very very very last thing I'd do...

hueyhoolihan

are we going to be tested on this?

Deiph

Yes!.... well, no.

Should I rephrase the question as one of the below?:

a) Why don't people wave to me when I wave to them?
b) What's the best road bike for a beginner?
c) Should I buy this bike from Craigslist?'
d) Is my bike hot?
e) What should I do if people don't wave to me when I wave to them?
f) How much should I drink?
g) How much should I eat?
h) How do I spell Google?

Sorry, my bad for trying to come up with an admittedly ridiculous question. I just got tired of reading the above.

Ok, ok. I'm lying. I just need to get my number of posts up. I always worked on the premise that "if you're talking (typing), ya ain't learnin'. So I thought I'd do some typing for a change.

coasting 

why? too common? would you go custom?

Deiph

My point exactly. Since I have that budget, that's the FIRST thing I MIGHT do. Tell me why I'm an idoit [sic], please.

coppercook62

Custom

gc3

Probably not, just get something with equivalent performance at that price point and that you won't see a million of every day on the road. What can I say, I'm just a bike snob.

If you must......
Race = Tarmac
Endurance = Defy Advanced
In my mind these epitomize those categories and represent best value....then move on

Deiph

Like this?

Deiph

Excellent. I guess that's my un-asked question. To what?

coasting 

why isnt it big 5 ...scott

rjones28 

No variety. These bikes aren't different enough. How about different bikes from different riding disciplines?

coppercook62

The new cervelo s3 are nice if you want to stick to BIG Brands

calgarc

if i had unlimited budget i would be retiring to a beach somewhere, probably in the Balearic sea, a pair of headphones and a single road bike would be all i would need haha

Deiph

+1

Deiph

My bad. What different riding disciplines did you have in mind?

MikeyBoyAz

Those better be some Grados.

coppercook62

Nice headphones

vwchad

+1

I'll take a crack at this. I'd want a modern carbon fiber racey type road bike, a vintage steel road bike, a cyclocross bike, an endurance road bike, a touring bike, a hard tail mountain bike, a full suspension downhill mountain bike, a beach cruiser, a commuter, and a track bike.

Garfield Cat

Not all of those "Big 4" brands have exactly comparable sizes, per their own geometry charts. The decision would not be two of each. The decision would only be one of each. The decision would be from my own "frame of reference" (no pun intended). I would still go Dura Ace and skip the Ultegra because I decide not getting two of each.

My frame of reference is about my own sizing and how I would go to my bike fitter who knows me better than I do, from her frame of reference.

rjones28 

Something like this.

Keepiing with the "Big" Four theme, I'd probably just go with; racing geometry roadie, single speed, mountain bike, cyclocross/commuter.

RPK79

I'd go with Deloitte.

silkroad

I'll play.


Tarmac
TCR
CAAD10
Synapse

calgarc

I am a producer, i would need something with a flat response, some Sennheisers or Audio Technicas would do

hueyhoolihan

nothing wrong with the french spelling.