Originally Posted by
Brogi
Hey guys,
Just joined the forum today and I'm about to buy my first road bike. First, I'm 6'3, a lean 245 (if thats possible; I think it's all in my head) and 28 years old. I've been researching bikes for 2 years now and I've settled on a Tarmac SL2 w/105 group set. I plan on buying on Thursday (3/17)! Anyways, I heard some things from the 3 different bike stores and they all had different opinions... of course. Please let me know if any of these claims are true, as far as you know. Or, feel free to share anecdotal incidents that may help me out. And last but not least, I know fit is number 1, but I felt a great fit on both the Tarmac and Madone 4.7... In your opinion, have I selected correctly? THanks!
1. I was told to stay away from the SRAM Rival group set b/c of my size. Apparently, the Shimano 105 is more proven for all riders and the Rival derailleurs aren't as reliable to stand up to force of larger riders?? Sounds like BS to me, but please let me know.
2. Trek doesn't invest as much in the engineering, technology, and R&D of their frames as Specialized and their bikes aren't worth the money at the $2600 price point. Trek would be more for the $4000 rider.
3. Same as above, but with GIANT. The salesmen weren't too high on Giant bikes in the $1500-$3k range. The TCR is only to be considered in the $3500 range.
4. FIT is all that matters and a test ride in the parking lot doesnt prove anything, and therefore, isnt really worth it. --To this last point, I was shocked. I thought for sure they would want me on the bke to allow me to fall in love.
There are many more, but I would love your opinion on the aforementioned 4 points. Service is a huge part of buying the bike for me and I'm a little skeptical of these guys. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Also, I apologize if I'm posting in the wrong place, this is my first post. Please direct me to the correct thread if need be.
Thanks!
I work in a shop, specialize in road bikes...
Simply put, Giant is the only company I know of that takes raw carbon fiber, and base aluminum and makes all their own frames themselves from scratch. They don't buy tubes, they make them. What's funny to me is that Giant invented compact geometry and at the pro level had to file lawsuits against the UCI to get compact geometry recognized as legal. Guess what Specialized makes? Pseudo compact geometry....as do a large number of fother manufacturers.
Specialized, on the other hand has a company, Merida, that makes their frames for them. Now, there's nothing wrong with that. Merida is an owner of Specialized. But what I find comical is how little some shop people know about their business or their manufacturers.
BTW...on the Specialized R&D angle, they even use the term "system integration" which was lifted from Cannondale, including press fit bearings (BB30 which is not patented) and integrated headsets. Which is fine, but for a shop employee to hold them out as a shining example of cutting edge development makes me chuckle a lot. They spend a lot more money sponsoring multiple pro teams rather than cutting edge research. Which is fine and it's their way of getting their name out. Giant, on the other hand is the largest on the planet and does little advertising, sponsors one team, but sells many many times the bikes.
The Tarmac and Roubaix are wonderful bikes.
The composite TCR frame is very nice. I like it better than the old Alliance frame. As you move up the line, composite, advanced, advanced SL, the bike gets more reactive and stiff. The SL frame is their professional frame.
The Tarmac and Madone 4 are different frames. The Madone is in the H2 (relaxed) fit and the Tarmac falls into Specialized' Competitive Road class. The Roubaix is the endurance road bike, or the more relaxed club rider fit...similar in class to the Madone 4.
Fit matters a lot. If it does not fit, you will have issues with the ride....knee, neck, shoulder, back pain for example. Numb hands...all these are symptoms of a bad fit. We have a system that we can show the rider specifically what works best. example....for some riders the Madone 4 does not work due to geometry of that bike and Trek in general. For some the Defy Giant (similar in style to the Madone 4 and the Roubaix) works, but for folks with longer torsos the TCR works better. It just depends.
You should ask to be shown why a particular bike frame fits you. And it's not a stick up to the crotch and whip out the calculator. Why? If I have two riders that are 6 feet tall, one with a 30 inch inseam (foot to sitbones not the length of your pants) the other a 32 inch inseam (obviously one has a longer torso requiring a different top tube length and thus a different size bike) they will not ride the same size. Bike fitting should be done by the length of the top tube, not the seat tube. The top tube length will translate into the bike's official size.
Hope that helps some.
From the perspective of a person that sells this stuff, the vast majority of what you were told is bs. Don't confuse yourself with too much research because after (as you said) two years of research (I can't grasp that) the questions and comments you have are basic ones everyone has.