Jeimy

Hey,

I am looking to upgrade to a carbon frame, the more research I do the more confused I am, I like them ALL!
right now I am between Trek Silque SL and Liv Envie Advance 1, I want to have a proper machine for what I need, I cycle every time I can aprox 5 times a week with at least 2 long rides a week (being long for me is 120km aprox). I want a fast machine and good for climbing. I like the Liv's aerodynamic and aggressive shape but I am not sure is this bike will be good for what I want.

Can anyone give me some advice?

Thanks

PepeM

What type of advice are you looking for specifically?

The Silque is an endurance model, meant to be comfortable and a bit more upright. Should offer a smoother ride. A teammate of mine owns one and it is a very nice bicycle. The Envie is an aero bike, more race oriented. Will have a more aggressive position. A former pro rides with us once in a while and she some times shows up on that one. Have you tried the bikes yet? If not, that is the first thing you should do, go test ride them and see which one feel best to you, that is all that matters after all. Both will be 'fast' and 'good for climbing,' or at least as good as the rider on top.

What is your current bike, out of curiosity?

OldTryGuy

Go for the LIV Apparently it fits the bill for Marianne Vos

On the serious side it is an excellent bike. I really enjoy my Propel Advanced SL and the LIV is the woman's version of the men's. Test ride it and if it talks to you like my Propel talked to me, jump on it.

valygrl

While you're at it, test ride a Specialized Amira as well. I just picked up a used one and it's really nice. Both the Trek and the Liv are endurance geometry (despite Liv being billed as a race bike), the Amira is lower/longer. Either could be good for you, but might want to try a variety before settling on the same geometry. You could look at the Propel, too, similar bike, lower stack than the Liv.

Actually, i take all that back - my advice is to find the best bike fitter in town and get a fit done to inform you frame selection before buying anything. Then you'll know the reach/stack parameters you are looking for and will be able to choose a bike that you know fits, without being distracted by less important features like price or aesthetics.

Jeimy

Thank youuuu , That is basically the type of advice I am looking for should I go for an endurance or aero bike?

My currently bike it's a entry level one something like in the link

Carrera TDF Womens Ltd Road Bike

Big thanks for your help, will go for a test this weekend

OldTryGuy

P.S. to my post above....keep in mind that Giant is one of the few bicycle frame manufacturers taking raw carbon fiber thread and weaves it into the material used to build the frames. They also manufacture their proprietary bonding resin.

How Giant build their carbon frames | CyclingTips

Jeimy

Is that a good or bad thing?

Jeimy

The lady Amira is on my list... But as you and everybody said... better to try them all first!

Thanks

PepeM

You'll be getting a nice upgrade with any of those.

One thing to note, just because something is labelled 'endurance' doesn't mean that it will be slower (as I mentioned, a teammate of mine races her Silque), it is mostly a geometry thing and you might like it better or worse. Also, aero frames only make a very small difference in aerodynamics; position on the bike, clothing, helmets, wheels, and handlebars all make a larger difference so don't be duped into thinking that an aero frame will make you considerably faster. So yes, I would focus on what feels best to you and also which shop is nicer to deal with. Having a good shop is far more valuable than having slightly better components.

Heathpack 

This. 100%.

I'm looking at buying a MTB. First step comes tomorrow: see my fitter for a prepurchase fit. This is the best way to do it, if the option is available.

I never even laid eyes on my TT bike before I bought it- fitter said it would work, and lo & behold, it did.

PepeM

The fitter thing is a good shout indeed.

Heathpack 

This is a great point too. Women especially sometimes have weird patronizing experiences in shops, if you go into a shop & they treat you like a normal person, buy from that shop if they have a bike you like.

I have two road bikes- one endurance and one race. I don't race either of them. The endurance bike can do it all, if I had to have one road bike that's what I'd choose. The race geometry bike is not faster, but it's a little quicker in its responsiveness and it's really fun to take on a group ride. I also find that this is the bike I pull out for interval workouts. The difference is real, although the difference is not speed.

Heathpack 

Good thing.

Giant builds a lot of bikes for other companies, they develop a lot of what happens in the industry. Some bikes out there with more glamorous names are essentially re-labeled Giant bikes.

Because Giant is such a giant in the industry & they're not buying as much stuff from other companies, they tend to be relative bargains compared to other brands.

In short: LIV/Giant bikes are frequently a lotta bang for your buck.

Jeimy

Good to know, I've read about those special materials that they use but I wasn't sure if they were good or not... And about the price it's true also, the Liv that I am looking at it's the cheapest compared to others bikes with Ultegra groupset.

Thankssss