Aluminum Advice
 

I recently bought a condo in Naples FL (yes, it survived nicely) so I'm buying a bike to leave down there. The terrain is flat, so I'm thinking about an aluminum frame. For those of you riding aluminum, can you offer some advice on bikes? There's a few out there, but I'm not familiar with any of them.

TIA

Aluminum brand new? or a cheap older aluminum bike?

Brand new... any that is equipped for the style riding you intend to do with as high end on the groupset (gears, crank, shifters, etc) you can afford.

Used... I'd buy steel. Old, small diameter steel tube such as Reynolds 531 double butted tube makes for a more comfortable ride.

I'm talking road bikes though.. So if another style of riding is your thing then others will have to give you help on that.



ps. I got family in Venice FL. So I was watching radar every moment Irma was going over you there in Naples.

I've mostly been riding steel, with some aluminum components, but I think a Fuji Roubaixx could be nice. If you get it let me know what you think. Specialized has a Roubaixx also but for more money generally I believe. Giant and others make stuff I might purchase too.

CAAD12 is the shizzle.

I have an aluminum Fuji Roubaix from 2002 and ride it weekly. It probably has 50k miles on it.

Don't let it sit in the rain, keep it clean and ride the crud out of it.


-Tim-

Huh, my 2003 Fuji Roubaix Pro is steel.

Any of the major brand's current offerings should fit the bill. Just ride as many as you can and buy the best components you can afford.

Yes, I've read tons of good things about the "cult of CAAD," so I need to take a look. I'm sure it's nice. But it's all about the fit. If it fits, it's a contender.

Cannondale, Specialized, Trek, and Giant all make excellent road bikes in Al. Check them all out and buy the one that fits you best and is sold by a shop you like.

I think any bike can fit 99% of riders. For me it's about feel. The CAAD12 soaks up road noise but transfers power efficiently and handles quickly and confidently.

Buy from a Forum member. As you say, All about Fit

Aluminum 7005-6061 Custom Frames | Frank The Welder

If you want it done right - to your exact specification.
Your life's too short for compromised off-th-peg. No?

edit: Esteemed forum member. And SUPER experienced at his craft. Making you happy on a bike, built with your features. Little suspension? Special fit h'bars? Lower Top tube/ Easier step-thru? Special braze-ons for fat fenders to handle your beach tires? Unbiased component selection for Florida climate near the ocean! The color/designs you want! Special headbadge, maybe? 2nd wheelset, one road, one sand. All you want. And of course the absolute appropriate frame geometries for your preferrrred riding position :thumb::thumb:

2 homes and retirement - go for it - I would/have. :D

Only $1900, before doo-dads, + your desired bulletproof and flatlander groupset. Shouldn't have to be 11speed expensive.

My "issue" is long legs for my height: a 34" inseam and I'm 5' 9" tall. The pedal to seat distance is 39". After that, I play with the stem to bring the bars up and a little closer so I'm not reaching and not too flat. Some bikes, notably race-specific bikes simply can't work for me. Endurance frames are usually a better fit, but I don't really need an endurance bike since I ride roads, never gravel or dirt. That said, my current ride is a 2017 Roubaix, which I like, but don't want to spend that much for a "part time" bike. Also, since I won't be climbing I'm not too worried about weight.

If the CAAD fits, I'll likely wear it.

Bikes labeled "Endurance" are for long rides, not rough road rides. They are designed to have less drop to the bars than a race or fast group ride oriented bike. And the steering is designed more for stability than the quick response of a race bike. And they often have room for wider tires (28mm+) than the race bikes.

With your long legs and shorter torso, you might fit a top tube that's a little shorter, and likely a taller headtube. Women's bikes are often designed this way, I think.

Once I find a bike that has a reasonable fit for me, I like to use Stack and Reach measurements to compare it to other bikes. See my comment in another thread.

OP...you need an endurance geometry like your Roubaix.
A used Secteur is an Al Roubaix...now discontinued but they made a ton of them. I have one and its a great bike and they are inexpensive. Honestly, if I push it, for flat land riding...not much difference in speed with the Roubaix even though it weighs more. Same geometry...frameset weighs a bit more than my Roubaix...not quite as stiff which is fine and in fact good for ride quality.

The Roubaix was aluminum. The Roubaix Pro was steel.

This is how it looked before I had it powder coated last year. Stem, saddle, seatpost and wheels are not original. It came with a triple.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2wOODXaoQ8...0/IMG_9069.JPG

This is how it looks now.

https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/2002-fuji-roubaix-26092


-Tim-

Here are three frames that I ride that perform exceptionally well and are less than $1000. My favorite bike that I ride more frequently than my best carbon fiber rigs - Colnago Extreme Power, BMC Race Machine, Neilpryde Nazare and a Storck Scenero - is a Bowman Palace R. My other two aluminum frames are a Cannondale CAAD 10 and a Kinesis Aithein. Both are top notch and I would also highly recommend either. I would add that my Al frames are built up with top flight components that greatly enhance performance. Good quality, modern aluminum frames offer the best bang for the buck, IMHO.

CAAD12 or Trek Emonda ALR gets my vote

Its all about geometry and the CAAD12 and Emonda ALR are night and day.

Wrong geometry for OP.
All the frame request threads when OP is explicit about outlier body proportions and suggestions are completely oblivious.
What's the best car to run to the grocery store with?
A Ferrari.

Right, which is why I recommended those two. Both are great bikes but one should fit and feel better to him than the other.

Custom Al from Vermont, practically in OP's backyard.

A so called boutique custom will never have the performance of a top Al bike of any name brand manufacturer.
Reason is simply, one off's from a small mfr comprised of more uniform section tubes aren't optimized for vertical compliance and lateral stiffness like a top non custom production bike is. Boutique companies can't afford the R&D for the computer modeling and copious testing of frame section combinations that work after many generations of refinement based upon given frame section combinations developed for each frame size. An example is a company like Seven who makes a custom bike with geometry identical to a Roubaix based upon customer request. They are out there btw. It won't have the refinement of a Roubaix with countless hours of development and now 5 generations of design.

As to geometry, unless, an NBA basketball player or a little person...virtually anybody else can find an excellent fit off the rack unless exceptionally freakish...because of all the geometries being available in Al....from CAAD12 to new Allez now available in endurance geometry and race fit...including the H2 Al Emonda which is in between.

Canyon Endurace ... it's light super comfy and very fast

6061 aluminum may be slightly heavier than some of the other alloys, but it will also be the most durable for a marine environment.

A custom fits better, period. OP mentioned very long legs for 5'9" height.
I think you underestimate the skills of a long time builder.
Frank has built more frames than any frame designer and certainly talked more to people who want bikes optimized for their specific needs.
But it's a big biz with lots of options. People can ride what they wish, and use poor component options to achieve a reasonable fit on an "off-th-peg-4-or-5-sizes-fit-all philosophy". Here this 8mm stem might work; a different seatmast might work better; sorry, we can't swap those bars out for free; let's try a stem with more rise - or more spacers; etc, etc, etc.

I cannot remember how many bike companies Frank has experience with.

Your first sentence is inaccurate because performance is a combination of power output and comfort, best optimized by an experienced builder. And also likely that OP is not a racer where race considerations are his primary concern.