Metieval

Originally I was looking at the Giant TCR or OCR line.

I have an 05 Giant cypress SX with road gears. It is a hybrid, with a straight flat bar, and on 700 c28's. I love it to death for commuting and general rides. Although I am getting tired of fighting the geometry. The other day I had an average of 17.6 mph on it. yes time to step up for those longer rides, and for those rides I just want to be fast on.

MY budget is $1500-$2000 give or take a few.

I need a 56cm frame, and I have ridden a TCR and an OCR short rides...I would need a longer ride to pick between those 2 bikes.

I also have ridden a Trek 5200 Carbon that I was not impressed with. it was a 58cm so that might have played a factor but then I rode an 56cm AL. Trek with a carbon tale that I liked better than the full trek carbon. But still I didn't like it.

After those rides I test rode a CAAD8 r1000 that was a 58cm yes too big but Damn that is a very sweet bike! IT just screamed awesome while taking it on a short ride. I hated the maverick(sp) wheel set on it though way to noisy for me. and of all the bikes i have ridden the CAAD8 is by far the stiffest which I do like a lot!

Later this week I am going to test ride the CAAD8 r800 and r1000 that will be a 56cm

I think I would pick the r1000 over the r800 based on the ultegra is nicer than the 105's although IF I went with the r1000 I would swap out the wheel set for something else? American classics? I am 170 lbs. and doubt I ever go over that. Although I could range from 160 to 180 lbs. @ 5'9"

I am looking for opinions, suggestions on bikes to ride similar to these in price. And what would be a good wheel set to swap to if I go with the CAAD8 r1000?

I will probably ride some Fuji's also.

Where I stand at this moment....... I would love to have the Caad8 r800 Black/silver dull paint frame with the component package of the r1000. I think the caad8 r800 and r1000 is identical frames but not sure. But I am lost to what wheel set I would put on it. and yes I have a LBS that is very willing to swap parts when they build.


Is there anything in specific I need to try on test rides?

I am a newbie.... and any suggestions or opinions will be respected and appreciated.

Thanks All in advance!

Pico

What do you want in a road bike? Specifically, do you want a full race bike or something that's slightly more comfortable? Because if you're not planning on racing I'd look into the Specialized Roubaix, C'dale Synapse, and the Trek Pilot. They are real road bikes (ie: nothing like a hybrid) but their geomety makes them more comfortable than a full blown race bike.

I wouldn't worry about too much about noisy wheels. Noisy wheels announce your presence without confusing people the way "On your left" does. Or, you could get a bell. If you really want a quiet set of wheels you should look at the Easton Circuits. They are dead silent, durable, reasonably light, fairly aero, and affordable.

johnny99

The most important thing is to get a good fit. Road bikes come in all kinds of geometries these days: short or long top tubes, short or tall head tubes, shallow or steep seat tubes, etc. All these choices let you pick a bike that matches your body dimensions and riding style. A good bike shop will help to guide you through the sizing and fitting process, if you are honest with them about your fitness level and what you intend to do with the bike. Don't worry too much about components; heavy competition means that components will be commensurate with price level.

Metieval

Update, I bought a 2006 C'dale r1000 but they are upgrading it to the same wheel set that was on the 2005 for same price.

Mavic Ksyrium Elite-- instead of the--- Mavic Ksyrium Equipe

:-D

rpc180

I think you'll like it Your test ride sounds like how my test rides fared with Cannondales! The CAAD8 frames are identical across the board, only differences are the groupsets.

adgrant

What about the fork? Isn't that different.

BTW How much of an improvement do you think the Ultegra 10sp is vs the 105 10sp. Are the wheels the most significant difference between the R800 and R1000?

Metieval

I picked it up Saturday and spun 48 miles on the way home. I am a little sore from tweaking the seat and bars all the way home, but it is a very nice ride.