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2ky

Original Poster:

263 posts

232 months

Tuesday 31st January 2017
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I've had a Cube Agree for about 18 months now and I'm looking for a new "special" bike. So far I've narrowed it down to a Cervello S3:

https://www.cervelo.com/en/road/s-series/s3

And a Giant Propel advanced pro:

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/propel-advanced-...

Both bikes will have Ultegra Di2 and my local bike shop which sells Cervello will take the mavic wheels off the cervello and give a store credit which will go towards some Campagnolo Zonda. I haven't looked at the Giant in person but Pedalon offers with podium points make it very appealing.

I live in North Wales so I'll be riding up quite a few hills hence why I'm looking at zonda and not carbon aero wheels!

At the moment I'm very tempted by the Cervello, are there any other bikes I should be considering? The only thing it must have is Di2 and I really fancy an aero frame!

R1gtr

3,443 posts

183 months

Tuesday 31st January 2017
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How about a Canyon Aeroad or Ultimate? These are probably my dream bikes.
Also look at a Merida Reacto 7000, a Dolan Ares and a Cube Agree C62:SLT disc

PulsatingStar

1,719 posts

277 months

Tuesday 31st January 2017
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Biased opinion but Id get a Propel. But in the Orangey Red colour. If I was actually buying it today though Id be giving thought to the Aeroad Disc though but only because I like the idea of discs.


2ky

Original Poster:

263 posts

232 months

Tuesday 31st January 2017
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Aarrrggghh the Canyon, this was my first choice but persuaded my self not to look at it anymore due to the way they're sold, just can't spend this much without seeing it in the flesh or being able to try one (and I don't fancy popping to Germany!), as far as I know they haven't got a shop or display bikes anywhere in the UK?

Dolan and Merida I wasn't that keen on, I'm sure they're very good but not my cup of tea!

Cube, I fancy a change so I want to avoid Cube if I can.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming!

yellowjack

18,409 posts

195 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
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You mentioned Pedal On.

Are you local enough to visit them? If so, I'd definitely arrange with them to get a ride on the Giant if at all possible. It's well worth a visit if you haven't been. Three adjacent shop-fronts in a parade of shops with parking, so plenty of shop-floor space and lots of bikes on display. You also get to see Cannondale, Scott, and Trek offerings alongside the Giant, which might help either with potential alternatives or to make up your mind on the Giant.

When I was buying my current 'nice' bike I had my heart set on a Cervelo. I think it was the R2. So I rode one in Guildford. Then I went back and rode it again. And again. And eventually I had to be honest with myself and admit that it wasn't going to work for me. I'm not saying don't buy one. Just that no matter what adjustments were made to the bike, it always felt a bit too 'lively' in the steering for me.

I switched fire to looking at Storck, specifically the Scenero. With that, though, the difficulty was finding somewhere to get a test ride. In the meantime I went to Pedal On to test a Cannondale. I didn't get on too well with that either. But, after discussing my requirements in some depth, Matt C there bullied me into taking a Trek Emonda out. Their test circuit isn't massive, a couple of times around a large block. But after some time spent on their turbo trainer making adjustments, it was enough for me to know that the Trek was close enough in fit and feel to my written-off Merida that I wanted to buy it.

So I suppose what I'm saying is give other bikes a try, and at Pedal On you'll get bikes from 4 mainstream brands side-by-side for comparison. Then buy what fits and rides best. I was so set on that Cervelo. I know it wasn't high-end, then nor is my Trek. But I was smitten by the look of the thing, and the Cervelo name on the side was a bit of a bonus. After 6,300 miles on the Trek I've absolutely no regrets about buying it, and no intention of replacing it anytime soon. I know it's not the type of bike you're aiming at, I make this contribution more as an example of how your "perfect bike" might not even be on your shortlist, but will come at you out of left field and immediately win you over. After all, I didn't even like the Trek brand when I started looking for this bike...

snobetter

1,362 posts

175 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
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Canyon are due to be in Bath for new bike trying road.cc event at the end of Feb

http://road.cc/content/event/213627-roadcc-live-de...

anonymous-user

83 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
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Get the S3, you won't regret it. I'd keep the mavic wheels though and wait to upgrade to something like duraace c50s, the Zonda's are great wheels but not enough of an upgrade to make straight away. The S3 *needs* deep wheels!....

37Flipper

500 posts

214 months

Wednesday 1st February 2017
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2ky said:
Aarrrggghh the Canyon, this was my first choice but persuaded my self not to look at it anymore due to the way they're sold, just can't spend this much without seeing it in the flesh or being able to try one (and I don't fancy popping to Germany!), as far as I know they haven't got a shop or display bikes anywhere in the UK?

Dolan and Merida I wasn't that keen on, I'm sure they're very good but not my cup of tea!

Cube, I fancy a change so I want to avoid Cube if I can.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming!
I dont know anyone who has bought a Canyon regret making the decision to buy the bike without seeing it. The sizing guide is pretty good, but if you're unsure you do have support to help you. The delivery is much better than last years fiasco, in fact, I am just considering buying an Aero Road frame to swap to from my Ultimate SLX. They are good value, you won't regret it.

Thanks

PAul

Chicken Chaser

9,051 posts

253 months

Thursday 2nd February 2017
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What are you looking to use the bike for? Racing on it?

Matt_N

9,032 posts

231 months

Thursday 2nd February 2017
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Cervelo S3 full bike pricing doesn't seem to add up to me.

The Ultegra Di2 model is £4199rrp.

The frameset is £2199rrp.

You can get:

Ultegra Di2 - £900
Rotor 3D30 - £230
Finishing kit - £200
Leaving around £650 for wheels (which will be much better than Cosmic Elites), tyres, saddle and tape.

You'll be able to sell the Ultegra crankset on too.

sammyboy

394 posts

238 months

Thursday 2nd February 2017
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PulsatingStar said:
Biased opinion but Id get a Propel. But in the Orangey Red colour. If I was actually buying it today though Id be giving thought to the Aeroad Disc though but only because I like the idea of discs.
Please don’t do this to me!!!

I'm about to buy the same propel mainly because the guy who did my Retul fit on my current bike is a giant dealer. I’m so tempted by the Aeroad although they don’t seem to have any around the £2.5k mark like they did last year and I seem to recall the Aeroad is a lot more agressive in terms of fit.

2ky

Original Poster:

263 posts

232 months

Thursday 2nd February 2017
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All very good points!

Didn't realise it would be better value to buy the parts I want separately, if I go for the cervelo it's definitely something I'll consider.

Aeroad still keeps catching my attention, unfortunately I live in North Wales which is great for cycling but terrible for travelling to the major shops down south.

I'm not a racer but would consider it in the future, I really want a nice quick bike!

37Flipper

500 posts

214 months

Thursday 2nd February 2017
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2ky said:
All very good points!

Didn't realise it would be better value to buy the parts I want separately, if I go for the cervelo it's definitely something I'll consider.

Aeroad still keeps catching my attention, unfortunately I live in North Wales which is great for cycling but terrible for travelling to the major shops down south.

I'm not a racer but would consider it in the future, I really want a nice quick bike!
I know I'm biased, but I'd still go the Aeroroad route... Lots of pros like to use that bike when it gets hilly, so it must be good enough for you!! smile

Gruffy

7,212 posts

288 months

Thursday 2nd February 2017
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I'm 15,000km into my Aeroad and still loving it. The only thing I'd replace it with is an Aeroad Disc.

2ky

Original Poster:

263 posts

232 months

Friday 3rd February 2017
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Well I've had a very productive day!

Visited the local Giant store and was a little disappointed. Very good bikes but they didn't have the wow factor and I struggled to tell the difference between a £1200 bike and a £4000 bike so I've whipped that off the list.


Managed to look at a Cervello S3, really nice bike! Wheels were a massive let down but a very nice bike anyway. When looking at it I couldn't help but compare it to the Canyon and I'm 99.9% set on the Aeroad despite my initial concerns, at the end of the day I can send it back if it's not what I expect.

Visiting a local bike shop/Specialized concept store next week just to rule out Specialized and Trek.

Just out of interest, I ride a 64cm cube agree (frame geometry can be found here: http://2015.cube.eu/en/bikes/road-race/agree/cube-... and https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road/aeroad/2017/aero...

Would I be right in thinking an XL Aeroad? I'm 6ft 3in (190cm) and usually I end up on the largest frame for most brands but the 2XL canyon seems huge.

Finally, the head tube length seems to be much shorter on the Canyon (190) against the Cube (220), is this likely to make a big difference?

Thanks for the advice and I'll let you know the final decisionsmile

37Flipper

500 posts

214 months

Friday 3rd February 2017
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2ky said:
Well I've had a very productive day!

Visited the local Giant store and was a little disappointed. Very good bikes but they didn't have the wow factor and I struggled to tell the difference between a £1200 bike and a £4000 bike so I've whipped that off the list.


Managed to look at a Cervello S3, really nice bike! Wheels were a massive let down but a very nice bike anyway. When looking at it I couldn't help but compare it to the Canyon and I'm 99.9% set on the Aeroad despite my initial concerns, at the end of the day I can send it back if it's not what I expect.

Visiting a local bike shop/Specialized concept store next week just to rule out Specialized and Trek.

Just out of interest, I ride a 64cm cube agree (frame geometry can be found here: http://2015.cube.eu/en/bikes/road-race/agree/cube-... and https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road/aeroad/2017/aero...

Would I be right in thinking an XL Aeroad? I'm 6ft 3in (190cm) and usually I end up on the largest frame for most brands but the 2XL canyon seems huge.

Finally, the head tube length seems to be much shorter on the Canyon (190) against the Cube (220), is this likely to make a big difference?

Thanks for the advice and I'll let you know the final decisionsmile
I can't answer the question regarding the head tube length, but I advise using their sizing guide on the website, I was recommended a small, despite initial concerms I've never looked back. They have an online chat service too, so you won't be short of advice from them.

Cheers

Flipper

NatAsp

175 posts

157 months

Saturday 4th February 2017
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2ky said:
Would I be right in thinking an XL Aeroad? I'm 6ft 3in (190cm) and usually I end up on the largest frame for most brands but the 2XL canyon seems huge.

Finally, the head tube length seems to be much shorter on the Canyon (190) against the Cube (220), is this likely to make a big difference?

Thanks for the advice and I'll let you know the final decisionsmile
Yes the XL is the closest match to your Cube. The reason the head tube is so much shorter is because you are going from a comfort orientated bike to a full blown race bike. For some reason Cube describe the agree as a race bike in some of their marketing literature but it absolutely isn't - this does help anyone!!

If you currently use all of the spacers on your stem then you will be about 30mm lower on the Canyon vs the Cube. This will make you more Aero but is a big drop and as such could compromise your power output or comfort if you don't have time to adjust or you are inflexible. Normally the best way of getting lower would be to do it gradually, was for me anyway.

However if you have dropped you stem on the Cube then you have scope to achieve a closer position on the Canyon (by not dropping the stem) and as such should not have a problem.

If this is going to cause an issue then the alternative is to go for the 2XL which will have a longer reach but will only be 10mm lower than the Cube. You could then use a shorter stem to reduce the reach back to what you're used to but this will impact handling.

As I say the 2 bikes are for different purposes so you will not get a perfect match. A 30mm drop might be exactly what you need if you want to go faster but it all depends on what's right for you. If you do currently use all of the spacers on your stem, you could drop it 30mm then get out there and see how you feel before you make any decisions.

As you are making quite a big jump, if your heart is set on the Canyon, then you might be better off going to an independent fitter so they can take a look at you on a trainer and provide advice.



Edited by NatAsp on Saturday 4th February 07:18

2ky

Original Poster:

263 posts

232 months

Friday 10th February 2017
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Well I've ordered the Canyon Aeroad 8.0 Di2! Can't wait for it to be delivered which should be towards the end of February (Just hope Canyon don't delay it).

Managed to order a few extra bits and it was still less than I would've paid for the Cervello.

I had a second look at the Cervello before ordering and it didn't seem as nice as I remembered, the wheels were a big let down and I couldn't get one until at least April.

Thanks for all the advice, Only 18 days until delivery!