# Howdy all, so nice to find a community to get input and enjoy this sport



## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

I'm 6 weeks and 500 miles of Newbie-ness. I'm riding my 30 year old Cromoly road bike and I know I'm going to be looking to an Endurance Road bike for comfy rides of 20-30 miles and see it go from there. Did first 38 miler last week and just love it.

LBS has a close out ,but I've got questions. Seemed that the Sram Apex front derailleur had a hard time getting to move the chain to the larger gear. Some reading on this and I'm finding a few comments that their LBS could not get the Sram shifter tuned to get past this. Is that characteristic of Sram Apex?

I'm leaning to just jump to full carbon rather than get 2/3 the way there of cost and regretting it in a year or two. Input is welcome!

So, I'm looking at a Specialized Roubaix. Is that a good price? 

Specialized Roubaix Elite Apex Compact - Forest Lake Cycle and Skate - MN 

Love this LBS, but wondering if I'm gonna find better options such as a Felt with 105

Felt Bicycles F5 - County Cycles | Roseville MN


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

DannoDeManno said:


> I'm 6 weeks and 500 miles of Newbie-ness. I'm riding my 30 year old Cromoly road bike and I know I'm going to be looking to an Endurance Road bike for comfy rides of 20-30 miles and see it go from there. Did first 38 miler last week and just love it.
> 
> LBS has a close out ,but I've got questions. Seemed that the Sram Apex front derailleur had a hard time getting to move the chain to the larger gear. Some reading on this and I'm finding a few comments that their LBS could not get the Sram shifter tuned to get past this. Is that characteristic of Sram Apex?
> 
> ...


Welcome to RBR! That's a nice bike! You will love the double tap SRAM, I love my Rival. If the front derailed gives you sh*t have the LBS swap in a 105. Mine was dropping the chain... All working perfectly now.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

DannoDeManno said:


> I'm 6 weeks and 500 miles of Newbie-ness. I'm riding my 30 year old Cromoly road bike and I know I'm going to be looking to an Endurance Road bike for comfy rides of 20-30 miles and see it go from there. Did first 38 miler last week and just love it.
> 
> LBS has a close out ,but I've got questions. Seemed that the Sram Apex front derailleur had a hard time getting to move the chain to the larger gear. Some reading on this and I'm finding a few comments that their LBS could not get the Sram shifter tuned to get past this. Is that characteristic of Sram Apex?
> 
> ...


It's personal preference, but I've always preferred Shimano to SRAM's DoubleTap. But to answer your question, yes, there have been numerous reports through the years of people experiencing slow/ poor FD shifting.

But more importantly...

The bikes you linked to have limited sizing availability, and different sizes at that. So, be sure to work with a reputable LBS to determine your sizing requirements (not to be confused with frame size), THEN decide what your choices are.

Both Felt and Specialized are fine brands and fine choices, but it would be good for you to branch out some and test ride others... just to get an idea of differences in fit, feel and handling. 

While visiting shops, decide on your preference based on how receptive they are to your needs, budget, emphasis the importance of fit and encourage test rides.


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

Thanks PLB, sounds like you're staying the Roubaix is a good deal for being a 2013 still on the sales floor? Going back to LBS in a day or two to see if they can get that bike's Derailleur working better. Maybe I was a Newbie and with just a bit of experience with Shimano's shifters, the Sram double taps may just need me to get more experience with them.


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

PJ, good ideas! My LBS here in town has been very responsive, he changed out the stem to lower the handlebars and shorten my reach to see if the fit would improve (and that was w/o asking, he did that while I parked the Roubaix and took out an aluminum bike). I've ridden a Trek Domane in 60cm as the best fit, and the Roubaix at 61cm also seemed about right. I have ridden the Felt bikes as well, and it was great. Certainly better to spend a few more $$ for the right fit.

Another shop in my community carries Niners, but their aluminum frame with carbon forks and seat post was nearly $2000, seems way too much! I will pop into another shop to ride a Cannondale to see what's up with their Caad series.

I hope I can work it out with the LBS in my town as I live at least 15-30 miles from the shops throughout the St. Paul and Minneapolis area, so not only do I want to support the Home Team, but they do have stellar service (Family shop has been there 35 yrs) and that is where I'll take my bike to get service. Not locked in there if their bikes don't feel quite right, but we'll see.

Thanks for chiming in!


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

DannoDeManno said:


> PJ, good ideas! My LBS here in town has been very responsive, he changed out the stem to lower the handlebars and shorten my reach to see if the fit would improve (and that was w/o asking, he did that while I parked the Roubaix and took out an aluminum bike). I've ridden a Trek Domane in 60cm as the best fit, and the Roubaix at 61cm also seemed about right. I have ridden the Felt bikes as well, and it was great. Certainly better to spend a few more $$ for the right fit.


Sounds like a reputable shop. Something to keep in mind as you make your rounds to other LBS's. 



DannoDeManno said:


> Another shop in my community carries Niners, but their aluminum frame with carbon forks and seat post was nearly $2000, seems way too much! I will pop into another shop to ride a Cannondale to see what's up with their Caad series.


Sure. Ride as many makes and models that suite your intended uses as you can. It's not only fun, but exposes you to what's out there. Whittle the choices based on LBS, fit, ride and handling.



DannoDeManno said:


> I hope I can work it out with the LBS in my town as I live at least 15-30 miles from the shops throughout the St. Paul and Minneapolis area, so not only do I want to support the Home Team, but they do have stellar service (Family shop has been there 35 yrs) and that is where I'll take my bike to get service. Not locked in there if their bikes don't feel quite right, but we'll see.
> 
> Thanks for chiming in!


Sound reasoning, IMO. It'll be a win-win for both you and your local shop!


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## obed (Jan 12, 2014)

both bikes are good bikes... fit and feel are more important to me than brand...
I have 4 bikes, each a different brand... I got them because of fit and feel for their intended purpose.


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

Bought a bike! Giant Defy Advanced 1. I ended up going to another bike shop that's about 40 miles away from my house, but they had a brand new by current year model, that had the full Ultegra grupo. So, I spent and extra $200 for this bike over the 2011 Roubaix with Sram entry level gruppo. That shop has spent a few hours of working with me to get fitting really good.


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

I probably put about 700 miles on the bike September and October of 2015 and just starting to get really acquainted with my Defy, I'm so pleased with it. Now it's winter in Minnesnowta, but the trainer will do for now and Spring is on the way...


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

Sounds like a good deal! Should serve you for a long time to come. One thing I was going to post before I saw that you bought was... a three year old bike will have three year old components. There's a lot of trickle down happening in shifter tech (i.e. this years mid group contains tech from last years top shelf group). Glad you got a current year bike with current year components. I prefer SRAM, but that's a personal decision. 

Post a pic! (drive side of bike towards camera)


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## jetdog9 (Jul 12, 2007)

For the inexperienced, sometimes failing to understand the trim settings for the front derailleur is mistaken for poor shifting performance. Although there are only two chainrings up front, at least for Shimano there are actually 4 derailleur positions. SRAM may work different, but just an FYI in case you didn't know.

Edit: BTW I feel like you can get a lot more bike than the Roubaix for $1800.

Edit #2: Whoops, way late to thread, enjoy your new bike...


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

How do I post a picture?


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

DannoDeManno said:


> How do I post a picture?


It's one of the icons on the top right when you are posting a reply. It's easiest when you have the photo(s) you want to share saved to your computer IMO.


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

As a noob, I wrestled with getting an alum frame and decent components and that would cost about 60% of buying something that I'd want to keep for a long time. So, I kept riding my old steel bike this summer to see if the new hobby would last and I found this CF with full Ultegra in September. Biking buddies advised that Tiagra would do the job for now, so I considered 105 (always dreaming) and then found this bike on end of season close out for $2k. So I've got about 700 miles on this from the Fall 2015 and so ready for the winter to get done!


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

DannoDeManno said:


> View attachment 311874
> 
> 
> As a noob, I wrestled with getting an alum frame and decent components and that would cost about 60% of buying something that I'd want to keep for a long time. So, I kept riding my old steel bike this summer to see if the new hobby would last and I found this CF with full Ultegra in September. Biking buddies advised that Tiagra would do the job for now, so I considered 105 (always dreaming) and then found this bike on end of season close out for $2k. So I've got about 700 miles on this from the Fall 2015 and so ready for the winter to get done!


Sweet bike and a great choice. I have tested other Giant bikes, but not the Defy and really liked them a lot. I ended up settling into the Cannondale camp at the end of my lengthy search, but I respect what Giant produces and I may still go with a set of their new carbon wheels.


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

Rashadabd said:


> Sweet bike and a great choice. I have tested other Giant bikes, but not the Defy and really liked them a lot. I ended settling into the Cannondale camp at the end of my lengthy search, but I respect what Giant produces and I may still go with a set of their new carbon wheels.



I'm going to hold off on upgrades for 2016, but I know that better wheels will be "needed" down the road. For now, I'm rolling and maybe in a year or two to change wheels. Any suggestions for wheel upgrades that will work on a bike with disc brakes? Likely going to look for good quality w/o breaking the bank, but I have no idea on price ranges.

Suggestions?


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

DannoDeManno said:


> I'm going to hold off on upgrades for 2016, but I know that better wheels will be "needed" down the road. For now, I'm rolling and maybe in a year or two to change wheels. Any suggestions for wheel upgrades that will work on a bike with disc brakes? Likely going to look for good quality w/o breaking the bank, but I have no idea on price ranges.
> 
> Suggestions?


You have more and more disc options being produced every day. I break wheels into tiers and then try to find the best value and performance combo. At the high end, I like Enve and Bontrager, but you are talking $2500+. 

In the mid tier, where I tend to focus since it seems to be the best bang for the buck, I like Reynolds and Giant (both have disc options). You are talking $1000-$$1500 depending on where you buy them from. Some like November Rail and Boyd in this price range as well. 

On the more affordable end, you are typically looking at alloy wheels but Zipp, Fulcrum, Easton, and Mavic have some solid options in that segment like the Zipp 30 Course. 

If you want an affordable carbon option, you are pretty much stuck with stuff out of China. Folks on RBR seem to like Yoeleo, Blade X and a couple of others. They tend to be in the $400-700 range, but you may be taking a greater risk on quality, durability, and warranty, etc.


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

Rashadabd said "On the more affordable end, you are typically looking at alloy wheels but Zipp, Fulcrum, Easton, and Mavic have some solid options in that segment like the Zipp 30 Course. "

well, that's probably where I land. How would you rate the quality of the wheels that came with my bike? Giant PR 2 (I believe they used to install PR 1 on the Defy lower level bikes, but that may be the same wheel for all I know). I'm already seeing folks Poo Poo the wheels that some come with a bike. No doubt because it is such a common upgrade, that no need to waste $$ by factory. How would you rate the PR 2? compared to that Economy Tier you described?


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

DannoDeManno said:


> Rashadabd said "On the more affordable end, you are typically looking at alloy wheels but Zipp, Fulcrum, Easton, and Mavic have some solid options in that segment like the Zipp 30 Course. "
> 
> well, that's probably where I land. How would you rate the quality of the wheels that came with my bike? Giant PR 2 (I believe they used to install PR 1 on the Defy lower level bikes, but that may be the same wheel for all I know). I'm already seeing folks Poo Poo the wheels that some come with a bike. No doubt because it is such a common upgrade, that no need to waste $$ by factory. How would you rate the PR 2? compared to that Economy Tier you described?


Giant usually makes pretty darn good components, so my guess is that your wheels will already be close to those, but maybe a little heavier. Mavic might have a significantly lighter alloy disc option that doesn't break the bank. Zipp might as well. Look around online for sure, but it probably wouldn't feel like a drastic difference at this price point. It may be worth your while to just keep riding what you have and just save a little at a time toward a nice carbon set in the $1000 or so dollar range. Be aware that with discs you have to make sure that the axle standard on the wheel matches the one on your bike.

Something like this could be a perfect fit: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/gear/product/slr.1.carbon.disc.road/558/72804/


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

DannoDeManno said:


> Rashadabd said "On the more affordable end, you are typically looking at alloy wheels but Zipp, Fulcrum, Easton, and Mavic have some solid options in that segment like the Zipp 30 Course. "
> 
> well, that's probably where I land. How would you rate the quality of the wheels that came with my bike? Giant PR 2 (I believe they used to install PR 1 on the Defy lower level bikes, but that may be the same wheel for all I know). I'm already seeing folks Poo Poo the wheels that some come with a bike. No doubt because it is such a common upgrade, that no need to waste $$ by factory. How would you rate the PR 2? compared to that Economy Tier you described?


Check this out as well: THE BEST WHEELS FOR ROAD BIKES WITH DISC BRAKES | In The Know Cycling


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## pdh777 (Oct 7, 2005)

At your size you may have to consider your body weight as a potential issue for wheels.

Lightweight wheels are meant for lightweight riders.

How much do you weigh?


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## michaelcogburn.c (Nov 22, 2015)

DannoDeManno said:


> How do I post a picture?


In the comment box, look right side above, there you'll see Wrap, insert video, and after that insert image. From the insert image button through you can post a picture.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

For a quick and cheap drop in weight, I would replace that goofy adjustable stem with a decent but not expensive non-adjustable one.

If you do get new wheels, don't get rid of the old ones. You might want to trade bikes one day and put the old wheels back on it for the sale. To me, the bike looks too small for you. I say that because you've got the bars as high as they will go, but still need to slant the saddle downwards to get comfortable. Nothing major--enjoy the bike as is. But consider another fit session in a year or so and see if a larger bike wouldn't work better for you.

And on those new wheels: Be wary when people use "rotational weight" to talk you into spending a lot of money on lighter wheels. Lighter wheels do make a significant difference when you _accelerate_ the bike. But on steady-speed riding or climbing, weight saved by going to lighter wheels would benefit you no differently than weight saved anywhere else on the bike or the rider.


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

I weight 190, so that is good to get input on what types of wheels for someone of my tonnage! I agree on the comment of getting rid of that stem, the LBS just put that in as a temp to let me see what variations I'd want for best fit and then we'd put in a lighter weight permanent stem. Is my bike too small? dunno, I was trying 60's and it was hard to feel comfortable when standing over the top bar w/o endangering the jewels. 

LBS was working w/ me to raise the handlebar height as I was getting some numbness in my hands (esp r. outside edge and pinkies). I'm also just learning techniques to watch for how I place my hands on the handlebars and varying my hand position, so that's gotten better. I believe this is a 58.5 cm frame.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Those stems do make sense if you're still being fitted. Good on the LBS to know that fit is dynamic. In short, as you ride more, things change.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to that "standing over the top bar" unless you jump off the bike to stand with both feet flat on the ground.  I've got to say that with your saddle raised that high, it's a little difficult to imagine that you'd have trouble clearing the top tube on a bike the next size up. 

Raising the bar to address hand pain sometimes works, but can also worsen things. The bars can come too close too you and you're all the time pushing yourself away from them, especially if the saddle nose tilts down like yours. Try leveling the saddle first to get the weight off your hands.

Main thing: have fun on your bike and don't take this fit stuff too seriously. There are people who stop every 25 miles to readjust something on their bike, sometimes one millimeter or so. Don't get sucked into that, it's completely counterproductive.


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## DannoDeManno (Aug 2, 2015)

Thanks Wim! Yep, I do observe people getting obsessed about minutiae, but maybe that's their version of enjoying cycling. Maybe this Spring I'll work with my LBS to see if I may want to drop my seat height a bit, lower that stem and see if I'm still feeling a comfortable fit. Once I'm all set, we'll order the right stem for my set up.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

There's this wonderful story about Eddy Merckx, the all-time greatest bicycle racer, telling an American pro during a group ride stop that he should lower his saddle just a few millimeter. The pro got out his wrench, but only pretended to fiddle with his saddle.

A few miles down the road, Merckx turned to the pro and said "that looks much better." Not sure what all this illustrates, except the two things: 1. You don't argue with Eddy Merckx, and 2. It's OK to ignore advice from people who obsess about fit, even if they're famous.


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