# Did I make a huge mistake buying a new Madone 3.1??



## boeckelr

Hi - this is my first post but I've been a long time lurker. 

So I've been thinking about buying an entry level road bike for a long time. After months or research I had it narrowed down to three bikes - CAAD10 5, Domane 2.3 and Madone 3.1. 

Last week the Madone 3.1 went on sale. So I went to ride it one more time and realized that I liked the feel of it better than the CAAD10, which was too aggressive and twitchy for me. I liked the Domane too, and it was also on sale, but the Madone just felt right. I was assured by the salesman that I was making the right decision buying a carbon (albeit low end carbon) over aluminum. So I pulled the trigger. They ordered it and it will be in later this week. 

Today I stopped by to ask about pedals. My previous salesman was busy so someone else helped me. I explained that I had bought a Madone from this shop and it's on its way to be assembled later this week. 

In addition to asking about pedals, I asked about wheels. Almost every review I read about the Madone 3.1 said its wheels were heavy and that they would be a good thing for future upgrade. Out of curiosity, I wanted to know how much a decent set of wheels would cost me. Here is what the salesman who helped me today said: "You shouldn't put a dime into this bike. If you want to spend money buy a new frame." HUH? I told him I just purchased this bike from his shop 4 days ago under the recommendation of one of his colleagues. Yet he's telling me that this bike has essentially no business being upgraded. He said if it was a high end aluminum then yes. Or a high end carbon. But a 3.1? NO. 

Now ow I was under ZERO illusions that the 3.1 was state of the art or a high end bike. I know,perfectly well that it's Treks entry level carbon bike and that's fine. But no one there ever told me prior to purchase that this bike is so bad that it's worthless to upgrade any components or wheels ever. 

The amazing thing is that 3 or 4 years ago most of the Madones had the same shape frame as the 3.1 - KVF is relatively new. 

I left the bike shop angry and confused. Is the 3.1 really that bad? I know t doesn't have the rep of the CAAD10, but I would have been miserable riding it. Something about H2 felt right to me...and this is after trying Treks, Cannondales, Giants, and Specialized bikes. But I wanted a decent, quality bike with a good frame that would make a foundation for future upgrades. Apparently it doesn't fit that bill. 

So did I make a mistake? Is it a waste to put any money in this bike...including lighter and better wheels in the future? Should I have purchased the H2 Madone 2.1 instead because it's high end aluminum? This guy kind of rained on my parade. I was so psyched at getting a new bike. And while I knew it wasn't a 7.9...I thought it was a decent bike at a tremendous price.


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## SundayNiagara

You didn't make a mistake, the salesperson did by running his mouth and should have his @$$ kicked by the person who sold you the bike.


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## MMsRepBike

Ride the hell out of it.


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## loxx0050

The salesperson who is the d!ckhead is right on one thing, you shouldn't have to upgrade anything on the bike yet and don't spend any extra money (besides getting pedals as you'll need those). You should just ride it and enjoy it as is and then decide if anything on the bike is holding you back that an upgrade to something nicer/lighter would benefit. Usually it is a want versus need thing for many of us to upgrade anyways but that is ok too. 

But, he is completely wrong on the frame needing an upgrade. You should talk to his boss and let him know the attitude of his employee...it is hard enough to keep a LBS open as they can't come anywhere near the prices that online offers.


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## brianmcg

The salesman is doing you a favor. That's just dumb to buy a brand new bike and then drop $1000 or so into it. You should have just bought a 4.5 or 5 series. 

I agree, no reason to upgrade anything on that bike. Ride it for 3-4 years then sell it and buy something really nice. Upgrading components that aren't broken or worn out is a complete waste.


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## boeckelr

brianmcg said:


> The salesman is doing you a favor. That's just dumb to buy a brand new bike and then drop $1000 or so into it. You should have just bought a 4.5 or 5 series.
> 
> I agree, no reason to upgrade anything on that bike. Ride it for 3-4 years then sell it and buy something really nice. Upgrading components that aren't broken or worn out is a complete waste.


No you're wrong. He did not do me any favors. I didn't ask him how much to upgrade to SRAM Red or Dura Ace Di2. All I tried to ask him was how much it would eventually cost me for a good set of wheels when the current ones wear out....as well as how much their 105 pedals cost. Instead he made me instantly regret my purchase. 

Not everyone has or wants to spend $5k on an ENTRY LEVEL bike. But I live in a very affluent area, where plenty of people do buy super bikes for their first bikes, only to sell them after one or two rides or leave them in their garage forever. But im not one of these people. Knowing I would have to buy all the ancillary things (pedals, helmet, shoes, shorts, spare tubes, maybe a Camelback), I set a budget of ~$1600 for the bike...but was willing to go up a little if something good came along. 

One of this salesmans problems was mistakenly thinking he could shame me or my ego into buying a different, much more expensive bike. He almost cost his company - which has driven close to every nearby small LBS out of business - a sale. I did make one mistake - and that was buying my bike from them.


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## nismo73

Even if you bought a $5000 bike, you would still question whether or not you should upgrade something. And ask the salesperson if a 6.2 can magically make you beat Greipel in a sprint.


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## boeckelr

nismo73 said:


> Even if you bought a $5000 bike, you would still question whether or not you should upgrade something. And ask the salesperson if a 6.2 can magically make you beat Greipel in a sprint.


Good point. Do the salespeople egg people on who are buying these expensive bikes and tell them the extra couple thousand $$ is going to make them a better cyclist?

Anyway I appreciate everyone's replies. I am not so suggestible that I'd let one persons opinion wreck something that I was so excited about. But on the other hand I did begin to question whether or not I had bought a decent bike after what that guy said. But after reading these comments I'm back to being totally psyched....now I have to decide which pedals to buy


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## Srode

Obviously you need pedals however wheels you don't 'need'. So what if they are a little heavy, it's doubtful they will hold you significantly. At most they are a pound heavier, and will be a bit slower to spin up if you are sprinting. Remember you are reading reviews from people who test ride bikes over a very wide range of prices and their comments are pointing out their perceived differences vs ideal often, not problems. Ride and work on fitness, and if you think you want to upgrade something think about spending money on a good fit session after you have had 6 months in the saddle.


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## boeckelr

Srode said:


> Obviously you need pedals however wheels you don't 'need'. So what if they are a little heavy, it's doubtful they will hold you significantly. At most they are a pound heavier, and will be a bit slower to spin up if you are sprinting. Remember you are reading reviews from people who test ride bikes over a very wide range of prices and their comments are pointing out their perceived differences vs ideal often, not problems. Ride and work on fitness, and if you think you want to upgrade something think about spending money on a good fit session after you have had 6 months in the saddle.


I keep having to remind myself that the 20 lbs that I need to lose will be far more noticeable than the 1 pound I shave off by buying new tires. 

I think I omitted it in my original post, but the reason why I asked about wheels/tires was because I was curious as to what a good pair of wheels would cost me when and if the time came for me to replace the presumably worn out originals. Like I said, I had somewhat of a ballpark budget that I wanted to follow. 

Thanks for everyone's help!!!


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## CliffordK

It looks like a sweet ride. 

I wouldn't worry about the wheels. They're probably great for touring, commuting, training, etc. I'm not a big fan of the super high tech reduced spoke count, odd spoke lacing. Those look pretty standard. 

If you decide you wish to race, or do triathlons, then by all means go out and drop a thousand dollars into a set of high end race wheels.

If you take care of them, then hopefully the stock wheels will last you for many years to come.

I agree that it is poor form to be putting down a customer's bike, especially when that customer just bought it from that bike shop.


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## love4himies

The salesman sounds like a jerk, IMHO. There is nothing wrong with a Madone 3.1 and many people would love to be riding that bike and wouldn't consider that an "entry" level bike, but an intermediate one. 

Ride the wheels until they wear out, then look at another pair, there is no use putting money into a bike until you really know what you want after riding for a few years. 

Hope to see some pics when you get it.


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## Rob-c

The sales guy is a dick
nothing wrong with the bike you have bought as a first bike, get the pedals on it and get out and enjoy yourself 
once you have ridden it for a while and gotten used to it you may find there are a few small things you can do to tailor it more to you and your riding style but you are a long way away from needing to replace wheels or anything major
its taken me a while to find an LBS who are keen to get people riding and support you whatever you ride be it the cheapest they sell or full on $10,000 ride
dont be put off your choice, you chose it because it felt good
if you are happy with the store either speak to the owner about this sales guy's attitude or just don't deal with him, browse the shiney stuff while you wait for someone with a better attitude, or find another store


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## Donn12

I think the wheels are gonna be heavy on any bike until you get into the higher dollar amounts. Even Cervelo R5s go from 5 to 9k and the wheels on those are famous for sucking. You are buying the perfect bike to get started. after you ride for a little while pick up a pair of dura ace c24s. These are great wheels for about a grand. the second salesperson is an idiot but not entirely wrong. you asked about wheels and if you get a good set you take them with you to your next bike. you don't want to do changing out the group set etc...if you did that you would have a bunch of $ tied up with limited results


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## knight511

I kind of went through this same thing. I bought a Domane 4.0. I doubted the purchase for quite some time because I could have gotten a 5 or 6 series with my budget. I have had the 4.0 for 7 months now and I ride the SNOT out of the bike. It is completely stock.... heavy wheels.... no name brakes.... completely stock. This is my "entry level" road bike (first road bike I have EVER owned). 

I am planning on upgrading the drivetrain to the 5800 series 105 this year and building a set of wheels.

Wait... what was that? Yes... this is the cheapest carbon Domane available.... and I LOVE MY BIKE!!! 

Don't worry about the sales man. If you get really into riding, you will either look to upgrade parts or replace the whole bike in time. Even my salesman had to eat crow because he told me he would never recommend a Madone 3 or 4 series but I would NEED the 5 or 6 because of my size.... yet 2 days later, he was pushing the Domane 4.0 that has the same carbon as the Madone 4. 

Ride it until the wheels fall off. Don't worry about too many upgrades out of the box....... unless you have the same no name brakes.... I might consider replacing those. LoL


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## CliffordK

It is a competitive market. No doubt the salesmen try to push the more expensive bicycles onto customers. Why sell a $2000 bike when they can sell a $3000 bike. 

HOWEVER, it is pretty rude to call a person's $2K bike a piece of junk, especially if it was that shop that sold it to the customer. 

Do you even have possession of the bike yet? If not, you could always cancel the sale, and head to a different bike shop.


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## SundayNiagara

CliffordK said:


> It is a competitive market. No doubt the salesmen try to push the more expensive bicycles onto customers. Why sell a $2000 bike when they can sell a $3000 bike.
> 
> HOWEVER, it is pretty rude to call a person's $2K bike a piece of junk, especially if it was that shop that sold it to the customer.
> 
> Do you even have possession of the bike yet? If not, you could always cancel the sale, and head to a different bike shop.


Selling is an art. It's quite obvious there wasn't much selling going on here.


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## chudak

boeckelr said:


> I keep having to remind myself that the 20 lbs that I need to lose will be far more noticeable than the 1 pound I shave off by buying new tires.
> 
> I think I omitted it in my original post, but the reason why I asked about wheels/tires was because I was curious as to what a good pair of wheels would cost me when and if the time came for me to replace the presumably worn out originals. Like I said, I had somewhat of a ballpark budget that I wanted to follow.
> 
> Thanks for everyone's help!!!


I new set of wheels can run $500 to $1500. You will not "wear out" your wheels any time soon. A good set of wheels will last more than 20k miles. You'll be ready for a new bike before you wear out your wheels.


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## CliffordK

boeckelr said:


> I keep having to remind myself that the 20 lbs that I need to lose will be far more noticeable than the 1 pound I shave off by buying new tires.


Think of it this way.
You could have bought a 30 lb Schwinn.
But, instead you bought a 20 lb Trek.

So, you're halfway there!!!! :smilewinkgrin: 



chudak said:


> I new set of wheels can run $500 to $1500. You will not "wear out" your wheels any time soon. A good set of wheels will last more than 20k miles. You'll be ready for a new bike before you wear out your wheels.


I did wear out the break tracks on a set of rims by commuting year-around, in the rain, ice, snow, and over the top of a rather large and curvy hill. But, maybe the rims were pre-worn before I got them. After that, I've been careful to inspect the brake tracks before mounting used rims, as well as being a little pickier about my brake pads.

A good set of wheels are hard to wear out. 

The most common issue is to bend a rim. Up until yesterday, I had been riding a rim with a wicked hop that I just couldn't get out. I don't remember exactly when I smashed it, but perhaps it was hitting a deep crack in the road a few years ago, at dusk so I couldn't see it until it knocked me off the bike.

Wheels can cost whatever you wish to pay. You could upgrade with a $1000+ set of wheels. Or, you can keep your eyes open for good $5 wheels, ok, maybe not with a 11-speed cassette, but they don't have to be expensive. There are plenty of new wheels with generic components in the $100 range. 

There is a very long thread about E-Bay carbon rims that can be purchased for less than $150 each. Add some spokes and hubs, and you could have a carbon fiber set of wheels for somewhat less than $500 for the pair.


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## slypx

I can only say to listen to yourself and enjoy your ride ... When I bought my bike 4 years ago, my LBS didn't "push" any product in particular but after a few weeks I was already looking at all kind of upgrade and finally did ... none !!! As of today, it is still "stock" other than adding the essential like Ultegra Pedals and changed both tires this spring and that's it.

I came to the conclusion that changing anything on a bike could certainly save a few pounds or ounces here and there ... but I doubt it would make a major difference for me and anyone not involved in competition ... For myself, I decided to "upgrade myself" !! I got ride of 25 pounds within the last 3 months (205 to 180) ... Thanks to my Madone 5.2, a new diet due to diabetes and joining local club ...

Enjoy


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## GOTA

You liked the way the bike rode. You liked the price after it went on sale. So what exactly is there to regret? All wheels on bikes under $5k are heavy. Unless you are at a certain level you won't even notice. If you do want to swap them out then you have tons of options. Don't let a couple of internet reviews and some prick clerk make you question your decision. You shouldn't even let any the replies you get on this thread change your mind.


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## Chader09

GOTA said:


> You liked the way the bike rode. You liked the price after it went on sale. So what exactly is there to regret? All wheels on bikes under $5k are heavy. Unless you are at a certain level you won't even notice. If you do want to swap them out then you have tons of options. Don't let a couple of internet reviews and some prick clerk make you question your decision. You shouldn't even let any the replies you get on this thread change your mind.


Perfectly stated.


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## Mcfarton

Don't buy upgrades pedal up grades


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## boeckelr

Mcfarton said:


> Don't buy upgrades pedal up grades


Thats pretty good!


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## aureliajulia

Sounds like you got the right bike. But I would wait on expensive upgrades because it takes awhile to actually need them unless something is obviously off. Since you liked the way the bike rode, I'd say re-evaluate whether you need wheels in a couple of years, once you know more about bikes and your riding style. 

That said, a new, higher end set of tires like Continental GP 4000s, or Continental 4 Season (someone help me remember the name of these, will take too long to look up on an IPAD), will make the ride much smoother, and I felt like my handling actually improved once I switched. Also good to make sure the bars are comfortable, the saddle doesn't cause pain, the pedal and shoe set-up and comfortable and pain free, and you have a very good bike fitting.


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## boeckelr

Hi everyone! 

Great news - I received a call from the LBS where I ordered my bike from...and it will be ready for me to pick up tomorrow. 

I already bough my pedals - Shimano 105 SPD-LS. And I have a helmet....so tomorrow I have to pick up at least some of the other things that I will need, like shoes, shorts, water bottle cages. I'll probably bet most of those things from pricepoint. Anyway hopefully I'll take it out for a short ride tomorrow or Saturday...provided the weathers good. 

Thanks for all of your advice and words of encouragement.


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## Horze

Cheap carbon frame rides damn fine nasty and dead. You wonder what the purpose is, given there are many alternatives like aluminum or even steel to choose from.


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## Donn12

Horze said:


> Cheap carbon frame rides damn fine nasty and dead. You wonder what the purpose is, given there are many alternatives like aluminum or even steel to choose from.


Could you expand on that? I'm not really sure what you mean


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## SundayNiagara

Horze said:


> Cheap carbon frame rides damn fine nasty and dead. You wonder what the purpose is, given there are many alternatives like aluminum or even steel to choose from.


Huh?????????????????


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## love4himies

Well, did you get it? Have you been busy riding? Any pics of it that you can share?


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## Horze

Donn12 said:


> Could you expand on that? I'm not really sure what you mean


What do I mean?
You could do better than an entry-level carbon frame given there are so many other choices to consider, particularly aluminum or steel. Basically cheap carbon frames feel dead to ride. If you're looking for something to ride which is lively, responsive and fun, then a good alloy frame is where you ought to be. You might further argue that there is more comfort offered by carbon frames and lower weight. True but besides, comfort being a subjective quantity, the increased comfort or weight saving margins are not much. Certainly a good alloy frame will likely weigh less. But in addition to comfort and weight saving there are other factors which play vital roles in the ride quality of the machine, it's liveliness and responsiveness, factors which are often overlooked and indeed harder to discern on paper.

I am sorry to say, the Madone 3.1 simply exists to fill a void in the market. The technological and functional merits of this product call into question its practical and useful purpose. Trek produce this product because the marketing industry demands it.

You'd better consider either of the alloy series Madone (1, 2 series) or the Madone 5 or 6 series at least. Alloy frames have matured considerably. Many have said in recent years that it's the end of the road for alloy frames in terms of technological advancement. This isn't true. 

High end carbon frames are now made from high modulus fibres. This results in a material which is relatively brittle. The ride quality is thereby harsher in order to maintain performance at lower weight. Inadvertantly the characteristic ride quality found of alloy frames gets mimicked.



SundayNiagara said:


> Huh?????????????????


Huh?????????????????


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## obed

don't pay any attention to the horses butt....go ride the bike and have fun.


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## Ledipus

The only mistake you made was dealing with that chump of a salesperson. 

People over think this stuff so much. The salesperson was a douche and you should remind yourself of that. You got a great bike that you are happy with and most importantly was in a price range you were comfortable with. Now get out there and ride. Spend more time playing with Strava, being proud of the hills you attacked and plan the sprints that are fun within your rides. Don't waste your energy thinking of the parts. 

I had a customer get upset with me yesterday as we were talking about the reasons to upgrade his 25 year old Cannondale. We talked about comfort, power, acceleration, handling, integrated shifting vs down tube , etc. However he was very upset that I wouldn't tell him that he will be faster. He kept talking about all the young guys that pass by him because they are on new carbon frames. To which I say is a Mustang faster than an Accord because of the lighter body or because it has an 8 cylinder and not a 4 cylinder engine. You're then engine, upgrade you and do so on a bike that is comfortable for you and up your riding style. That is what you have so go use it and love it.


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## walldoggy

Ledipus said:


> People over think this stuff so much.


I agree with this. Enjoy the new bike, ride it as much as you can. Don't worry about the upgrades. Ride for a while and learn more about what you do and don't like about the bike. Then you can make an informed decision later on down the line on what you want to tweak to make it better.


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## Horze

obed said:


> don't pay any attention to the horses butt....go ride the bike and have fun.


"..don't pay any attention to the horses butt..".

What are you, Professor FAIL all concentrated into one?


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## Horze

The OP initiated a discussion on his Madone 3.1. And so people have expressed their views.

One school of thought might be: forget all the technicalities and just ride for its own sake.
The other: being a little more discerning about the details.

Both are fair and valid scenarios in their own right. But the OP did go into some length as to his details and preferences. Hence my post. To those of you thinking I was shovelling it down your gobs.




boeckelr said:


> So did I make a mistake? Is it a waste to put any money in this bike...including lighter and better wheels in the future? Should I have purchased the H2 Madone 2.1 instead because it's high end aluminum? This guy kind of rained on my parade. I was so psyched at getting a new bike. And while I knew it wasn't a 7.9...I thought it was a decent bike at a tremendous price.


I was earlier remarking on the way companies producing some products promote technological obsolescence. Allow me to be more specific to your situation. I don't believe the Madone 3.1 is so bad that it's not worth upgrading a single part on it. Of lesser brands it may be the case. So nowadays it's possible to get a good set of wheels relatively cheaply which would serve as a worthy upgrade to your bike. Many off-shelf, entry-level wheels (Aksium, Fulcrum) are excellent and worthy upgrades to consider.

Cycling is a game developed over the long run. It takes a number of years to develop your potential assuming you still have the motivation. By such time there may be quite a number of bikes you'll go through because of failures, size preference issues, experimentation. The gist is, if you're simply riding as a casual hobby then there's nothing to worry about. This bike is more than sufficient. Although an alloy frame would've been more fun to ride because of the frame material characteristics. The Madone 2 series aluminum is also availabe in H2 geometry.


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## boeckelr

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the replies. I have been riding my new bike for about three weeks now. Mostly short rides so far. I decided to try cycling because two years ago I badly broke my foot - with lots of dislocated bones and a severed ligament - and after two surgeries I knew running was out of the question and I needed something more entertaining than a spinning bike. What that means is that I'm not in the greatest aerobic shape because I've been inactive for two years. 

I live in an area with lots of hills, and at first they bothered me but I'm doing better with them now. If it weren't for the hills I feel I could much longer rides. But I have to plan my route carefully bc some of the hills I won't get up at my current level of fitness. Hopefully soon. 

So I have two issues. The first I believe is related to my bike fit - or lack of fit. My hands are killing me when I ride. Position doesn't really matter, although it seems to feel ok in the drops. I bought a well padded pair of gloves and they help somewhat but I find I'm constantly needing to shift my grip. They don't go numb. They just hurt. I've fiddled with my seat height to no avail. I know that if I decide to really take up cycling I'll have to get it professionally fitted at some point but I'm not ready to do that yet. 

My biggest issue are these damn cleats. I bought spd-sl. My first three rides after my pedals arrived I took my bike to a parking lot at the beach - somewhere flat with lots of room - and practiced getting in and out of them over and over. While I had zero problems down there where it's flat, I'm having a very hard time clipping in when I'm on any sort of incline. I've fallen twice now and come close two other times. My latest fall wrenched my surgically repaired foot and wrecked my saddle. My biggest fear is being on a steep hill and falling into traffic because my speed gets too slow. That's why I've stayed on back roads so far. But honestly I'm about ready to scrap these damn things and use cages. The problem is my house is at the bottom of a hill. The driveway is gravel and steep. Today I made the mistake of trying to ride up the driveway but didn't get off the flat part before I fell and wrecked my saddle. Even if I walk my bike up my driveway to the culdesak that my driveway comes out to, and try to clip in there, it's on an incline. That's where my other fall occurred and where two more close calls happened. Fortunately these have all happened at the start of a ride...nothing's happened so far while out riding. But like I said, I can do it with my eyes closed somewhere flat. Put me in a low speed situation on a hill and I fall or almost fall. Very frustrated. 

Anyway thanks again for all the advice. I'd post a pic of my shiny new bike but the seat is wrecked lol.


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## Mcfarton

The bike shop should have set you up with a free fit.......

Get a trainer for the house a practice with the spds. after a while you won't even think about it anymore. 

Keep at and get out there. Most importantly don't forget to have fun.


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## love4himies

Are they adjusted to the easiest setting to unclip from the pedals? Are you gearing down before you hit the steep hills so it won't be too hard to pedal?


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## CliffordK

As far as hand comfort, I bought some winged handlebars which I like A LOT. 

I ended up with a set of Blackbird Aluminum bars, but I am now seeing a number of carbon fiber bars hitting the market which are quite competitive in price, at least the E-Bay specials. So my next bike build will probably get CF winged (ergonomic) bars.

I usually don't start riding my bike heading up a steep incline on gravel. If the driveway is short, then you should probably just walk up the driveway. It is better on your tires anyway, and consider it a warm-up/cool-down.

Try to remember setting your gears right before getting off the bike.

You can push down on the pedals without being clipped in. Even with the older toe clips, you usually would pedal on top of the pedals until you get up some speed, then flip them over and insert the toes. 

In the cul-de-sac, try to put on one clip before taking off if you can, then take off parallel to the hill while you get your bearings. Put the other foot in as you can.

I just went from toe-clips to clipless (original SPD) this spring. I haven't tipped over yet, but I can get my feet out of the clips lickity split which I've done occasionally when I loose traction going uphill on my driveway, or have accidentally pulled my right clip free while ascending.

I have wondered if it would be easier to find the clips using the larger look-style pedals, but I like the casual shoe choices available with the SPD clips.


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## Bartman1

Just received my 3.1 yesterday, I like it no matter what anyone says.


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## CliffordK

It looks like a nice bike. Put some miles on it and enjoy it.


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## mpre53

The only huge mistake you made was letting a bike shop jerk get into your head. :wink:


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## boeckelr

CliffordK - I always start with the bike in the small chainring...I clip in with my less dominant foot, backpedal until it's at the top and start....I don't know if I have tried riding parallel to the hill. That's a good idea and I'll try that next. 

Mcfarton - The place that I bought it from said I'd get a basic fit when I ordered it, but when I picked it up the guy who sold it to me wasn't there and they wouldn't do anything other than offer to adjust the seat height. They did say I could pay $150 for a fitting. Needless to say I'm through there. 

love4himies - I have the pedals adjusted to the easiest setting. Clipping out isn't a problem so much as clipping in when I'm trying to start on the street (incline) near my house. And I do gear down on hills....I guess I'm just concerned something bad will happen on a big hill - like falling into traffic - if I get to the point where I'm going too slow. Maybe this is an irrational fear idk. At this time to be honest I don't want to put another dime into this thing other than a possible professional fitting. I don't want to have to switch to spd or something different to see if that will be easier. I'm kind of disgusted and frustrated. I expected my legs to be sore from riding - not from falling. This is a road bike not a mountain bike. I'm committed to figuring this out I'm just frustrated. I don't want to have to spend my life riding down where it's flat bc I can't clip in on hills and bc I have no confidence riding hills bc of a fear of falling into traffic if my speed gets too slow.


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## love4himies

I see what you are saying now. I've had to start on a steep uphill a couple of times and it's not easy. I stand over my bike, clip in with my left foot (less dominant) bring the pedal to the top and shove off with my right foot while I'm pushing down the pedal with my left. I don't try to clip in my right foot right away, but rest my toe on the right pedal so I'm pretty much pedalling with my left leg until I get enough momentum to clip in. Try practicing on a flat surface of only being clipped in with your left foot and resting your right toe on the pedal. 

I have one traffic light on my regular root that is on a steep uphill and is very hard to get clipped in with the traffic so I feel your pain. I did find my old spd mountain bike pedals easier to get in on hills than the spd-sl ones I've got now.


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## CliffordK

Getting on and off the bike efficiently will take practice. I don't envy your starts on hills.

My driveway leads downhill from the house, and up from the mailbox. I don't think I've ever felt that I was going so slow on a hill that I would just fall over, but in the middle of the driveway, it is steep enough that I am just 1/2 pedal stroke from being stopped. On the occasions I loose traction, or a foot comes loose from the clips, I can get my feet out of the clips and down on the ground before tipping. I don't know how one would practice emergency clip release, but it will get better with more use.

I haven't tried the larger clips. The nice thing about my SPD pedals is that if I get the foot positioned approximately right, then they go in with pedalling hard. However, the shoe tread may interfere a bit with positioning, and they have a pretty small target to hit.

I don't know if I could start on my road bike heading up hill starting at the steepest part of my drive, but certainly stop signs/lights are generally ok. Perhaps some of it is just planning on what will happen next.

I'm not a big advocate of the super-low gearing. But, you may find the bike feels a bit more stable if you can spin a little faster both on your uphill starts, as well as general hill climbing. Hmmm, does the bike come with 50/34, 12/30 gearing? That is pretty low. Experiment with a few different gears and find what is comfortable for you whether it is the low gears for spinning, or the higher gears for more power.

Good Luck, and keep at it, it will get easier with time.


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## Corey213

What you should have done is bought one of your neighbors bikes if they buy nice ones, upgrade and then sell very quickly.

But I was in your same shoes more then year ago but went the other way. I wanted a madone 3.1 and bought a caad10. I started looking at wheel sets right away but knew I could put money into those right away so I decided to ride it and upgrade later. I haven't thought about buying a new wheel set since. I can't imagine what a new wheel set would be like on my bike and don't have any plans to drop the money on them. I am just enjoying riding my bike and would have to ride it 2+ more times a week than I already do to even consider it.

The 3.1 is an amazing bike, just ride it and enjoy it. Oh and I got the caad 10 because I knew someone that got me an amazing deal, otherwise i was going to get the 3.1


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## SundayNiagara

Corey213 said:


> What you should have done is bought one of your neighbors bikes if they buy nice ones, upgrade and then sell very quickly.
> 
> But I was in your same shoes more then year ago but went the other way. I wanted a madone 3.1 and bought a caad10. I started looking at wheel sets right away but knew I could put money into those right away so I decided to ride it and upgrade later. I haven't thought about buying a new wheel set since. I can't imagine what a new wheel set would be like on my bike and don't have any plans to drop the money on them. I am just enjoying riding my bike and would have to ride it 2+ more times a week than I already do to even consider it.
> 
> The 3.1 is an amazing bike, just ride it and enjoy it. Oh and I got the caad 10 because I knew someone that got me an amazing deal, otherwise i was going to get the 3.1


It's ALWAYS the price!


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