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Supposing You Just Wanted A comfortable Road Bike...

by steveal50
Fri, May 22, 2020 21:14
9

Folks,

I'm about to buy, possibly, my last road bike before I succumb to electrical assistance.
I'm 70 years old and a good ride for me is about 55 miles, but it takes me about 4 hours. No great athletic ability here.

I suffer from the continual hammering due to the bad roads and broken tarmac. Elbows/joints aren't as robust as they used to be.

I'm exclusively a road rider (where do you find a gravel road?). Currently I ride a Kinesis Gran fondo TI with 28mm tubeless tyres which I built up about 3 years ago.

I'm confused by the options. I want a lightweight, lively ride with low gears, rather than a big-rubber mountain bike or a pseudo race bike. But how does a Specialized Roubaix compare to a GT grade gravel bike?

I'd appreciate some advice.

Thanks.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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9 comments

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Balthazar | 4 years ago
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With the miles you're already doing I guess you have your riding position locked, so you aren't looking for changes there. I agree with some other replies- from your complaint, this is about tyre volume and pressure.

What are the largest tyres your frame will fit? If there's scope for something much over 30mm, you may find you're already on the right bike. My two bikes are broadly similar, but the "fast" one rides on 25-28mm tyres at about 80psi, and the "general riding" one is on 33mm tyres at about 60psi. They feel similar on smooth roads, but the fatter ones allow a much comfier ride over broken surfaces, and more secure also. I'd guess that the difference with 40mm+ tyres, commonly available today, is even more pronounced.

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OnTheRopes | 4 years ago
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One of my bikes is a Dolan Dual, I bought it primarily as a winter bike because it has proper mudguard eyes and is a carbon frame, whilst it is not the lightest of frames I find it a very comfortable ride with 25mm tyres (yet to check if 28's fit) and is surprisingly good enough to race at a push.

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Judge dreadful | 4 years ago
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The Roubaix can come with a 'future shock' headset at the requisite spec level. The latest iteration of it is a lovely invention, if you want to tame poor surfaces. The GT hasn't got anything quite as good, so if you're after a super comfy ride on poor surfaces, the Roubaix is the puppy.

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kil0ran | 4 years ago
1 like

Is it the GF Ti disc or rim brake model? Rather than buy a new bike you could potentially squeeze some even wider rubber in there, but if you're already on 28s tubeless it might not make too much difference, assuming you're running low pressures already.

Perhaps a Redshift Shockstop stem would be an option? It will certainly eliminate the chatter you get from chipsealed roads and rough tarmac - it's like getting the Futureshock/Isospeed decoupler without buying a new bike. Will help with arm and elbow pain. And then a Cambium saddle to sort out the chatter at the other end of the bike,

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Sriracha | 4 years ago
1 like

I think you need to borrow/rent something with 40mm-ish tyres (not too knobbly) and play about, a bit stupidly, with the tyre pressures. See if it does the magic for you or not. I ride an Arkose D3 with 45mm WTB Riddlers (with inner tubes). Obviously the tyres slowly lose pressure day by day. Until one day I noticed how damn fine and comfortable my ride felt. Unfortunately I don't possess a pressure gauge!

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TheBillder replied to Sriracha | 4 years ago
1 like

I got down to 30 psi on 36 mm tubed tyres on my Ridley gravel bike purely through neglect. At that point the comfort had been overtaken by the rather wobbly feel. No pinch flats or tyre departure from rims, just it felt sloppy.

I usually have 28 mm tyres at about 50-55 psi. Weighing 80 kg this makes some of my club mates wince but the comfort is so nice.

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Joe Totale | 4 years ago
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I'd consider a Trek Domane. They come with the front and rear Isospeed suspension to smooth out the roads and come with 32mm tyres as standard with room to fit even bigger.

It's first and foremost a road bike so would suit the kind of riding you do but it's versatile enough to do the kind of mild off road you get with a NCN cycle route.

They come with compact chainsets and 11-34 cassettes so plenty to drag it up anything, they aren't the lightest but these suspension add ons will always add weight.

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mdavidford replied to Joe Totale | 4 years ago
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Joe Totale wrote:

..the kind of mild off road you get with a NCN cycle route.

I guess you haven't seen the routes around my way. 

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lio | 4 years ago
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I have a Roubaix Expert. It's very comfortable for me compared to my other bikes, not sure if it's just a better fit or the overall design. I have swapped the saddle and bars though.

It's not light weight but it does feel fast. The replacement bars are a bit lower and narrower than the stock hoverbars.  I wasn't a fan of the hoverbars and there isn't much scope to slam the front otherwise.

The gears are great for climbing. It seems to be one of the only bikes I was looking at with a full compact and 11-34 cassette. The rear mech has a clutch too to stop chain slap.

 I ride a 25mm front and 28mm rear. I have no real gravel experience but have taken the bike down a rew bridleways. It seemed fine considering the tyres. I plan to get a second set of wheels with 33mm (maybe 35mm at a pinch) but I'm a roadie at heart.

The matt finish rubbed off the top tube after a couple of months. Specialized wouldn't fix that. The adjustment knob broke off the Future Shock, that they did replace with a new unit.

Overall I'm very happy with it minus the paint issue. If you want fast, long distance comfort I would say this bike should be on your list.  Let me know if there's anything else you want to know.

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