Weight Weenies

I'm thinking of replacing my Caad9 with a Canyon CF for commuting because I'm finding the ride of the Caad a bit harsh. I commute through central London, 25 km each way, all year round, and given the conditions of the street in the capital...well the Caad is wearing me out.

For comparison my other bike is a Cervelo S2, I find it very comfy in comparison.

Is the Canyon similar to the Cervelo in terms of comfort? Is the Canyon more comfortable than the Caad9?

Does anybody know if I can mount the Crud mudguards on the Canyon? I have them on the Caad9 and they are great.

Thanks in advance!

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do you already use 27 or 28mm tires? comfy saddle? carbon bar with fizik gel inserts or double bartape?

apart from this, yes, the canyon cf will be more comfy for sure. For urban riding i would choose a gran fondo kind of frame though.

The Canyon still has quite a stiff front end so can be a bit punishing over rough roads so may not be ideal as a commuter.

Thanks both for your input.

Re the Canyon, the thing is that I really like it.

Re the other questions:

- Tyres: I run Conti 4000s 23mm (105 PSI@70kg), because I have mudguards, can't fit larger tyres

- handlebars: I have the Deda Zero 100 Shallow with normal bar tape. I will try the Fizik gel pads inserts (shall I buy the Fizik kit with the bar tape or just the 4 insert and keep my generic but thick Prologue tape?) Don't want carbon bars as they are too expensive though...

- double bar tape: haven't though about it, will try it.

- saddle: I have the Selle Italia SLR for many years on all my bikes, they are quite comfy...

Thanks again! I will buy the gel for sure.

To be honest, not found the gel helps that much as the fit is a bit awkward and the drops don't really need it. I plan on getting the Lizard Skins DSP 3.2mm thick tape next time.

Sounds like your after an expensive fix...

Ditch the crud guards & look as something with better clearance - something out of the SKS range perhaps - I really like the 'Long' raceblades which fit under the QRs & brake pivot bolts. You could then move up to 25mm tires & maybe throw in some latex inner tubes.

FWIW I commute on michelin pro4 endurance (23mm) with standard butyl but run much lower pressure. 6bar rear, 5.5 front. 73kg. Can't say I have any problems with the London roads & I would agree the roads are all pretty stinky.

Are you commuting with much weight on your back which could be loading out your contact points? I try to keep carried weight for commuting down to about 4kg if possible & notice quickly if weight goes above 6kg when using a back pack.

As another angle on this - some items wear out over time so you can have fatigue causing stuff creep up. Padding in gloves & bar tape can help with being switched out on a reasonably frequent basis if your finding things bad. Several sets of gloves can help to spread out wear & keep the padding fresh & not quickly compacted down as well.

parajba wrote:Thanks both for your input.

Re the Canyon, the thing is that I really like it.

Re the other questions:

- Tyres: I run Conti 4000s 23mm (105 PSI@70kg), because I have mudguards, can't fit larger tyres

- handlebars: I have the Deda Zero 100 Shallow with normal bar tape. I will try the Fizik gel pads inserts (shall I buy the Fizik kit with the bar tape or just the 4 insert and keep my generic but thick Prologue tape?) Don't want carbon bars as they are too expensive though...

- double bar tape: haven't though about it, will try it.

- saddle: I have the Selle Italia SLR for many years on all my bikes, they are quite comfy...

Thanks again! I will buy the gel for sure.

If SLR is a comfy saddle, well, I´m the queen of england... get a fizik Aliante or similar saddle.

Try the fizik gels, at least on the top part of the bar and below the rubber hoods of the shifters. no need on the drops. It works even better than double tape.

Get rid of crud mudguards, get an sks wider ones and install 25 or 27mm tires. In paris rubaix they use 27, so i guess it will be good for commuting in london too.

The ride will smooth a lot and you will be able to ride much much faster. Also, an ebay carbon bar is around 50€ shipped.

AFTER all this, you can try a carbon frame. i suggest a gran fondo or endurance frame, not a pro racing geometry frame, as that won't help. I would stick to the caad 9 though. great frame.

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I commuted into London on a CAAD9 before switching to a Canyon SLX (25 miles each day). The SLX is definitely more comfortable (both on 23mm tyres) but for the shortish distance of commuting it made little noticeable difference on comfort. Ended up going back to a Spesh Allez, to stop any loss of finances if hit by a dodgy commuting driver.