best alloy road bike of 2012

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Wingnut
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by Wingnut

prendrefeu wrote:Alright, let's do this RAFIUDEEN, here's the "BEST ALLOY BIKE EVAR!!!!!!1!!!!".......So get a CAAD10. You'll satisfy a number of people who believe that to be "the best" and you'll be happy and you can start the next thread on what the "best" wheels are, the "best" handlebars, the "best" stem, and so on.


You're such an arse wipe prendrefeu...

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Zen Cyclery
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by Zen Cyclery

OP- Have you considered going with a custom frame? This would be the best way to maximize ride quality, get a good fit, and a durable rig. Maybe take a look at Strong Cycles. Mine is by far the best ride quality that I have ever felt in a frame. And he has titanium or carbon options.

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djconnel
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by djconnel

I'm not saying it's the best or even that it's better than Cannondale, but I was impressed by the Specialized (w/ SRAM Red) shown @ Interbike:

Image

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michel2
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by michel2

that swork looks nice (-:
would the folk at specialised think that they are missing out on a bitt of cake ? i mena they have been talking carbonfiber for a long time, and to now market an alloy swork,...intresting i wonder what there argument is ? but appart from all that its good to see someone doing a (partly ) polished alloy frame !

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djconnel
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by djconnel

I mentioned to one of their guys I thought the bike, which is limited edition, was a response to the commoditization of carbon fiber. You could walk over the the "China" section where perfectly fine looking but unadorned carbon fiber bikes were hanging on the wall and you know the wholesale price on those things is probably no more than my flight down and back from San Francisco. Carbon's no longer special, and I think Al is developing something of an edgy "pure racer" image.

He seemed to agree.

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prendrefeu
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by prendrefeu

Wingnut wrote:You're such an arse wipe prendrefeu...


Thanks, someone has to clean it up. Everyone else just lets it sit there.
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RAFIUDEEN
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by RAFIUDEEN

nice suggestions here is a summery of what i collect from this and another forums please tell me which one in this list is a definite no no
1>cannondale caad 10
2>specilised s works allez
3>cannyon ultimate al
4>Storck visioner
5>Rose Rs

guys opinions

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kgt
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by kgt

That's my favorite alu frame ever. Colnago Dream. Not that easy to find but a masterpiece IME.
Last edited by kgt on Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

RAFIUDEEN
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by RAFIUDEEN

Do not need to quote the above post/pic

what the model name also was considering de rosa team bike

Antoine
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by Antoine

CAAD 10 or Specialized

my CAAD 9 is great: stiff but not too demanding, responsive, comfortable enough , cheap , lifetime warranty and I guess the CAAD 10 is even better.

the only concern is durability , some say aluminium will soften, others say the opposite.
In the owner's manual it's written don't expect it to last as long as a heavier frame.

don't know about the new Allez, the Canyon is cheap and good for racing but not as comfortable

Burgunder
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by Burgunder

I bought this bike http://www.roadbike.de/rennraeder/test-radon-r1-4-0.653309.9.htm as an entry level bike in the early summer this year and it has been a great bike which was comfortable enough to do a 375 km race. I have seen it for as little as 800 euros and at that price I think it's hard to beat. It comes with a full carbon fork and on the 2012 model the work has been done to enhance the comfort, which was not as good on the 2011 model(the 2013 model has hit the streets BTW).
You can find a test here http://www.roadbike.de/rennraeder/test-radon-r1-4-0.653309.9.htm
I know it's in german but I guess coogle translate can give som idea of what they say.

If you are really after the best bike, there are builders out there who's still building in alloy take a look at Tsunami bikes for instance.

RAFIUDEEN
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by RAFIUDEEN

prendrefeu wrote:
Wingnut wrote:You're such an arse wipe prendrefeu...


Thanks, someone has to clean it up. Everyone else just lets it sit there.



and i guess among the main stream caad 10 and canyon ultimate al is indeed the best bet if u want to go exotic then u got the de rosa or storck could be explored.....whats ur take prendrefeu

mrfish
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by mrfish

It depends a bit on budget.

I had good luck with a Pinarello Galileio Ultegra, bought as a complete bike. It was good vfm, great paint job and a crit-ready package. Frame was reasonable weight with very sharp handling, stiff bottom bracket, forks and wheels and the MOST kit (tyres, bars, stem, post, saddle, crank, bb) could be changed very easily for much lighter ebay upgrades. I added Thomson parts, 3t bar and an DA crank and it was a crit weapon. My cousin still rides it and those frames can be picked up on ebay quite reasonably. Look for people riding a far too big frame as likely they didn't thrash it.

I think buying a highly engineeered Aluminium bike makes less rational sense once it costs more than buying a cheap carbon bike, e.g. Chinese or Planet X, or a good second hand carbon bike like R3 for instance. But at the end of the day any bike which fits is normally good.

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prendrefeu
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by prendrefeu

RAFIUDEEN wrote:i could say not too aggressive frame nor the touring ones (loved the r 5 feel cervelo )
i would like to do brm's very long distance faster and stronger
no fenders tyres not more than 25 max wheel set rims want ot get one made with wi cx rays spoke and 23 by 28 deep rims
ride every day 50 kms and 100 week ends


So you basically want a training bike? Folks here may tell you to train on what you've got, no need for a second 'training' bike. Having a second bike for other purposes, or just variety, is definitely a possibility though.

Based off of your quote above, I don't recommend getting the Cannondale (CAAD) nor the Canyon. They're meant for racing and racers with a budget that can't withstand replacing the frame after every crash.

Your 'faster and stronger' will come from two things: more training and a little bit of comfort thrown into a 'stiff' frame. If you are fatigued by the jarring nature of an overly stiff set up that is purely for racing, such as the CAAD or Canyon, then you won't finish stronger and certainly not faster.
Everything else is pretty much a wash since you don't want it to have features that may be useful in the future.

If you want aluminum: Specialized E5 alloy range is good (now with BB30, so it is "latest tech" sort of), Spooky HavocStaff/Skeletor, a custom from Tsunami (which may be difficult depending on your location)...

But, mostly I agree with Burgunder's take on this: you're basically asking for a 'training bike' and what 'best' is depends on different things to different people, but by your own parameters it doesn't really matter for your case and may in fact hurt you in achieving your goals of 'faster and stronger' . So instead get a good entry/mid-range bike that's the best value and ride it all the time. Training will make you faster and stronger, not the bike,
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RAFIUDEEN
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by RAFIUDEEN

ok i do train on a daily basis.... i had two bikes one a cervelo s1 alloy which used to be ridden every day and a cervelo r 5 which was seldomly used........now the road here in India r bad so alloy makes more sense for training in my century practice ride i found a crack on my seat tube on the s1 so sending it back for replacement hence need a alloy bike like the s1 for training.
in a month except for long week end rides i ride practically 25 miles every day with about 4 days rest.
aim to do long distances about upto say 1000kms

so ...
Last edited by RAFIUDEEN on Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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