The most comfortable road bike

[lechatnoir]

Someone said Giant Defy... give than man a +1

[brumby]

Jonesy - this is was you're actually after - Fantastic bike.

[DIPSLICK]

Steel ritcheys can't go wrong with the prices of second hand bikes lately,

My ritchey is by far the smoothest road bike I have owned, carbon and aluminum are hard as hell, my commuter is also a steel Niner

Once you ride either you will understand

[Monark]

Agreed steel is real

[Jonesy]

Size and fit are the most important aspects comfort. I highly recommed going for a fitment with CycleFit, possibably also get them to help with frame size selection.

 

 

2nd most important is tire width. I'm 95kg, and if I run 23mm, they have to be a rock hard 120psi front/125psi rear to aviod pinch flats. I run 25mm which allows me to reduce the preasuer to 105psi front/110psi back. I wish I could run 28mm or wider, but my frame does not allow for that. If I were buying a new frame, this would be important aspect for me.

Useful info. Thanks

[Jonesy]

5.

- Fit larger size tyres 700 x 23, 25 or 28 and don't pump them to their max press, keep it in the lower range of the recommended press (obv depending on weight).

- Get the right size frame (not to small)

- Don't be afraid (of peer pressure) to raise the bar height to a comfortable setting.

- Experiment with different saddles, good bike shops will have test saddles.

- Gel strips on the handle bars under the normal HB tape where you normally put your hands or just double tape it (cheaper than buying gel strips).

 

Good tips there. But you can only raise the handlebars as much as the steerer will allow (?)

[Jonesy]

What are you riding at the moment?

 

How much riding have you done?

For the road, I'm on a carbon mtb with rigid fork. Slicks and 48t crank. Want to do more road work. But want to be as comfortable as is possible. Not ready for a race machine.

[doczessop]

@Brumby That is a sweet ride. Details of the bike please

[Frosty]

 

AFAIK, there isn't a weight limit on Ritchey frames/components. With a horrendously placed exchange rate, their steel frame will eat up more then half your budget, but it will be worth it.

 

IMO, invest in a decent new frame and mix the rest of the build with new and used parts. You can always "upgrade" components.

 

Head over the "Building a Cyclocross bike" thread, as it appears the geometry is a little more forgiving than a road bike. Advantage is you can still use 25-32mm tyres without sacrificing the skinny tyre advantage.

 

With the above in mind, a quality frame, some new/used components and you're within your R25K budget.

 

But the most important point made so far, is get yourself fitted (Cyclefit).

They'll measure your flexibilty in your back (flexible, medium or rigid) and get suggestions for components that suit you fit, examples are:

 

Handlebars - reach, drop, width, etc.;

Saddles - flat & narrow, waved and wide, etc.;

Seatpost - with or without setback;

Crank length - 170mm, 172.5mm 175mm, etc.;

Frame reach, stack, standover height, top tube length and more.

 

As you can see, there's more to getting the right bike than walking into a shop and buying one.

 

My 2c worth.

 

FWIW, I have a carbon and steel bike.

Which is better (comfort)? Have no idea, but I do prefer the steel bike.

[Jonesy]

AFAIK, there isn't a weight limit on Ritchey frames/components. With a horrendously placed exchange rate, their steel frame will eat up more then half your budget, but it will be worth it.

IMO, invest in a decent new frame and mix the rest of the build with new and used parts. You can always "upgrade" components.

Head over the "Building a Cyclocross bike" thread, as it appears the geometry is a little more forgiving than a road bike. Advantage is you can still use 25-32mm tyres without sacrificing the skinny tyre advantage.

With the above in mind, a quality frame, some new/used components and you're within your R25K budget.

But the most important point made so far, is get yourself fitted (Cyclefit).

They'll measure your flexibilty in your back (flexible, medium or rigid) and get suggestions for components that suit you fit, examples are:

Handlebars - reach, drop, width, etc.;

Saddles - flat & narrow, waved and wide, etc.;

Seatpost - with or without setback;

Crank length - 170mm, 172.5mm 175mm, etc.;

Frame reach, stack, standover height, top tube length and more.

As you can see, there's more to getting the right bike than walking into a shop and buying one.

My 2c worth.

FWIW, I have a carbon and steel bike.

Which is better (comfort)? Have no idea, but I do prefer the steel bike.

Thanks a lot for your input. Cheers

[CAAD4]

Cut, cut, cut. Cannondale Synapse. Slightly relaxed head angle, made for comfortable hours in the saddle. To my knowledge the carbon version is no longer brought in, but you should find an alu version with carbon fork and a nice groupset and wheels within your budget. You might have to ask for it, as not many lbs stock them on the floor, due to the fact that far to many weekend warriors are far to obsessed with a "racing" bike (read uncomfortable, for most of us bigger lads) then have a decent set up and you will have an awesome comfortable bike, designed for comfort and speed.

Cannondale were one of the first. Some lead, others follow...

[SwissVan]

Good tips there. But you can only raise the handlebars as much as the steerer will allow (?)

 

Correct, some bikes especially when new still have some space for adjustment albeit probably only a few mm's. If not then you can change the stem to one with more + angle.

Stem length and angle should give you enough "comfort" adjustment for handle bar height if you have the correct size frame.

[KanonDonkie]

I'm 100kg+ and recently acquired a Cannondale SuperSix Evo 56cm (old frame cracked so all components built over onto this). Incredibly comfortable and relaxed ride. I think it has a lot to do with the traditional geometry (56x56) and no curved top tube. Also run 25mm Specialised Roubaix tyres that I normally pump to 8bar. It seems that it has a degree of built in flex that has taken a lot of the rumble out of my ride and I have found a noticeable difference when going over the rough stuff. A friend of mine recently acquired a Trek Emonda and said very much the same.

Of course, proper bike fit is also a massive factor. If going for one make sure that the fitter understands that you value comfort over speed.

It is worth while shopping around a little and looking for something that you'd prefer to be on. Do not take it at face value. Insist on a test ride and look for some rough stuff to ride over and see how much of that you feel and how much the frame will absorb.

 

Good luck.

[arendoog]

This and good value alsohttp://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-cannondale-synapse-carbon-5-14-48182/

Also BMC Gran Fondo

[raptor-22]

Good tips there. But you can only raise the handlebars as much as the steerer will allow (?)

 

 

Yes correct so if you need a more upright position then you need to consider a bike with a longer headtube. The Endurance type bikes cater for this. The Giant Fast Road is definately a prime candidate for this aspect.

 

Getting the frame fit right is key. Thereafter you can tweak the the accessories to fine tune the comfort. But frame and fork and wheels are going to be the deal breakers here.

 

Simple things like switching from a radial laced wheelset to a three cross laced hand built wheelset will make a huge difference to comfort. Wider tyres and rims i.e American Classic Victory 30 with 25mm or 28mm tyres in a frame that can accommodate

[venom1]

More important thing is to make sure you have the right frame size.

Specialized Roubiax is one of the ideal cause of the geometry and zertz inserts for comfort.

After getting the make sure you go for a bike fit.

 

Saddle (was my biggest headache)

25/28mm tires