Bike shopping- help me narrow the choices for an upgrade to carbon, 105

[crazycanuck]

I've been drooling over a Focus bike www.focus-bikes.com

I have to save for most of 2011 before I buy another road bike. We're running out of room for all our bikes...

[Eden]

I've been drooling over a Focus bike www.focus-bikes.com

I have to save for most of 2011 before I buy another road bike. We're running out of room for all our bikes...

Focus is our bike sponsor for this year - they are lovely and super light, the people who've got them so far really love them, but for the OP.... probably way too big.... They don't go down very small. If she needs a 44cm in a Specialized (like me) it's unlikely she'd fit one.

[sundial]

This will sound oversimplified but the bike that is the most comfortable will allow you to spend the most time in the saddle. And if you spend more time in the saddle and train you'll become stronger and swifter. So listen to your body and go with your gut when choosing the bike.

[Desert Tortoise]

When I first went shopping for my road bike I really knew very little. I had been riding my mountain bike on the road (with city tires) for a year and just knew I needed a road bike to continue road riding.

I went to about 12 shops, from casual riding style to performance bikes. The higher end bike shops were a little intimidating to me. But, I wanted to get a feel for what, I don't know. By trying out lots of bikes is how I found mine.

Yes, I knew some about components, carbon, alum, mix of the two but geometry and stuff. Nothing. What I found by testing so many bikes was what felt wrong or at the very least, not quite right. I found things I liked, but the overall feel still wasn't quite right.

Then I saw him. Black with a little red, very boring looking. The price was more than I wanted to pay. The salesguy didn't push it but my husband did. He said if the bike calls, go try it. I did and it felt right from the beginning. It wasn't the WSD I wanted but it rode beautifully, shifted effortlessly, the carbon ride was so different from anything else. I even purposefully rode over uneven surfaces to compare. Sweet. I knew this was the one. It was comfortable, nothing felt painful or out of place.

I still can't tell you much about components, geometry, types of carbon, etc. Just try lots and lots of bikes. Oh and if you do, keep notes of what you think. It's like wedding dress shopping, after a while they all look alike and you can't remember an individual thing.

Good luck!

[bluebug32]

I love, love, love my Synapse hi-mod carbon bike. It's super comfortable on long rides and has more relaxed geometry than the supersix. The SuperSix is a sweet bike, but more for those who are performance-minded.

I test rode a few bikes before I rode the Synapse. I was luke warm about the others, except the Orbea, but knew the moment I pedaled the Synapse that that was the bike for me.

[macski]

I've just bought a Synapse 3 (today in fact) and it is a very comfortable ride. I'm going to sell my performance bike - an Amira expert - because although I love the bike and its responsiveness, it is a much less forgiving ride. My experience is that performance vs endurance is not just about geometry but also how vertically rigid the bike is. I notice small bumps much less with the new bike and also rough surfaces are smoothed out a lot more. This adds up to less fatigue over a long distance.

So, azfiddle I'd strongly advise you to go down the endurance pathway - I don't notice a huge difference in riding position but I do in comfort level.

I think the Ruby is a beautiful looking bike but the Synapse was a better fit for me. If the Ruby had fitted as well then I would probably have gone with that because it has gorgeous lines.

[macski]

And I forgot to mention that here in Australia at least, the Synapse was better specced for the same money. So I got the Ultegra running gear, a carbon crank set and Shimano RS 80 wheels for the same price as the 105 specced Ruby would have been.