First road bike - "relaxed" vs. "aggressive?"

[leah]

I am in the market for my first road bike and want to use it for centuries/long distance road rides and maybe get into racing. I am looking for something I can ride for a while without the urge to upgrade.

I have limited myself to WSD as I am short (5'4') and have the stereotypical women's short torso/long leg combination. I have test ridden a Specialized Ruby Expert Compact, a Trek 5.2 C WSD Madone, and a Canondale Supersix 3 Ultegra. The people at my LBS explained that the Ruby has a more "relaxed" geometry which is supposed to make it more comfortable over long distances; the Amira is supposed to be more "aggressive" for speed. They did not have an Amira in my size to try so I still haven't ridden an Amira. I can post an update once I do.

I am confused though because I tried the Cannondale Supersix and found it more comfortable than the Ruby. Is there really a major difference between the "relaxed" vs. "aggressive?" What is the better choice for someone new to road cycling? Or does it just come down to personal preference in the end?

[zoom-zoom]

Ahhh...Cannondale doesn't actually have WSD geometry on any of their road bikes. What they often do is have specific smaller components (with Shimano brake levers...SRAM are all adjustable) and women's saddles. If you were comfiest on the SuperSix it makes me wonder if you really need WSD. Cervelo doesn't do any bikes with WSD. They have found that the differences between male and female proportions are not as great as the differences between individuals of either gender. I'm not convinced that WSD is anything more than marketing. I'm a short female and I'm all torso. The bikes that actually have WSD geometry wouldn't work for me, though they'd work for a guy with long legs and short torso.

My first bike was a women's Cdale Synapse. It was too relaxed, but it was my first bike and I didn't really know what I'd end up liking. My current bike is a Cdale SuperSix and I'm really happy with it (aside from crotch issues, which I would have on any bike, since I have a really anterior rotated pelvis). I've got good flexibility. Had I known I'd be so comfortable on a more aggressive frame and enjoy racing I would have gone with this sort of bike from the get-go. It's sometimes difficult to know what you'll like with a first bike, unfortunately.

[Owlie]

I do need "WSD" (long legs, short torso, small hands), but I agree that a lot of it is marketing--as long as the top tube length is good, I can in theory swap out components to make any given bike work for me. I think Cannondale and Giant simply file a half-centimeter or so off the top tube of the unisex frames and call it good. Specialized does actually seem a little different.

My current bike is Giant's equivalent of the Dolce. I haven't ridden a Ruby or the Amira (no one has my size!), but I've ridden the Dolce (a more relaxed road bike) and the women's CAAD10, which has the same geometry as the SuperSix, just different materials. I also recently had my Giant fitted, and I'm now in a more aggressive position. (I don't race. I just like riding as much as I can.)

My lower back, oddly enough, is a lot happier with the more aggressive position of my refitted Giant and the CAAD10. I'm looking for a new saddle, but that's the only unhappy part of me. I'm quite flexible, which helps. If I were to get bitten by the brevet bug, I'd look more closely at the Ruby. The handling is going to be a bit different--the CAAD corners much better than my Giant does, and it felt like it would be faster if I wanted it to be. They'll probably feel different climbing too.

Go with whatever fits and feels better. I'm not sure I could do very, very rides on the CAAD10, but I think my back might freak out on the Ruby. Of course, since I have yet to actually hit the 50-mile mark yet...uh...

[zoom-zoom]

I do need "WSD" (long legs, short torso, small hands), but I agree that a lot of it is marketing--as long as the top tube length is good, I can in theory swap out components to make any given bike work for me. I think Cannondale and Giant simply file a half-centimeter or so off the top tube of the unisex frames and call it good. Specialized does actually seem a little different.

When I bought my SuperSix the men's and women's of the same size had identical geometries (I went with a "men's" because the white and orange color scheme was hot and the women's colors were lame...I don't think they offered SRAM Rival on a women's frame, either, which was the component group I wanted). Maybe that's different, now. Though I notice with their mountain bikes that the #s are still the same in the same sizes...the handlebar width and saddles are simply different.

[Bethany1]

I think the relaxed or aggressive has to do with the angles of the bike like the seat tube and the head tube angles. The steeper the angle, the more aggressive it is.

Too bad there isn't a program that does an overlay of the bikes you want to look at to see the differences.

All the bikes look nice, but I like the look of the Cannondale.

[Eden]

I had the original Ruby, which was more relaxed than a true race bike, but not as relaxed as the current Ruby.

I now have an Amira and contrary to my fears it is more comfortable (for me at least) than my old Ruby.

I am small 5'nothing, with short torso/arms. I still have to put a short stem on my tiny (44cm) bikes....

but that is just my experience.

[zoom-zoom]

Too bad there isn't a program that does an overlay of the bikes you want to look at to see the differences.

All the bikes look nice, but I like the look of the Cannondale.

I tease my DH about his Roubaix. He had an early Roubaix and it was stealthy and sleek looking. A few years later it developed a crack in the carbon and he ended up with a new Roubaix under warranty. He still loves it, but he admits that it's kinda funny lookin' with all the swoops and curves. My SuperSix has more traditional and simple lines.

A program that would overlay bikes would be awesome. Some running store websites do something like this with shoes--seems to me that something like that would be perfect for bikes and saddles and cycling shoes.

[Owlie]

I think the relaxed or aggressive has to do with the angles of the bike like the seat tube and the head tube angles. The steeper the angle, the more aggressive it is.

Too bad there isn't a program that does an overlay of the bikes you want to look at to see the differences.

All the bikes look nice, but I like the look of the Cannondale.

Seat tube angles, head tube angle and length, chainstay length (and therefore wheelbase length)...I think. Any expert on frame geometry want to chime in?


Zoom, I think the biggest difference between C'dale's road bikes (men's vs. women's) are the paint jobs and choice. There are far fewer options in the women's bikes. Maybe it's because the world has moved on from 'race-quality' aluminum (and that's what my budget will allow), so the market's not there for either CAAD10 frame. I haven't looked at the SuperSix, but I don't think there's much choice in terms of componentry for women either.
ETA: Okay, maybe that isn't quite true. There are some differences: Wider spread of sizes, and the sizing is a little teeny bit different. The top tubes on the unisex frames are a little longer, at least this year.