Trek Silque vs Madone

[Triskeliongirl]

To be clear Crankin, my understanding is that there is nothing special about the short reach ultegra levers vs a normal lever, except for the fact that they come with shims. I learned this when I needed to replace a short reach lever on a bike and couldn't get one, so I ordered a regular lever, and then moved the shim from the old to the new lever. SO, shimming a lever does not compromise the braking in any way. The only difference is that SRAM I believe has a screw that lets you bring the lever closer with an adjustment, whereas a shim brings it in by sticking a physical block in there. So, while the unshimmed levers look prettier, I believe that the end result is the same, so I would not make my choice based on whether you are worried about a shim or not. Regarding the electronic levers though, I have no experience with those to know if there are differences that make it a better choice. SO you need to talk to your LBS folks about that, but be careful they aren't just trying to sell you a more expensive lever. I have no issues braking with my durace 10 shimmed levers, and shifts do feel crisper than previous iterations of ultegra.

[Crankin]

OK, I bit the bullet and went to the LBS today. They were wonderful. As I said, we have had a long association with them, though have never bought a bike there. I had a print out of the exact build I wanted of the Silque that had the exact same geometry as the Madone I rode. It was very confusing on line, but DH and I figured it out, and then the store owner got out the books from this year and last to make sure we were right. Obviously, I couldn't ride anything they had, but I am confident that with the geometry I had an "aha" moment with, it will be fine. I never felt pushed or bullied, and I had 2 men and one woman all helping me, making choices. I tried the DI2 on a trainer, and no way... it felt weird. I said they had to convince me and they didn't. I'm sticking with the Ultra 6800 group and getting an 11-32 on the back. Going on Thursday for the Guru fit and some choices will be made then. I will probably order some things at the cheapest level, knowing that we may switch out, based on the fit. This may be coming at an opportune time, as I discovered several big scratches on the paint of my Kuota; it appears the clear coat is rubbed off from something about the way I put my light on the bike, last Tuesday. DH clear coated it, but it looks like crap, after just 8 years. I won't get anything for this bike, so I may just keep it as a bike I could commute on, apart from my Guru.

[Crankin]

That web site was making both me and DH nuts.
Yes, I am buying the Silque. The shop owner got out the "big book" from Trek for the last 2 years, to find the geometry of the Madone 3.1 in a 47 and then we compared it to the Silques, until he also found the one that has exactly the same geometry (well, one measurement is off by .1 of a cm). It is the same comparison I found at home. You are right, something funny is going on with the Madones. I am getting the Silque SSL, which means we started subtracting from the price of the almost 12k one that is on line. I will end up paying about 5,500, which is a great price and less than either of my other 2 bikes. The Guru fitting is free, of course, and I am even going to get a saddle fitting, as this LBS has the butt-O-meter. I ordered one that might work, which can be exchanged. First time I have ever been optimistic about getting a new bike and a good fit.
The female half of the shop owners wasn't as weird yesterday. And, I really liked the other fitter/mechanic, who worked with my friend.

[Crankin]

Just got an email that the paint I chose is extra. Back to the drawing board. Definitely don't want white. I am a dirt magnet. Will settle this much later tonight.

[Crankin]

It was black, with white lettering, white stem and something else, red, fading to white stripe on the top tube. There's some other options that are similar. I wrote a nasty email to my DH and said I would decide later. He has to work late tonight, and right now it's 8:30, I commuted home about 20 minutes ago, just ate, and have a ton of work that is probably going to wait until early AM to do. It seems like my days are either busy or bordering on boring...

[Crankin]

After a sleepless night, I decided on the one that has a similar look, that doesn't cost extra. Has a red fade to purple stripe, red lettering on a black frame. Almost got a totally black one.

[Crankin]

The original choice was 850.00 extra. We were willing to go for 400.00 extra, but in the end, decided not to.
It's 65 degrees out and I'm at work! I need to ride my bike.

[ny biker]

850 DOLLARS to paint a bike?

I'm in the wrong business!

When will it be ready?

[Crankin]

I'll know more Thursday, but the turn around time is about 2-3 wks if it's not custom painted.
Yeah, they get paid well.

[Crankin]

Just got back from my fitting, about 45 minutes ago. I was there for over 2 hours. Good, but exhausting. They were surprised I rode there . It's 3.5 miles, and I had to be in my bike clothes, so, duh!
So, what I came away with, is that my reach will be 4 inches shorter and that I've been riding a saddle that's too wide. He was shocked I've never had chafing, just soft tissue issues. I measured a 144 on the butt o meter, so he tried me on a 143 Oura. The extra long cut out was great, but the shape of the saddle is different, so I actually need a bigger size, which Specialized is out of. I felt like my azz was rolling off the saddle. And my sit bones hurt, which he said goes away. Anyway, the bike will be coming with a saddle that might be OK, too. That's the least of my cares. The seatpost will have 0 setback. He showed me what it meant, but if I had to explain it, I couldn't. Good news is that all the stuff the fitting came up with will be OK with the Silque. My shoulders are actually only 36.5, but I'm fine with a 38 bar. I have long arms for a small person, I have a strong core, and I am super flexible, which are all things I knew. However, he noted several things that I was doing when on the fitting machine, where I wasn't using my strong core... mostly bad habits to compensate for the long reach.
He'll do up the stuff and will be sending me a final estimate later. While I was in there, one of the area's top spin instructors was in there, buying a bike for her son. She has one of those weird voices that a lot of younger people have, even though she looked to be in her 40s. She was giving me the once over; I've met a lot people like this recently. They do almost everything at the gym and going outside is like strange to them. It kept me amused while I was waiting for him to get the Guru thing set up.

[Crankin]

The other woman there, no, just an observation of a certain type of person (I became aware at the gym) who sees the stuff they do at the gym as something to get done, before the rest of their life/obligations. They are often addicted to exercise in an unhealthy way and cringe when I describe getting sweaty/dirty/etc. Some compete in triathlons or running events, but train almost excusively inside, with a few runs in between. Maybe I'm just too observant of others!
I will talk to the fitter about changing the seat post to zero offset on my Guru. Bad news is, it probably won't be until the end of December until I get the new bike. In the 4 days since I first went in, there's a growing shortage of 165 cranks... oh well. My riding is winding down and my only goal now is to get to 2,500 miles. I have less than 100 miles to go, but the weather is against me this weekend. I've ridden 27 miles this week! Thoughts of x country skiing are entering my brain.
No one, except you guys at TE knows I'm getting a new bike. Going over there in the early afternoon, after work, to give them the downpayment (half). It ended up being around 5K.

[Crankin]

I am leaning toward selling it. I don't need 3 road bikes. I won't get much, but at this point who cares? I'd rather save up for that mixte/town bike for when we move off of the hill.
No rush, though, on selling.

[Crankin]

Yes, that's it. The frame is kind of not in great shape, DH clear coated it last week. Lots of dings and I'm not so great at keeping it clean. Though, it looks new-ish and it's been maintained well. It might sell for the "fair" price to a small woman or man; it's got new components.
There's a lot of riders around here. I am sure I can find a buyer.

[Crankin]

Mine is red with black /white accents. Still "common" bike colors, and not girly at all. I hate girly looking bikes, no offense to anyone who likes pink! My mom refused to dress me in pink as a baby/toddler, and since i had no hair until i was about 3, I have heard I was always mistaken for a boy. Ah, the good old 50's. Anyway, I am going to wait until I get the Trek, and make sure the zero offset seatpost works, as well as the rest of the fit, and then I will bring in my Guru to the fitter. I am definitely selling the Kuota.

[Crankin]

I saw your post about 650 wheels. The Silque does not have them, but the geometry of the bike, as you said will be fine with the 700s. My 5200 did have 650s. I never noticed any difference in my riding, frankly. I don't have toe overlap on the Kuota, and it's only when I attempt very tight turns on the Guru. I just don't do that! I originally wanted 650 wheels on the Guru, but was convinced otherwise, especially with buying new tires, tubes, wheels. It was a pain when I had 650s. It's something I might consider for the Guru, though, in the future. I rode the Guru yesterday, for a short ride, without the pannier. it really does ride nicely, because of the ti, but I always feel "high up." Of course, I always feel the difference when I switch between bikes, much more than others. I was dealing with issues on my Frog cleats on my winter shoes, so that added something else to the mix. That's fixed now, though. If I just remember to push up in a different way when I start, I'm fine. It's when I get into an intersection when I have to go quickly that I get nervous and I often have to make more than one attempt. I've scooted across quite a few intersections when I got nervous, mostly about approaching traffic, in situations where I am perfectly at ease on the Kuota.