I think it just takes some getting used to... When I first started riding my Raleigh, I thought it was absolutely terrible and that drop bars were the worst because of the discomfort/lack of visibility. Now I find anything upright 
I think you just sort of have to pull the trigger at a certain point.
You might be right. I just have so little experience on a road bike, and what little I do have was pretty negative so I'm afraid to take a leap and buy whatever. I'm still probably most intrigued by the CAAD13/Supersix since they can take 30s and from what I gather online even 32s, but are also aggressive enough to race in a crit if I'm ever feeling up to it. FTP is up to 209 now...still shit, but improving. The CAAD even on the stock 25s had a quieter ride than the Emonda, I just need a 54 if it's a Cannondale. For whatever reason they seem to fit bigger than other brands, both in my experience and from what bike shop bros tell me. I loved the Aethos, but ain't no way I'm spending that kinda dough.D Griff wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:55 pm
I feel you man, I dropped $2600 for something I had never seen in my life, it was definitely nerve wracking.coogles wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 4:49 pmYou might be right. I just have so little experience on a road bike, and what little I do have was pretty negative so I'm afraid to take a leap and buy whatever. I'm still probably most intrigued by the CAAD13/Supersix since they can take 30s and from what I gather online even 32s, but are also aggressive enough to race in a crit if I'm ever feeling up to it. FTP is up to 209 now...still shit, but improving. The CAAD even on the stock 25s had a quieter ride than the Emonda, I just need a 54 if it's a Cannondale. For whatever reason they seem to fit bigger than other brands, both in my experience and from what bike shop bros tell me. I loved the Aethos, but ain't no way I'm spending that kinda dough.D Griff wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:55 pm
it was. It was Claris/Aluminum/Poverty spec and man, 
, the Hawaii ride was fucking epic (will post about it later). But like, if the shittiest vintage road bike I've ridden is a 1 on my scale and my Ribble a 10, my Raleigh is like a 3 and the Specialized was like an 8. It was objectively so much worse than my bike but in actuality it is splitting hairs. Cyclists really overanalyze/over worship the equipment. Just get strong and go on rides that are cool and it's great even if it's not a fantastic bike.
bike to a decent but inexpensive one, it really still does the same job unless you're like insanely competitive. Oh dude I’m totally with you on the rider vs equipment argument. Let’s also not kid ourselves about Zack’s bike, though. A CAAD10 with a higher end carbon wheelset is fast AF under the right rider, which he obviously is. I’m far less concerned about specs than I am about simply being comfortable. If I’m not, I can guarantee I won’t ride it, which is exactly what happened with my old CAAD10. Stiff frame + 23s + bad/aggressive fit meant I never ever wanted to ride it. It was a total torture device.D Griff wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 5:22 pmI feel you man, I dropped $2600 for something I had never seen in my life, it was definitely nerve wracking.
I love it... but I also haven't ridden all that many bikes. Over the years with cars as I've driven more and more, I notice more and more nuanced things. I'm sure over time I will do the same with bikes and may one day think mine isn't all that, but it has worked out really well so far and I love it.
I actually rented this Specialized Allez in Hawaii and did this epic ride and was amazed by how
I honestly agree with all of Troy's assessments going from a
I am still faster than almost all of the guys with $10K bikes around here, and [user not found] is the best cyclist I know and doesn't have anything crazy expensive.
Tires and tire pressure in my experience make up something like 95% of the comfort of a road bike.coogles wrote:Oh dude I’m totally with you on the rider vs equipment argument. Let’s also not kid ourselves about Zack’s bike, though. A CAAD10 with a higher end carbon wheelset is fast AF under the right rider, which he obviously is. I’m far less concerned about specs than I am about simply being comfortable. If I’m not, I can guarantee I won’t ride it, which is exactly what happened with my old CAAD10. Stiff frame + 23s + bad/aggressive fit meant I never ever wanted to ride it. It was a total torture device.D Griff wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 5:22 pmI feel you man, I dropped $2600 for something I had never seen in my life, it was definitely nerve wracking.
I love it... but I also haven't ridden all that many bikes. Over the years with cars as I've driven more and more, I notice more and more nuanced things. I'm sure over time I will do the same with bikes and may one day think mine isn't all that, but it has worked out really well so far and I love it.
I actually rented this Specialized Allez in Hawaii and did this epic ride and was amazed by how
I honestly agree with all of Troy's assessments going from a
I am still faster than almost all of the guys with $10K bikes around here, and [user not found] is the best cyclist I know and doesn't have anything crazy expensive.
Riding the Emonda ALR brought back bad memories of how pingy the CAAD10 was on 23s. Might be acceptable with some tubeless 28s, might still find it rougher than I’d like. Unfortunately the only way to find out is to drop $2,200 and cross my fingers.
100%, which is why a CAAD13 on some tubeless 700x32 GP5000s is so appealing. It'd be fast and comfortable. The biggest the Emonda will take is 28s, and that used Tarmac SL4 I linked awhile back will only take 25s. Too bad I'm a dummy and ordered in the wrong size.troyguitar wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 12:39 am Tires and tire pressure in my experience make up something like 95% of the comfort of a road bike.
(not counting fit, obviously)
Yeah, I'm not knocking his bike by any means, just that he is fast as hell and certainly isn't rocking some five figure thing. I ride with one person who has a $7500 bike and she is not the fastest person I ride with by any means. The last group ride I did (127 miler), myself and a dude with a $600 used Fiji had by far the best time. To be fair another dude in that group is way faster than me, but he was struggling with the heat. He also rides a 2016 Domane and can do solo centuries at 20+ MPH.coogles wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 6:42 pmOh dude I’m totally with you on the rider vs equipment argument. Let’s also not kid ourselves about Zack’s bike, though. A CAAD10 with a higher end carbon wheelset is fast AF under the right rider, which he obviously is. I’m far less concerned about specs than I am about simply being comfortable. If I’m not, I can guarantee I won’t ride it, which is exactly what happened with my old CAAD10. Stiff frame + 23s + bad/aggressive fit meant I never ever wanted to ride it. It was a total torture device.D Griff wrote: ↑Tue Jun 22, 2021 5:22 pmI feel you man, I dropped $2600 for something I had never seen in my life, it was definitely nerve wracking.
I love it... but I also haven't ridden all that many bikes. Over the years with cars as I've driven more and more, I notice more and more nuanced things. I'm sure over time I will do the same with bikes and may one day think mine isn't all that, but it has worked out really well so far and I love it.
I actually rented this Specialized Allez in Hawaii and did this epic ride and was amazed by how
I honestly agree with all of Troy's assessments going from a
I am still faster than almost all of the guys with $10K bikes around here, and [user not found] is the best cyclist I know and doesn't have anything crazy expensive.
Riding the Emonda ALR brought back bad memories of how pingy the CAAD10 was on 23s. Might be acceptable with some tubeless 28s, might still find it rougher than I’d like. Unfortunately the only way to find out is to drop $2,200 and cross my fingers.
coogles wrote:100%, which is why a CAAD13 on some tubeless 700x32 GP5000s is so appealing. It'd be fast and comfortable. The biggest the Emonda will take is 28s, and that used Tarmac SL4 I linked awhile back will only take 25s. Too bad I'm a dummy and ordered in the wrong size.troyguitar wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 12:39 am Tires and tire pressure in my experience make up something like 95% of the comfort of a road bike.
(not counting fit, obviously)
My wife found a used kids' bike on the swap and our little dude needed a bigger helmet, so I went back to the bike shop to get one. They recently got some Domane SL 5s in stock - I wanted to try out an endurance geometry - and having a couple 54s and 56s to get to try out both sizes was a nice plus. I figured I'd hop on the Emonda again last just to see, but I gave the bike a quick looking over before getting on and noticed the saddle was all the way back the rails. That would be the reason the reach felt too long, and also why I felt like I was pushing forward instead of down. The bike shop bro moved the saddle to the midpoint on the rails and it brought back that Goldilocks feeling I had the first time I got on a Trek H2 bike. Also, it felt WAY snappier than the Domanes did, and so it is mine. There was some tickety tickety from the front derailleur so I left it there for adjustment, but I'll pick it up tomorrow. 
The ALR 5 disc, full 105 groupset. It’s the slate gray to black fade, which is pretty meh, but it’s fine. Would’ve rather had the purple or the yellow to red fade they offer on the frameset.troyguitar wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 9:23 pm
Which emonda is it again?
I was out of town for the past week so no riding, hopefully I can get some sleep tonight and get out tomorrow if the thunderstorms cooperate.
coogles wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:02 pm
I bought the Emonda today.
congrats man! coogles wrote:The ALR 5 disc, full 105 groupset. It’s the slate gray to black fade, which is pretty meh, but it’s fine. Would’ve rather had the purple or the yellow to red fade they offer on the frameset.troyguitar wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 9:23 pm
Which emonda is it again?
I was out of town for the past week so no riding, hopefully I can get some sleep tonight and get out tomorrow if the thunderstorms cooperate.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bike ... 5/p/24166/
That's true, maybe I'll eventually do something funky with it. For now I just want to put some 28s on it and maybe do a carbon seatpost to kill some road buzz depending on how the 28s do at improving the ride.troyguitar wrote: ↑Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:00 pmcoogles wrote:
The ALR 5 disc, full 105 groupset. It’s the slate gray to black fade, which is pretty meh, but it’s fine. Would’ve rather had the purple or the yellow to red fade they offer on the frameset.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bike ... 5/p/24166/
My bike is mostly flat black which is also not ideal but it was available at the right time/price so I got it. The good thing about a boring paint job is that you can add pieces of flair to it. The next step for me is rainbow bar tape.
for reasons. The only other delta-compatible pedals I've found are knock-off Chinese shit on Amazon. 
My shop has some 700x28 GP5000 TL in stock but they want $95/ea for them. Ouch.troyguitar wrote: ↑Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:49 pm Carbon saddlepost is one thing that I think I can feel a difference on, but I have been using one exclusively for over a year now so who knows if that's true or placebo.
25/28mm staggered tire setup at ~60 psi I think is going to be the answer for me, assuming that the 32 doesn't fit. The 28mm GP5000TL was just updated today with a 7/26 ETA though... I ordered it with an original ETA of 6/6.
Yeah my order is about $64 for one tire. I wanted to try the Michelin Power Road TLR but it's also on backorder with an even later ETA. The puncture-resistant but slow-rolling Pirelli is available nowcoogles wrote:My shop has some 700x28 GP5000 TL in stock but they want $95/ea for them. Ouch.troyguitar wrote: ↑Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:49 pm Carbon saddlepost is one thing that I think I can feel a difference on, but I have been using one exclusively for over a year now so who knows if that's true or placebo.
25/28mm staggered tire setup at ~60 psi I think is going to be the answer for me, assuming that the 32 doesn't fit. The 28mm GP5000TL was just updated today with a 7/26 ETA though... I ordered it with an original ETA of 6/6.
so maybe I should order a pair to have them on hand for whenever I do want to try them.
conti ultra sport with tubes sometime. 
awwwwwww yeahcoogles wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:02 pm
I bought the Emonda today.
Could get higher TPI tires to soften the ride. Vittoria Corsa come to mind, but I know nothing about longevity. They're 320 TPI.coogles wrote: ↑Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:00 pmThat's true, maybe I'll eventually do something funky with it. For now I just want to put some 28s on it and maybe do a carbon seatpost to kill some road buzz depending on how the 28s do at improving the ride.troyguitar wrote: ↑Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:00 pm
My bike is mostly flat black which is also not ideal but it was available at the right time/price so I got it. The good thing about a boring paint job is that you can add pieces of flair to it. The next step for me is rainbow bar tape.
Also I found out that the delta cleats that come with the Peloton are actually not compatible with the Keo cleats Look now uses with their pedals. I really don't want to buy a second pair of shoes, so I either need to replace the pedals on the Peloton or use Peloton-branded pedals on the Emonda, which makes me
Vittoria are the dirt tires I have on the CX bike. Higher TPI made a monstrous difference in ride quality. That thing is a marshmallow now. So good.
I think that's the plan, being able to run a lower PSI in a tubeless tire of the same size has major appeal. $95 per tire for the for the Contis is just a tough pill to swallow. I have a bead on some 28c Bontrager R3 tubeless tires at $60 each, I'm thinking I'll go with those.[user not found] wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:18 am If you intend to put some miles on this thing, just go tubeless and don't look back.
Biggest transformation ever on the CAAD. I used to ride 23/25c tires at 100+ PSI. Now I'm on 28s rolling at 65 PSI. It's incredible.
Also, congrats. I think the black/gray is sharp and low-key, and will age well. The polished logos are a nice touch, too.
Nice, thanks.[user not found] wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:56 am I ran R3s for years on my CAAD - they'll do the job.
It looks really great! I prefer something a bit more flamboyant, but your bike is classy and will age very well, a timeless design.coogles wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:48 amI think that's the plan, being able to run a lower PSI in a tubeless tire of the same size has major appeal. $95 per tire for the for the Contis is just a tough pill to swallow. I have a bead on some 28c Bontrager R3 tubeless tires at $60 each, I'm thinking I'll go with those.[user not found] wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:18 am If you intend to put some miles on this thing, just go tubeless and don't look back.
Biggest transformation ever on the CAAD. I used to ride 23/25c tires at 100+ PSI. Now I'm on 28s rolling at 65 PSI. It's incredible.
Also, congrats. I think the black/gray is sharp and low-key, and will age well. The polished logos are a nice touch, too.
And thanks! I'll have to give it another look today when I go pick up the bike, but I'm pretty sure those logos are unpainted and show the raw aluminum underneath. The bike does look really nice in person at least, if a bit understated. Of course it's supposed to rain ALL day today.
I’m only 34 and about 1” from being able to bend over and out my palms flat on the floor ice cold. I should be able to ride a regular road bike. It’d probably fine with some tubeless 28s, I dunno.
