OK BT, whatcha think... Cannondale, Specialized or Felt (Page 2)

This user's post has been ignored.

Phew....looks like which ever you pick you'll be getting a fast red bike

Get the one fits ....but I think once they dial in the fit and you test ride them all it will be clear which is best.

Which parts packages do they have? How does the weight compare?

This user's post has been ignored.

Weight doesn't matter and Cannondale is crap (as a company that is not owned by the original group anymore and in all my experiences as a dealer in two shops for them).

x2, don't let that be a big part of the decision. Aero trumps weight. Go with fit, componenets, style.

Edited by bryancd 2009-10-07 11:17 AM

I think we already know your feelings about Cdale. 

And flu shots. 

This user's post has been ignored.

cannondale

Even 3 pounds?   that seemed like a lot to me.  i guess i didn't realize between those three that the aeroness could vary that significantly.  you all would know far better than i though!  

I guess I'm sort of confused.  There have been several posts about the Cervelo being "cramped" for long torso'ed people.  Well, I 'sort' of fall in the class, and Cervelo, of all the bike offered in 2008 had the LONGEST horizontal top tube.  That's why I had to go with it...

Now, I see specialized has a 62cm, which may fit...  Even with the 2010's, the Cervelo reach is slightly longer than any of the other frames...  Maybe is was a stem problem?

ANYWAY...  I think there is no sig difference in the bikes...

My first MTB was a Cannondale, and I LOVED it.  However, they have a lot of propriortary stuf on their bike at times, so it's hard to upgrade or change items...

I love my new Specialized Full suspension 29er as well and have had great dealings with the my LBS and the distributer to find my size (I'm hard to fit).

I love my new Felt Road bike as well...

I can't say enough about my Cervelo TT bike either.  There was a small mechanical issue with the frame which they could fix at the factory, but chose to just send me a new frame instead.  On top of that, when I asked if I could upgrade, they said 'yes', gave me FULL credit on my 2008 P2C frame, and just made me pay the difference for a brand new P3 frame.  (I'm waiting for it to ship to the LBS to rebuild for me).

I guess it's a long winded way to say I think the companies are quality (haven't dealt with cannondale in years, though), so the best fitting bike would be the best choice...

However, if it were my choice (exluding sizing issues that may eliminate most of these options)  I would probabably go with Felt>Specialized>Cannondale.

And to mention the obvious, ride comfort can be very important for HIMS and longer training rides, and too stiff a frame will drain energy on rougher roads. Cannondale used to be famous for their roughness as a tradeoff for weight. I have to agree on the fit and comfort criteria as being key; make sure you have the time to demo each on varied tarmac.    

From Analytic Cycling:

Speed For Given Power

Speed For These Parameters	10.05	m/s
Power	200	watts
Frontal Area	0.5	m2
Coefficient Wind Drag	0.5	Dimensionless
Air Density	1.226	kg/m3
Weight Rider & Bike	75	kg
Coefficient of Rolling	0.006	Dimensionless
Slope of Hill	0.	decimal

vs

Speed For Given Power

Speed For These Parameters	10.04	m/s
Power	200	watts
Frontal Area	0.5	m2
Coefficient Wind Drag	0.5	Dimensionless
Air Density	1.226	kg/m3
Weight Rider & Bike	76.4	kg
Coefficient of Rolling	0.006	Dimensionless
Slope of Hill	0.	decimal

A difference of only .023mph.

Shane

This user's post has been ignored.

The B2/DA is one of the slipperiest designs out there.  The new Transition is pretty good too.

But the most telling thing is that for this years top TT'ers both Trek and Specialized re-do their bike completely.  Felt didn't touch their design at all (even though they had the opportunity).

The DA is also fairly light.  The B2 not as much, but it is the same design (just different carbon lay up).

True and all things being equal, I would go with the lighter bike.  However, for many triathletes, the 3lbs could be gained by focusing on improved nutrition (especially the week leading up to race day), taking fewer bottles on the bike, etc.

For someone who pays attention to their training, nutrition and makes smart equipment choices, then assuming that a good position can be attained on both bikes, I would choose the lighter one.  However, I would not rule out a bike because it was 3 lbs heavier.

Shane

With the exception of Lanzarote, non of the IM courses are so hilly that weight trumps aero.

i'm not exactly sure how to phrase what i'm asking, so he goes.  does this^^^ mean a 140 lb. rider on a 20 lb bike will be virtually the same as a 120 lb rider on a 40 lb. bike?

Assuming they had the same "frontal area", yes.  However, that's unlikely.  The 140 lb. rider would likely be slower at the same power output because of more drag, not more weight.  IOW, it's the aerodynamics that make the big difference, not the weight.

This user's post has been ignored.