General Discussion Triathlon Talk » please help me decide between these three road bikes.. Rss Feed  
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2013-12-18 5:47 PM


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Subject: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
So after much riding i have it down between 3 choices. All are about the same price at my lbs. All 2013. A trek domane 2.0, madone2.1 with 105, and a full carbon defy 2 with sram apex. I am not a racer and am looking for a training bike and one for longer rides. So i am leaning more towards the domane or defy. Never owned a sram bike before. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.


2013-12-18 7:10 PM
in reply to: tryingtotri0321

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Master
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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Of those 3 bikes if they fit me I would go withe the Madone 2.1 w/105 group. Good luck and have fun.

2013-12-18 7:34 PM
in reply to: BrotherTri

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Madrone with the 105
2013-12-18 7:51 PM
in reply to: #4915317


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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Ok thanks but why the madone? I was leaning more towards a endurance frame. It seems like i would be getting the most bike in the. Defy. I would rather the domane frame. But i like that the madone has 105. Just cant decide. I do like that i could put racks on the domane if i ever wanted to
2013-12-18 7:59 PM
in reply to: 0

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Master
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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
The Shimano 105 is a better Group than the Shimano Tiagra IMO. Also IMO the Madone frame set is more well like for stiffness and smooth.

EDIT The Madone will have a more responsive stearing. I like that.



Edited by BrotherTri 2013-12-18 8:02 PM
2013-12-18 8:08 PM
in reply to: #4915317


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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Will that stiff frame suit me well on long rides. Forgot to mention the road conditions where i ride are crappy and very hilly


2013-12-18 8:20 PM
in reply to: tryingtotri0321

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Master
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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
How long is your long rides? 80-100 miles the Domane 2.0 with it's longer wheelbase and fork rake should be the most comfortable. Which one have you ridden? Hope you plan to test ride them. Bottom line I still would go with the Madone 2.1
2013-12-18 9:04 PM
in reply to: #4915364


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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Yes my long rides are 100+ i have ridden all 3 just not as far as i would have liked. Whats wrong with the defy. I guess i keep going back to the defy and donane because i dont need a race bike. I also like the fact the domane could serve multiple functions ie training touring etc
2013-12-19 1:52 AM
in reply to: tryingtotri0321

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
If you are doing longer rides, bike fit becomes even more crucial for comfort. I was start off with a bike fit and then start looking for the brand/model that fits you the best.

There's nothing wrong with the Defy, but personally, I think the Domane is a better bike. It responds really well to rider input, but it dampens out the road vibrations really well, without killing the road feel. Quite remarkable bike
2013-12-19 4:41 AM
in reply to: audiojan

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Master
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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Originally posted by audiojan

If you are doing longer rides, bike fit becomes even more crucial for comfort. I was start off with a bike fit and then start looking for the brand/model that fits you the best.

There's nothing wrong with the Defy, but personally, I think the Domane is a better bike. It responds really well to rider input, but it dampens out the road vibrations really well, without killing the road feel. Quite remarkable bike


Good stuff!

2013-12-19 5:29 AM
in reply to: tryingtotri0321

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
The structural differences between the frames are minimal and probably can't be felt. You're buying the minimal differences between the three, one of which is internal cabling, which the madone has. It's minor, but it's one more thing that will last longer than a bike with external routing. The 105 group is simply better than tiagra, as was mentioned, and SRAM stuff at the lower levels is garbage in my opinion, ie apex and rival. Whatever aero benefits afforded by the madone mean free speed, which provides endurance by getting you there a couple minutes faster on long rides. So the madone.


2013-12-19 6:26 AM
in reply to: tryingtotri0321

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..

I would buy the Madone and get a good fit. The 105 is definitely a better group set and you will adapt to the Madone frame nicely.

2013-12-19 7:06 AM
in reply to: tryingtotri0321

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Fit is the most important thing here. If the bikes all fit well then go for another test ride, but do some homework first. Find a rough back road near the shop somewhere(chip and tar roads are perfect) to get an idea of which bike is going to smooth out the ride for you the best. If you don't really notice anything than I would buy the bike with the 105 group. There is a noticeable difference between shifting with the 105 and the tiagra, not to mention the durability. If the bike with the tiagra feels better then go for it. For less than $100 you can upgrade the rear derailer to a 105 which is the only part of the group you really feel a difference in.
2013-12-19 8:10 AM
in reply to: mike761

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..

Madone for sure. Unless you are riding Roubaix you don't need a domane.

 

2013-12-19 9:00 AM
in reply to: dmiller5

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..

Have you been fit?

If not do that first.

Have you gone to other shops?

If not do that as well to learn and get other ideas and see other bikes.

Sounds like someone in the shop has pushed you in one direction. Frequently new triathletes go to a bike shop and they get sort of evaluated by the staff and pushed in a certain direction what type of bike would be best for them when their assumptions are off. Some of the stuff I have heard bike shops tell new triathletes is horrible advice. All to often new triathletes buy a bike only to have bike regret and end up buying a second bike within a year due to bad bike advice from the shop they trust. Bike shop employees often don't know  much but pretend to know a lot about triathlons.

What are your goals in riding?

Do you want to be fast? do group rides? do tris? do bike racing? social riding? What?

2013-12-19 9:02 AM
in reply to: KathyG

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Another vote for bike fit, and Madone if it fits you.


2013-12-19 9:49 AM
in reply to: #4915387


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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Thank you for all the advice. Maybe this will help. I have done a few ironmans and have two triathlon bikes. A tequilo and a luciero. I am looking for a road bike mainly for group rides and training/fitness. I am tired of beating up my tri bike. I live down a dirt road and the roads around me are crappy and heavy with traffic. I have no interest in road racing. But i do enjoy long centuryplus rides. I guess i am leaning more towards the versatility of the domane. Just found out i can get a 2014 domane 4.3 full carbon with 105 for $2100.00 more than i wanted to spend but will hopefully last me10 years.
2013-12-19 10:26 AM
in reply to: tryingtotri0321

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..

This year's Tiagra is last year's 105. Seriously. It's decent stuff, and you can (and will) eventually trade up when things wear out. The frame? Not so much. I like the idea of the Domane for long distance comfort. Assuming it fits, that's the way I'd go.

2013-12-19 10:36 AM
in reply to: briderdt

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
Originally posted by briderdt

This year's Tiagra is last year's 105. Seriously. It's decent stuff, and you can (and will) eventually trade up when things wear out. The frame? Not so much. I like the idea of the Domane for long distance comfort. Assuming it fits, that's the way I'd go.




I rode cyclocross bikes back to back this fall (both 2013 models). One with Tiagra and one with 105. The difference was not subtle. The 105 shifted much, much better. It made my decision very difficult because I wanted to buy the cheaper bike but ended up going with the one with 105, which I don't regret.
2013-12-19 10:38 AM
in reply to: briderdt

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..

Originally posted by briderdt

This year's Tiagra is last year's 105. Seriously. It's decent stuff, and you can (and will) eventually trade up when things wear out. The frame? Not so much. I like the idea of the Domane for long distance comfort. Assuming it fits, that's the way I'd go.

That isn't exactly true, some of the technology "trickles down" but there are still some serious differences between groupos.

2013-12-19 10:49 AM
in reply to: dmiller5

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..

 

I would not go back to Tiagra on a bet. My first bike had Tiagra, it works but not very well. My current roadie has 105 on it and I am happy with that. My tri bike has Ultegra. Would have preferred Ultegra on the Roadie but the bike was the right price so I went for it. 105 is the lowest I would go on components. 



2013-12-19 2:53 PM
in reply to: tryingtotri0321

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..

Originally posted by tryingtotri0321 Thank you for all the advice. Maybe this will help. I have done a few ironmans and have two triathlon bikes. A tequilo and a luciero. I am looking for a road bike mainly for group rides and training/fitness. I am tired of beating up my tri bike. I live down a dirt road and the roads around me are crappy and heavy with traffic. I have no interest in road racing. But i do enjoy long centuryplus rides. I guess i am leaning more towards the versatility of the domane. Just found out i can get a 2014 domane 4.3 full carbon with 105 for $2100.00 more than i wanted to spend but will hopefully last me10 years.

Your situation is different than what most of us assumed. Clearly you are a solid cyclist and getting another bike to add to your stable.

I would suggest riding the two you like best on roads similar to what you ride and go from there. Will your shop allow you take them out for a 1-2 hour ride to see which is right for you.

2013-12-19 3:15 PM
in reply to: KathyG

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..

I can say a little something about the move to SRAM.  My most recent roadie has SRAM Rival. I wanted to try something different.  I am not a huge fan of the double-tap shifting and would go back to Shimano on the next bike.  I can't explain exactly why, but when I ride my old roadie with crappy components I feel like shifting is "easier." 

Just my $.02

2013-12-19 4:14 PM
in reply to: #4915588


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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..
No the one shop is pretty restrictive and the other i would rather quit riding then give them any money.
2013-12-19 6:24 PM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: please help me decide between these three road bikes..

Originally posted by dmiller5

Originally posted by briderdt

This year's Tiagra is last year's 105. Seriously. It's decent stuff, and you can (and will) eventually trade up when things wear out. The frame? Not so much. I like the idea of the Domane for long distance comfort. Assuming it fits, that's the way I'd go.

That isn't exactly true, some of the technology "trickles down" but there are still some serious differences between groupos.

I thought that maybe 2013 Tiagra was very similar to 2012 105 now that it's 10 speed, but many people agreed that it's not up to par...yet.

As for the person that claimed simply swapping out the rear derailleur to 105 would be a simple fix...I disagree.  It would help a little, but you would still be limited largely by the Tiagra shifters. 



Edited by Jason N 2013-12-19 6:24 PM
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