Road bike: long, stable but quick

[Twilkes]

I'm looking at road bikes, most interested in a Cube Attain I saw in a shop that also stocked Giant (apparently quite similar) and Specialized (apparently bit more racy but lower quality components).

But I'm 6ft5 with a fairly standard inseam of 860mm (34") so a lot of my size is upper body. So I'm looking for something long; and something fairly stable so maybe a long wheel base, or whatever other combination of geometry that means it's not twitchy; but also something fairly quick, so light (<10kg) and not a sit-up position, I'm happy leaning forwards.

Would consider new or possibly buying a second hand bike/frame and upgrading the components if necessary, as I'll likely be at least buying new tyres and possibly wider bars on a new bike anyway.

What kind of brands/models should I be on the lookout for? If used then nothing vintage, I want to be able to use current components.

 

[si_c]

Just picked up a barely used Trek Domane ALR a month or so back on ebay that meets that criteria - not at all twitchy quite light (9.3kg in 62cm) and it's reasonably upright but with plenty of opportunity to slam the stem if you so want.

I'm a tad over 6'5" so I reckon that would be worth looking at. I've got a Tiagra specced and rim braked version so it's slightly lighter than the current model which I think is disc brake only (that being said I'm a huge fan of disc brakes). The wheelbase is long enough to be stable but it's very chuck-able and I've not managed to get the back end to step out even when throwing it around really tight corners, lots of fun to ride.

It's hard to suggest a bike based on "not twitchy, but long" as there are quite a few factors which make a difference - a really short stem for example can make a bike feel twitchy but that's an easy fix - especially if you want to get stretched out a bit. Your best bet is to try a few different bikes out and see how they handle which will give you a benchmark around which you can compare other bikes.

 

[Twilkes]

Thanks, will have a look. New to road bikes/drops and I originally thought that I didn't like the narrow bars and rotated forearms compared to flat bars, but I think it's actually the twitchiness of the few bikes I've ridden that I didn't get on with.

I'm wondering if a touring/cyclocross bike might fit the bill more, although I suspect will be heavier than a dedicated 'racer' as they used to be called.

I used to have a Raleigh Pioneer that was like a shire horse and it cornered fairly well from what I remember, but my current hybrid is long (no foot/wheel overlap even with a mid-foot riding position) but often doesn't corner very much at all when I really want it to, i.e. downhill hairpins.

 

[vickster]

Get a stripped back Titanium tourer - look at Spa

A kilo or two won't make a lot of difference

 

[si_c]

Weight is definitely not going to make much of a difference as @vickster says - especially at 6'5" if you're like me you're not lightweight even if you are not overweight.

I've had twitchy road bikes before in one case it was a combination of a slightly shorter stem, narrower handlebars and narrower (23c) overinflated tyres - changing the latter to wider lower pressure changed how the bike handled enough that it didn't feel so twitchy. Stem length and handlebar width both have an effect - don't forget that on a flat bar bike the bars are generally much wider so you move them much further for the same steering effect.

As you are new to road bikes I think that it is possible that you just need to get used to the difference in steering.

 

[Twilkes]

Yeah I guess 2kg is 2% of my body weight so not really that much. I might try loading up my friend's road bike with litres of water and see what difference it makes, I would just feel weird buying another bike the same weight as my current one, although the Spa tourers do look good.

Not in a rush so will put alerts on eBay and Gumtree to see what comes up. Where else is good to source decent second hand bikes, or potential fix-ups?

 

[vickster]

Yeah I guess 2kg is 2% of my body weight so not really that much. I might try loading up my friend's road bike with litres of water and see what difference it makes, I would just feel weird buying another bike the same weight as my current one, although the Spa tourers do look good.

Not in a rush so will put alerts on eBay and Gumtree to see what comes up. Where else is good to source decent second hand bikes, or potential fix-ups?

Facebook? Forums?

 

[8mph]

I ride a Carlton Gran Tour with Sram Apex parts, it's a comfy Reynolds 531 frame with a longish wheelbase and weighs between 9 and 10 kg. All in it cost me around £300

 

[footloose crow]

I bought a Cube Attain SL Disc as a first road bike about four weeks ago and have done about 200 miles on it so far. It is comfortable, seems fast and climbs well. (Climbs better than my hybrid anyway.) I might feel differently about it after a few thousand miles but so far it feels like the right choice. The value for money was also good - full 105 group set including hydro (not cable) brakes, carbon forks, sub 10kg frame and as it was the 2019 model, price reduced to just over £1000. It is a bit more upright than more race oriented models and is marketed as a 'sportive-style' bike, which translates as a bit slower, but more comfortable for day long rides. The reviews are thin on the ground but google will help you find them. They all echo pretty much what I have written, its a good first road bike with great value for the price.

 

[tom73]

 

[Twilkes]

Thanks for the tips, I eventually bought a nearly new Cannondale Optimo, 60cm so a large size and they are reputedly big fitting so shouldn't be as instantly responsive as the wee racer I borrowed off a friend, the wheelbase is certainly longer and as suggested I could play with stem length. I thought of getting something more relaxed but I've never had a fast bike so we'll see how this one goes.

 

[BianchiVirgin]

I bought a Cube Attain SL Disc as a first road bike about four weeks ago and have done about 200 miles on it so far. It is comfortable, seems fast and climbs well. (Climbs better than my hybrid anyway.) I might feel differently about it after a few thousand miles but so far it feels like the right choice. The value for money was also good - full 105 group set including hydro (not cable) brakes, carbon forks, sub 10kg frame and as it was the 2019 model, price reduced to just over £1000. It is a bit more upright than more race oriented models and is marketed as a 'sportive-style' bike, which translates as a bit slower, but more comfortable for day long rides. The reviews are thin on the ground but google will help you find them. They all echo pretty much what I have written, its a good first road bike with great value for the price.

View attachment 490794

I have this model as well and it's very comfy and spec is great. Just a bit slow! However absolutely fine for commuting and winter use.