New Bike

It’s rare that I get a new bike. I get a new car more often than a new bike. I ordered my second bike in about 30 months.

Why? After all, the bike that I already have works great. I was happy with it when I rode it across Iowa. I’ve ridden 2000 miles on it this year alone. What’s wrong with just using my Specialized Diverge? I wanted a new bike anyway. Here’s why:

• The Diverge is a gravel bike. When I bought it, I wanted a sturdy bike that I could use in Maine on my annual trip there. I wanted something that could handle the C&O Canal trail. I wanted something like a mountain bike because that’s what I had most recently spent a lot of time riding. But after more than 5000 miles on the Diverge, it’s clear that road riding is what I want to do. An actual road bike is a better fit.
• The Diverge is a little bit too large for me. When I got it, the bike felt OK, and I’ve made saddle adjustments, but, while I’ve got the saddle height and setback about where I want, the reach is a little too long. I suppose I could get a shorter stem; maybe I’ll still do that.
• I’m much fitter now after 3 Summer seasons of riding, along with 2 seasons on the stationary trainer. I can now actually benefit from a faster bike.
• Maybe this is the real reason: I just want a new bike.

After much research about frames (time trial, racing, gravel, endurance, etc), I settled on endurance geometry. After researching frame material, I settled on carbon fiber. After researching shifters (cable, electronic), I settled on electronic. After researching brakes (cable, hydraulic), I wanted cables, but the model I want comes with hydraulic brakes. Rim brakes or disc? Disc for me. After researching tires (tubular, clinchers, tubeless), I went with clinchers. After researching wheels (aluminum, carbon fiber), I went with aluminum. Why?

• Carbon fiber frames are lightweight and stiff.
• I spent a lot of time BS-ing with other bikers in Iowa. Electronic shifting got high marks. Plus there are no cables to fray, no need to reindex.
• Hydraulic brakes need periodic bleeding and can be messy. I hope I like it.
• I like the disc brakes on my Diverge. They really grab when I want and rarely make noise.
• Flats. Last year (2020), I had a ridiculous number of flats, probably mostly because the road that’s most convenient for me to ride on has a lot of debris. This year, I’ve had only one flat, and that’s probably mostly because I spent so much time on the W&OD trail instead of the road. Tubeless tires seem attractive. But my Iowa acquaintances went on about how messy they are. Clinchers for me.
• Carbon fiber wheels are ridiculously expensive. I got aluminum wheels, and of course I can swap them sometime if I want to.

Then there’s the question of the make and model. In late 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing and the resulting supply chain issues continue. It’s just about impossible to find good road bikes right now in stores. After a lot of research, I settled on a Canyon Endurace model. Canyon is an online seller. And because it’s November, I’m not riding outside very much, so I can wait. And wait I did. The Canyon web site showed my preferred bike out of stock for months. Suddenly the web site showed bikes in stock. And as I was dithering over whether to order, they went out of stock again.

There’s also the question of frame size. I used the Canyon web site tool. It recommended a small. Really? I’m about as average in size as possible. I took my measurements again. I researched bike fitting. I measured my Diverge. I settled on a stack/reach target. I looked at the Canyon web site for specifications on the Endurace. I watched several YouTube videos on bike size selection. I settled on a small after all.

I kept checking the web site; suddenly my preferred bike was back in stock. Sadly, only in gray. I started a chat session with a salesman and asked whether other colors would become available. He said maybe yellow. And he offered to remove the shipping charge if I ordered right away. I ordered.

Canyon Endurace

Fast forward…

My bike arrived today. I was very annoyed; the shipping notice said a signature was required. I arrived home after work to find my bike left in my driveway, a day early. No one signed for it and my expensive bike, it its box, was sitting there in plain sight. It’s a good thing I live in a good neighborhood.

I took my time assembling it. I put the frame on my stand, pulled my torque wrench out, and got to work. I was expecting a 100mm stem; it came with a 90mm stem. I installed the handlebars, then the front wheel. The stock saddle has a huge cutout. I removed it from the post and installed my saddle from my other bike. I also installed my pedals from the other bike. The Canyon came with pedals that I wasn’t expecting. After swapping the saddle, it was really hard to get the seat post in the tube. I had to work on it for a while, using force to gently get it inserted. After I got it inserted once, it was much easier to remove and reinstall it with carbon paste. Then I connected the cables for the electronic shifting and noticed that the bike came with a charge on the battery.

By this time it was almost dark, but there was no way I was going to wait. I pumped the tires up, grabbed my reflective windbreaker vest and helmet, put some bike shorts on, and did a few laps on my street. I immediately noticed that the handlebars were not installed straight and my saddle was a little low. I also noticed that the bike accelerates very quickly and is quiet and seems effortless to pedal. I tried the shifters out; it’s weird. Gentle taps are all it takes. No more manhandling to shift into larger rings. I tried the brakes. They work, but I didn’t really notice any difference.

I put the bike back on the stand, adjusted the handlebars to be straight on, raised the saddle a little, and called it a night. I put the charger on the bike to get the shifting battery topped off.

Fast forward…

I knew when I ordered a bike in November that I wouldn’t be able to ride it much. It’s unusually warm today and I just had to ride it after work, so I did a loop in the neighborhood to see if my last adjustments improved the ride. They did the trick. Now I have to figure out my saddle position forward or rearward. The shifting still seems strange.

Fast forward…

I really wanted to ride the bike out of the neighborhood to be sure it works. I have a 30 day return window and the weather is getting colder. I spent much of yesterday (Saturday) doing yard work (more than 20 large bags of leaves). Today I waited for it to warm up and for the sun to come out and I headed out at about 11AM with the temperature in the low 40s. I rode to Occoquan Park, rested for a few minutes, took the photo shown above, and headed back. The climb out of the park was the usual lung burning few minutes.

So, I like the bike. It feels like it turns power into movement very nicely. The shifting is still strange, but I like the quick response and effortless taps on the controls. I can’t really explain the braking difference; it’s subtle. It just feels smooth.

UPDATE

I’ve had the bike for 7 months now. I’ve ridden it more than 1,000 miles. I love it. All winter long I trained on the turbo trainer, eager for the chance to get outside. I had a handful of relatively warm days when I could ride outside. Finally, the warm days arrived and i started cranking the miles out. Here’s what I have to say:

• This past weekend, I rode the Endurace in the Armed Forces Cycling Classic Challenge Ride: 58 miles, 1775 of climb, 3 hours. I had a blast.
• The bike came with a 90mm stem. It always felt like I was too far forward over the handlebars when I was riding out of the saddle. I kept checking the Canyon web site for longer stems and they were out of stock for months. I found a 110mm stem on eBay. 20mm makes a world of difference. I like the bike handling better now and I’m much more comfortable out of the saddle.
• I’ve set lots of personal records. Maybe it’s the training. Maybe it’s the bike. Maybe it’s both.

This bike is awesome!