hi all

i'm new to road biking (only been riding roads with mtb ) and have been kinda looking around for road bikes.

So after some look arounds and budgeting etc, i came down to be choosing either the Specialized sl3 ultergra or the Cannondale supersix ultegra....

I know that both have their awesomeness but i cant decide especially with lack of experience...


From my reading and talking around...i found that:
On the one side, Specialize does offer the good service of fitting the bike to your individual body as they have a 'specialized only' shop...where as cannondale has to be ordered from any 3rd party retailers out there where the shop owner may not necessarily be interested with getting you the correct sizes and fittings.

On the other side, Specialize does come out with new models (sometimes with not much significant differences_as per debatable reviews) rather quickly, making the older models have the mental feel of being 'so last year' .....where as Cannondale doesn't come out with new models that fast and yet with every new model there is a significant difference_as per reviews).

I don't know if the above is really true but then again tis all a matter of opinions from difference ppl all over...

so what do you experienced guys think?

any suggestions or better recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

aiseh... cannot always use same excuse everytime mar... so, this time kebetulan pulak it's p2k only... blame p2k first lar... if they say open to public.. then i use TFDB

uptown is within the radius.. why, you want to nuke the place so i have nowhere to ride?

It depends on your preferred brand. They are aesthetically different, so which one feast your eyes the best? If you like Sagan you can opt for Cannondale if you like contadope you can opt for specialized. Body fitting is best felt by Yourself only as no matter how expensive the bike fitting tech can the shop provide you, it is you yourself who can feel the millimeters of variations for your bike fitting.

I'm going for SL4 soon...just couldn't decide which colors

hmnn, what is sagan and contradope?

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Added on October 26, 2012, 10:20 pmhmnn, what is sagan and contradope?

This post has been edited by leong2084: Oct 26 2012, 10:20 PM

ok, let's look at things one at a time...

fitting.. from your mention of fitting at specialized.. i am not sure if you are referring to general fitting or their BG fit service... BG fit service is good if you've already started to cycle and found problems that you want to correct (back ache, shoulder pains, etc) as they can help you adjust position or even correct some posture problems to help aid the pains..mind you, that is a RM800 service and takes a couple hours with your already owned bike for a proper fit session...

as for general fitting, i think most bike shop has the ability to do it if they have the knowledge as it is a part of their service to aid you in getting the right bike.. if not, you can do it yourself with a lot of the online tools like the competitive cyclist fit calculator, you just need someone to help get your measurements and they would recommend a suitable frame measurement for your fitting..

difference here is some bike shops might have specific fitting tools to measure your inseam and other critical measurements that affects frame sizing..all this will be useless if they don't have the frame size that they recommend.. and some shops will come to the point in pushing you to buy a frame one size bigger or smaller which they have in stock so that they don't let a potential client loose... just my personal view.. so, it is good to try the online tools before hand and discuss with them if spot on fitting is your absolute concern... after all that, it's good to get a physical feel on the actual bike itself to verify the data...

as for bike changes... most manufacturers will update their bikes on a yearly basis... the model name might not change but there will be tiny little differences here and there between the year as they improve their production methods especially on composites and start trickling down technology from the top end bikes..

so, for canondale.. there could be a 2011 supersix and 2012 supersix with subtle differences.. as for Specialized, they opted to create a new replacement lineup, for example...before it was the Tarmac SL3 and the current is Tarmac SL4... if they don't launch an SL5 by 2014, they will update their current Tarmac SL4 2013 into a Tarmac SL4 2014...

how fast they come up with new iterations of the same bike is depending on how you see it, on one hand.. development cycles is a must in the manufacturer as they have to constantly improve their products and it is a part of their business to provide the best and latest.. they don't force you to buy each and every version same as Apple never forces you to buy all the generation of iphones from 1, 2, 3, 3GS, 4, 4S and then 5... it is how you see it and how you control your impulse to buy them...

it's their job to coax you into buying the latest and greatest but it's your duty to not succumb to their temptations...

looking at it another way...from launching new models.. old models sometimes becomes obsolete and the shops operators will have to find ways to get rid of their stock pile and most of the time via discounts.. so, this is a good time if you don't mind the "oh, so last year" bike ... or you can have the patience to aim and wait for it till the end of season for it to get discounted...

like you said, it's mentally "so last year"... and what makes you think that you could feel the subtle differences in the changes to same model of yesteryear... it could be a mental thing as well arguably since you read it through reviews and manufacturer product introductions... it's all about chasing the minor percentage and if you follow the trend... you'll find yourself in large sums of debts for doing so...

back to specialized vs cannondale... i believe both are producing good bikes with only so little in between them that it is very hard to measure... i am not sure who is taking cannondale now.. i presume it is still nathan of bicycle world... if you don't feel comfortable in getting a bike you have yet to touch, see or feel.. then i suggest that you make a move to the next best thing available to you...

specialize, i presume you are talking about GH speedbike has the backing of their main company Gin Huat which distributes multiple brands of bikes.. so, they might have more stock options if not everything that is offered by specialized...

it's all about weighing your own options... your money, your decision...

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Added on October 26, 2012, 10:51 pmit's peter sagan and alberto contador.. it's a long running joke to name them some funny names if they got into some cycling troubles...

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Added on October 26, 2012, 11:00 pmlemme do the honors, a picture speaks a thousand words... but let's compare a climber to a climber.. pete is a sprinter and there is not much good sprinters riding an sl4...they are all on venges...

change a bit.. giro 2010 winner and also a doper...




berty on his s-works sl4..



and ultimately, for me to make your life difficult...

Specialized Project Black McLaren Tarmac SL4...

so not this year...but only 500 available.. (this bike too belongs to another doper)

noticeable differences?

a squared lower seat tube for the McLaren


vs a more rounder one for the usual s-works...

wat's the message here? we don't cut corners... nooo.. that is wendy's tagline..

after using McLaren's FEA on their server cluster costing millions to calculate the carbon layup schedules.. all they can cook up is a square tube instead of a round one

Tour Tech: Specialized Project Black McLaren Tarmac SL4

Only 500?

Tour tech 2011: Specialized S-Works Project Black McLaren Tarmac SL4 Prototype+video

This post has been edited by butthead: Oct 26 2012, 11:09 PM

Hoi..don't want..must costs a bomb for anything associated with mclaren name. But really how many variance are there for the sworks sl4 colors?

Is it only 4?

and here i come to save your day after ruining it...

Win a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL4 frameset

don't bother reading the bullshit above..

click here instead, quick!!!
https://www.futurecompetitions.com/readerpoll2012/

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Added on October 26, 2012, 11:19 pmbeats me.. i think there should be some team colors and maybe a white bike with red lettering for berty's vuelta win...

This post has been edited by butthead: Oct 26 2012, 11:19 PM

I thought the white one is roubaix? That's the problem with specialized. Their website doesn't show the color options. But mr.google showed me plenty of colors. So yes I'm lost. Cannondale colors (the one Sagan rode) is too fancy like my Merida. Haha. My Next bike the color should be subtle and discreet.

bro.. lemme remind you riding an SL4 is not a way to stay discreet in the first place... nothing you can do to make it discreet...

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Added on October 26, 2012, 11:28 pmthis is the one...



looks like it's painted over with spanish cow blood...

This post has been edited by butthead: Oct 26 2012, 11:28 PM

White or black..both are beautiful checkout image below..that is the 'discrete' I want!

it is black on black...it's all the rage nowadays...

they have that livery in the top tier sworks

Guys. Anyone want to ride Monday morning? HOA-Janda Baik? I Don't wanna ride alone just in case I stumble upon some wolves there. 7.30am rolling start. Medium pace. Lets forget your Monday blues and let's ride. YOLO!

Arigato!

ok, i will learn how to measure the fittings first. I guess thats the part that worries me the most and yes i'm very particular to the best possible fittings....i really dont like to have to bear with something that gives problems that isnt supposed to be there and have to fork out additional money to solve problems and keep on going back to the shop to change parts again and again like some junkie getting his fix. I had a bad experience with that from buying my prev mtb and dont wana have to repeat that mistake, thus my paranoia. Its like you said...some retailers out there might just push a size that may not be suited just so as to not loose out a potential closure...and that the reality of it. I can understand its just business for the retailers but lets put it this way, we all dont wana get taken for a million dollar ride eh

So far i've been at specialized shop at pj and have been feeling quite confident since they include the full fitting including bg fitting foc for the bikes you buy from them. However i don't wana miss out comparing Cannondale either via actual feel, and i'd definitely agree that there are more specialized riders out there than any cannondales haha

Do you know if there are any cannondale retailers or reputable cannondale retailers out there? I wana give both brands a good consideration first...afterall they do cost bombs

thank again for your good response

wats the occasion on monday? no need to work???

seeing your post makes my monday blues premature... already feeling it even before it's a monday...

cmon..between work and ride which one tempt u the most? leave the office behind and lets embrace the nature at genting sempah climb. HEHE. hence the YOLO term.

those numbers are used as your starting base... it is still important to see how you feel on a specific size bike as you are most likely to get something close to the recommendation from the tools but not exact spot on...even if they don't have the size.. worst come to worst if they don't have the exact model and size you are looking for is to get a different model from the brand that has the exact same geometry and try it out before your laying your dough out for something you have yet to see... it will be hard to get it right if this is your first road bike is all i can tell you...

to tell you frankly, never having to spend further money after getting the bike is an outright lie... some of the basic things you might find is fine tuning your positioning a bit after owning the bike for a while..

for example, maybe you might realize your flexibility improved and you want to drop your handlebar lower and experiment with a slightly steeper or longer stem... or you find that it is giving you back pains and you want to have a stem with more rise so you sit more upright... those are functional things that you might find yourself spending on... it is a part of the experience and especially if you find yourself constantly experimenting and making some tiny changes here and there if you are the kind who likes meddling with your setup...

unnecessary things like upgrading wheels and groupsets or turning parts to carbon ones... that is all depending on your immunity to it..that is why we term it poison here..

BG Fit for FOC? i didn't heard of that.. they only said that it was free if you bought one of the only 2 McLaren Venges in Malaysia and those are RM50k bikes... why there are more specialized bikes out there in my opinion is because they have a bigger marketing campaign than cannondale... and their sponsorship in top teams in the professional circuits (at least for road segment) are doing their work...

i assume you are in KL...try calling Nathan of Bicycle World... after doing some tracking.. it still seems to be him as the local distributor...that or KT CycleOne if you live in Bukit Mertajam area...

i think they shifted shops a couple months back.. the bottom one should be the correct one...

http://www.cannasia.com/contact

Cannasia Bicycle World KL Malaysia
Jalan Bandar 1, Taman Melawati
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Phone: +60 03 41066749
Contact: Nathan Seow
E-mail:nathan_seow@yahoo.com
Map: Google map

http://basikalbaru.com/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=3

9178 JALAN NEGARA
TAMAN MELAWATI
KUALA LUMPUR
MALAYSIA
53100

Telephone: +63 41066749
Fax: +63 41066749

Information: OPEN 10AM TO 730PM CLOSED ON TUESDAYS

call them to check with them if they have what you want before you go up there.

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Added on October 27, 2012, 1:52 pmride temp me the most if i don't lie to you... ironically, it is also my work that is paying for my ride...

Saturday mind twister....

Work to Live ???

or

Live to Work???

think about it...

This post has been edited by butthead: Oct 27 2012, 01:52 PM

so true thank you
i'll definitely give em a call and check with them

Today did my frist proper hillclimb here, its around 10% to 15% constant grind for 5/6km ish before going downhill. Tried my carbon sidi 2 shoes and can see the difference to my previous basic Spez shoe (did the climb once before but had to pull out cos cramp) There are noticably less flex in sidi compared to spez shoe while cimbing slowly at low cadance on steep climb.

After the climb and some more kms added, my left knee joint is really painful to the extend i am actually riding exclusively on my right leg all the way back home. My leg had odd position as picture below




The cleat was in the neutral position initially after i had the pain i adjusted my cleat toward the right hand which show something like this



I can ride better now but the sucks part is that my foot is now hitting the crank while riding.

Talk about this problem with my lbs and they told me with my foot condition its better of go check with specialist. They cant do much about it. Asked them to do cleat fitting but they not into doing it hence = neutral position on cleat instead as the one pictured above = pain on my knee due to hard climbing up. Same shit happens when i did at the end of my 100 km ride.

What can i do now? Buy the new Dura ace 9000 pedal with longer axle to stop my feet hitting the crank I hope i not need to change my pedal system. I am seriously consider Speedplay pedal due as it have large adjustable range that maybe be suitable for my odd position. but i don really like the maintanace required and i do really walk alot in cleat when cycling with my spd-sl cleat.

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Added on October 27, 2012, 3:12 pmRegarding the 2013 Trek madone 5.9 custom build for my spec. My lbs said its wayyy cheaper to get the complete bike spec by Trek (speced with DI2) instead of custom build with sram force/red. I guessed now i gotta save money for it Too bad i cant made the leap for now Probably i willmade the leap with my current bike instead.

This post has been edited by minizian: Oct 27 2012, 03:35 PM

butthead. its true! our work is what pay for our ride. in my case i have an extra annual leave to use so im applying it this monday to test the 32T

just trying my luck here on who's willing to join the ride. i bet on monday there'll be no other cyclist around sempah..only dogs and monkeys!

minizian, all the best with your cleat setup. ive had enough with the setting when i first trying a clipless pedal and shoe. you have to nail it down correctly and that consists of numerous number of trial and error

Well it's good that your knees are now in pain as you can ride and adjust your clear position better. You should adjust and re adjust until you can ride pain free (if you feel pain then it's not there yet).

Seems you are duck footed like myself. A tip I can give you is just let your knees stray neutrally outward or vertically center, and don't ever pointing both of your knees inwards. Just give it a try.

This post has been edited by mrjgx: Oct 27 2012, 08:55 PM

Just came back from JB. I noticed JB has a more vibrant cycling culture. First time spotted a group of 'chopper' cyclists. Those bikes with fat tires. But almost anywhere in JB you can see people riding branded cycles not XDS, Nexus, Exitway which are abundant in KL.