Geometry and fitting

[midliferider]

Thank you for all your advice to my previous post on gear ratio.
I had two choices, Specialized Roubiax Triple or BMC Roadracer SL 01. I decided on BMC purely on the basis that I thought it is better quality bike. When I went to collect the bike the friendly salesman explained to me that BMC is not as comfortable as the Specialized as it has slightly different Geometry.
But he said that he can still make some adjustments by reversing the stem and positioning the handlebar bit higher.

I am not so sure, came home without buying it. It is a very nice bike though, very tempting.

 

[MikeW-71]

Can you get a test-ride on either or both of them? It's only less comfortable in his opinion as we are all different. Also the possibility that he wants rid of the Specialized and not the BMC.

Looking at the pictures of each, they don't seem to be too far apart in geometry terms. You need to ride the bike first (or at least sit on it on a turbo trainer), then you will know if it feels comfortable or not. If it's down to positioning, then there are adjustments that can easily be made so the bike fits you better. As well as the saddle adjustment, the bars can be lowered, angle changed, different stem angle (or just flip it over), shorter or longer stem to change reach. Don't worry about it if some of these need to be done, the bike will ride better the more comfortable you are.

Measure the drop between the saddle and the bars on your current bike and compare them to the new ones. If you are comfortable with your existing position, the aim is to duplicate that on a new bike.

 

[midliferider]

I do not think he wanted to get rid of either bike. He has to specifically order the specialized one for me. It was at local Evans.
It looks as it he has just repeated what is in this instructional video.
http://www.evanscycles.com/buying-guides/road-bikes

In this video they have chosen exactly those two bikes, specialized and BMC, to demonstrate the difference.
At present I cycle 30-40 miles over the weekend but would like to increase it to 50-60 miles over the next summer. At the moment with my B Twin, my average speed is about 15 miles an hour in a very undulating village roads with couple of real hills.
So the question is does it make a difference to my kind of "leisure" cycling?
I would like to break the barrier and join the big boys in their 50-60 mile ride.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Massively different bikes, they are not even close in characteristics. Both are great bikes but I think the salesman was correct, with its zerts and long wheelbase the Roubaix will be more comfortable. I would personally take the BMC due to its sharper and more focused handling but this is what I like from a bike

 

[midliferider]

Some says that for my level of riding B Twin is good enough and I will be like Sunday driver in Porsche in a carbon bike. I feel that BMC will fit that bill.
Will this difference matter for my leisure riding?

 

[Phil485]

Personally, I ride a very nice felt ar5 aero carbon bike and the majority of my riding is commuting to work.

Do I need something like that to do that job???? No, but I enjoy it , find it comfortable and I get pleasure from it wvery time I take it from the garage.

If you like the bmc and find it comfortable and it's affordable, then why care about what they say. It's about you and your hobby/ pastime.

 

[biggs682]

@midliferider if you want to try a road bike before deciding a road bike is for you , feel free to pop along the a45 and try one of mine and see how you get on .

 

[midliferider]

biggs682, That will be very helpful.
How do I find your place?

 

[Dusty Bin]

Some says that for my level of riding B Twin is good enough and I will be like Sunday driver in Porsche in a carbon bike. I feel that BMC will fit that bill.
Will this difference matter for my leisure riding?

Buy whichever bike floats your boat. Minor geo differences will not really be noticable and assuming your own dimensions are relatively normal, it will be possible to achieve the same fit/position on either bike.

 

[midliferider]

Buy whichever bike floats your boat. Minor geo differences will not really be noticable and assuming your own dimensions are relatively normal, it will be possible to achieve the same fit/position on either bike.

Thanks. That answers my question.

Phil485, That is my position as well. Someone pointed that smokers spend more than what we spend on a bike. I am actually tempted to buy even more expensive bike. I did a Google search on this subject. Someone has compared BMC and Specialized to Volvo and Ford.
I would like Porsche in cycling terms. Any suggestions?

 

[slowmotion]

@midliferider, I have a Secteur Elite which I think has the same geometry as the Roubaix but slightly heavier components. It's a comfortable ride for someone like me who is never going to go very fast. What I didn't appreciate when I bought it (my first road bike) , is that almost everything can be adjusted to suit your riding style and comfort. If it feels a big too "long", get a shorter stem. If it feels too "high" when you hold the bars, take out some of the headtube spacers. With the Secteur, those adjustments are easy, but I would imagine that they are easily "doable" with most bikes that don't cost an absolute fortune. Just to muddy the waters, have you seen the new range of Decathlon bikes? They look quite incredible.

Meanwhile, here is the clip that I keep posting.....it demystifies quite a lot about "bike fitting" You really can do it yourself.

Good luck.

[media]
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAl_5e7bIHk
[/media]

 

[midliferider]

Thanks slowmotion, that is very helpful.
I did have a look at new Decathlon bikes. They will actually fit my requirement well. Full carbon, triple ring, can change the rear cassette to 12-30. Still it will only cost me £1100. But I feel like I am a bill board for Decathlon. I wear their full kit down to socks!

 

[boydj]

Unless you are a racer, I think the Roubaix is likely to be more suitable, based on the following reviews (which are not quite like for like):

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/...w-specialized-roubaix-sport-compact-13-47007/
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-bmc-roadracer-sl01-12-46976/

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Someone has compared BMC and Specialized to Volvo and Ford.
I would like Porsche in cycling terms. Any suggestions?

Your not going to get Porsche from either of the bikes you have listed.
Your in Lexus territory, you need to increase your budget to hit Porsche.

I'm not suggesting either are bad bikes, they are not.. Likewise I think Lexus are pretty decent motors,

 

[themosquitoking]

The fella in my lbs told me the other day that BMC only offer a 3 year warranty on their frames.