Which Bike Should I Get? Specialized or BMC or Giant?

BelgianHammer · May 1, 2018

One of the benefits of living in Belgium is that Canyon's huge, Europe-wide Service Center is located in Belgium. Also, it's main Headquarters (in Germany) is located about 50 mins from it close to the Belgian/German border. So, not having to deal with mail order, and no hassles from a dealer with conflicted interests either, I must confess has made me become more interested in Canyon bikes.

But I honestly am not sure I would/could be interested if I wasn't living here. That's (ordering a bicycle via the web) is a tough nut to crack in keeping all customers happy & content.

Lombard · May 1, 2018

ataunque said:
From bitter experience, go with aluminium.
I "invested" £5k in a top end carbon bike, trek domane - never dropped the bike, it suffered a crack to a seat stay and Trek rejected the warranty claim saying it was accidental damage. "offered" me a repair program where i pay £1200 to repair it.
I had read about this stuff before i purchased the bike but thought they were scare stories maybe where people had crashed or dropped things on the bikes or not looked after them. I should have taken heed. My bike was cherished, wiped down after every ride and never dropped.
Titanium or steel every time.

Your point about Trek customer/warranty service is well taken. I know at least three people who had cracks develop in the downtubes of their more recent Trek OCLV frames without crashing, dropping off car or any other "abuse or misuse". Trek came back and denied warranty coverage. My shop has stopped selling Trek for this reason and other issues that are making Trek more difficult for a shop to deal with.

That being said, this is not a good enough reason to shun all carbon bikes. Granted I have mixed feelings about carbon in general, but there are many good carbon bikes out there as well as many good Aluminum, Steel and Ti bikes.

Lombard · May 1, 2018

Jwiffle said:
actually, the others are right. If ever I chance to meet you and you offer me to take your bike for a spin, please remind me you only spent 10 minutes from box to riding, because I'd want to go over it first to make sure it's safe. A mechanic who knows what he's doing is gonna take at least around 45 minutes making sure he's got it all done correctly. Newbie following YouTube videos? At least a couple hours. Most brands try to say their bikes are ready to go out of the box, that's never the case.

Certainly, for someone looking to buy their first bike, online is not the best way to go. Once they know what they like, what works for them, and what they are looking for, online bikes can be a decent option.

It should be pretty obvious by now that Jaggrin is nothing more than a troll looking for attention. Check out this thread for some of his other posts:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/bi.../bikes-frames-forks/how-much-better-carbon-frames-today-364161.html#post5226265

BTW, I've watched some of the You Tube wrenching videos which are cringe worthy at best. There are a few good You Tube videos, but just as many bad ham fisted ones. I saw one where this hack was tightening a bottom bracket by putting his entire weight on it - YIKES!

Art's Cyclery has some excellent videos and I'm sure some other reputable bike shops as well as bike publications do too. But examine your source carefully. Viewer beware.

Jwiffle · May 1, 2018

Lombard said:
Your point about Trek customer/warranty service is well taken. I know at least three people who had cracks develop in the downtubes of their more recent Trek OCLV frames without crashing, dropping off car or any other "abuse or misuse". Trek came back and denied warranty coverage. My shop has stopped selling Trek for this reason and other issues that are making Trek more difficult for a shop to deal with.

That being said, this is not a good enough reason to shun all carbon bikes. Granted I have mixed feelings about carbon in general, but there are many good carbon bikes out there as well as many good Aluminum, Steel and Ti bikes.

Fwiw, Giant warrantied a carbon frame for a customer, and it may not have even been a true warranty issue (headset bearing race seized to inside of frame due to sweat, salty sea air, and regular power washing. Trying to get it out resulted in the bonded-in aluminum bearing retainer coming out of the frame). Giant took care of it, anyway. Also, many years ago, our Giant rep actually warrantied a part for a bike for a customer, and it wasn't even a Giant bike!

jaggrin · May 1, 2018

Lombard said:
It should be pretty obvious by now that Jaggrin is nothing more than a troll looking for attention. Check out this thread for some of his other posts:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/bi.../bikes-frames-forks/how-much-better-carbon-frames-today-364161.html#post5226265

BTW, I've watched some of the You Tube wrenching videos which are cringe worthy at best. There are a few good You Tube videos, but just as many bad ham fisted ones. I saw one where this hack was tightening a bottom bracket by putting his entire weight on it - YIKES!

Art's Cyclery has some excellent videos and I'm sure some other reputable bike shops as well as bike publications do too. But examine your source carefully. Viewer beware.

Here is Lombard directing a newbie to purchase a Canyon. Talk about a troll!!!

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/bikes-frames-forks/noob-looking-bike;-have-few-mind-364239.html

Lombard · May 1, 2018

jaggrin said:
Here is Lombard directing a newbie to purchase a Canyon. Talk about a troll!!!

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/bikes-frames-forks/noob-looking-bike;-have-few-mind-364239.html

Nice job trying to twist my words around. I never said Canyons weren't good bikes. In that case, the OP had Canyon on his list. If you read all my posts in that thread, you would see that I recommended he get fitted.

In this thread, the OP did not list a Canyon. You bait and switched him, then went on a rant about how any average Joe can unpack a boxed bike and be on the road with it in 10 minutes.

Try again.

jaggrin · May 1, 2018

Lombard said:
Nice job trying to twist my words around. I never said Canyons weren't good bikes. In that case, the OP had Canyon on his list. If you read all my posts in that thread, you would see that I recommended he get fitted.

In this thread, the OP did not list a Canyon. You bait and switched him, then went on a rant about how any average Joe can unpack a boxed bike and be on the road with it in 10 minutes.

Try again.

Your words , not mine.

To the OP, here is how easy it is to assemble a Canyon and save yourself a bunch of cash. See how easy it is? Don’t believe these posters who are trying to make ITP it to be something it’s not.

Have a Trumptastic day!!!

https://youtu.be/twITjO2i-qE

Lombard · May 1, 2018

jaggrin said:
To the OP, here is how easy it is to assemble a Canyon and save yourself a bunch of cash. See how easy it is? Don’t believe these posters who are trying to make ITP it to be something it’s not.

https://youtu.be/twITjO2i-qE

I think the video is good for people like us who are mechanically inclined. That included torque wrench looks like it's a bit of a toy, but who am I to say it doesn't work?

For a newbie who has never put a bike together in their life, there are a few things missing. Did you seen any details on how tight to make the quick releases? Also, the part about attaching the handlebar to the stem is incorrect. The spacing on the top and bottom should be equal, not the way they did this.

And where is the magic fitter that I was expecting to pop out of the box when he opened it?

jaggrin said:
Have a Trumptastic day!!!

Wrong forum. This belongs in P.O., not here. You should know the rules by now.

Jay Strongbow · May 1, 2018

Lombard said:
I think the video is good for people like us who are mechanically inclined. That included torque wrench looks like it's a bit of a toy, but who am I to say it doesn't work?

For a newbie who has never put a bike together in their life, there are a few things missing. Did you seen any details on how tight to make the quick releases? Also, the part about attaching the handlebar to the stem is incorrect. The spacing on the top and bottom should be equal, not the way they did this.

-Those type of torque wrenches are actually very good.
-No I don't see details on how tight to make the QR. Nor have I ever heard of that being something bike shops routinely go over.
-Don't know where you got the idea that spacers above should or need to equal spacers below but that's wrong.

Lombard · May 1, 2018

Jay Strongbow said:
-Don't know where you got the idea that spacers above should or need to equal spacers below but that's wrong.

I think you may have misunderstood what I said and I may have chosen my words wrong. I'm not talking about the spacers on the fork. I am talking about the gap above and below where the step clamp holds the handlebars on.

jaggrin · May 1, 2018

Jay Strongbow said:
-Those type of torque wrenches are actually very good.
-No I don't see details on how tight to make the QR. Nor have I ever heard of that being something bike shops routinely go over.
-Don't know where you got the idea that spacers above should or need to equal spacers below but that's wrong.

He tried to tell someone the weight difference between a Cannondale regular frame and hi mod frame was two pounds! Of course he is wrong about the handlebars.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/cannondale/hi-mod-vs-regular-carbon-synapse-363900.html

Jay Strongbow · May 1, 2018

Lombard said:
I think you may have misunderstood what I said and I may have chosen my words wrong. I'm not talking about the spacers on the fork. I am talking about the gap above and below where the step clamp holds the handlebars on.

okay. I get it now. I hadn't seen that part of the video either when I first commented.

Canyon is notorious for proprietary parts so I wouldn't be sure it's 'wrong' with their stems but yeah I get what you're saying. And if they designed their stems so that is the way the work best I would think there would be an up side and down side of the clamp thing they should have mentioned.

rondi · May 1, 2018

The OP did not mention what kind of roads he is riding--gravel, steep hills, city riding, etc. those choice might make a difference which he chooses.
One of the most important aspects of buying a bike for a beginner--is to get a real bike fitting, not to choose a bike from the rack of bikes--aka WalMart. Most LBS will at least, put the bike on a trainer and have you ride it to dial in the seat, hopefully swap the stem if it is not correct, and as others have mentioned---do what it takes to make a nice ride. This to me is more important than just choosing any of the 3 bikes the OP mentioned. Choose your LBS with care.

ogre · May 2, 2018

Lombard said:
Also, the part about attaching the handlebar to the stem is incorrect.

No mention of greasing the stem bolts, though the bolts could come pre-greased. No mention to incrementally tighten each bolt. I imagine that newbs might tighten one bolt to torque spec before moving on to the next bolt.

No mention what to do if the brake calipers don't hit the rim evenly, if one arm drags. I bet more bikes than not have pads that don't hit the rims symmetrically.

Dammit, that video was 3 and a half minutes! That now means I'm gonna spend 13.5 minutes building a Canyon!

I did wonder after I made my first post if Canyon does some additional prep that comes with their bikes as opposed to bikes traditionally sold thru IBDs, and from the video, it appears they do, but my original points still stand. Any bike out of a box needs the attention of a competent mechanic and is not a quick, cut-and-dry exercise.

sjalex · May 12, 2018

Here's a side by side comparison view of options 2 and 3 - https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=giant-contend-sl-1-disc-2018,specialized-roubaix-sl4-2017

SwiftSolo · May 13, 2018

Vio1 said:
Hi, Im getting my first decent road bike, and I'm at a loss at which of 3 bikes to get.
My max budget is $2000 Canadian Dollars. I'm looking for a decent bike for fitness purposes. Want a comfortable ride that won't tire my arms and back.

Option 1: BMC SLX01 105 5700 for $1699 + tax
- Shimano 105 w/Mavi Yksion Powerlink 700x23
https://www.racersportif.com/collections/bmc-bikes/products/bmc-slx01-10-road-bike

Option 2: Specialized Roubaix SL4 for $1699 + tax
- Tiagra w/ Axis Elite wheels
Wheels of Bloor - Toronto's #1 Road Bike Shop | Road and Triathlon

Option 3: Giant Contend SL 1 DISC for $1849 + tax
- Shimano 105 w/Giant Gavia AC 2, 700x25, Tubeless
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/ca/contend-sl-1-disc

Get whichever one is not flat black. Nothing else matters if your bike is butt ugly.

Ritalalala · May 15, 2018

I will choose the most cost-effective bike, I think full carbon is the best

Lombard · May 15, 2018

Ritalalala said:
I will choose the most cost-effective bike, I think full carbon is the best

Could you please elaborate on why you think this?

ogre · Mar 7, 2019

Thread dredge time. So I'm poking around RBR and I keep seeing this Jenson ad pop up that reminds me of this thread I posted to. Install front wheel and pedals and you're riding in three minutes. Unbelievable. That's real progress from Canyon's 10 minute exercise.

Three minutes? Don't have to install seat or check fore/aft adjustment? The bike ships with stem on steer tube and handlebars perpendicular to the frame and all cables hooked up and properly tensioned? Would you ride one of their bikes three minutes out of the box, or even ten minutes?

Lombard · Mar 7, 2019

ogre said:
Thread dredge time. So I'm poking around RBR and I keep seeing this Jenson ad pop up that reminds me of this thread I posted to. Install front wheel and pedals and you're riding in three minutes. Unbelievable. That's real progress from Canyon's 10 minute exercise.

Three minutes? Don't have to install seat or check fore/aft adjustment? The bike ships with stem on steer tube and handlebars perpendicular to the frame and all cables hooked up and properly tensioned? Would you ride one of their bikes three minutes out of the box, or even ten minutes?

View attachment 324829

This is why it's good to have a pop-up blocker.

Which Bike Should I Get? Specialized or BMC or Giant?

BelgianHammer

Lombard

Lombard

Jwiffle

jaggrin

Lombard

jaggrin

Lombard

Jay Strongbow

Lombard

jaggrin

Jay Strongbow

rondi

ogre

sjalex

SwiftSolo

Ritalalala

Lombard

ogre

Lombard

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