9/6/14 7:19 AM

DG is an amazing shop, and worth a visit should your travels ever take you down this way. The co-owners, particularly Matt Feiner, have done more for cycling in New Haven since just about anyone since Pierre Lallement.

9/6/14 9:59 AM

Kerry-

I think you should ride some bikes. Unless you want the stiffest,lighest,quickest and all that, I'd try maybe a Synapse and a roubaix or otyhers that are very slighly relaxed and accept a tire 28mm or maybe even wider. I've moved into bigger tires, particularly for winter use, and its nice to have a bike with more tire clearance that pure racing bikes.

If you don't like the feel of carbon, you can always stick with ti.

I don't care for ultra stiff bikes anymore- I think it has gone too far. I prefer comfort over max performance.

I've had ti and carbon bikes that were overbuilt and not much fun for me.

9/6/14 10:07 AM

"I don't care for ultra stiff bikes anymore- I think it has gone too far. "


The Roubaix SL4 is Tarmac stiff. It 'has' gone too far if my last purchase is a common occurrence.

I called Spesh Support and discussed that the purpose of my SL4 Roubaix disc bike purchase was to replace my old one. But it seems I have bought another race bike, which was not the plan. They are sending me gratis a CG-R seatpost. Looking forward to seeing the effect in function.

Also, the base SL4 Roubaix for 2015 has the CG-R, so they know what they did.

But I do like the SL4s uber stiff BB and chain stay beef. It is the much lower vertical sense of compliance at issue [comparatively]. The Addict is slightly more compliant, if at all. But they are close.

I took my 05 Roubaix out night before last, and I hate to say I am considering keeping it as a comfort bike. So it all went haywire.

The Scott went on Craigslist last night. The SL4 Roubaix will replace the other stiff bike instead. Or I will keep all of them, also not the original plan.

Last edited by Sparky on 9/6/14 10:20 AM; edited 1 time in total

9/6/14 10:10 AM

I, too, rode a Vortex for a long time. I got the frame custom in 1996 and rode it until 2012, when it got hit hard in a crash. While waiting for insurance and a lawsuit, I got a Cannondale Caad10 to tide me over. Compared to the Vortex, the Cannondale was very stiff. The bike simply did not move under any force, even sprints. I am a big guy at 6'1" 185, I race and have a decent sprint.

Having ridden both, I would say the biggest difference was in the front end. The massive front end of the Cannondale made for a very stiff frame and precise handling. It took me a while to get used to the steering. I also found the bike would beat me up on longer rides; I found it harsh.

After I won the lawsuit, I had the opportunity to purchase a new bike. I did not want carbon because of the durability issues. As a racer I go by the saying,"Don't race it on Sunday if you can't replace it on Monday." By durability I don't mean normal riding but more from crashes where the frame is compromised. I decided to go back to ti. I liked the durability and ride quality.

The new bike is a Lynskey Helix. It combines the best of the Vortex and the Caad10. It is comfortable and has the spring I associate with ti. However, the front end is oversized so it does not flex as much as the Vortex. It is stiff but comfortable at the same time. There is a whole lot of chipseal pavement around here and it evens out the surface in great contrast to the caad10, where I felt like I could feel every stone.

Before the Vortex crash I had changed the fork to threadless. Originally, it had a Kestrel EMS fork with a alloy threaded steerer. I went with a Ritchey 1" threadless fork with an alloy steerer. That let me use a threadless stem with using a 1 to 1 1/8 shim. The stem and fork stiffened up the front end a little, but not much compared to the caad10 or the Helix. It saved a bit of weight too. There are relatively few 1" fork options these days: Ritchey and Wound Up were the two I found.

New components make a difference as well. I went from Sram Rival 10 speed on the Caad10 to Sram Red 22 11 speed on my Helix. The new Red shifts really well. Overall, it just works and feels great. In my opinion, new tires and wheels make the biggest difference in the feel of a bike. Switch from 23 to 25c tires, or vice versa, and you will feel a marked difference in the ride quality.

Lynskey does not work on non-Lynskey bikes, so having them change the headtube on your Vortex is not an option. Bilenky in Philadelphia PA probably would, but I have no idea of the cost. The Lynskey closest to the Vortex is their R230. I considered that model myself, but ultimately decided on the racier Helix.

9/6/14 10:31 AM

Note on 1" carbon steerer fork. I had a Merckx Ti EX back when in NJ. Carl Strong had a steel EL-OS fork laying about. I asked what color frames did he have out for powder coat, and picked Red over blue. ;) it was straight tapered blade.

Even the ELOS was not a stiff as I thought it could/should be for the bike. But a 61 has a long head tube and a lot of room for flex. Was never happy with it. FWIW.

The Look 1" cabon that came with it had me wondering how the previous owner rode it for 6 years, it's age when I got it. I found it hard to hold a line if moving faster.

So I doubt seriously a 1" can be improved upon enough with a new fork. Especially if a big frame and long HT. Unless you can find a Columbus MAX or something. So if weight is of any importance in your quest may take that into consideration.

But I rode a custom bike made of MAX last year someone was nice enough to let me satisfy my curiosity for the tubeset. It moved a small certain amount and stopped moving like a wall when it got there on a hard effort. It was stiff but still had a slight steel cush. Made my SLX Nago feel like an early ti frame. ;)

9/6/14 12:33 PM

I doubt if you could find a new fork with a 1" carbon steerer. If you could, I also doubt that it would perform adequately. The 1" steerer is really the only thing limiting the old Vortex, but it is a significant limitation.

9/6/14 12:42 PM

I love how any talk of a new bike here is like throwing the cat amongst the pigeons, as Phil would say. ;)

We all get a new bike by proxy. Some of course, not mentioning names [looking in mirrors], are perpetually getting another or new bike.


I agree with the comment about binding with them all too. The level of bind with 140k speaks volumes!

9/6/14 12:45 PM

I think Wound Up makes a 1 inch steere fork, said to be very stiff.

9/6/14 12:55 PM

And still made in US supposedly.

Can't be any stiffer [unless I am wrong] than a rooted tapered 1-1-1/2" current offering, can it?

I have heard they are stiff on many occasions. Not had the pleasure, except the Disc Poprad one had same construction, made by who i do not know. It was plenty stiff in that case.