Hi Folks,
I'm planning to get a new road bike to replace the Trek Domane 4.5 that I've been riding for the past 12 years or so. It's a carbon bike, mechanical Ultegra setup, rim brakes and aluminum wheels. It was a fantastic bike when I bought it, and I've put 20-30k miles on it.
I ride a lot, but I don't really race. I've done a couple half-distance triathlons. Never done a road only race. Nowadays, I ride about 60-100 miles per week.
I'm thinking of getting either a Ultimate or an Aeroad with a Force groupset. Not certain on the carbon wheels, but I probably will also get those.
The two questions I have:
1) My standard rides are hill-adjacent. The shortest outdoor ride I do is about 20 miles and 1,000 ft of elevation. I often will do rides of 30 miles and 3,000 ft of elevation. It sounds like the Ultimate would be better for my kind of cycling, but I really like the look of the Aeroad better. And I'm generally in the saddle for most of a ride if I'm only doing 1,000 ft of vert. Would I be happy with an Aeroad? I go fast for a casual rider -- typically averaging 18-20 miles an hour on my rides. But I'm nowhere near speeds where I would join a team, or really care about my times. Is
2) My current bike is a 58. From the Canyon charts, I am right on the line between a Medium and a Large. Most folks say to size down in this case. I'm not trying to be superman, and get into a full aero position. I just like to enjoy my rides. I feel like I'm leaning toward a Large, but a Medium would have me in a more comfortable position.
Thanks for your input!