Quality bicycle services Lafayette

Excellent specialized mountain bike online store Lafayette: How do I choose the right size road bike for me? It’s important to get the right size bike. Most bikes come in a range of sizes to fit your stature and bike makers will usually publish a rider’s height range which a bike of a specific size will fit. You should feel comfortable seated on your bike and be able to put both feet flat on the ground when standing over the crossbar, without it touching you. You’ll usually find more detailed frame dimensions listed too, which give you more details of how your bike will fit you. The most important are reach and stack, although they’re a bit complex to interpret. In general, the higher the stack number (usually shown in cm or mm) the more upright your riding position will be. If you enjoy a ‘taller’ riding position then look for a more generous stack height. Equally, a shorter reach will put you closer to the bars, thus in a more upright position. For the most part, race bikes will feature a lower stack height than endurance models. Find additional information on bicycle shop Baton Rouge.

Investing in a bike that you can grow and not outperform after your first year is something everyone should be conscious of regardless of level, explains Pastore. And for that, the Trek Domane AL 2 Disc is a great option. Thanks to a relaxed fit geometry, the capacity for higher volume tires, and the ability to have racks and fenders, this bike offers extreme versatility regardless of where cycling takes you. “Whether you’re looking to cruise the back roads or tackle a century, you also have name-brand Shimano and Bontrager reliability and comfort at your fingertips,” says Pastore. FYI, Shimano and Bontrager build premium bike components, including brakes, chains, wheels, and pedals — so you can trust that the Trek Domane AL 2 Disc is legit.

The Cervélo S5 garnered top spot in our Race Bike of the Year awards in 2023. We rated its straight line speed, but also its cornering ability and superb ride quality. It’s the handling that sets it apart from other fast aero bikes though: fast to respond to a change of line but not twitchy. We rated with Reserve wheels, with their internal width helping to add comfort to the tires and progression when cornering. It’s not the lightest bike, tipping the scales at over 8kg, but you don’t feel that when riding. If you want some validation of the bike’s qualities, how about 2022 Tour de France yellow and green jerseys and a slew of one day race wins?

Trek designed the Domane+ to mimic the ride feel of a regular road bike—and we think they nailed it. The TQ motor doles out power with subtle refinement, as if we were always riding with a tailwind. It gave us a glimpse of how professional cyclists must feel when attacking mountain climbs on a solo breakaway. Orbea launched the first generation Gain e-road bike back in 2019—and we voted it our road bike (e-assist or not) of the year. Four years later, the Basque brand is launching its third generation of the platform. This time around, Orbea opted for the recently released Mahle X20 hub drive motor. The unit itself is one of the lightest on the market, but Orbea says reducing weight wasn’t the main goal. Case in point: instead of picking the lightest possible set-up and the smallest capacity battery, the Gain is equipped with Mahle’s larger 353 watt-hour battery to give riders more range and a maximum assist of 250 watts. The Gain has a maximum tire width of 35 millimeters, putting it squarely in the all-road category.

The Vitus Venon Evo has a trick up its sleeve. With its wide tire clearance of 45mm it’s not glued to the road and you can buy the same frame specced out for gravel duties, with a series of models with a GR suffix; we’ve also reviewed the Vitus Venon Evo-GR gravel spec bike. The carbon frame weighs under 1kg and has plenty of compliance built in. The road-going specs are fitted with Michelin Power Cup 28mm tubeless tires on Prime Attaquer alloy wheels. We tested the 105 Di2 model of the Vitus Venon Evo, but there’s a whole range of electronic and mechanical groupset options from Shimano and SRAM. The ride on the road is well balanced and firm but comfortable and there’s plenty of room to fit mudguards on the hidden mounts, making the Venon Evo a good option for year-round use. It’s lightweight as well. See more info on https://www.capitolcyclery.com/.

Perhaps more important to everyday riders is how the Propel feels when going fast—it’s a glorious bike to ride. It’s tangibly light and stiff—not just for an aero bike, but for a good road bike, period. The Propel is a wonderful partner on long climbing days and when you feel inspired to attack steep pitches. Sharp stabs at the pedals are rewarded with quick bursts of speed with no hint of delay or hesitation. The handling is equally precise and responsive. It feels somewhat buzzy and electric, but without being harsh or unwelcoming like many other aero road bikes. It’s a veritable eager puppy, always up for another go and brimming with more energy than you.