Are Modern Road Bikes Slow, Heavy and Overpriced?
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
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In this video I put two of the lightest road bikes I've ever ridden to the ultimate test to see what 10 years of changes have done to a modern road bike. Some people will tell you modern road bikes are worse than old bikes but is that really the case?
Content
00:00 Intro
00:51 SquareSpace sponsor
1:42 Looks
2:26 Weight
3:48 Price
4:49 Equipment/groupsets
6:22 Comfort
8:08 Brakes
9:30 Aerodynamics
10:45 Ride Quality
11:56 The Winner is?
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I love modern road bikes but there are a couple categories you skipped where older bikes generally win in my view: ease of maintenance and cost of maintenance.
Of course he skipped those because he is being paid by the industry... take a newbie and I can train him to do road maintenance, brakes, change tires etc in an hour. Have fun with that crap. Oh when your shifting dies on those tiny heavy derailleur batteries...
@@jaredfontaine2002 Wait until you ride over a puddle and try to hard braking on your rim brakes.😆It's literally a few minutes difference for maintenance plus brake bleeding which takes another few minutes to do. It's not like the evo didn't have internal cable routing. Took me a few youtube videos to learn how to replace every single part on my disc brake AND rim brake bikes. People are just lazy and don't want to learn or adapt to technology. Stop feeling old, start feeling young.
For me the Factor is not a thing of beauty and I wouldn't be motivated to ride it. The Cannondale looks cool .Definitely ride that.
@WhatTheFlipOfficial Nobody needed more braking power. You don't need it. I am find on my alloy rims. Have fun packing that bike up in a bike bag when going to Europe. Those integrated cables will be a lot of fun plus you probably are riding hookless tubeless on 2 psi lol
@@ingtoningtonington149 thank you!
That Super Six is still a stunner in my eyes.
How does that humble pie taste??? Rim brake for the win! Give me that Cannondale over those rubbing squealing disc brakes.
Rimbrakes constantly rub and squeal… especially carbon rims.
@@portland675 You have some old flexi wheels
@@jaredfontaine2002 I’ve won many many races on rim brake wheels. Put hundreds of thousands of miles on them. Also worked as a pro mechanic on many thousands of rim brake bikes. Rim brake wheels rubbing is quite common, even on high end well built wheels. Rim brake calipers are notorious for coming out of adjustment and rubbing. And unlike a disc rubbing, they actually rub you of some serious wattage. I’ve seen so many pro mechanics hang out of cars to adjust a caliper mid race that started to rub. The one benefit rim calipers have is you can open them up if you are rubbing, albeit with a much looser brake feel.
Well this has cleared it up for me - I'll buy a 2nd hand Evo.
If you cannot find a super sixevo,try a Focus Izalco max rimm brakes,i have the two andthey are very similiar geometry and frame weight the same.
There are some good Evo options on eBay, I keep looking and am tempted to get a slightly newer 2016 model or similar
What seems to get overlooked is how easy and inexpensive it was to customize the fit on older bikes: change bars, bar height; change stem length; adjust bar angle; use a wide range of seat posts of different lengths and setback. A poorly fitting bike is one that doesn’t get ridden.
The 10 year old bike is worth how much now?. This is the main difference!!.
I think this was a very balanced comparison. I was rather shocked at the pricing to be honest. But I do think the industry took advantage of the Covid situation to raise the prices way over what they needed too.
Just Buy Bikes didn't look online the Cannondale can be had for $2k or less
Roadcc just compared a CAAD 10 105 to a Superbike aero wheels socks etc ar 300 watts 5 to 10 seconds. The CAAD10 was $300 lol
Sadly it wasn't just the bike industry, it was almost every industry. Record profits everywhere
@cyclingjeremy7201 The govt prints trillions you get inflation lol
For ease of maintenance and day-to-day livability, the older wins bike by a mile. And how can you use the MSRP of an 11-yr-old bike to compare pricing? The real comparison is how much one must pay to acquire one of these Cannondales today.
@rangersmith4652 Agreed, cost and ease of maintenance should have been a category.
Likewise if you are comparing the 2 bikes today, the cost should be what they cost today, as you are comparing a new bike with a used 10 year old bike on a specific day.....
If they both weigh the same it should be a draw or should it be a win to the cannondale super six evo because of the older carbon technology used at the time???
One question, if the factor has a heavier frame, heavier groupset, heavier brakes. How did it end up lighter? Those black Inc wheels weigh next to nothng compaired to the ones you have on the evo ?
I love the classic frame on the evo though I have to say.
It has carbon wheels plus they skim on safety so that fork is dangerously light. Don't drop it lol
This is an example of why there is a wine industry.
I ve gone back to rim brakes and mechanical shifts. I can look after it myself and also better for occasional use
I have a few modern road bikes with hydro discs and electronic shifting, and I have 2018 Giant TCR Maglia Rosa Edition with rim brakes and SRAM Red mechanical and I love riding this bike more than the others.
I own 2 rim brake canyons... a 2016 Ultimate CF SLX and a 2018 Aeroad. Every time I have tried a disc brake bike I have been disappointed. They are sluggish and just feel like hard work. I recently found myself on the start line of the Haute Route Alps with a hired Trek Emonda due to BA loosing my ultimate. Needless to say I found the Trek a miserable experience. My Ultimate Cost me £3800, to replace it like for like would cost £6K+ for a bike that is heavier and does not feel anything like as snappy... I've have tried both. Disc brakes are better but how often doe you actually need them? In the wet yes BUT they can fade AND it is way too easy to over do it when reacting to a sudden emergency making things actually worse. So, for me the current Canyon CF SLX Ultimate is not better than the one I own, it is not more comfortable, it doesn't look better, it isn't necessarily safer, is much heavier, sluggish and a massive pain in the arse to service..... worst of all it is almost double the price!!!!!!!!!!
Your comparison is flawed as you are not comparing like for like.... Try comparing to equivalent make and models!
Talking about specific brand like Canyon, they are coming so far for the price lift. I could not believe that just a year the price of the top model like SLX was doubled in 2018 compared to 2017 (before having CFR on the top of it) It was one of the reason that I gave up on buying a new bike.
Damn, it seem I'm not the only one that feels Disc bike are sluggish and need to work abit harder to ride. I've tried many Disc bike, from entry level to top end, all i feel is sluggish when pedalling and feels like someone pulling you from the back. Maybe I'm not strong enough for disc.
@@departurexx1520damn, funny that you guys all have the same problem... i feel like my disc bikes are simply faster than rim, my strava segments tell me the same....
@@larsdohmen6796 I'm sure your RIM is not the the top end RIM bike. Go ride with the big boys dude!! LMAO!!!
Oh, the old rim brake retro crowd....I would typically get 2 winter's use out of wheels on my rim brake bikes. By then I had ground completely thru the braking surface. With discs I haven't had to replace wheels in 5 yrs- occasionally rotors, that are relatively inexpensive. Plus, I know I will stop in the driving rain! The weight difference is relatively inconsequential. Maybe replace the disc brakes on your motor vehicle with drums?
What about simplicity?
I think you may have opened a Cam of Worms, if thats the correct term. I enjoyed the video and I also enjoy reading the comments. Its like commedy. People getting offended 😂. I like rim brake bikes, I also like disc brake bikes, but I think discs needs to be refined. I used to have a Cannyon Speedmax SLX rim brake, it was a nightmare to set up, so we can not say that rim brake bikes a free of hassle. Another rim brake bike that was a pain to set up the brakes was the Felt ARWD. The under the bottom bracket brake was a really bad idea. Most of my bikes now are disc brakes. I still have a rim brake bike that I use for commuting. I will have to stop riding it as everytime I jump on my disc brake road bike I almost crash every time because the breaks are so good.
The weight score should have gone to the Cannondale, since it is an objective scale. Still, the final score would have been 6-3 in favor of the Factor, which makes sense. I loved rim brakes, sure, but there is no denying discs are superior in every way. It's widespread adoption also meant great developments in other parts of the frame, like better aero, the ability to fit bigger tires and more comfort. You could say that Gravel wouldn't have happened if discs hadn't been implemented in the first place.
The price category was crazy:- a used Cannondale at say £1,800 would be
you just won the most dumb comment here. +1 to you sir
Do explain why, please. @@PedroPrego
@@maxt1617 david mentioned "the price of this new cannondale in 2012 was X" and you mentioned the price of a used random cannondale. way to go to make a comparison. then you just make up some resale value for the factor. it's just lame
@@PedroPrego Not really. I also agree with Durianrider who rides and tests cheap to ultra-expensive bikes. Buying a second-hand high-end super-bike is way more economical than buying the latest and greatest at inflationary prices. Especially rim brake road bikes have a price drop that is surreal because everyone is mainstreamed on latest disc bikes. Even if the Factor is marginally better than the old Cannondale, for the average or semi-pro there is no difference. A 10 year old Super Six Evo, ridden by Alejandro Valverde & Co. is certainly more than good enough for us Joe's on regular training sessions. Only Pro's and wanna-be Pro's ride the newest Factor, S-Works and... most of time they are supplied for free by their team sponsor.
Your maths is completely wrong.
So to summerize : factor gets the point of weight cause heavier, the point of comfort cause supersix doesn’t get 28 tyres however it could… maybe sram red are also easy to bleed as the ones of 2013… ouch no, only cables… ah, no problem, there is no point about maintenance 😅
Got to be honest , Although I love modern bikes and tech .. BUT that Cannondale is a stunner.. I agree the graphics are louder but it still looks beautiful
One thing that got better w/ bikes is the styling. Bikes seemingly no longer are covered in the bike brand name 100+ times. Now they are brave enough to be more simple. I had a giant tcx that basically said "giant giant giant giant giant giant giant giant giant giant giant giant" it was disgusting to look at lol.
🤣
Plus all the bikes look the same. They stole BMCs style
The first Canyon’s were also a decal fest
hahaha... well said. The same goes for jerseys and bibs.
Your opinion only. The Supersix is easily the better looking bike imo, but it could do with 1 or 2 less 'Dale stickers. As far as modern bikes go, really sick & tired of seeing black on black with black everything, it's passe & boring. Bikes from 10 years ago where more interesting.
Rim Brake Bikes are becoming obsolete. With each new generation coming through they will only know disc brake bikes and rim bikes will be a distant memory.
It’s like the Cycling World has reset bike weights and ride feel to disc brake bikes only and forgetting the lively, snappy, lighter feel of rim brake bikes. Only the older riders will remember the rim brake bikes.
Cycling is becoming to posy and elitist, Insta likes and the other bs 😂
Thanks David. Interesting to get your views as always. I’d have preferred some actual speed testing rather than what ‘feels’ faster.
As others have said the difference in pricing now is massive. Also relevant is servicing costs and that is likely to be much higher on the modern bike.😊
Poor comparison video. The Cannondale was lighter yet you gave the point to the Factor bike because it has modern features? Just give the point to the lightest bike.
Also you can't compare the bikes now and then pluck out the cost of the Cannondale when it came out, you need to compare it to the cost of the bike now which would be significantly lower.
You also include brakes in the groupset/equipment section but then have another separate section for brakes?
As others have mentioned you failed to include some very important aspects of bike ownership namely maintenance, cost of replacement parts, ease of repair.
Agree, the bias did shine through. Sadly it's Fulcrum and other manufacturers versus eBay and others, and they don't have a marketing budget for bikes.
There's no bias. Yes the Evo is lighter so gets the point but my point was that the Factor offered all the advances at pretty much the exact same weight and that's why I gave it the point. But I don't expect everyone to agree with me and that's fine
Most people would do just fine on a 80s or 90s chromoly frame road bike build up with entry level Shimano or cheap modern Chinese groupset. The price point of new high-end or even mid-range bikes is beyond affordability for the average cyclist.
If the cannondale has a lighter frame and groupset, how do they end up the same weight? Is the Factor losing a lot of weight in the bar and seatpost that could be moved over?
Yeah something doesn’t add up
If you have direct mount rim brakes you can brake with one finger, I don't cycle in wet
nice video ! for me cannondale wins for sure, it looks more aggressive
I feel you missed a few things. One being groupset longevity. that mechanical groupset gots another 20 years of shifting ahead of it.
Maintenance is a big one the Evo being far easier to maintain.
Stiffness you can’t talk about compliance and not mention stiffness especially with climbing bikes.
Great video nonetheless!
Horrible video, once again DA shills for Factor. Anyone but a pro should be buying a bike with a pre-set cockpit, brakes that need to be bled and shifting that needs tesla. I suspect that a pair of 28mm tires would "smooth" the ride despite 10year design differences.
@@craigpavia8943 not defending the the Factor here, but there was hardly any high end bike in 2012 which would accept 28mm WAM tyres. The Evo Gen1 certainly couldn't, the Evo gen2 already had up to 28mm clearance.
I have a 2014, 28s just fit...but my point is more about the condition and type than thr size. A pair of 28mm Gatorskins are not as smooth as my cotton 25s...I'm tired of these guys all associating bikes from a frame manufacturer: buyers need to understand that the touch points are key. Saddle, bar tape, tires, stem, hubs are way more important than the carbon layup. DA does a terrible job comparing bikes
@@craigpavia8943that is true these bikes don’t have the same tires from the look of it. That’s one thing I think all these videos miss someone with a 2012 Evo won’t be riding around on 10 year old tires. I’m not saying this is the case for this video but gcn does do that a lot.
@tgc281 honestly it's all of them...from DA to GCN, this is a major problem in my opinion. The sport is VERY expensive and videos like this just pour fuel on the fire. The truth is never discussed. More destruction is done with bike fitting videos but this type of old v new bike comparo is stupid.
My opinion is that the industry should not have abandoned rim brakes. if they had committed to direct mount rim brakes, then the bikes would have been able to adopt wider tires. A truly modern rim brake bike would be my preference over a modern disc bike.
Please bring up the differences between carbon and alloy rims on rim brakes. I know hydro is better than both, but alloy rims still provide a solid braking surface. And most of us do not have the cash to pony up for carbon rims and carbon rims are not needed to enjoy a bike. Hell, carbon frames arent even necessary.
No mention that you can buy that cannondale or similar second hand now for about 1800 quid. Surely that's plus 1000 points to the old bike!
well, maybe in 10 years you could buy this Factor for even less than 1800
Given the choice I'd choose the Super Six over the modern Factor for many reasons.
The prices for all bikes seemed to explode after the introduction of the Cycle to Work schemes.
Isn't it the rider? I do think modern bikes are stupidly over priced no way a 3k bike and a 10 k bike had much difference
Funny to finally come across you in the woods today, knew you must be really close by a lot of the filming spots. Nice well trained dog BTW. 👍 Cheers.
It's a small world eh - was thinking about your bike on the rest of the walk, been ages since I saw a Jones in the wild! Hopefully bump into you again
@@davidarthur Not many about......loads of fun to ride, think big BMX .....
Will stop if I see you again, often pass through there on a big trail loop out to Stroud/Ciren way and back. 👍
But old bike is easier to service. Personally, it is a very important thing that I decided not to upgrade and stay with my old external routing rim brake bike :)
Some people also don't mind driving a 1998 Chevy cavalier. Sure it gets you from point A to B, but it looks like crap and performs like crap.
Integrated cockpit looks cool? Try to do a bike fit. Lets say you need to change the lenght or the angle of the stem. How much money and time you need in both cases? 20E and 5 minutes for EVO and 1k E and many hours for factor
I think the supersix that came after the 2012 version was better. 2016 i think. 25,4 seatpost, straight forks and still external cables on the downtube. It was the best bike i ever had, and i regret selling it 😅
Building that same bike up right now with aero bars and aggressive geometry. Even found the green 22 sram red.
old bikes in a bunch crash vs modern bikes in a bunch crash. We almost never had to replace a frame in the old days... Racing cat 4 on a modern $12,000 bike is insane.
When the tire brands escaped the confining nature of rim brakes, modern bikes rode away with it. Also disposing of the short cage and limited range cassettes was a win. You are able to ride more places in greater comfort, tubeless or not, and that's superb. Mountain bikers for years experienced technological progress whilst road bikers were made to see restrictions as marks of hardiness and athletic excellence. You're not tough enough if you can't make do. Train harder. Now we have good saddles, sometimes even on dropper seatposts, proper stopping power, tubeless systems that leave fewer people on the roadside, better tires overall, and a more varied frame design market. Internal routing and electronic focus often takes it too far, but cable options exist.
While I have differing opinions, this was a fun idea for a video and thought provoking. The pricing being the same surprised me. Nice job, enjoyed this one!
Good video Dave, I will get a factor in 4 years time when less than half price haha
Why did you measured the VAM without the front derailleur battery?
I had that Cannondale. I sold it when I bought my new one a few years ago. I kind of always regretted selling that bike. I do prefer the disc brakes and electronic shifting, but the old one was just a bit magical. Maybe because it was my first dream bike. Even back then the graphics were a bit much to me, but I quickly grew to love it. It wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't made friends with the guy I sold it to. He binned it when he crashed into the rear of a truck when he wasn't paying attention. As to which one was faster, I cannot honestly say. I was crushing PRs with the new one, but my fitness was also getting better. Well except for downhill segments where the disc brakes definitely win out over the rim.
I like modern bikes for their tech and manufacturing improvement but I also like the old school looks of previous generation bikes, 1 point for modern bikes
'Manufacturing improvement'. You're having a laugh right? There has definitely been no manufacturing improvement in this industry in recent times.
@@huwsparky17530310 out of 10 times....ask random people which bike they're picking and it ain't going to be the Cannondale
Ease of maintenance, used price and the price of parts swing it massively to old bikes (2012-2017) for me. Do they win? I’m not sure but it’s close.
the point for weight should go to the supersix it's lighter, also price should go to the supersix because you can get one dirt cheap now so that evens it up 5-5 now which one do you choose for like $1500 compared to $11500
Math is hard. That makes it 5 to 4. There were only 9 total points.
haha, my bad for some reason I thought he said 7-3@@roadcyclist1
I thought the price comparison was interesting - top end bikes haven't changed in price as much as we might like to think, especially considering how expensive groupsets are now. Also, who's to say that the Factor won't be $1500 in a decade? (Assuming it's still going then, but I guess we'll only find that out in the fullness of time)
I just wish there was a larger range of modern bikes with 27.2mm seat posts and non integrated bar and stems. These two factors really put me off upgrading as it’s far more difficult to find tunes positioning.
@masoncycles is what you’re looking for if you want steel or ti
Settle it “once and for all” (at 0:25)! Very amusing, David. The great thing, though, is that for those that prefer the old bikes, whether for the aesthetic or the simplicity and ease of maintenance of mechanical shifting and rim brakes, they can save a boatload of money by buying a top-of-the-line ten year old bike for 10-20% of the original retail price
💯Modern bikes are just ridiculously priced! 💯 PERIOD! 😎
I want to know where the weight is on the Cannondale? Lighter frame, lighter groupset, thinner tyres but both bikes are the same 🤷
heavy saddle and those bartapes looks heavy.. hahah
Great comparo Dave. Seems the Factor's greatest asset is it's ride comfort. How much of that comfort would it retain with 25mm tires?
I'd like classic geometry, with discs able to take wider tyres. Anything under 8.5kg is more than light enough......However modern bikes are silly expensive.....
Hard to see how the Factor ends up so close on weight - heavier frame, heavier groupset, rotors, probably heavier tyres. Difficult to see where it saves weight over the 'Dale.
So, the Factor is marginally better than that Cannondale in every respect. But I would prefer that Cannondale, because... you can get them in mint condition as second hand at a dirt cheap bargain price around 1500€ and less. If it has rim brakes, its value goes into the toilet and the prices drops. Only disc brakes sell nowadays. 🤔
Can you quantify some of this more with numbers? Do a few loops or tests at x wattage and time them. Maybe rough road vs smooth loop, hills, down hills, and throw in general maintenance like bearing replacement and see how we do.
I swap between a 2005 weight weenie Scott CR1 Limited and a disc equipped Gallium Pro and the 2005 bike rips it to shreds in everything but versatility, due to tire size restriction. And I have aero 50mm wheels on the gallium, and shallow 23mm old school rims on the other and still kills it. Same position and size on each.
Horses for courses I ride all my stuff but I swear that old bike is ridiculously fast.
Last time I did timed testing with power people ripped apart the variables in the data so while some people clearly want to see which is X watts faster I'm not sure how useful it really is to wider audience?
@@davidarthur variables in a test and subjective things like asthetics of a bike seem to be one in the same. Of course there are variables the tires of the factor would be wider vs the skinny Cannondale bike's. It's just to show that new vs old may or may not be different. And honestly it's all in good fun anyway, it's a RUclips video.
Do love that Factor frame though. Light bikes rock.
Next 10 years we will be on ebikes with 50 mm tires 34T on the front and 80T on the back. JustRideBikes will be eating it up! Monster truck tires! V8 motor!!! You don't even have to pedal!!! 😂😂😂😂
A couple of cycling oddities. Years ago, a bike with 2 chainrings and 5 cog freewheel was called a 10 speed.
Today, a bike with 2 chainrings and 12 rear cogs is called a 12 speed. Why not 24 speed?
Why do you put your saddle on a seat post? Why not a saddle post?
Ease of maintenance is definitely something gone by the way side. That being said, you are one the road with other people in various forms of transport. So you take your bike to a professional to make sure your bike is maintained properly. If not for yourself, for the people around you. All things considered, is still WAY cheaper than a motor vehicle.
Older bikes where designed around hardened athletes, modern bikes are designed around softened consumers. They're both fun though, I'll take one of each also.
The Factor for more casual rides, the Cannondale for going beast mode 💪
Such insight….😂
they are for shure more expensive, the cannondale has racing zero you can go down 300 grams more and also with the saddle... you can easily hit 6 kg.
Much expensive to maintain
What about durability? Do you think the factor will be there in 10 years from now in mint condition, with minimal maintanace effort and cost?
It should still perform well.🤔
David, you didnt tell us how much faster! So what was it? a few seconds?
Not surprised at all. I had a few Evo's. Each new model was as light but more comfortable than its predecessor. I was also able to match weight with disc brakes so it was a win except in the price department. Real street and used prices were higher
The evo still looks really nice especially in today’s market of dull as dishwater bikes! And that Factor sure is DULL! Give me the evo any day. How on earth did you give the Factor 1 point for being heavier??? You can’t hide your personal bias the same as I wouldn’t be able to in favour of rim brake bikes.
Lolol my man is always grappling with this very question and EVERYTIME, he rolls out the Cannondale SSE HM as the benchmark for what bikes were like.
I can’t blame him though, as I have the same frame, and it is honestly the pinnacle of the old road bike design. Light, stiff, with zero power loss.
I think it's a fair benchmark. It was considered a bit special at the time and was probably the last round-tubed, rim brake bike used at the top level (Bianchi Specialissima? Ridley Helium perhaps?)
Yea. Lightweight bikes have always been super expensive. People forget to take inflation into consideration
Aero everywhere? Aero comes 90℅ from the position of the rider so no need to mention this.
Hi guys, just a random question. Im planning to buy a 2016 giant tcr advanced 1 carbon for 900€. Now My question is if it's still worth it in 2023? I would love to hear your opinion.
Just a fantastic video David
Far better than some of the modern bike bashing videos in my feed. If you know you know 🤣
Thanks 👍
Are they telling the truth? Or David is telling the truth? If you know, you know!🤣😂😇
Your scoring is a bit suspect imho. Weight and price were the same, and yet you gave points to the Factor when it should’ve been a tie. Another potential scoring category to add is maintenance - rim brakes and external cables are much cheaper and easier to service, 11sp components more durable etc. You justified giving the Factor the win for weight because it had better brakes and weighed the same … and then gave the Factor another point for brakes later on. Speaking of rim brakes, they work much better with an alloy brake track than a carbon track.
10:27 "It's really hard to get a feel how much this bike is faster over that one". *Many* thanks for this *honest* opinion 👍👍 I'm always laughing on the floor when some "independent' youtubers (e.g. @outdoorbros) says that he can feel how much SL8 is faster over SL7... Giving that it's difficult to quantify "speed feelings" between bikes generations apart, I question that somebody could differentiate subtle modifications between to generations of a modern bike as Tarmac... Cheers 💖
No doubt modern bikes has the modern improvements. But the price you have to paid for them it's literally bikes for lawyers. I can maintain my rim brake bikes but the modern bikes well its a nightmare and its beyond me. Finally a too tier modern bikes on an average bloke, well its alot of money for marginal gains
I like this comparison, David, seemed fair and balanced and no doubt that we are in a golden age of tech and advancements and choice, and while I would not or could not spend big bucks on a top-tier bike, I don't really feel left out as the used-market has tons of great deals and the brands are offering so many tiers of new bikes, it is truly fantastic, plus no shame in saving up for after-market components and purchasing as funds permit. And all in all, I'd probably liken it to a new car purchase I made in 1984, a brand-new Volkswagen Rabbit GTI. I could afford it and it was a true sports car, yet a sleeper, too, as it simply looked like a regular Rabbit with bigger tires and cooler wheels. And at the time, then as now I suppose, wealthier buyers were flocking to Porsche and fine, they had the money for those cars, yet for me, wow, the GTI was a completely satisfying purchase, an affordable high-performance sports car. And as far as bike advancements in this decade, I think we are already seeing the big trend and that is gravel, gravel, gravel. And I applaud it, fun to see all the tech and trickery to go fast off-road and that's always been a thing for lots of us in the States and there used to be bumper-stickers for cars with a profile of a motocross rider and the caption "Do It in the Dirt." And my eight childhood years on a Schwinn Sting-Ray, from '67 to '75, were always street and dirt without even thinking about it, it was all fun and, well, sometimes scary fun when we were daring each other to fly down drops or stairs or do any of that wild riding which led to BMX and so much more. 😀
Damn, I guess I need to go and buy a new bike now after seeing this! 😄
No way man if that Factor looks better. The Cannondale is Shout-y - right, but that's the whole point in it. I'm not about the brand. Can be any other one. That violet tape? Sure, though 'they say' to have something more - maybe saddle in the same color. I do have alu-frame/carbon fork by Corratec, released in 2010, at brand's 10th anniversary. It's black-white-indigo-blue paint work with pretty much alike, bold logo on down tube. It really does the job. Great times, great bikes...
I still don't understand how DA manages to put two bikes anywhere on a road in the wonderous UK and not get instantly hounded off by the usual local inhabitants in their oversized ChavPanzers.
I would buy Super Six and use the money I saved to get a more tasteful custom paint job. Something other than the ubiquitous modern flat black.😅
One of the unheralded advantages of disk brakes is when you use them in the rain and the bike actually slows down.
Can probably pick that cannondale up or 1 similar for arpund 1500 to 2000 on ebay and for the vast majority of us will be plenty good enough to ride with local clubs or some solo epics. Silly to pay 12 k imo
initial price is not the point. Which is the total cost of ownership over 10y? For evo anyone can do the maintanace with minimal knowledge, tools and skills. Good luck fixing something on the new bike
There isn't a great deal between then to be fair, you could match the gearing closer but thats it - comes down to if you want to part with a load of cash when you already have a great bike for the technological advances or not.
That Factor, new Giant Propel and new Madone are on a different level in aesthetics. Aero climbing bikes are the future, finally all-in-one bikes are here.
Dear David, men like you and the GCN guys will always find the more expensive bike to be better, regadless if its really better or not. I liked your video where you compared 2 bikes without powermeter, and the verdict was that the more expensive is the better:-). You should conduct blind tests, that would be more reliable and could filter some of the subjective factors. Besides I love your videos and content, and thx you for your effort to provide up to date content.
Quite an interesting and summarized comparison of where road bikes have moved in the last 10 years.
No one forces you to overinflate your evo. Correctly infmated 25 c works well for People thatcare light enough. Also 28 is probably ok on the evo. Regarding aerodynamics you could put 50mm deep rim wheels on a cervelo soloist carbon for example and have something slippery. Really quality brakes in the wet and more gear range are the biggest upside of modern road bike.
I'd rather pay for the SuperSix EVO than be given the O2 VAM for free.
Maintenance
If you can afford a high end bike great go for Factor or equivalent
For those at the lower budget , 2nd hand mechanical with light alloy wheels for good stopping wins always.
The Factor unlikely last 10 years and not much can be recycled
My EVO Hi-Mod team edition is still my favourite/best bike I have ever owned. only one I regret selling.
I think this is a Fulcrum Zero Nite, it's not carbon. Excellent wheels, but not carbon (I would prefer it over carbon, because of the breaking performance - 1400g if I'm not wrong).
The wheelset is a Fulcrum Zero Carbon , 1330 g, 30 mm, excellent wheels, highest degree of stiffness. Also Nite are very good, a bit heavier about 1490 g. I own both of them, produced by Campagnolo.
Disc rotor rubbing
I'm surprised by the price of the Supersix EVO... It was less than 6000 Euros back in the day I guess.
Currently building my supersix from 2015 back up right now. Been on NS1 for 2 years... the balance is nowhere near
So with more modern, lighter weight components.
Ie carbon handlebar stem brakes, wheels, seatpost and identical groupset, thwn it would be interesting. This comparison causes more questions than it answers
Definitely prefer the classic looks of the Cannondale. Also, in terms of price maybe the more practical comparison would be to see how much these go for on the used market today!
Rim brakes are better for Strava (UCI illegal climbing bike), disc brakes have advantages in races that take place in all weather conditions.
Why didn't you show the power numbers for each ride/bike?
Because the Cannondale is aero. Back then they used super narrow design for aerodynamics and the Cannondale would shop up the new bike. Sponsors don't like that
My only gripe with older bikes are the paint scheme and ridiculous amount of logos. If that cannondale only had the cannondale logo on the downtube and evo on the chain stays and fork then it would look like every other modern bike.
To be more objective, you should try the same ride with climbs many times with the same guy, and again with another rider. When it comes to CLIMBING nothing is better than a Supersix EVO 2.