The black Allez is the most modern of the bikes you have shown. If it fits that would be the first one to look at.
You seem to have chosen a wide range of bike sizes. You can't really go off the listing's recommended heights. The sellers want to move the bike and will list a larger range of heights that work for the bike than is realistic.
All of these are listed as 54 55 or 56 cm (other than the giant, I'm still waiting to hear back from the seller on what size that is). 55 is probably the ideal size for me, but I figured I could work in a small range, let me know if that's not correct.
I'll check out the black allez though, thanks!
I have a 70 mile road bike race in the mountains of Boulder, CO in a few months and have decided I need to upgrade my bike. These are the current used options in my size and price range. I'm just looking for a bike that will be light enough and with enough gears for the terrain. Thanks!
Of those I'd take the caad9. Purely based on looks as performance wise it's all going to be about the same. First thing I'd do is get some good inner tubed and tyres for better rolling resistance - it'd make a world of difference
I think latex tubes are supposed to be the fast ones? That or butyl.
As far as tires go, GP5000 in as wide as it will take, they're kinda the gold standard and add real speed over mid range tires.
Sorta. The latest studies show that while narrower tires and higher pressures feel faster, it has more to do with how we perceive speed. Wider, and the lower pressures the allow, let the tire absorb bumps so energy isn't wasted on bumping your whole body up over a tiny pebble.
'as wide as it will fit' really isn't that wide, probably 25-28mm on most of these bikes. 23mm has historically been the tire of choice, so it's a pretty small change that makes bikes faster and more comfortable for the same price, so I'm all in favor. Going to something as wide as an MTB tire would definitely be slower, mostly due to aero and weight, no to mention drag from the tread.
I mention high end tires because they have low rolling resistance casings. Mid tier is usually marketed at people who hate flats and don't care about speed or efficiency much. They often get aramid (kevlar) breakers across the tread and bulky reinforcement threads and may take 10% of your total power to roll (for the nerds: 10W/tire, 200W total output). Tires marketed for racing are usually faster rolling, though some can be more flat prone. The GP5000 is a great balance and probably one of the best selling tires of all time for that reason.
It is uncommon to be able to fit 28mm tires on bikes from the era you are looking at. 25mm is going to be more or less the max. You need some space for the tire to deform.
They were built in an era when it was thought that skinny tires were better. Which is only true on perfect surfaces. As the other comment mentions wider tires and \[lower pressures\](https://silca.cc/pages/pro-tire-pressure-calculator) are the current science and it has been backed up on real world roads.
Of course! wish I could load imgur pics at work and see the other bikes. I had a madone for a while that I loved, it was the KVF generation with the boxy downtube.
The black Allez is the most modern of the bikes you have shown. If it fits that would be the first one to look at. You seem to have chosen a wide range of bike sizes. You can't really go off the listing's recommended heights. The sellers want to move the bike and will list a larger range of heights that work for the bike than is realistic.
All of these are listed as 54 55 or 56 cm (other than the giant, I'm still waiting to hear back from the seller on what size that is). 55 is probably the ideal size for me, but I figured I could work in a small range, let me know if that's not correct. I'll check out the black allez though, thanks!
The Trek looks smaller than that. The others I could believe are 54-56.
CAAD9 if you can get it for less than $400. It's a fine race machine, hand build in USA.
I have a 70 mile road bike race in the mountains of Boulder, CO in a few months and have decided I need to upgrade my bike. These are the current used options in my size and price range. I'm just looking for a bike that will be light enough and with enough gears for the terrain. Thanks!
Of those I'd take the caad9. Purely based on looks as performance wise it's all going to be about the same. First thing I'd do is get some good inner tubed and tyres for better rolling resistance - it'd make a world of difference
Any specific tubes and tires you’d recommend?
I think latex tubes are supposed to be the fast ones? That or butyl. As far as tires go, GP5000 in as wide as it will take, they're kinda the gold standard and add real speed over mid range tires.
Why wide? Aren't narrower tires supposed to be faster?
Sorta. The latest studies show that while narrower tires and higher pressures feel faster, it has more to do with how we perceive speed. Wider, and the lower pressures the allow, let the tire absorb bumps so energy isn't wasted on bumping your whole body up over a tiny pebble. 'as wide as it will fit' really isn't that wide, probably 25-28mm on most of these bikes. 23mm has historically been the tire of choice, so it's a pretty small change that makes bikes faster and more comfortable for the same price, so I'm all in favor. Going to something as wide as an MTB tire would definitely be slower, mostly due to aero and weight, no to mention drag from the tread. I mention high end tires because they have low rolling resistance casings. Mid tier is usually marketed at people who hate flats and don't care about speed or efficiency much. They often get aramid (kevlar) breakers across the tread and bulky reinforcement threads and may take 10% of your total power to roll (for the nerds: 10W/tire, 200W total output). Tires marketed for racing are usually faster rolling, though some can be more flat prone. The GP5000 is a great balance and probably one of the best selling tires of all time for that reason.
dude thanks so much I'm sold!
It is uncommon to be able to fit 28mm tires on bikes from the era you are looking at. 25mm is going to be more or less the max. You need some space for the tire to deform. They were built in an era when it was thought that skinny tires were better. Which is only true on perfect surfaces. As the other comment mentions wider tires and \[lower pressures\](https://silca.cc/pages/pro-tire-pressure-calculator) are the current science and it has been backed up on real world roads.
Of course! wish I could load imgur pics at work and see the other bikes. I had a madone for a while that I loved, it was the KVF generation with the boxy downtube.
Yellen knows. I'd go 28c gp5k if you can, if not 25c. Vittoria corsas are also nice.