My Next Bike

I had a really good bike fit a few months ago.  The folks at Podium Multisport in Atlanta know how to assess your physiology and they understand cycling and bikes at a level that I have never seen in my 40 plus years of cycling.  I went into the bike fit with a favorite bike in mind that I wanted, but as with any experience with experts I came away learning something that I did not expect, titanium is still a good material for building bicycles.

My old Serotta was carbon steel, so I figured that my next bike would be a carbon fiber bike.  I rented a Trek Domane 4.2 last year when I was visiting Austin, Texas for a wedding.  I rode the bike for about 200 hard miles in 4 days.  I hit all of the chip seal roads and steep hills that I use to ride when I lived there and I was quite pleased with the ride and fit.

I have an unusual body anatomy.  I have the torso and arm reach of a typical man who is 5'6" and the legs of a typical man who is 6'3".  I am 6'1" so most standard factory bikes will not fit me.  This is why I purchased my Serotta back in 2001, it was custom built just for me.  Once again I am at the cross roads of wanting a carbon fiber bike and knowing that only a custom bike will allow me to ride 200 to 300 miles at a time with comfort.  Right now the Seven Cycles 622 SLX is what I may end up with.

Seven Cycles 622 SLX
One of the features that I do want to make sure that I get on my new bike is Shimano disc brakes.  Disc brakes have been around for a long time on mountain bikes.  I have them on my Canondale Jekyll Lefty and I love them.  disc brakes have been on cycle cross bikes for a short time and now they are finally starting to appear on endurance bikes.

My 2001 Canondale Jekyll Lefty


I would love to have a lightweight bike just for going fast on group rides, but in reality I ride more miles by myself on long 100+ mile rides and commuting to work.  Getting a bike made of titanium that I can put fenders on makes sense as I ride all year rain or shine.  One thing for sure, I miss riding my bike everyday.






I found this article on Bicycling website that discusses titanium verses carbon fiber as a cycling building material.  Here is a snippet.

Today, the competition to build frames that are ever lighter, stiffer, and more aerodynamic has made carbon composites the most desired material for performance road bikes. But to some of the grand masters of bike building, and to a select number of revered engineers and designers who have tried all the materials, there is still nothing quite like titanium. 
Learn More .... 
So I am leaning more towards a bicycle from Seven Cycles and and not the bicycle that I have been dreaming of, the Domane  6.9 with disc brakes.  Having a bike fit perfect is more important to me than color, style or brand name recognition.  At the end of a long ride I want to feel like riding the next day for the same amount of miles.

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