Thx for posting. I saw that their test speed is 45km/hr. That’s fast for most mortals - at least in solo riding situations when aero drag is more relevant.
At this speed, the difference in drag from top to bottom performer was 41 watts. At 30 km/hr, the difference would be 12 watts. Still significant for sure, but not the same as a headline “40 watts”.
But if a “slower” bike is more comfortable, and prevents pain in wrists and butt, is it faster in the long run?
This isn’t correct for the test numbers shown… as they don’t test with a full dummy… In the real world, I agree that the position is the key factor.
I made a dumb assumption that the test was at about 30km/h based on the Watt numbers.
I dug up a Road Bike Stiffness Chart
The Canyon Endurace CF SLX and CF SL disc have really good comfort scores and significantly better than the CF SL. I think this could be due to their proprietary leaf spring seatpost which is identical to the Ergon seatpost which was tested here: Seatposts: Often Overlooked Yet Critical For Your Comfort (Lab Testing) - CYCLINGABOUT The CF SL has a different seatpost which might be partly responsible for the reduced deflection.
If you like the look of the Endurace and have the money, I’d suggest a model with the leaf spring seatpost and a non-integrated stem and if your hands are still hurting another possible upgrade is a suspension stem. The Redshift Shockstop has up to 20mm of travel; I bought one because I had the same problem of bad roads making my arms ache and it’a a huge improvement.
Beyond this you’re left with marginal gains of thick cork bartape, a comfortable chamoix and padded gloves.
Idc what they or anyone say, there is no 40 watt difference in any equally spec’d road bike. That’s just a damn joke. You’d have to design a bike to be that slow on purpose.
I didn’t know about this. Actually seems super intresting that the small suspension on the seat post could make much difference. I’m heavly leaning towards the Endurace now.
