From the classic steel bikes of our youth, through aluminium, carbon and even more exotic variants, the road bike has remained a timeless design. Whether for Racing, perhaps the longer, less pressured Sportive or simply for pottering about at the weekend, there is a Road bike for everyone.
All road bike manufacturers design and build bikes to allow a rider to focus on their main discipline whether it be climbing, faster on the flats or sustained endurance. At Criterium, we ask riders to focus and explain their cycling weaknesses, not their strengths. For example, if you are already leaving your cycling buddies behind on the climbs but you are being left behind on the flats, then we need to focus on selecting a bike that will enable you to build and enhance your flat speed without detriment to your already accomplished climbing.
Working in conjunction with Step 1, time and distance in the saddle also affects the type of geometry and style of road bike to suit you. For example, a triathlete who is covering sprint and standard distance events may only be in the saddle for around an hour. In this time, the body is not going to fatigue to the same level as an Audax rider who may be in the saddle for 12 – 16 hours. This is where manufacturers build specific bikes for outright speed, aerodynamics and performance and endurance bikes that are designed to hold lower average speeds over sustained periods of time.
This is the step where we focus solely on you. We ask the following important questions:
What is your body shape?
What are your body proportions?
How long have you been cycling?
What are your goals and aspirations?
All of these questions will help establish what type of bike, geometry of bike and manufacturer of bike will fit your body and needs the best.
The legendary Keith Bontrager summed up the issue of budget perfectly.
Quality, light, cheap – Pick two.
The Criterium Way is not to get you to spend the maximum amount of money. Rather, our focus is on making sure that what you do buy meets your needs and, importantly, your expectations in every respect. There are plenty of bike suppliers and manufacturers who make acceptable bikes but their primary weapon is price and components. That is not our approach. We start with the frame and your needs, which is why we only partners with brands who share the same heritage and core philosophy. Buy from Criterium Cycles and whatever your budget, you are getting something that is focused on you and only you.
Steps 1 – 4 will have ensured that you are on the correct type and size of bike to suit your requirements.
Criterium Cycles are also experts in bike fitting and can help you achieve a faster dialled in position to your new bike if you wish. However, we do respect that some of our customers have been riding for many years and are happy to make their own adjustments. Also, some customers who are venturing onto a road bike for the first time may wish to get used to the riding position over time and have a fitting later.
Therefore, we offer our Level 1 bike fit for £99, saving £100 on the full cost, that can be purchased at any time within the first 6 months of ownership.
For more complex road bikes that have fully integrated handlebar and stems, where all the cables and hoses pass internally through the bar and stem, plus any bike purchased through the Trek Project 1 custom bike build process, you will require our Level 2 bike fit. This involves a thorough sizing assessment for all touch points on the bike, plus the added workshop labour to set the bar / stem height, trim the fork steerer and rebuild the front brake. This process takes around 6 hours and costs £299.
If you like the sound of the personal and detailed approach to all of this, the starting point is to call us on 0131 663 6220 and make an appointment with either Paul or Keith, our bike specialists.