[Donncha]

Hi folks,

I am looking to get my GF a road bike. I was initially thinking a Canyon Endurace but she had a bike fit yesterday which suggested something more racy than endurance would suit her better. The shop (who sell Giants & Specialized) were strongly suggested the 2019 Langma Advanced 1 Disc. I was told it was full ultegra including brakes but it now looks like it comes with the hybrid Giant Conduct SL brakes which is putting me off.

I understand these are there to get the bike to a price point.

I am wondering if anyone has experience of this bike, these brakes or has alternative suggestions for a similar bike. We would get 10% of the price and a full 3-hour bike fit with the Liv.

https://www.liv-cycling.com/gb/langma-advanced-1-disc-2019

Thank you.

Topic

[madcarew]

Don’t be swayed by the 3 hr

Don’t be swayed by the 3 hr bike fit. That is one hell of a time filler. There’s little reason an original bike fit should take more than half an hour, with a couple of checks as the person gets more used to their bike over time.  As for the bike and how upright it is, The stack height might not matter if she doesn’t ride as low after her fit.

Try another bike shop for some different advice and other options. 

[Mathemagician]

Hi Donncha,
Hi Donncha,

The Langma does make more sense then…by the sound of it an Endurace might be a bit too upright. Side note: my wife rides an Avail, and I was going to buy a Canyon frameset and build her a new disc brake bike but when I compared the geometries the Endurace was more upright than the Avail, which surprised me.

Whether you get the Langma with the Conduct brakes is more a question of how you/your girlfriend would feel about it more than anything else, in my opinion. Some folks will harp on about they don’t come close to the feel of true hydraulics, blah blah…but the reality is they’ll almost certainly be a vast improvement on what she’s riding now. Some people will bang on about the aesthetics, but they’re not actually that noticeable- an external Di2 junction box is objectively as unsightly, if not more so. The only difference is, cycle snobs will nod approvingly at the expensive Di2, but we turn their nose up at the Conduct brakes as they’ve been labelled as a compromise. Going back to my wife, she has quite small hands, and so when we’ve walked around bike shops in that money-no-object fantasy, she really doesn’t like the bigger hoods of some hydraulic shifters (Etap Hydro especially), so in that respect Conduct brakes have the advantage of keeping the smaller hoods (granted the size difference isn’t that much on the new R7000/8000 stuff). Another side note: annoyingly, wife finds my Potenza hydraulic shifters very comfortable…too bad my bike is too big for her!

So in summary, if she’s not bothered by the look and “stigma”, for want of a better word, of Conduct brakes, I say go for it if you’re happy with the rest of the bike.

[Donncha]

Thanks guys for the comments.

Thanks guys for the comments. I really appreciate them.

She has done a few sportives on an old defy and now wants to join a club. She pretty much only rides on the drops and prefers a more aero position.

The bike fit seemed to suggest she was comfortable on a racier geometry than an endurance bike.

The guy in the shop suggested the 2019 Langma as it was around the price point and spec level we were looking. We had a look online and thought it was full Ultegra (which would have made it a good buy to be fair) but when we called into see one being built up for another customer it transpired in was the conduct brakes.

It would cost £500+ to upgrade to Shimano hydraulic shifters which would make buying a different model more sensible; although this starting to go above budget!

[Mathemagician]

I’ve ridden them…they’re
I’ve ridden them…they’re good, actually. A world away from cable disc brakes, and also an improvement on cable actuated hydraulics (TRP HY/RD type). There’s minimal cable involved and very little room for compression in the outer too. I think they’re a good idea all in all.

That said, it does sound a bit like the bike shop are trying to sell you something…I’m fairly sure even the Avail is lower and longer than the Endurace, and would be a more natural entry point/first road bike. The Langma is even racier than the Avail isn’t it?

To be honest if you’re prepared to spend that sort of money I can’t understand why you wouldn’t invest in an independent bike fit?

[Anonymous]

Has your GF ridden drops

Has your GF ridden drops before, how does she get on? Does she prefer a low down position, what type of riding is she going to be doing? Sounds like someone is trying to flog you x bike over y in any case, do you think a racier geo is going to be best for a novice, do you think drops are a good idea for a novice?

If you’re not happy with the brakes when you test ride the bike then why not decide straight off to upgrade.

[Author]

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