Post by Rocket on Oct 18, 2016 10:20:15 GMT
After 2,000 miles of solely riding my Aeroad I spent 225 miles riding my T3 around the lake district this weekend. I then switched back to my Aeroad on Monday so as promised here is my long awaited comparison of both bikes. It should be noted that my T3 is far from Decathlon specification.
Frame and forks
The Aeroad weighs less, no getting around it but the overall difference is only 1.5Kg in favour of the Aeroad. Repeated climbs on the Pennines indicate that it is worth only 20 seconds on a 20 minute climb. I don't find it any more comfortable at absorbing road imperfections. The handling is almost identical to the T3 and I am able to descend on the crossbar at 50mph+ with no issues. If anything the Aeroad has slightly quicker steering but does not feel twitchy. I chose well on the sizing as the stack and reach on the Aeroad is within 1mm of those on the T3. The frame feels no more solid than the T3 when out of the saddle so I conclude that I don't flex the T3 frame or that it isn't flexy in the first place. If I was sat on either bike blindfold it would be difficult to tell which bike I was sat on.
Gears
The Ultegra 6800 on the Aeroad weighs less then the 105 5800 on my T3. The shifters are exactly the same shape and the shift quality is identical being light and precise. 6800 weighs less than 5800 but the small difference is not worth the price premium. I have found the 6800 front derailleur requires me to use the trim positions to avoid chain rub on 3 gears rather than the 2 the Shimano manual suggests. It appears to have a narrower cage than the 5800 which hardly rubs even on the extremes without trimming. The Aeroad was originally supplied with a 52/36 crankset in 172.5mm but I ride 175mm cranks so took the opportunity to purchase an additional 53/39 in 175mm. I have to confess that I currently have the 52/36 rings fitted as I'm doing a lot of steep stuff on my new loop and on recent sportives but the 53/39 will be going back on as I prefer the smaller gap when changing big/little.
Brakes
Braking feel is exacly the same as 5800 even though the Aeroad calipers are direct mount. They are not as powerful in the dry but that is due to the wheels - see below.
Wheels
Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbone Exalith. These are not as impressive as their £1,000+ price tag would suggest. They are an aluminium rim with a bonded carbon fairing giving a 52mm profile. There is no doubting that the aerodynamics work and they appear to be worth at least 1mph when cruising at 24mph+. Manageable in strong sidewinds but certainly more difficult than a shallower rim like the 30mm ones on my T3. They weigh more than the Superstar Components 30mm rims I have but considerably less than RS11's. The spokes are all bladed straight pull and I keep having to re-align them on the non drive side of the rear wheel as shown by the wheel speed magnet. Now to the braking. The Exalith treatment places a hardened textured finish on the braking surface. I found my front left pad was worn to the limit after only 375 miles whereas the other 3 pads still looked like new. I purchased a new pair of pads (£16 for 2 small blocks!) and just replaced the one worn pad. Now at 2,000 miles all 4 pads are about half worn so the initial rapid wear has subsided. Running a fingernail over the offending braking surface it was noticeably rougher than the others but now it has smoothed off. In the dry the braking performance is not as powerful as an untreated aluminium rim but in the wet they are a game changer as the performance hardly reduces. Canyon now supply the Aeroad with Renolds wheels rather than Mavic....
Tyres
The Mavic wheels unfortunately come bundled with Mavic tyres already fitted. Yksion GripLink 23mm front and PowerLink 25mm rear. These are rubbish. The rear tyre cut up rather badly and after 1,000 miles even my weedy legs had removed all the rubber in the centre. The front tyre still had all its pips on the moulding line. Considering how soft the rear was and how hard the front it was no surprise that wet weather performance was bordering on dangerous. These have now been replaced by 23mm Continental GP4000sII front and rear and handling is now on a par with the T3 running the same tyres. I cant say I noticed any difference by replacing the 25mm rear with a 23mm either but then I inflate to 90 psi as I don't weigh much.
Saddle
The Aeroad has a Fizik Arione R5. Initially uncomfortable but I persevered and am now happy with it. T3 has a Charge Scoop which is softer and more contoured but I was fine swapping to it for the weekend and back to the Fizik on Monday.
Bars
The Aeroad bars are about 20mm shorter than the T3 bars. This does not matter when riding on the flats but on the hoods or drops more arm bend is required to achieve the same flat back position. I may try a longer stem in the future. I did submit my body measurements to Canyon when ordering and they said that a 100mm stem was correct for me and I did not need a longer one. T3 also has a 100mm stem.
Conclusion.
The Aeroad is a nice bike and I am very pleased with my purchase but make no mistake I have not bought myself anything revolutionary over my T3 in its current specification. The speed increase when climbing or at speed is minimal and I do have detailed ride statistics to prove this. I think that simply transferring the Mavic wheels and pads to the T3 would give me 90% of the difference. I took a £300 bike and increased its specification to a £700 bike. Rode it for 17,000 miles in its current state then spent 2,000 miles on a £3,000 UCI approved carbon race bike. There is simply no way the cost difference is justified by increased performance, comfort or longevity - it is just nice to have one. I ride fairly fast but I'm no Cat2 let alone pro so anybody slower making the same comparison would see even smaller gains. Somebody faster might be able to justify it. Save your money boys as carbon weapons are just bragging rights as long as you have spent your money wisely on your T3.
Of course there is always the chance that the Canyon Aeroad is not a particularly good bike and my T3 is exceptional....
Frame and forks
The Aeroad weighs less, no getting around it but the overall difference is only 1.5Kg in favour of the Aeroad. Repeated climbs on the Pennines indicate that it is worth only 20 seconds on a 20 minute climb. I don't find it any more comfortable at absorbing road imperfections. The handling is almost identical to the T3 and I am able to descend on the crossbar at 50mph+ with no issues. If anything the Aeroad has slightly quicker steering but does not feel twitchy. I chose well on the sizing as the stack and reach on the Aeroad is within 1mm of those on the T3. The frame feels no more solid than the T3 when out of the saddle so I conclude that I don't flex the T3 frame or that it isn't flexy in the first place. If I was sat on either bike blindfold it would be difficult to tell which bike I was sat on.
Gears
The Ultegra 6800 on the Aeroad weighs less then the 105 5800 on my T3. The shifters are exactly the same shape and the shift quality is identical being light and precise. 6800 weighs less than 5800 but the small difference is not worth the price premium. I have found the 6800 front derailleur requires me to use the trim positions to avoid chain rub on 3 gears rather than the 2 the Shimano manual suggests. It appears to have a narrower cage than the 5800 which hardly rubs even on the extremes without trimming. The Aeroad was originally supplied with a 52/36 crankset in 172.5mm but I ride 175mm cranks so took the opportunity to purchase an additional 53/39 in 175mm. I have to confess that I currently have the 52/36 rings fitted as I'm doing a lot of steep stuff on my new loop and on recent sportives but the 53/39 will be going back on as I prefer the smaller gap when changing big/little.
Brakes
Braking feel is exacly the same as 5800 even though the Aeroad calipers are direct mount. They are not as powerful in the dry but that is due to the wheels - see below.
Wheels
Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbone Exalith. These are not as impressive as their £1,000+ price tag would suggest. They are an aluminium rim with a bonded carbon fairing giving a 52mm profile. There is no doubting that the aerodynamics work and they appear to be worth at least 1mph when cruising at 24mph+. Manageable in strong sidewinds but certainly more difficult than a shallower rim like the 30mm ones on my T3. They weigh more than the Superstar Components 30mm rims I have but considerably less than RS11's. The spokes are all bladed straight pull and I keep having to re-align them on the non drive side of the rear wheel as shown by the wheel speed magnet. Now to the braking. The Exalith treatment places a hardened textured finish on the braking surface. I found my front left pad was worn to the limit after only 375 miles whereas the other 3 pads still looked like new. I purchased a new pair of pads (£16 for 2 small blocks!) and just replaced the one worn pad. Now at 2,000 miles all 4 pads are about half worn so the initial rapid wear has subsided. Running a fingernail over the offending braking surface it was noticeably rougher than the others but now it has smoothed off. In the dry the braking performance is not as powerful as an untreated aluminium rim but in the wet they are a game changer as the performance hardly reduces. Canyon now supply the Aeroad with Renolds wheels rather than Mavic....
Tyres
The Mavic wheels unfortunately come bundled with Mavic tyres already fitted. Yksion GripLink 23mm front and PowerLink 25mm rear. These are rubbish. The rear tyre cut up rather badly and after 1,000 miles even my weedy legs had removed all the rubber in the centre. The front tyre still had all its pips on the moulding line. Considering how soft the rear was and how hard the front it was no surprise that wet weather performance was bordering on dangerous. These have now been replaced by 23mm Continental GP4000sII front and rear and handling is now on a par with the T3 running the same tyres. I cant say I noticed any difference by replacing the 25mm rear with a 23mm either but then I inflate to 90 psi as I don't weigh much.
Saddle
The Aeroad has a Fizik Arione R5. Initially uncomfortable but I persevered and am now happy with it. T3 has a Charge Scoop which is softer and more contoured but I was fine swapping to it for the weekend and back to the Fizik on Monday.
Bars
The Aeroad bars are about 20mm shorter than the T3 bars. This does not matter when riding on the flats but on the hoods or drops more arm bend is required to achieve the same flat back position. I may try a longer stem in the future. I did submit my body measurements to Canyon when ordering and they said that a 100mm stem was correct for me and I did not need a longer one. T3 also has a 100mm stem.
Conclusion.
The Aeroad is a nice bike and I am very pleased with my purchase but make no mistake I have not bought myself anything revolutionary over my T3 in its current specification. The speed increase when climbing or at speed is minimal and I do have detailed ride statistics to prove this. I think that simply transferring the Mavic wheels and pads to the T3 would give me 90% of the difference. I took a £300 bike and increased its specification to a £700 bike. Rode it for 17,000 miles in its current state then spent 2,000 miles on a £3,000 UCI approved carbon race bike. There is simply no way the cost difference is justified by increased performance, comfort or longevity - it is just nice to have one. I ride fairly fast but I'm no Cat2 let alone pro so anybody slower making the same comparison would see even smaller gains. Somebody faster might be able to justify it. Save your money boys as carbon weapons are just bragging rights as long as you have spent your money wisely on your T3.
Of course there is always the chance that the Canyon Aeroad is not a particularly good bike and my T3 is exceptional....