Ride Magazine review

Has anyone read the avanti cadent 2 review in ride magazine issue 39.
They were all sold out when i tried to get it.
How was the review ,what were the highlights, was it positive or negative.
Is it a good bike in there opinion.
Need to know looking a getting one.
Would be very gratefull for any help thanks.

It was a crap review. By that I mean it was badly written and missed the point. Half the article was spent bleating about the long head-tube - completely ignoring the fact the tester was on one two sizes too large. He completely missed the point that it's an ideal bike for the longer legged/short torso proportioned person.

And it's not a bad bike overall, as I know, cause I've got one. It doesn't corner that well IMHO but what can you expect from a 65mm BB drop. Fits me brilliantly though, stiff yet comfortable enough (I'm not heavy) and that's what matters.

I bought a Cadent 1.0 and put the Tiagra gear on my beater and put an Ultegra groupset I already had on the Cadent. (I liked the 1.0 colour better than the 2.0 or 3.0 - all the Cadent models use the same frame construction and sizing).

Bit worried caus its a new frame design. Geometry sounds spot on for me with a shorter toptube. Bit worried that its not a monocoque frame. Not sure of t2t.
How is the stiffness of the frame.

I initially thought the frame was a bit flexy, but I replaced the stock Cadent 1.0 Shimano wheels with Fulcrum 3's (which are very stiff) and all the sogginess went away, so it's obviously not the frame that flexes. I can't get the slightest flex out of it now but I'm only 65 kg. It's quite comfortable, too, designed for longer rides rather than razor-sharp handling (chainstays are 418mm I think).

The carbon fiinsh on the top tube is not too flash, no fancy checkerboard finish here. I thought it was blemished but they are all like that.

The size numbers are a bit strange (which is probably what fooled the Ride reviewer). Pick the one with the TT length that suits you and ignore the seat-tube length number. I'm 5'8" and the 52.5 suits me perfectly (I would usually ride a 54 or even 56). You will have a lot of seatpost showing but so what.

If you buy the Cadent 2 or 3 you get better wheels anyway.

RIDE do awesome bike reviews, they are always on the money. Their rigorous testing methods are exemplary.

I would not touch this Cadent model.

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wayno

Rigorous? RIDE are as guilty as any other magazine of pseudo-scientific claptrap like "acceleration is snappy thanks to short 405mm chainstays" (Cannondale Super Six, issue 38). But, yes, they do put the bikes on a jig and test deflection. And there they found that the $2.5K Cadent had a stiffer bottom bracket and less head tube deflection than the $3.5K Trek Madone 5.2 and $8K Super Six respectively. They praised the Cadent's straight-line stability (although they missed the poor carbon finish on the top tube.) So which parts of that "rigorous testing" make you not like the Cadent, Wayno?

What got my goat about the review was that at least half of it was wasted in the usual patronising sneering at bikes with taller top tubes and riders with limited flexibility (cue references to Pilates and Cadel Evans). When will people realise that bikes like the Cadent are "short top tube" bikes rather than just "long head tube" bikes? I have decent flexibility and ride with a 9cm saddle-bar drop, but geometry like the Cadent makes that possible with my long legs and short torso.

Overall, the parts of the review that weren't dribbling on about head tube length were positive about the bike. The review was crap because of what it didn't say, rather than because of any particular criticisms of the bike.

So ride were saying that the cadent frame is as good as the trek and cannondale

NO. Because a bike flexes 0.2mm less than another does not mean it a better bike. I'll pass on the Cadent

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wayno

im confused, If the cadent flexes less. Is designed to be a comfortable ride and is alot cheaper wouldnt it be better to go the cadent.
I havnt read the ride review but im trying to peice it all together from this thread.
What i want is a good bike for the best price. I am not brand biased and have a nuetral opinion. But at the same time i just dont want to buy a cheap bike and i dont want to get ripped off either.
So basically was the review stating that the cadent was good value for money, and comparable in performance than the other bikes in the same price bracket.
Lets just forget that it is an avanti for a minute.

Now you are talkin'. If comfort is what you want, Specialized Roubaix w/ shimano 105 is discounted to about $2000 now, but geometry is still very racy. Giant's are well priced, being the world largest bike maker, check the OCR line up.

Also, you need to know what size bike you need, DO NOT TRUST BIKE SHOP OWNERS! Use Competitive Cyclists' Fit Calculator as a guide... Its excellent

Merida's are heavily discounted now, so are Lemond bikes.

No on want to be ripped off, but you need to know what you want!

Also there is another Australian cycling forum that has a wealth of info for new bike buyers.. And a helpful bunch too.

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wayno

Ok what i really want to know because i cant get a copy of that magazine is what are the major points of the review. I like the look of the cadent and what it was designed for so i would like to know if ride magazine have given it a good review and that it does what is was made for.

You should test ride it and make up your own mind.

I tried it and didn't like it, I also tried Giant TCR, Specialized Tarmac, Scott CR1. I ended up buying one of those.

Test then buy what you fall in love with.

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wayno

Agreed, buy what fits you right. Fit is everything. You only change gear now and then, you only go round a corner now and then, but you fit on the bike (or not) every second that you ride. I prefer to ride the Cadent rather than my $4k titanium Serotta because the Cadent fits me better. But it's a worse bike in other ways.

If you test ride the Cadent, make sure you get the right size. The bike shop will undoubtedly try and put you on a size too big (especially if that's the only one they have left to sell. (I would normally ride a 54 but the 52.5 Cadent fitted me perfectly.) If you look at the picture in the RIDE review you can see that the reviewer is on a size too big (hardly any saddle-to-bar drop) which is why he was going on about the tall head-tube.

Read the review and found it to be positive. The review claimed the bike was comfortable and made well. The jig results were impressive and were comparable with other bikes tested. The reveiw seemed to suggest that good quality doesnt always come with a high price tag.

Took one for a test and found it to be very comfortable and stiff.
Looks good. Rides well. Gonna buy one.

Thanks for the review scirocco. Asked ride to send it to me 2 months ago. Emailed them a number of times. Never got it.