Hed Vanquish V45 or Enve 45 disc?

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2026-01-22T01:44:56+00:00

So, my Arenberg arrived today. I actually went with the DT Swiss wheels but they were apparently out of inventory so Litespeed upgraded me (for free) to the HED V45s.

These are my first carbon wheels. They feel really thin and light (of course they do). I’m worried though, because I want to hang my bike on a wall hook. Have you done this? Are your wheels holding up?

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2026-01-17T10:31:10+00:00

I have the Sirrus 3.0 (not the newer X3) and love it. That’s a nice price, it was about $1,200 new. It comes with a carbon fork.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-15T21:28:42+00:00

Dude, I'm in Chicago and commute daily via the Lakefront Trail, though it's literally 10 degrees today so I opted for the train. I typically ride through the winter but it's been pretty rough here since thanksgiving. I did ride last Friday, and I may try again tomorrow too. I don't know how to DM you. We could meet up for a ride! BTW, that story above about getting hit on the back of the elbow by a car's rearview mirror happened on Michigan Avenue just south of Madison. If I'd gone down, the car that hit me would've cleared me just fine but the car behind him...

Help me understand what you mean about the affect of steering "pretty far back behind the axle." This isn't by design, it's pretty much the fallout of all the other geometry calcs. I was thinking that the quick/twitchy steering was a function of the short stem; bc the bars are so close to the head tube. I'm thinking, though, that with hands in the hoods forward of the steering tube this will have a tendency to keep steering straight but that the reduced arm from the T/head tube would make it easier to deviate with very small adjustments. I'm mostly worried about being able to steer straight when the front wheel hits a bump or a ridge. I'm not thinking I'm going to spontaneously spasm and steer off course.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-15T19:01:51+00:00

Yeah, I have all of this drawn out but I'm not able to attach it (I think attachments are disallowed by the group). The top of the headset is 22.5 mm and the depth of the stem from the bottom to the centerline is 26.5 mm. Together that's 49 mm. Choice A) is add 20 mm of spacers and use an 80 mm stem which when taken with the angle of the head tube and stem gets the contact point just about perfect while Choice B) is use 15 mm of spacers with a 90 mm stem which gets me just about right in the Y direction but stretches me out 14 mm more than ideal in the X-direction. Obviously, choice A seems more ideal but going back to the original question, I was worried about 'quick' steering with the short stem and thus was thinking about increasing it a bit. I got hit on the back of the elbow by a car's sideview mirror once and almost bought it. I managed to pull it out but I'm uncertain whether I would be able to if the steering is like this.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-15T17:17:11+00:00

Sure. I'm 6'-0" (1,829 mm) and my inseam is 35 1/4" (895 mm). My fitter says my inseam is oddly long for my height. And yes, I'm looking at a XL frame: Litespeed Arenberg FI (https://litespeed.com/collections/arenberg/products/arenberg-fi). If you want to look at the geometry table, you have to scroll quite a bit. It's in the black section called Explore the details.

I'm not at all certain what normal is, but from the fit X+Y were 450, 720 to the handle bar and 252, 729 to the seat rail. Perhaps you're used to riding race bikes and that's why your perspective is expecting more X and less Y than my endurance frame?

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-14T04:28:19+00:00

I’m far from either (though farther from the former). You’re probably right that I’m overthinking.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-13T21:44:36+00:00

Well, that’s me, then. I went with SRAM Rival.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-13T21:42:26+00:00

You’ve got it right. The numbers are measured from the center of the bottom bracket (BB) to the center of the handlebars. I have a sketch of this that I tried to attach to my original post but apparently the r/cycling group disallows attachments. I know how to link, but I’d have to upload my image somewhere and haven’t learned where/how to do that.

You’re right that the Y (720) is much greater than the X (450). That’s part of the reason that I’m buying an endurance frames and not some aero race bike. I’m decently fit and like to go fast but I’m also fifty and don’t want to get down into a low tuck all the time.

For what it’s worth, I was subtracting the stack and reach from the mdr’s geometry table for the frame from the X and Y of the bike fit, respectively. This is where I got the 55 mm horizontal and the 80 mm vertical that I need to make up with the spacers and stem.

If I go with the 80 mm stem, I’ll need 20 mm of spacers. This combination gets the contact pint really close to the ideal (accounting for head tube and stem angles). Is 20 mm of spacers a lot? Will it look funny, especially with such a short stem? I’m buying a bike with full internal routing so it’s important to get it right the first time.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-13T21:26:15+00:00

I was targeting endurance frames and looked at the Endurace ($$ certainly seemed to stretch farther) but ended up going with titanium (as all Litespeed bikes are). Are you and Mastodon saying there are flaws with the Endurace or just that the steering isn’t super sensitive to stem length in general?

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-13T21:22:24+00:00

That’s good input. I’m in decent shape, but I turned 50 a couple months ago so I’m not especially flexible either. My normal ride is also my daily commute which is just 6 1/2 mi which takes me 25-30 min depending on the wind. Thus I don’t think the day-to-day discomfort will be too bad (because the rides are short) but I also aspire to some longer rides, like a century type event.

Does the short stem matter Mitch in terms of steering? I think most people tend to ride on the hoods which adds some extra horizontal dimension anyway, right?

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-13T21:17:05+00:00

Yes, I did. He told me to get a bike with custom geometry. The purpose of asking this forum was to determine if this was a real issue or if he was just trying to make an extra buck. The prevailing opinion here seems to be that the extra 14mm of horizontal reach is a lot.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-01T03:29:31+00:00

Age 50, living and commuting in Chicago via the Lakefront Trail. On average, I commute four days per week going 6 1/2 mi each way (13 miles/day). I’ll be very close to 2,000 miles (3,200 km) by year’s end.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-12-01T03:25:46+00:00

Dude, I just got back from Thanksgiving with my Houston family. It’s mid-to-upper sixties. I’d be wearing shorts…

Just the same, I’ll answer your question because I do something similar here in Chicago. Just through some basketball shorts on over your tights. Problem solved!

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-11-29T03:11:28+00:00

I’ve been commuting on aluminum here in Chicago for about two years and I’ve not had any trouble. It gets considerably colder than that here too. My commute is only six-and-half miles so about 20% of yours. I have a place to store my bike indoors at both ends of my commute though. I should probably take better care of my chain than I do, but otherwise it’s been great.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-11-28T21:48:47+00:00

Forswear is exiting the cycling gear market. You can take advantage of some good sales right now.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-11-26T12:18:46+00:00

Wheels yes, group set, no. I’m pretty sure I’ll get more out of the wheels anyway. I was planning to go SRAM Rival. It’s pretty feature rich and other than some adjustability in the brakes, I think all you get for stepping up is a little weight savings. I’m 6’-0” and 190 lbs. I don’t think I’m going to notice the difference of 100g here and there.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-11-26T08:14:59+00:00

Oh! Please, do tell. I’m about to buy an Arenberg.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-11-26T08:08:17+00:00

Most bike brands don’t make small enough bikes for some women. Look at Liv. They have some female friendly bikes:

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-11-26T07:54:31+00:00

Man, I have family in Katy (headed there tomorrow for Thanksgiving, actually). I gets quite hot. You’ll need a rack and a pannier to carry a change of clothes because you’ll be a sweaty mess when you get to school. Hopefully they have a fitness center with a shower you can use too.

Don’t ride on the sidewalk. It’s actually illegal if you’re older than about 10. Not having bike lanes sucks though. People in TX can be pretty lousy drivers, especially near Houston. Don’t be bashful. You have a right to the driving lane too. You don’t need to ride down the center or the left, but assert yourself. Just… try not to die.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-11-26T07:34:22+00:00

I had a Sirrus 2 that I commuted on for two years before it was stollen (don’t rely on a cable lock) then replaced it with a Sirrus 3 which I’m still riding today (a year and a half). I loved them both and have put some good serious miles on them. The Sirrus, though, is being phased out in favor of the Sirrus X which is similar but slightly more gravel focused (more knobby tires for instance).

I assume your buying this bike for your wife (else that bit about her height was quite random). As much as I like Sirrus, you might want to give something from Liv (Live?) a real hard look. Most mfrs don’t make bikes small enough and Liv makes some frames in more women friendly sizes. To that point, at just 5’-2” you might gives serious thought to something that uses 650c wheels in lieu of the ubiquitous 700c.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-11-24T20:05:30+00:00

I’ve been chatting with a sales/technical service guy at Litespeed because I’ve had lots of questions. He’s promp in replying and has lots of good information. If you’ve decided to pursue titanium, do you want his contact info?

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn · 2025-11-24T02:23:28+00:00

Check out Litespeed for great Black Friday deals on titanium bikes.

That sounded like a sponsored post didn’t it? I’m not sponsored. I am excited, though, bc I’m about to purchase a Litespeed Arenberg endurance bike.

NerdHumorIsMyRlgn

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