Bought the Ultimate because I had gotten the Endurace back in ‘22 when it was near impossible to get a bike. Honestly loved the Endurace but it felt too relaxed and I wanted something more nimble and my dream color was on sale.
Yesterday I took the Ultimate out, and immediately loved how much faster it felt. The steering was so much more responsive and it climbs and descends like a champ.
Unfortunately, the entire ride was overshadowed by gnarly lower back pain. I know it’s got a slightly longer reach than the Endurace, but the drop is what feels pretty significant.
I have a bike fitting scheduled, but I am pretty worried given that the main difference from the Endurace to the Ultimate is based on the integrated cockpit, which apparently can’t have any spacers added to it, and obviously the stem is what it is.
Perhaps it’s a saddle height / saddle issue. I am used to an S Works saddle I got during a sit-bone analysis and the Ultimate came with a Selle Italia seat that’s pretty narrow. I usually have a slight tilt down on my saddles, but was unable to tilt the one on the Ultimate due to the common issue everyone has with the tilting mech being stuck.
I’m hoping it works out but I do feel a little annoyed with myself for causing this problem when the Endurace was probably just fine all along. 💀
by jonvandine
1 Comment
I’m currently riding an Endurace CF SL8 from 2022 and I really love the bike. I also find the position not too relaxed but that’s a bit personal. I’ll just upgrade the standard wheels to some better ones. I assume the Zipps on this bike are hookless? (like all recent Zipps)