I got new bikes for days
2009-06-11 / 21:34 / dave
Cervelo, I finally own you
It’s no exaggeration to say I’ve wanted a Cervelo for at least 4 years. I’m not sure if it was seeings Jens Voigt riding one or reading about their history but at some point I decided it was all I wanted in a bike: a sexy pro-level frame designed by geeky Canadians. Thanks to the upped 5k limit on IRA contributions, my tax return almost covered the cost of the S1 frameset.
I had Rob at Thick chase & face the bottom bracket and did the rest of the assembly myself. The internal cable routing was not nearly as dreadful as I thought, thanks in part to engineering.
The 3T Funda Pro fork comes with an insert you epoxy into the top of the fork instead of a compression plug. But seeing as how epoxy is forever and I am uncertain, I shelled out the $25 for an FSA compression plug and have a nice stack of spacers above my stem. Someday.
The Cervelo got it’s first ride longer than a mile in the MS-150. In short: it was amazing.
The first thing I noticed was the ridiculously short wheelbase, more specifically the 2.5″ of toe overlap. I noticed this almost falling over as I slow pedaled across the parking lot to get to the start. But once I started moving the handling improved; at speed it’s wonderful. It tracks great through corners which gave me confidence descending.
I’m not heavy enough to really test the stiffness but it definitely didn’t feel flexy. I could make the chain rub the front derailleur while standing and climbing, so there’s evidence of flexing and/or my excessively tight tolerances for the limit screws.
Similarly the frame (& especially <400 g fork) feel light, but the rest of the components aren't chosen for weight: Ultegra 9 + Dura Ace STI's, 32 spoke wheels, Dimension/Ritchey cockpit. I weighed the complete bike and it was around 18 pounds.
Cervelo's emphasis is on aerodynamics. I don't have much to compare, but in the rare cases where I was descending beside people I found I could pass them without pedaling. That can't be bad, right?
After coming home and riding around on my steel track bike, I can say the geometry or carbon seatpost on the Cervelo soaks up large bumps well. On the other hand lots of the MS-150 course was over chip & seal roads and the chatter was tiring. I'm not sure how much of that is because of the frame and how much is because chip & seal sucks, especially when you weigh less than 140 lbs.
You’ve filled out in front, Kristen
That’s not an optical illusion: the front wheel is bigger than the rear. Turns out that Redline 29″ disc wheels are only $80 so I went ahead and tried out this whole 69er thing.
Prognosis: eh…
I test rode it through Schenley & Frick and liked the handling (once I got used to it). But then I rode it at Bavington and strained through the winding sections: the bike just didn’t want to turn. It seems easier to go up and over stuff but some of that is due to the change in position: the taller wheel rotates my weight backwards.
Since she’s in North Carolina for a month, I borrowed Casey’s 26″ wheels. That will let me quickly switch between 29″ and 26″ wheels to get a better comparison. I’ll probably also end up with a 10 degree stem to see how that affects my position & handling.
1. Holy crap is that wheelbase short! The tires is so close to the seat tube.
2. The seat post makes me feel somewhat self-conscious.
C. That chain ring is huge! But then, I only ride mountain, so I’d never need 97 teeth or whatever that has.
4. Internal cable routing is sweet.
5. Kristen is a dirty, dirty girl. I bet she looks great with those purple wheels.
110. I found that my bike didn’t want to turn last Sunday, even with 26″ wheels. Then I realized my front tire was flat.
7. I want a new bike.
Re: C. It’s a standard 53 tooth. It looks ginormous beacause the frame is so tiny. I’ve been thinking of putting a compact on their anyway
Re: 7. I recommend living in a shitty apartment in the Southside and spending your money on biking equipment. Works for me!
Ridiculously ignorant question: why doesn’t the off road bike have suspension?
I’d say something like “Because I like to be one with the trail” but really it’s because I didn’t know if I’d like mountain biking when I got started and a decent rigid set-up is about US $300 cheaper than a half-decent suspension fork.
And now I’m used to it. Someday I’ll try a suspension fork and be ruined forever. Until then, pragmatism FTW!
PS: it doesn’t hurt that some of the craziest/best mountain bikers I know ride single-speed rigid, so I know it’s possible. In the 24 Minutes of Slagheap the top three riders were actually all riding fixed-gear mountain bikes, so they had no rear brakes and couldn’t coast. Now that’s hard-core.
@Andrew: and congrats on your country-men making a great bike. That Cervelo is seriously awesome.
When I first got into trail riding in about 1993, my bike was a Roadmaster brand bike from Montgomery Ward. It had a steel frame and weighed about 50 pounds. It had no suspension. It sufficed for the time. My first “real” mountain bike had a suspension fork, but it really didn’t do much for absorbing shock. It was nearly rigid. My current bike replaced that one, and its fork isn’t much better. It’s just some stiff springs inside of a tube. Jess’s bike, however, has an awesome fork. It’s air-damped. It actually absorbs roots and bumps and stuff. It’s really nice. I’m jealous. As for rear suspension… I’ve never ridden a bike with it and I honestly am not interested. Besides not wanting to pay thousands (three or four) for one of decent quality, I like having the back wheel fixed.
That’s pretty intense. I’m pretty sick of simple potholes without shocks.
I normally assume most fixie riders are wanting to make a statement but in the case of competitive mountain biking, these guys must obviously consider the pros to outweigh the cons.
Me: “But how do you keep from bashing your pedals on log piles and stuff?”
Chris (fixed gear MTB rider): “Well… basically you bash your pedals on log piles a lot”
Though I think that’s more of a side effect than a pro.