C
Chris M
Guest
I took a few bikes out for a spin over terrain that I thought would
truly reveal any differences. IMO, the biggest differences among many
of the frames (once they are rigid enough to have no discernible crank
flex as indicated by chain rub against the front derailleur) is road
feel over rough pavement. Once must also make sure that wheels and
tires are either the same pair, or at least the same model of wheel
and same size and pressure in the tires.
I rode my OCLV Record 10 speed to the shop and then first tried a
Lemond "Min Max" carbon fiber frame with Ultegra. Ignoring the hated
STI brifters, I enjoyed the superb feel with just the right amount of
feedback without transmitting too much of the roughness nor feeling
too isolated or "dead" as some would say. None of this is remarkable
these days except that this is a frame-set that is among the lightest
available "off-the-peg" (production model). the prices for these Trek
made race frames are quite reasonable and it would definitely be at
the top of a very short list of frames for my next "last bike I will
ever need" (that is how I justify spending top dollar, assuming it is
worth the dough). So yeah, I was impressed with everything about it
aside from the junk hanging on it. I just can't see anyone who thinks
Shimano is better than the other choices. It just does not feel quick
and smooth though I admit it is precise when adjusted correctly. It is
also the loudest of the integrated brake / shift levers.
Not far from the rack of the Lemond there was a Cannondale 6/13 or
Synapse (I forget, but it is aluminum rear triangle including the seat
tube while the top and down tubes are carbon fiber in tubes as large
as any of the typical C'dale frame tube-sets. It looked kind of clunky
from where I was looking up at it. The clerk thought I should try it
and the SRAM Force group installed on it made me interested enough to
repeat what I had done with the Lemond. Aesthetically, as soon as it
was on the ground it suddenly looked completely different and the
stout tubes gave it a super rigid appearance (form follows function
and I know that in general, the larger the tubes, the thinner the
walls get. This was confirmed when I lifted the 16 pound bike and
adjusted the height of the Airone special Giro edition saddle with
coordinated (chrome/silver) bar tape. If I had opted for the chrome
and black instead of silver and blue Northwave Aerators, I would have
been ready to pose for a cover of "Bicycling" magazine. Heading out
over the same route, I noticed it was also similar to both Trek made
bikes (mine and the Lemond) and the real story here is about the SRAM.
I don't believe that today's' hyper rigid bikes can possibly be much
different in terms of frame flex, so I wondered what game me the
impression that it was so efficient in its ease of acceleration...but
I will say this...the stem and head tube were huge and even the shims
were super large, maybe 2" diameter? The Airone saddle was fantastic
and both the feel and the operation of the SRAM lever were amazing. If
I had been seriously looking to buy a bike at that time, I would have
taken that bike as configured. The few trivial dislikes were not an
issue (the USE Alien seat-posts are a pain in that ass and I already
have one that goes unused because of the lack of precision tilt
adjustment) but other than that, I would not change a thing unless I
was able to build one up from scratch. It would have been more fun to
take it as is and not worry about whether I wanted to spend so much on
a carbon fiber stem. The saddle tilt was just right and I have plenty
of seat-posts at home to swap when and if that issue came up. I
suppose if I was able to choose from any parts, assuming all of the
components I know of were there in the shop, I would have opted for a
Ritchey WCS or a Syntace F99 stem (though even the stem might have
stayed the same if the others looked less cohesive that the installed
stem) and the Easton EC90 aero / ergo handlebars were sweet, and felt
great. So, I guess the only thing for certain I would have changed was
the wheels (I do not care for Ksyriums, even the best model that were
already installed. I would have kept the SRAM Force, unless I tried to
save a few bucks with Record. It is a tough call because I am not sure
what made the most difference in the feel. The geometry was perfect
for me, which is almost impossible for me, always needing a longer top
tube and or stem. Everything was located where I wanted it, and the
feel of the bars and brifters was even better than my own bike and all
of this confirmed once again that Shimano is the Microsoft of the
cycling industry.
Getting back on my own bike was not as hard as I had thought it would
be. The Lemond Ultegra was the thing that caused such a sense of
contrast compared to the SRAM Cannondale, so back on my back I
realized that it is time (in the season) to drop the bar height
another ½ " and I really would like a set of teardrop shaped
handlebars and if there were replacement Campy brifter hoods that were
as wide as the SRAM, that would probably keep me happy.
What does all of this really mean? If I did not already have a long
history with Campy, I would almost certainly be in the dark about its
vast superiority relative to Shimano, and therefore in a typical shop
with 2007 bike models, the absence of Campy to try out would without
question lead me to the SRAM gear. It was really fantastic and in many
ways, about as good as Record. It may be a case of the greener grass
syndrome and the wonderful shape of the handlebar tops. Normally
trying out new equipment highlights the deficiencies first while one
finds out how to leverage the improvements as they become familiar I
guess what impresses me the most about the SRAM is how easy it was for
me to use it in spite of my 15 years of uninterrupted Ergopower use.
Spending more time with it might even allow me to discover more
benefits and I would love to add an SRAM equipped bike to my
collection as long as I can keep at least one of my Campy Record bikes
too. I also noticed that the subtle slope of both the Lemond and the
C'dale (about 2 cm or 4/5s of an inch from front to back) allowed me
to feel a bit more comfortable, though I don't know what such a
trivial difference would be noticed.
The C'dale and SRAM really got me thinking about another bike. If I
configure my aero tube frame for TT exclusively and then fill in the
road race niche with a new CF framed bike, which should get my
adrenaline pumping. I wonder how different the Force is from the
Rival? I think I'll start looking for some tasty light CF frames that
ship with SRAM but first I will try out an Easton EC90 ergo / aero bar
to see how much that influenced my experience.
My point in sharing all of this is that SRAM is really a great option
to consider and for Shimano users who somehow decided that the Campo-
philes who have for years recommended trying something else, maybe
this third option will be enough to consider choosing something other
than Microsoft...err...Shimano.
truly reveal any differences. IMO, the biggest differences among many
of the frames (once they are rigid enough to have no discernible crank
flex as indicated by chain rub against the front derailleur) is road
feel over rough pavement. Once must also make sure that wheels and
tires are either the same pair, or at least the same model of wheel
and same size and pressure in the tires.
I rode my OCLV Record 10 speed to the shop and then first tried a
Lemond "Min Max" carbon fiber frame with Ultegra. Ignoring the hated
STI brifters, I enjoyed the superb feel with just the right amount of
feedback without transmitting too much of the roughness nor feeling
too isolated or "dead" as some would say. None of this is remarkable
these days except that this is a frame-set that is among the lightest
available "off-the-peg" (production model). the prices for these Trek
made race frames are quite reasonable and it would definitely be at
the top of a very short list of frames for my next "last bike I will
ever need" (that is how I justify spending top dollar, assuming it is
worth the dough). So yeah, I was impressed with everything about it
aside from the junk hanging on it. I just can't see anyone who thinks
Shimano is better than the other choices. It just does not feel quick
and smooth though I admit it is precise when adjusted correctly. It is
also the loudest of the integrated brake / shift levers.
Not far from the rack of the Lemond there was a Cannondale 6/13 or
Synapse (I forget, but it is aluminum rear triangle including the seat
tube while the top and down tubes are carbon fiber in tubes as large
as any of the typical C'dale frame tube-sets. It looked kind of clunky
from where I was looking up at it. The clerk thought I should try it
and the SRAM Force group installed on it made me interested enough to
repeat what I had done with the Lemond. Aesthetically, as soon as it
was on the ground it suddenly looked completely different and the
stout tubes gave it a super rigid appearance (form follows function
and I know that in general, the larger the tubes, the thinner the
walls get. This was confirmed when I lifted the 16 pound bike and
adjusted the height of the Airone special Giro edition saddle with
coordinated (chrome/silver) bar tape. If I had opted for the chrome
and black instead of silver and blue Northwave Aerators, I would have
been ready to pose for a cover of "Bicycling" magazine. Heading out
over the same route, I noticed it was also similar to both Trek made
bikes (mine and the Lemond) and the real story here is about the SRAM.
I don't believe that today's' hyper rigid bikes can possibly be much
different in terms of frame flex, so I wondered what game me the
impression that it was so efficient in its ease of acceleration...but
I will say this...the stem and head tube were huge and even the shims
were super large, maybe 2" diameter? The Airone saddle was fantastic
and both the feel and the operation of the SRAM lever were amazing. If
I had been seriously looking to buy a bike at that time, I would have
taken that bike as configured. The few trivial dislikes were not an
issue (the USE Alien seat-posts are a pain in that ass and I already
have one that goes unused because of the lack of precision tilt
adjustment) but other than that, I would not change a thing unless I
was able to build one up from scratch. It would have been more fun to
take it as is and not worry about whether I wanted to spend so much on
a carbon fiber stem. The saddle tilt was just right and I have plenty
of seat-posts at home to swap when and if that issue came up. I
suppose if I was able to choose from any parts, assuming all of the
components I know of were there in the shop, I would have opted for a
Ritchey WCS or a Syntace F99 stem (though even the stem might have
stayed the same if the others looked less cohesive that the installed
stem) and the Easton EC90 aero / ergo handlebars were sweet, and felt
great. So, I guess the only thing for certain I would have changed was
the wheels (I do not care for Ksyriums, even the best model that were
already installed. I would have kept the SRAM Force, unless I tried to
save a few bucks with Record. It is a tough call because I am not sure
what made the most difference in the feel. The geometry was perfect
for me, which is almost impossible for me, always needing a longer top
tube and or stem. Everything was located where I wanted it, and the
feel of the bars and brifters was even better than my own bike and all
of this confirmed once again that Shimano is the Microsoft of the
cycling industry.
Getting back on my own bike was not as hard as I had thought it would
be. The Lemond Ultegra was the thing that caused such a sense of
contrast compared to the SRAM Cannondale, so back on my back I
realized that it is time (in the season) to drop the bar height
another ½ " and I really would like a set of teardrop shaped
handlebars and if there were replacement Campy brifter hoods that were
as wide as the SRAM, that would probably keep me happy.
What does all of this really mean? If I did not already have a long
history with Campy, I would almost certainly be in the dark about its
vast superiority relative to Shimano, and therefore in a typical shop
with 2007 bike models, the absence of Campy to try out would without
question lead me to the SRAM gear. It was really fantastic and in many
ways, about as good as Record. It may be a case of the greener grass
syndrome and the wonderful shape of the handlebar tops. Normally
trying out new equipment highlights the deficiencies first while one
finds out how to leverage the improvements as they become familiar I
guess what impresses me the most about the SRAM is how easy it was for
me to use it in spite of my 15 years of uninterrupted Ergopower use.
Spending more time with it might even allow me to discover more
benefits and I would love to add an SRAM equipped bike to my
collection as long as I can keep at least one of my Campy Record bikes
too. I also noticed that the subtle slope of both the Lemond and the
C'dale (about 2 cm or 4/5s of an inch from front to back) allowed me
to feel a bit more comfortable, though I don't know what such a
trivial difference would be noticed.
The C'dale and SRAM really got me thinking about another bike. If I
configure my aero tube frame for TT exclusively and then fill in the
road race niche with a new CF framed bike, which should get my
adrenaline pumping. I wonder how different the Force is from the
Rival? I think I'll start looking for some tasty light CF frames that
ship with SRAM but first I will try out an Easton EC90 ergo / aero bar
to see how much that influenced my experience.
My point in sharing all of this is that SRAM is really a great option
to consider and for Shimano users who somehow decided that the Campo-
philes who have for years recommended trying something else, maybe
this third option will be enough to consider choosing something other
than Microsoft...err...Shimano.
