Tractortom

Hiya Kids!

Well, I have my new Bacchetta Giro on the road, and on the ride into work this morning it was easy to make comparisons between the two. I have ridden the Strada some 1300 miles since I got it, but of course this is only my second ride on the Giro.

The best way to explain the difference is to compare them with cars...the Strada (Bacchetta calls it one of their performance bikes) is like getting into a Corvette. It is a bit small for me, a tight fit. It is FAST, and wants to go faster than I willing to go some times. At speed it's a bit loose, and sometimes wants to get weird in the corners. The Giro is a JEEP. A bit looser, slower, easier to get going from a stop, but with less top end. The riding position is more relaxed, with more elbow bend and a bit more room to move around. The bars are higher and wider and drop farther...but it's SLOW compared to the Strada. I think much of this is the previous owners selection of Kenda Quest 65psi tires. The ride seems soft and bouncy on these tires compared to the 650-23c's running at 100+ psi on the Strada.

My average speed on the Strada had climbed up to 17.5 or so on my 16.5 mile round trip commute. The ride into work today, the odometer showed 7.86 miles (Strada showed 8.23 usually) at an average speed of 15.9 mph. Some of this my be speedometer error???

I'm thinking that some 100psi tires might be in order for the Giro, to decrease the rolling resistance and give me back some of my top end. Other than that, it's a fun ride and a nice bike. I still have a couple little things to do to it to get it 'tweeked' and working the way I want, but I'm planning on the Giro becoming my regular ride and will probably sell the Strada.

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL