spectastic

anyone have experience with san remo speed suit? it's like their aero jersey and aero bibs sown together, that's supposed to replicate the drag advantage of the speed suits, with the convenience and comfort of jerseys/bibs.

I like what it promises in performance and comfort. I don't like how you rip the jersey, and the whole thing is ruined. they also offer the same jersey and bibs, not sown together. I will hazard a guess that the performance between the jersey/bibs and san remo are pretty much identical, in which case I'll go for the former. what do you think?

hack

Have one. Not a huge fan and prefer the bib jersey combo instead. Teammates love it and prefer it over bib jersey combo.

It is comfortable for crits, but I don't like how it feels as a single piece when I have things in pockets in road races or training rides.

Ygduf

I went 50-50 san remo and jersey/bibs for next year. san remo is awesome. beware it's sized up vs the race bibs/jersey

Doge

Son 140#ish wears a small and loves it. I think they have a couple.
He'll still take a skin suit for a crit/TT of course. Otherwise always the San Remo for racing.

Translation...if the juniors have not ripped them - they are well made. Outside of a crash they hold up well and we do the normal washing machine on them. They are sized a wee bit differently.

The other thing to think about is if you wear a special jersey (stage races, fondos) bibs work out better for obvious reasons.
Pack for that.

spectastic

i was reading a very in depth article about tire widths for different rim widths. for the most part, it argued that wider rims are better for aerodynamics and handling.

I want to ask about 15c aluminum rims though, because that's what I have. how do you compare 23 vs 25 in ride quality, handling, and rolling resistance?

revchuck 

IME, ride quality is better, handling is slightly worse. No idea about rolling resistance. This is based on "old school" wheels, 32 spoke Open Pro and RR465 rims on Ultegra hubs laced 3X. Note that some tires are bigger than others - nominally 25c Michelins ran 27mm+ on these rims, while Contis tended to be about 25mm wide.

The OPs are gone due to an unfortunate car/bike interface. The RR465s are on my TT bike as training wheels, and the rear (with a Powertap hub) stays on for races with a disc wheel cover.

furiousferret

Love the San Remo's. Comfortable, feels faster, and less of a hassle (1 item in the laundry, easier bathroom breaks, etc). IMO, I think all team kits should be a San Remo style; the design just makes so much more sense.

spectastic

I tried one on, and the bibs are really tight on the medium, and still kind of tight on the large. so I'm probably getting a m jersey with xl bibs. i can see the attraction though, much less wrinkles, even the large kit, compared to the jersey.

furiousferret

I'd go with the large because of shrinkage, if its too snug you'll get tears at the pockets.

mattm

Our kit sponsor for next year (HyperThreads) makes their skin suits like this, fwiw.

It seems less aero, more bulky, but I only tried one on for about 30 seconds, haven't ridden in it yet.

Ygduf

downside is crashing and losing both top and bottom for sure.

topflightpro

I'm thinking of learning how to build wheels. I have a buddy who can teach me. Right now, I'm thinking of trying some generic carbon clincher rims laced to DT350 hubs. The 350s are a lot cheaper than 240s, and not that much more expensive. Anyone have much experience with them? I have no interest in something like BHS hubs.

tetonrider

+1

i happen to love the sanremo, but i've lost a few due to crashes.

spectastic

i see. when you say handling slightly worse, do you mean the tire's more squishy when you're steering, or the corner doesn't feel as smooth?

caloso

They also make surprisingly good baselayers for cool but not cold weather. Just put on kneewarmers and throw a longsleeve jersey on for 50's weather.

revchuck 

They didn't feel as solid in corners as what I'm using now. That may be due as much to the difference in wheels - the wheels I'm using now are Boyd 44mm carbon clinchers that measure 23mm on the outside and probably 17mm on the inside with 700x25 Turbo Pros (26mm wide on those wheels) and Ardennes+ that measure 25mm on the outside and (IIRC) 21mm on the inside with 700x24 S-Works Turbos (27mm wide on those wheels).

spectastic

oh, well yea. the wider rims will provide better support on the corners. I was asking more about how the handling differs between a 23 and 25 on an aluminum rim with 15 mm inner width. I doubt it really matters.

hack

I didn't like wider tires on narrow rims. Felt like the tire was going to fold over when making hard turns. Much more comfortable on a 25mm tire and 25mm outer wheel.

spectastic

do you run low pressure for crits?

hack

Not really. I don't use the narrow wheels with 25s anymore though. My older Reynolds strike wheels are setup with 23's and 100-105 psi. I don't use those too often. 90% or more of my time is spent on a 50mm deep 25mm wide wheel with 25 tires. Run those around 95 psi and they feel great.

Doge

Same as junior runs ~140#. Crits about 95/100 RR - depends on road, about the same. Smooth road and planning a sprint a bit higher. TT - near 120.

Doge

I had to look before putting back in the box for a Christmas present.

I imagine they will cost 17sec in a 40K TT - but they are for going up hill. Actually they are really just cause my son likes them.

These are likely better on a wall or display. They are so beautiful - and very light. The brake pads are the most noticeable weight.
KCNCSmall.jpg

spectastic

so spoiled.

tetonrider

what's the weight difference between those & eebrakes?

fwiw i found the eebrakes to be the one lightweight brake that still performed really well relative to DA brakes (~90%). all the other lightweight brakes IME were unacceptable -- some scary, even -- and not materially lighter than the eebrakes.

ymmv.

Doge

Don't know. I think these are reported to be 175g. Daniel has used KCNC post, skewers, chainring, some starting age 11 and likes the weirdness of the stuff...and it is machined.

The real function is secondary as long as it is safe. This is mainly an uphill bike although he may do a crit and a few group rides.