Here's a more-or-less complete and brand new Dura Ace 7900 groupset. I decided to stick with
10-speed for compatibility reasons. As this story is presented retroactively, I can say that
I'm amazed with DA. STI's are so light and precise, especially on up-shifts, brakes are amazing
and the carbon pedals make for noticeably easier spinning! I prefer Ultegra's front derailleur
action over DA's though.



You can check the detailed weight info and comparison with Ultegra parts in my gallery.


Having some fun - after disc brakes, will this be the next big thing in road cycling? :-)




And here it is, all built up together with my PRO Vibe 7s 130 mm stem, PRO Vibe 7s 44 cm handlebar
and Fizik Arione CX Braided saddle (591 g for the three), 6700 Ultegra wheelset with Continental
GP4000 tyres (2414 g for the set), cables and grease. The total weight is 7250 grams - which makes
it exactly 400 grams lighter than my ex-CR1.



The frameset is very stiff due to tapered head tube, wide bottom bracket and no shock dampening
in the forks. It accelerates fantastically (especially on climbs) - and amplifies the excellent
Dura Ace anchors. However, it comes with a penalty - the ride is rather harsh compared to CR1's,
it feels as if the tyres have 2.5-3 bars more pressure in them and the chainslap occurs regularly
on small rear cogs over bumps, due to the rear fork design (and I hate chainslap with passion).


On the other hand - the handling... oh, the handling! I know that the previous Addict has been
praised for it but I am blown away now I have experienced it myself. It feels so positive and
planted in the corners, while combined with super-sharp steering it makes for an outstanding
ride and easily overshadows the downsides of this race-oriented frameset.



To recap - it has taken me some time to get used to riding the Addict, as it's nothing like CR1's
"magic carpet" ride, but now I have, I find it very rewarding and don't look back. Dura Ace groupset
is also a vast improvement over Ultegra and plays a great role in the grand scheme of things.
Now if I could only get rid of the chainslap...


Full-size photos: cybernck's photos :: Scott Addicted