smoke

yep, started the search for the bike that may very well be the last i ever buy. for that reason, i'm not worried about price. everything on it will be top-notch. the new bike has to meet three requirements: 1) it has to be comfortable, 2) it has to be fast, and 3) it has to climb. so here are my impressions for the first day's work. feel free to flame, laugh, ridicule, belittle, or post an intelligent, informed opinion:

1) cervelo soloist carbon - it put me in a completely different position than my current bike, and the back end of this thing felt good. it seemed to fit best with the saddle further back than i normally have it. unfortunately it was pretty apparent the frame was a size too large, no matter what the salesman said. i've heard these are pretty long bikes, and i would have to agree. i tried to stay in the drops, but after about 20 minutes the back started aching just a bit. but the reach to the drops was way too much, and this was with a 9 cm stem. i'll try and find this bike in a 51, because i still liked the way it rode. handling was a bit touchy, but i quickly got adjusted to it. and man, this bike is fast! it moves like i never could get my orca to move. nice bike. it's still on the list, but i've gotta find the right size

2) time vxrs - a different beast. i didn't just drop into the right position on the saddle like i did on the soloist. different saddle, but not that much different. i was playing around with the saddle position on this bike the whole time. and it didn't seem to get quite up to the speed of the soloist, just a tad under. however, it's a much more comfortable bike. and the time seemed to accelerate better than the cervelo. standing on it or just pushing hard seemed to get a more immediate response. and i thought it was a good balance of factors; the bike was very stable at speed, and it just felt responsive through a turn without being twitchy. kind of a strange feeling, really. i've never felt a bike that felt "stable, yet responsive". i always thought that was marketing b.s., but this bike seems to be it

so, i think the soloist just edges out the time in the speed department. smoothness and comfort goes to the time. and on the small rises, which were all i could test-ride the bikes on, they both were churning out faster climb speeds than i've ever seen. so i guess that's a wash

tomorrow i'll try and find the cervelo r3 and the pinarello paris carbon. i've given up on the look; i don't like their integrated seatpost, anyway

smoke

garysol1 

I do wonder why you are limiting yourself to these bikes. Is the flash that important to you? If not, don't be afraid to look at the offerings from Trek, Specialized Giant....etc.....You may find a bike that fits you even better and that you prefer the ride of if you broaden your search a bit.

voltman

I doubt either of those two would be lacking in the performance department.

Cypress

Try a LOOK 585, or 595.

Jus sayin.

VT to CA

If it were me, I'd go for the Time... of course if I were looking in that upper stratosphere for my new ride... well I've been drooling over that De Rosa Protos frameset in sloping geometry...

smoke

valid comment. trek is off the list; i've tried them already and i couldn't get off the bike fast enough. the giant just felt sluggish. haven't gotten to a specialized yet

smoke

i couldn't agree more. but we all have different shapes and different strengths, so we're going to work better on one bike than another. doesn't mean one of the above two is bad, it just means my body works better with one of them

smoke

el diablo has talked look up a lot, and i've discussed them with him. i've just got a real problem with the ISP on the bike. that, and i'm having trouble finding one right now. if i do, i'll surely give it a shot. nothing is off the list yet (except trek); i'll consider every offering. but the look's ISP is strike one

Cypress

Internet Service Provider?

I ride a 565 and love it to death.

smoke

man, de rosa makes a beautiful bike. i even saw one today. may try and get on it tomorrow. and i found a lot of colnagos, although they are pretty heavy and not very good for climbing, from what i've been told. 'course, they are beautiful, too.

I_bRAD

So when you say "last bike you'll ever buy" and carbon in the same sentence I'm assuming you plan on a spectacular and fatal crash?

grahny

Every recent "brand bike #1" vs "brand bike #2" seems to involve a cervelo.... which in turn means to me that everyone should just be buying cervelos since they're just trying to find something comparable, but can't... which is why I got one myself

smoke

"crash and burn", baby. i'd rather flame out than fade away

smoke

not necessarily. cervelo may be #2 on absolutely everybody's list. so then they go bankrupt

rooftest

... that, or you're 90 years old.

terry b

Didn't stop Rasmussen from wearing polka dots two years in a row.

frischtr

If you get the chance, try the Ridley Damocles. I had a chance to ride one for about a week last summer, an excellent frame...

smoke

that's a lot closer to it

smoke

integrated seat post. i think it's a dumb design, but hey, that's just me

you and el diablo make two. i've gotta find a 585 and give it a shot

smoke

true. and i may have just found a line on a colnago extreme C. i've always lusted after a C40, then a C50, but they're still kinda heavy. this extreme C is a newer line. i just put it on my list, too. just something about those paint jobs.....

smoke

everybody seems to love 'em. they get great press (except for that one recall). they test better than any other frame. they've won roubaix. they've won on l'alpe d'uez. i think they've earned a spot on my short list. if they fit you, i think you've made a damn good purchase

fastbub

How is a bike sluggish? Did it somehow absorb your power and turn it into heat or something? I just don't understand how any of us can get on a bike that is that nice and say it doesn't respond quick enough or is sluggish.

slvoid

Ironically, that's pretty much true.

Stallionforce

How about the BMC Pro Machine?

smoke

beats me. i don't understand it either. but the time would 'jump' when i stood on the pedals. more so than the soloist. and a lot more than the giant. might be just the opposite for you. again, it doesn't mean it's a bad bike; it's a great bike. the time just worked better with my particular physique. i've given up trying to understand why; i'm just reporting how things felt