speks22

Just wondering?

I have read through a bunch of the threads I could find on all the Pedal Force bikes (once I came across them the first time I was really intrigued) and think this is the one I like the best, and have been contemplating purchasing. I am 6'3" around 190-195 lbs. so i was looking at the 61cm frame with full Rival and the Easton EA90 fork and EA90 wheels. I am really trying to familiarize myself with all the potential issues of the bike, which there doesn't seem to be too many.

So far I have gathered that:
-the headset options and the "carbolock" are not that great, what to get instead?
-should i get a seperate cable set, or is the one that comes with it decent?
-for the fork, I was thinking the 90sl curved or the aerofork, from what i could find on the seach the only real difference is weight, and obviously areoness, but i don't think i will be fast enough for that to matter for a while, but I do like the looks of the aerofork better (i know thats trivial)

The bike will have to be assembled by a shop, because I am nowhere near skilled enough, nor have all the tools. Plus, I am going to be getting the seat, stem and handlebars, possibly the seatpost (I have one already) seperately once I get fitted to the bike.

i really want to try and do this the right way the first time, hence my post. any feedback, both positive and negative is appreciated along with anything I may have missed.

Thanks.

parabrand

I second that. I am interested, as well. I hope people give some comments.

timmyquest

I dunno, i'm happy with mine. It moves forward and stuff.

JoelS

I recently put one together. I bought it used and have about 500 miles on it. It rides nicely. Dampens road buzz, and plenty stiff for climbing. Though I am a bit on the light side at 142 pounds. To be honest, even my steel frame (Colnago MasterXLight) feels plenty stiff.

The RS corners well and I'm confident on descents.

I've got it built up with a mish-mash of parts. Rolf Vector Pro wheels, Campy Mirage 8sp, Chorus brakes, etc.

Dubbayoo

Absotively!

speks22

[QUOTE=Dubbayoo;8730253]Absotively!

Dubbayoo, your bike is awesome! I came across it a lot when searching through the threads for information. Did you have any glaring issues when building it/getting it built? Anything I should look out for? Thanks in advance

RoyIII

I am delighted with mine. It's built with 10 speed campy (sq taper token bottom bracket) chorus and Mavic ssc brakes. I bought the frame at the first group buy and built it up with stuff I already had or bought later.



I started out with an Easton EC90SL fork that I had on hand, and switched to the pedal force fork because I wanted to raise the bars a bit. The Pedal Force FKR8 fork is smoother and handles better IMO. I was surprised because I liked the easton fork a lot. However the Pedal Force fork transmits very little chip-seal vibes to the rider, and is a 45, like the frame is built for. I have had zero issues with the PF RS2 and I love the bike. If I did it over again, I'd have ordered the fork with the frame. The carbon PF seatpost is a good deal, too. Best riding bike I ever had.

speks22

Thanks for the info, how much do you weigh though if you don't mind me asking? I kept reading that the PF forks were too flexy for someone of my height and weight. I also read that the rake difference of 2° would not be noticeable in the bikes handling, but you find this to be the case?

jacobsdad

I'm sorry I have no pic to show, but I LOVE mine! It's very nimble on the climbs, handles well descending and very tight in corners. I built mine with SRAM Red, Easton Orion ll wheels, Cane Creek headset and FSA carbolock(no probs), Ritchey Black Wet Stem and Bar, PF P2 seatpost and PF FKR8 fork and Arione saddle. I had my lbs build it and they had no probs. Everything works as it should. I'll try and get a pic up. you won't be disappointed if you buy it. I've heard guys racing it in crits...so, it has been deemed worthy to be punished in races.

Lazyrider

You own the friggin thing and you don't have a picture of your bike? Thankfully I have one of yours. I posted it a few days ago in one of those "generics aren't as good/same as name brand" threads.
My contention was that with all you guys putting Red, Record and carbon wheelsets etc, on these RS2s, it must be a good as name brands because the $ spent on the PF complete bikes sometimes add up to more than some pricey big brands that you could have thrown your money at.

slimvela

not all the ones pictured thus far are the RS...but nice nontheless. the ADK factory direct frameset I built is the model produced for the PF RS model (and other brands/models), I absolutely love mine.

jacobsdad

MoNOT and Para, theres my bike...Thanks Lazy!!

speks22

That is a pretty sweet ride! Thats the RS2 right, nice looking for sure. I like the RS frame a bit more because I'm just more of a fan of traditional looking frames, but to each their own! Plus it's a wee bit cheaper

BoSoxYacht

I still use mine regularly, and enjoy it more now than when it was new.

parabrand

Impressive response! I have been pondering buying one of these to replace my dying Trek 5000. Anyone else move from a Trek frame to the PF? I am somewhat concerned about the sizing aspect since I cannot easily test ride one of them.

cedricbosch

When's the next group buy?

RoyIII

Last weigh-in I was about 170. I am no expert on this stuff, but I haven't noticed any flex; the bike just rides smoother. Don't get me wrong, the EC90SL is a kick@$$ fork, and it worked just fine. Handles good - you won't feel the difference between 43 and 45. Just a little harsh. I just like the PF fork better for this frame.

jacobsdad

You'd have to check their website or contact them. As it stands right now, I don't believe there is a group buy. I found them to be very helpful with any questions I had.

slimvela

there is a group buy which includes full '09 Rival...but limited to 20 units, then it's over.

permanentjaun

What would a build like that be comparable to in terms of a factory built bike? Weight?

tonyzackery

Sorry to cause a break in the glow and gushing of PF frames, but at my weight of 195-200lbs the PF QS2 I had was a flimsy noodle. Further, strange harmonics in the frame and fork made for some wicked speed wobble that I've never experienced prior nor since. Caveat emptor...

yogi13

I can't speak for the RS, but my RS2 is a pretty sweet ride. I think it has similar ride characteristics to a non S-works tarmac, at a weight under 16 lbs. running a Force group set on a size large PF frame (57 TT). Real nice balance of road feel to vibration dampening.

Oh, and another perspective on the above post, I'm between 185-190, and the RS2 frame is far from noodley.

ezee

Not the RS, but....
(170-175#, 5' 10")

Ditto for the ZX3.
Far from noodly.
Solid, relatively lightweight, responsive frame.
Reynolds UL fork & Centaur group, Eurus wheelset.
PF pricing, customer service and answering inquiries was always honest & above par.

ZXiMan

I did the opposite of you. I put around 8,000 miles on my RS2 with the FKR8 fork and switched over to an Easton EC90 SL fork a couple weeks ago. While the FKR8 fork does a fine job of dampening the ride on rough surfaces, it is also VERY flexy (in comparison to the EC90 SL). Also, the 43 rake of the Easton makes the handling a bit more responsive and a little less neutral/dead feeling. The FKR8 fork is actually a little lighter (around 40-50 grams). Both are good choices but for aggressive riding such as crits or jamming up hills, the Easton fork has been a noticable improvement over the FKR8, at least for me.

ZXiMan

I'm 175 pounds. You will be hard pressed to notice the difference in rake between a 43 and 45 unless you ride super aggressively (sprints, lots of climbing etc). Where you might see some difference is in turn in responsiveness and handling but then again most people won't notice it much.

The FKR8 is noticeably more flexy. I notice this mostly while sprinting up hills.

I've put around 1,000 miles on the EC90 SL fork (between my 2009 RS2 and now on my 2008 RS2) and 8,000 miles on the FKR8. I much prefer the EC90 SL.