New to cycling

[GTpilot]

Very nice Shav - Well done.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Bluey-GT

Form and function , it's a work of art shav .... Congrats.

Certainly is. Its almost too good to ride. So aerodynamic. I guess you can call this my mid life crisis outlet.

Originally Posted by prydey

certainly looks the part Shav!

Thanks Rob. I need to make sure I can match it in the engine department.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by GTpilot

Very nice Shav - Well done.

Cheers bloke. I love it. Just need to ride it now.

[DBourne]

That's beautiful mate!

[Batmobile]

Bravo Shav ! Looks fast . You're going to really enjoy those sprints for the traffic signs . I totally green with envy ! Congratulations . Cant wait for your report after a few long rides

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Bravo Shav ! Looks fast . You're going to really enjoy those sprints for the traffic signs . I totally green with envy ! Congratulations . Cant wait for your report after a few long rides

Cheers mate. Will keep you posted. I cant stop looking at it.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Cheers mate. Will keep you posted. I cant stop looking at it.

I had an offer from a friend to purchase my bike .. So , as he knows the history of my bike ,it made the decision to sell alot easier . Over the weekend I decided I would sell it to him . Now, having committed to selling the bike I started to consider it's replacement and having made a recent decision to use the "good bike" more - hence my earlier questions about using a carbon rim clincher on more rides . I am now at the cross road - carbon clincher with caliper / rim braking or carbon clincher with disk brakes
Tonight I rode a high end disk brake bike and then jumped back on a bike with carbon rim and I must say the road bike with disc felt so much like my mountain bike - excellent . I understand that there is weight penalty with disk , but I like the idea of being able to run a carbon clincher
on daily rides and especially down hills

I had forgot to ask - were disks ever considered in your assessment of a new bike purchase ? If not , why not ?

[DBourne]

I think for most people discs on a roadie comes down to whether you're planning to use it in all weather or not.

Personally, for my commuter I wanted discs (hence the Defy) because I've been caught out plenty of times riding either to or from work when it has pee'd down and my braking is limited to how well I can pray.

For my nicer bike (the Propel) I'm more than happy with rim brakes, as I don't take it out in bad weather.

The weight penalty really isn't that bad to worry about IMO, easier to shed a bit of weight off the rider than complain about braking technologies.

I think it comes down to what you want your bike to look like. I love the aero shape of the Propel, and think discs would kinda stuff that up. But now I'm just rambling.

[blueoval]

Pretty much concur exactly with Dave. There was no option to go with disc brakes on my bike. It was a take it as it is purchase. I literally saved so much money on the bike that disc brakes weren't an issue. Plus with the Dura Ace brakes, they are so refined and responsive as they are that there isnt much difference in terms of its tactile feel on the brake. Sure the brake distances will be better with discs (I have them on my Kona hybrid) but I will avoid wet days on the Cervelo and use the Focus on hilly runs.

[Gambit]

Been a long time since I had a bike to ride & could do with some fitness. Figured it can't hurt with my dirt bike riding later on as well once I get into it a bit.

Picked this up recently- Merida big nine 500. Haven't had a chance to ride it much yet but what I have is good fun. Need to do a test ride now it's magpie season & see if there's none on the last ride we went on around here. Plenty of areas around, but I think they're pretty heavily populated with them.

Having them swoop me isn't so much an issue but most days when I can ride I've got my lil girl & don't want one coming in from the front & hitting her..

Gotta say the 29'ers get moving pretty quickly. Got a weeride seat for her & she loved it

[blueoval]

Some shots from the maiden run of the Cervelo over the weekend

[Whitey-AMG]

Tell us about the ride / handling/ fun factor etc.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Bluey-GT

Tell us about the ride / handling/ fun factor etc.

Well where do I start.

The fit on it is spot on. The guys at Corsa did an amazing job to get this right straight off the bat. No back pain, no leg pain or discomfort. The saddle is something I need to get used to because its different from the one on the focus. But that will come with time.

When I first got on it, it felt a bit twitchy due to the narrower handle bars, but I got used to it after a few km into its maiden run. I had to face a head wind straight away so took it easy for the first 10km as I hadnt ridden for about 5weeks prior to this ride. Considering I was into a 25kph head wind though I still managed to sit on 25kph fairly comfortably but with effort. The carbon seat stem is amazing at absorbing small and medium bumps in the road. Its more giving and didnt feel like Ive been in a cell with butch mcdick for a weekend.

I ended up doing a fairly small ride of about 30km, but on the return trip with the tail wind and a steady pace, I managed to PR a lot of my segments and that was not on full gas. Sitting around 35kph average on the way to the car with medium effort. So I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was able to hold pace. Once you get into a rhythm, you just maintain wattage you're comfortable with and you just cruise. Averaged 26kph for that stint which is unheard of for what I do.

With the 42mm profile wheel set combined with this aero frame, I just felt at ease riding it. Yes I was in a more aero position than my Focus, but it wasnt uncomfortable. Once in the drops, I was able to get better pace.

The DA pedals are just an awesome sound when you click into them. It isnt like my Ultegra pedals. The DA shifters are also amazing to operate. Smooth, effortless and click into gear with immediate response. The DA brakes I was most impressed with. They grab so well and with little effort to operate them. Their response is very very good if you want good brakes. Hard to really explain, but with my arthritic hands, I felt no pain or discomfort while operating the shifters in any movement.

Took the bike for a longer spin on Sunday arvo. With a 27kph head wind and return I still managed a reasonable 27kph average with effort. With the tailwind and with some friends we sat on about 35-40kph, the way back with the head wind brought down our average though.

Like I said before, its been 5+weeks since I last rode so my fitness has dropped off. But going by what I have ridden on this weekend, I can see my strava times drop and PR's being beaten once my fitness builds back up again.

Overall, the bike is FAST. The engine needs works though. lol. But it has the potential to leap frog me into next week with a bit more riding under my belt.

[DBourne]

Look at you, gets a Cervelo and now only hangs out with other Cervelo's!

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by DBourne

Look at you, gets a Cervelo and now only hangs out with other Cervelo's!

hahaha. you could say I was heavily influenced to get one. But Im glad I did.

We are breeding like rabbits

[DBourne]

Here is my first crack at doing Video. A short video about riding with the guys at MC Cyclery. More videos to come in the near future.

https://youtu.be/0XvwLaaSMhU

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by DBourne

Here is my first crack at doing Video. A short video about riding with the guys at MC Cyclery. More videos to come in the near future.

https://youtu.be/0XvwLaaSMhU

Nice looking kit . Designer should be proud .Simple but very pronounce . I like it and would welcome the kit in my wardrobe.

[DBourne]

It's done by Pedal Mafia, an Aussie company that a few of us here wear.

Have quite a bit of PM gear actually, very comfy stuff.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by DBourne

It's done by Pedal Mafia, an Aussie company that a few of us here wear.

Have quite a bit of PM gear actually, very comfy stuff.

+1 on the Pedal Mafia gear. One of the best kits I own. Not cheap by any means but you do pay for what you get when it comes to some gear.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by blueoval

+1 on the Pedal Mafia gear. One of the best kits I own. Not cheap by any means but you do pay for what you get when it comes to some gear.

Spend the long weekend at Bright . Rode with a new group , and was really impressed by the kit the guys were wearing . It's clear shop kits and Pro Kits are 'old' . Riders are now spending real money on boutique brands . In the main , kits including MAAP , Rapha and Le Passione - all with matching socks and arm warmers
Has anyone had any experience with MAAP or Le Passione ?

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Spend the long weekend at Bright . Rode with a new group , and was really impressed by the kit the guys were wearing . It's clear shop kits and Pro Kits are 'old' . Riders are now spending real money on boutique brands . In the main , kits including MAAP , Rapha and Le Passione - all with matching socks and arm warmers
Has anyone had any experience with MAAP or Le Passione ?

Not personally, but the kits look sensational from both brands. Ive certainly been tempted to purchase. But dont have the funds atm. Still recovering from the Cervelo.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Not personally, but the kits look sensational from both brands. Ive certainly been tempted to purchase. But dont have the funds atm. Still recovering from the Cervelo.

They had told me that they 've binned all their old kits , since wearing the respective kits they simple refuse to wear anything else.
I was told the Le Passione kits are little less expensive, as a rule around half the price of the MAAP or Rapha
I ve emailed Le Passione in Italy awaiting their reply
On the webpage a kit will see you out of pocket around $250-$300AUD which is very good considering that sort of money only gets you bib shorts from the others.
It looks i will also clearing my wardrobe out as well

[adz193]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Spend the long weekend at Bright . Rode with a new group , and was really impressed by the kit the guys were wearing . It's clear shop kits and Pro Kits are 'old' . Riders are now spending real money on boutique brands . In the main , kits including MAAP , Rapha and Le Passione - all with matching socks and arm warmers
Has anyone had any experience with MAAP or Le Passione ?

Maap make some really nice stuff! Their socks are very popular... expensive yes, but you get what you pay for. Their stuff is a race cut though, and runs on the small side, as most of these boutique brands do.

Can't comment on La Passione but seems like good value for the price. Check out black sheep (personal fav of mine) and lumiere as well, both make quality kit that for me has stood the test of time, looks great and is super comfortable

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

They had told me that they 've binned all their old kits , since wearing the respective kits they simple refuse to wear anything else.
I was told the Le Passione kits are little less expensive, as a rule around half the price of the MAAP or Rapha
I ve emailed Le Passione in Italy awaiting their reply
On the webpage a kit will see you out of pocket around $250-$300AUD which is very good considering that sort of money only gets you bib shorts from the others.
It looks i will also clearing my wardrobe out as well

You are correct. Binned all my older and oversized kits that I bought cheap when I first started. Just got the kits and knicks that fit including the high end kits I have. The last kit I bought was the Cervelo kit which is made by Castelli. Still decent quality but purchased for $220 which I thought was decently priced. I dont spend more than $300 for a kit personally as my cutoff limit. It just gets out of hand otherwise for just lycra. The Le Passione kits are retro and that is the flavor at the moment, a lot of cheaper brands like DHB, Bellweather and the like are trying to emulate the retro kits because of their popularity. La Passione and the like seem to spend their r&d on the material quality, fit, comfort and style I have noticed. One thing that has stopped me from pressing the purchase button is their muted and limited styles.

Pedal Mafia & Black Sheep on the other hand seem to keep coming up with new styles every few months which look exciting. Their style is modern but cool at the same time. They also have dabbled in some retro styles too, plus their kits are within or on budget.

http://pedalmafia.com.au/collections/kits

[Batmobile]

Pedal Mafia have some nice looking kits . I will have to look at Black Sheep as well and do some research before selecting a brand
Very much like the idea of getting a good wearing kit for under $300 - which up until the weekend i had thought possible

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Pedal Mafia have some nice looking kits . I will have to look at Black Sheep as well and do some research before selecting a brand
Very much like the idea of getting a good wearing kit for under $300 - which up until the weekend i had thought possible

It also helps that the kits they release are limited edition so you know you'll be a bit more unique and stand out more.

[DBourne]

I have a long sleeve La Passione jersey, really good gear.

I would happily spend some coin on more of their jerseys.

Knicks I find are a risky affair, and since I love all my pedal mafia ones, i think i'll stick to them, unless I have a rush of blood to the head and shell out for some Rapha ones.

I find it hard to stomach the cost of the Rapha stuff, but I've been told by a lot of people that the quality justifies the price.

[prydey]

No form in my kit. I reckon I'd be banned from riding with some of you guys. No matching items.

Wouldn't mind some Cannondale gear if I was going to get some matching kit. Match my bike as well then.

I have 2 pair of castelli bibs and they go ok for about 4 hours but after that..... Mind you I reckon once you go north of about 5-6 hours in the saddle it wouldn't matter what you were wearing.

Unfortunately I work in an industry where wages haven't moved (literally) in over 10 years so I can't see me adding to my kit any time soon.

Threadbare nicks would stop people wheel sucking though wouldn't they

[[THOMMO]]

DHB do good gear and its pretty cheap, usually find it on wiggle, chainreaction etc

[mcnews]

I made the mistake of getting some high end Castelli gear on special, I quickly returned to Rapha and don't think I will venture to another brand again.