Reinventing the wheel

by orangekick on Jun 12, 2008 3:06 PM EDT Comment 7 comments

A positive magazine article on the sport of cycling featuring the Canadian bike company we all know and love -- Cervelo...!

ROB Magazine.

Here's some interesting quotes:

"How do you make the case that it's all about the bikes when headlines scream it's really about the medicine cabinet?"

"The partners believe it's the health- and fitness-conscious baby boomers who will ultimately drive Cervélo's business forward."

"Some observers go so far as to claim cycling is the new golf."

"It's one of the last intense physical activities you can do before you kick the bucket"

"All those A-type personalities can't do marathons because their knees are shot, but they can still ride."

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Very interesting article.

I’m looking at getting a new bike in the near future, and have toyed with the idea of getting a Cervelo (Soloist team). My reservations are summed up well in this quote from that article;

Whether the design makes a difference or not, it’s got the placebo effect.

Are they actually engineered better? Or am I falling for their marketing blitz and sponsoring many of my favourite riders?

by Hons on Jun 12, 2008 4:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

fwiw, I've never liked the look of Cervelo bikes

considering the price, I think the paint job is poorly done, tasteless (?)—and what’s up with the CSC decals on their retail bikes…? I’m not the type to wear pro clothing, or have a stable full of pro race replicas, but if they ever release the R3 as a cyclocross, I’m sure I’ll be able to suppress my negative immune response.

Btw, I have a friend who owns Soloist Carbon, she absolutely loves the thing-full Dura Ace-yet I still think her bike is an eyesore…but like everyone else, I praise her for her great taste in bikes.

Don’t want to be the odd man out, just a bike.

That said, out of all the road bikes I’ve owned in my life, my Cannondale Six13 has to be the most well thought out bike on the market. The rear stays are wide enough to accommodate 700×28 tires and the shifter cable bosses are on the headtube rather than glued/welded on the downtube. Those are the two things, after bike geometry that I look at.

BUT…! If I were to buy a bike just for shear beauty … The new Orbea Orca, it’s officially on my wish list.

by orangekick on Jun 12, 2008 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

orbeas

are gorgeous, but they have had qc and customer service problems in the past (and US customer service is two guys in Arkansas working as hard as they possibly can).

Don’t know about the shifter cable bosses on the headtube—it’s a little harder to reach up there mid-ride if you have to adjust the shifting for some reason, but again, the orbea design IS cool there.

my opinion, though, is that cervelo has been out-engineered and out-designed in the past couple of years by trek (never thought I’d type that, but the new madones are well thought out), specialized, and isaac (my favorite boutique brand . . .).

(and I’d bet that extra tire clearance becomes the next big “thing” . . . as 25s take over from 23s as the new “it” tire size)

by R Mc on Jun 12, 2008 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Holy Shit! You ride a Cannondale System Six???

?? You must be part of the answer to the C.TV Giro Question!!!! I’ll take my 1080 Zipp 1280×1024 HD IPCONFIG TCP/IP IPX/ODI Bontrager free tubular now please :)

When Leipheimer is done mating with his Time Trialing bike... does he bite its head off and eat it?

by crashdan on Jun 13, 2008 5:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs