THE PERFECT BIKE AT LAST ...
Article Published : 25/03/08
More Pictures:
- BIKE IN ACTION
- THE WHEELS
I HAVE BEEN RIDING RACE BIKES FOR 40 YEARS NOW AND HAVE TRIED AND TESTED HUNDREDS OF BIKES IN THAT TIME ... SOME HAVE BEEN BEAUTIFUL BIKES, BUT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN WHAT I HAVE REGARDED AS THE "PERFECT" BIKE... UNTIL NOW ! ...
Over the last decade or more I have been working with Terry Dolan, both building and designing thousands of frames and bikes in that period. I have always been innovative (as has Terry!) with bike design. Right from the beginning of my racing career I was always striving to gain any advantage I possibly could from the bikes I used. Whether that was aerodynamic advantage, lightness , stiffness etc. etc.
Since the advent of the Carbon Fibre Frame, I realised this was far and away the best material for bike frames and have worked with it for the best part of 10 years now. Each year I have worked with Terry to keep "tweaking" the design of the frame and realising that each year we were getting closer and closer to what I thought was the "ultimate" Carbon design.
Last year we designed my first "made to measure" Carbon Frame. I loved this bike and it fitted me like a glove. There were just a couple of things that weren't "perfect" though and the bike was so light that it took a long time for me to get "dialled" into the frame, especially when descending at speed. The frame felt a bit too "lively" and I had never ridden a 14 pound bike before and it was a bit of a shock I have to say !! BUT the frame was so stiff and responsive and the power transfer was unbelievable. The best I have ever ridden up hills where the stiffness was a major boon. I was still not completely convinced we couldn't get it better though and this year we decided to try something different.
I wanted a Sportive bike that would climb like my old bike, but be more stable on the descents and I could also make the frame lighter and stiffer with advances in Carbon technology, which moves forward every year. To this end I designed a new frame for 2008 and drew a full sized drawing (as I do with all my made to measure frames that I still design for riders). I discussed this with Terry and with the new Carbon Technology he is using this year, I realised I could get a stiffer , lighter and more stable bike.
So, the bike was built and I only took delivery of it one day before leaving for my Training Camp in Denia. I went out for a 4 hour ride immediately and .... WOW.... I knew straight away that this was something VERY special. I was "dialled" in from the first pedal strokes and I just couldn't beieve just how good this bike felt. It climbed like nothing I had used before. It accelerated faster than any bike I have had and it was just SO stable on the trickiest descents. I just couldn't make it behave badly and "no hands" riding even with deep sedction rims and hard cross winds was a doddle. I LOVED IT...
In Denia it came into it's own and I have never been so comfortable with any other bike I have used. I am a bit of an old cynic these days and it takes a lot to get me excited about a new bike. With this new beauty, I was like a kid with a new toy and couldn't wait to get back out on it every day at the Camp...
The other BIG bonus with the bike were the wheels, which I had also been tweaking with the supplier , Damien (the Trigon distributor). These were a pair of Titan 50 deep section Carbon rims built onto a pair of Royce hubs. Originally I had had trouble with the rear wheel, but with the input of the guy who builds these wheels (Chaz Curry), he decided to "tie and solder" the rear spokes. This is a very old technique, but Chaz is a master at this almost forgotten process, and what a difference it made to the overall performance of the bike. By tying and soldering the rear and sacrificing a very small weight advantage, the difference in power transfer was STAGGERING !! It'll be rear tied and soldered wheels for me from now on...
The rest of the package was a Campag Record Gruppo, a pair of Trigon Carbon Bars, an SLR XP saddle and a pair of Dura Ace SPD SL's. The wheels were shod with my favourite tubulars (Conti 4000 Black Chillis) and the package was complete...
MY BEST BIKE EVER >>>> I JUST CAN'T THINK OF ANY WAY THIS CAN BE IMPROVED FOR WHAT I USE IT FOR AND I JUST LOVE IT !! I SIMPLY CAN'T WAIT TO RECOVER FROM MY HORRENDOUS CRASH IN DENIA AND START USING THE BIKE IN THE SPORTIVES I HAVE LINED UP THIS YEAR.... THE MARMOTTE IS GOING TO BE BLITZED THIS YEAR, BELIEVE ME !!
That was one of the wierdest things that happened too. After the crash I had with 2 days of the Camp remaining, the bike came through it without a scratch. Spookily there wasn't a mark on the bike ANYWHERE. Even the bar tape was untouched...