I don't want to be flash here - oh ok I do, but I have one of those Carbon Giants, and yes it is superlight and super smooth and quite firmly puts me in the all the gear no idea camp. I think it comes with a 5 yr guarantee, but apparently Giant take a very benevolent approach to damaged frames (even after guarantee has expired so I'm told) whereas Trek offer a lifetime guarantee but are far stricter about replacement.
BTW - was in bike shop the other day and they had one of the £7500 ltd edition Giant "one hundred years of the TDF" bikes. The nice man let me touch it. Now that was seriously light - and gorgeous. But still not quite as nice as the Litespeed Ghissallo that was sat next to it.
slowpokes frame is damn sexy. i hardly heard a word he was saying at ludlow tri because i was eyeing up his bike (and possibly dribbling just a little). could have said "rhubarb" 100 times for all i cared. :O) was a very good carbon frame though. sigma sprot have some quality ones too if you have the cash. spencers bikes all come from there....and of course spenny has the best taste in the business! (he's so fashionable that he's broken beyond the conventional boundary of taste and sided with PINK!)
Anyways, re: disc and bladed wheels. IMHO I think everyone should invest in a pair of blades at least. I have 4-blade carbon spinergy wheels on my racing bike and love them.
3 and 4-blade/spoke carbon wheels (as well as disks) will all provide the greatest benefit to you when racing at top end race speed (25+mph). Anything under that and you're only really gainly benefits from the reduction in weight. When travelling over 25mph the aerodynamics really come into effect and you can push on past it a little. This is what I've been told anyway.
Also, only ever seen disks on guys finishing well in cycle legs of races. I guess you'd have to be quite a high standard to justify racing on one of those anyway!!! :O)
Ta Daz... am being swayed by 3-4 carbon spokes!! And biking is strongest bit and one I think I'm going to find hardest to get time off from... so aero seems the 'easiest' (if expensive) way to cut time here!!
Nice one mate. I noticed you had a good bike time at ludlow. So you'll really get the benefits when trying to cut through the wind at higher speeds.
I saw a pair of spinergies (front and back obv) at london tri for £400 i think. there were also a pair on ebay recently for around £200 (?). Reckon anything around that would be a real bobby dazzler as they normally retail around £400+ each.
I did see a report on those weird spoke Dura Ace wheels that said it lopped a few minutes off a regular route, but it was hardly technical.
CW reckoned Cosmos wheels were the best out of the bunch they tested in the summer, better than Ksyriums even.
Er, I think my 10 PB was set with Spinergys though.
How do the Spinergys compare in weight to spoked wheels though ? Weight isn't that important for dragstrip courses, but anything with a hill on, and you'll pay for aero but heavier wheels.
I dunno where yet... 2ndhand if poss.. but after 650's so may not be as easy...
do have american colleagues who might be able to get some over there etc for me and send them on... (dollar price = pound price (big savings!!))
think I'd like a disc for pose value but windy courses are no no's so want some race lite wheels I can use all the time not just for perfect conditions...
mmmmm gonna be hard finding 2nd hand carbon-bladed 650s! hopefully your american buds can sort you out.
surprisingly i saw a few disk wheeled bikes at llanberis last year - and you know how hilly and windy llanberis is....with sheer drops off the roadside in places 8oO
Comments
Ho hum.
Check out these beauuudddies :
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2003/shows/?id=interbike/timetrial
only if you do it over the phone and they don't see you man mountain proportions in person!!!!
But am told trek do lifetime carbon frame warrantees.. (?)
;-)
WW, you have been warned... watch out for 'grassy knolls' as you bike along!!
BTW - was in bike shop the other day and they had one of the £7500 ltd edition Giant "one hundred years of the TDF" bikes. The nice man let me touch it. Now that was seriously light - and gorgeous. But still not quite as nice as the Litespeed Ghissallo that was sat next to it.
Disc wheels are like jetskis, way too noisy.
was a very good carbon frame though. sigma sprot have some quality ones too if you have the cash. spencers bikes all come from there....and of course spenny has the best taste in the business! (he's so fashionable that he's broken beyond the conventional boundary of taste and sided with PINK!)
Anyways, re: disc and bladed wheels. IMHO I think everyone should invest in a pair of blades at least. I have 4-blade carbon spinergy wheels on my racing bike and love them.
3 and 4-blade/spoke carbon wheels (as well as disks) will all provide the greatest benefit to you when racing at top end race speed (25+mph). Anything under that and you're only really gainly benefits from the reduction in weight. When travelling over 25mph the aerodynamics really come into effect and you can push on past it a little. This is what I've been told anyway.
Also, only ever seen disks on guys finishing well in cycle legs of races. I guess you'd have to be quite a high standard to justify racing on one of those anyway!!! :O)
Elite Ironman, Ultra Trail Runner
am being swayed by 3-4 carbon spokes!! And biking is strongest bit and one I think I'm going to find hardest to get time off from... so aero seems the 'easiest' (if expensive) way to cut time here!!
I saw a pair of spinergies (front and back obv) at london tri for £400 i think. there were also a pair on ebay recently for around £200 (?). Reckon anything around that would be a real bobby dazzler as they normally retail around £400+ each.
or are you going to be bold and get a disc?!
Elite Ironman, Ultra Trail Runner
CW reckoned Cosmos wheels were the best out of the bunch they tested in the summer, better than Ksyriums even.
Er, I think my 10 PB was set with Spinergys though.
How do the Spinergys compare in weight to spoked wheels though ? Weight isn't that important for dragstrip courses, but anything with a hill on, and you'll pay for aero but heavier wheels.
Elite Ironman, Ultra Trail Runner
do have american colleagues who might be able to get some over there etc for me and send them on... (dollar price = pound price (big savings!!))
think I'd like a disc for pose value but windy courses are no no's so want some race lite wheels I can use all the time not just for perfect conditions...
We need one of these :http://weightweenies.starbike.com/articles.php?ID=21
Would 9 lbs be OK for you ????
the seat looks a bit gay-bar though
Elite Ironman, Ultra Trail Runner
surprisingly i saw a few disk wheeled bikes at llanberis last year - and you know how hilly and windy llanberis is....with sheer drops off the roadside in places 8oO
Elite Ironman, Ultra Trail Runner
Giant of a 5 year garantee on the frame ....... BUT ..... Edinburgh Bikes will give me a lifetime if i buy it there
It's so tempting - especialy cos i ride a Giant OCR all ready so both bikes would have same geometry etc
WOT TO DO, WOT TO DO
/
;oP
Me want one toooooo !