My CF Adventure

So, my friend is trying to sell his Specialized Roubaix, and he set me
up on the bike for a ride last Saturday. Not withstanding my status as
former Cat 3 and Masters pack-filler and renowned commuter, I had
never ridden a CF bike more than a few hundred yards. This was going
to be something new and exciting for me.

After not enough fussing getting the seat height and tilt right, we
took off for a hilly ride of 50-60 miles -- wow, the frame was stiff
through the BB and, most noticeably, through the front end --
substantially stiffer than my Cannondale warranty-replacement CAAD 9.
The magical dampening of CF was also evident, sort of. It clipped the
low amplitude, high frequency vibration that I associate with a dry
chain or slightly rough pavement -- the sort of thing you might pick
up through your shoes. Significant pavement discontinuities were
probably more pronounced on the Roubaix than on my CAAD 9, and the the
sound of a popped rock hitting the DT made me think I broke the
frame. It was an acoustically new adventure. But, the minor
dampening plus the longish chain stays and stiff front end gave the
bike the bike a very smooth, step on the gas feel on good pavement.

Getting me to fit on this frame meant extending the CF seat post
probably a foot -- and it didn't want to stay there. It kept
slipping, and my friend was freaking out at the thought that I might
over-torque the binder bolt and break the post. His pocket tool,
however, was some weird piece of garbage (a tiny T-wrench) that
wouldn't let me over-torque -- or even adequately torque -- anything.
I probably stopped five or six times, and the post wouldn't stop
slipping -- probably because it did not have enough magical CF paste
on it. This sucked -- and small changes in seat post height worsened
the saddle tilt problems. The post had a one-bolt saddle carriage
mechanism -- so you loosen one bolt, and the whole tilt/fore-aft
adjustment goes flaccid. F*** that! This is why I buy Thompson Elite
posts with a two bolt system. You can Princess and the Pea them to
your heart's content.

We head to the first hill -- about a four mile climb with the first
mile maxing out at 10-12 percent, and the bike was very responsive and
fast-feeling, except the reach was too short, and climbing out of the
saddle, I was sometimes hitting the bars with my knees -- and the
position was odd to me because of the tall front end and relatively
short TT. I'm used to being more over my front wheel.

The steep parts felt fast, but when I sat down, I felt like I was
riding a BMX bike because of the slipping post. That sucked, and so
did the mis-positioned BG saddle. But I did get the sense that the
bike was light(er) and faster than my Cannondale -- and more solid,
which is a big deal since I am a large rider. It tracked
exceptionally well descending.

My friend was worried that I would over-torque the post, and I was
getting a sore back, so we only rode that climb and one other for a
total of 30-40 miles. Alas, on my way home, River City was running
its annual sale, and I tried the same bike in a 64cm, which was nice
-- post stayed up, more room in the cockpit, still too high in the
front end, but flipping the stem would fix that. I almost impulsed
purchased. I really do like the stiff feeling of the front end and
BB. I decided to wait and do some more shopping, if any.

Epilog -- I went out the next day on my CAAD 9. Ahhh, nothing like a
bike that fits. The bike is less stiff -- not like an old Alan, but it
does not have the same riding on a slightly padded rail feel as the
Roubaix. This is not a huge difference, but noticeable. I have come
to believe that all the hyperbole in the press reduces to minor
differences, at least among similarly priced and purposed bikes. I
did a lot of climbing on Sunday, and the Cannonodale's front end
definitely felt less stiff. It also has a slight caster feel to it,
which some might characterize as twitchiness -- but it tracks very
well on fast descents. I just liked sitting and climbing on the
Cannondale, which is something I didn't have a chance to do on the
Roubaix, and I didn't feel like I was getting sapped of energy while
sitting. It has a stiff BB. It's the out of the saddle efforts where
it lacks somewhat. I might invest in a nice, stiff CF frame, but its
not like I have to.

-- Jay Beattie.