How can we not talk about the Tour? After Sunday’s stage it’s hard not to be a little excited. Until yesterday the most thrilling thing I had seen was Mark Cavendish’s mad man chase back to the peloton after a late-in-the-race crash. He needed to get back quickly as the race was hurtling toward a sprint finish he was supposed to win. Happily there was a TV moto trying to follow him. For much of the chase he was without teammates, picking his way through the following convoy at high speed, jumping curbs, drafting cars very close, zipping around everything with millimeters to spare. He is a sprinter. These scenes are happening during every stage but the TV viewers miss almost all of it.
And now the rant…
Are all carbon monocoque bikes getting uglier as their computer aided design becomes more and more functional? Engineers are designing for a combination of aerodynamics, weight, stiffness but badass looks are not a design parameter. BMC has been crowing about some new software that produces the best design after a zillion Monte Carlo simulations but man, that damn thing is not pretty. All the monocoque frames must be heading toward the same computer derived solution, but not quite yet.
I’m sorry to offend Pinarello owners but the new Dogma is incrementally uglier than all the other preceding ugly Dogmas. It pains me to say this. I am a devout Italophile and longtime admirerer of Pinarello bikes. And I’m the one around here lecturing about form following function, but this bike is wrong. I realize the kinky stays and fork blades are shaped that way for performance, aren’t they? The frame looks like it stayed in the easy-bake oven too long and everything got a bit wobbly before it cooled. The front fork is a horror, the seat stays are bent the wrong direction, the chain stays don’t match.
The all carbon-weave clear coat frames are boring. Pinarello takes a lot of pride in their paint and for that I salute them. Luckily Sky’s and Movistar’s bikes are painted glossy and dark. It’s harder to see just how nasty the front fork is. With all the frame designs stuttering toward the same solution, it’s the paint that sets them apart. Matte black Orbeas and Bianchis look nearly identical until the orange or celeste paint goes on.
Trek has also been into the paint for its frames. Thankfully one doesn’t see a carbon clear-coat Madone. They have a new weight- saving paint this year and for the Tour they unleashed a beautiful mono-pantone “lei ‘o pard blue” (not to be confused with leopard blue) for the Shack rides. Now that is a paint job! The new Madone is ugly. There, I said it, but the damn paint saves its kammtail ass. Its head tube, or what used to be the head tube looks clumsy. At least the Trek bikes have a proper front fork and it’s painted that great color, as is the seat mast. Would I like the Pinarello if it was painted up like this? Yes I’d like it a lot more but I can’t get around the wavy fork. The first time I saw a steel Colnago with straight fork I fell in love. It shouldn’t even work but does. I’d never considered that a front fork could be straight. Straight fork yes, wavy fork no. Is it just me? Obviously it is as every Pinarello has a noodle fork and they are selling nicely. What does Ernesto Colnago say about a Pinarello? Believe me, I wish I knew. The Colnago C-59 is a fantastic looking bike and if that was painted completely “leopard” blue, my head might explode.
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View Comments
@kixsand
Museeuw's bike he was riding on Keepers Tour had that setup. Useless, in his words. It makes sense to me to put the front brake behind the fork because it gives it something to push against. Similarly, the brake in its traditional position on the rear has the same thing. I think having it down there basically just softens up the rear braking.
But this is all based on the idea that anyone would ever use their brakes, which obviously I never do. I'm not a sissy.
@G'rilla
AWESOME! We will need to discuss over pre-emptive recovery beverages.
@Deakus
That looks like a Rabo/Blanco/Belkin team bike, which means it would be Vittoria, no? Corsa CX (or open in your case). If you ride roads with lots of debris, these will cut up quickly. For a good durable tire, the Conti GP4000S is a great tire. The ride is no where near as delicate as the Vits or Veloflex's, but they will last longer.
I love the Veloflex tubs I have on the Haleakalas.
@frank
Understood but I have fallen in love with the ride...so come what may it will be cotton clinchers for me..if the local roads are too bad I will just have to move house!
@Deakus
I have been running Veloflex Master 25s all summer, very good tires, you may want to seal the sidewall though, mine are really dirty and don't come clean.
'nuff said. Waiting for an all steel return to the throne.
@Deakus
Not sure how it will go over here, but the other option you have for gumwall clinchers are the Panaracer Grand Bois series. I've never used them, but have heard good things, and they are available in 23, 26 and 29mm versions depending on what kind of clearances you've got. The 23mm tires are also available in an Extra Leger (extra light) version that is reportedly even more supple, but less durable. You can check them all out here
@VeloVita thanks in the end I ordered a couple of vittoria open corsa sc tyres, they should be on the bike Monday.
@frank
I can see the appeal of the direct mount brakes, especially making the rear brake a lot stronger but the location bites. Direct mount brakes would probably require a fairly heavily redesigned stay and brake bridge, which would be a far more suitable solution. Aero benefits from the rear brake can suck it, you've got to be fucking kidding me. Maybe without a rider on the bike or at 79 degrees of yaw, but really.
All bikes desire to grow up and become a Cervelo