A death is a painful thing to experience. Particularly, I imagine, for the one doing the dying. For those left behind, it takes time to mourn and come to grips with the change; it is an unpleasant process, but such is the way of things.
The crack in the chainstay of my beloved Cervelo R3 had been weighing on my mind ever since I discovered its existence while cleaning my bike in Hawaii. Assuming the crack was superficial, I continued to ride the machine and took it with me to Belgium to rattle along over the cobblestones during Keepers Tour. It was during this trip that Andrew, a carbon fiber engineer for B’Twin, pointed out that the crack was not superficial and in fact quite serious.
I continued to ride it, and slowly made peace with the fact that my favorite-ever road bike was destined for retirement. Denial turned into anger, anger turned into grief, grief into acceptance, and acceptance into glorious Rule #12 obsession, deliberation, and contemplation. Still, my final ride on my trusted friend was bittersweet; I was on great form that day, and together we turned mountains into hills and carved the many curves as we rode along the seaside in the somber knowledge that this would be our last day out together.
I contacted the shop where I bought it and had them reach out to Cervelo for a warranty replacement, but even if they warrantied the frame, I wouldn’t want one on account of the tall head tube they’ve adopted on their large frames. I’m very picky about my position, and loved the ride and fit of my R3, so I was left with a conundrum as to what bike to get as my new #1. Then Mark, the owner of Veloforma, pointed out that he’d designed his Strada iR based on the R5ca, along with several improvements to the design. And he could do it in a custom Velominati paint scheme. Sold to the obsessive-compulsive Dutchman in the back! (That makes two Veloformas bought in the span of a few months, the VMH pointed out when I delivered the news.)
As much as I loved my R3 for its ride quality and fit, I have never been crazy about the 73 degree head tube angle. You wouldn’t think a half degree would have much effect, but the Strada’s head tube is relaxed just a hair to 72.5 degrees, and it really smooths out the handling compared to the the Cervelo. Aside from that, the dimensions are similar enough to my Cervelo that the first ride on the new steed felt like a reunion with my lost friend.
This thing is embarrassingly light at 6.3 kilos. For a 61cm. The head tube is nice and short at 19.5cm so I can get as low as I need to but tall enough that I still get to slam my stem. I also got a new carbon Pro Vibe stem whose paint job accidentally matches the markings on the frame’s custom Velominati paint job. It is almost too glorious for my tiny little brain to handle. Also, the front derailleur hanger is mounted at a slight angle which brings the derailleur cage in perfect alignment with the chain rings, which results in lightning-quick front shifting. Its little things like that which really impress me about Mark’s attention to detail when designing the bikes. Now that I think of it, both my Veloformas have the best front shifting performance of any bikes I’ve owned. Finally, the internally routed cables makes it astoundingly quiet; the lack of rattling cables makes this machine the high water mark in my quest for the Principle of Silence. And that paint job, oh that paint job.
I haven’t ridden the Strada a whole lot, but I did the V to V Cogal on it which consisted of two long days in the saddle and featured a lengthy session with my old friend, the Man with the Hammer. I’m happy to report that she climbs and descends like a monster. The bike has the road feel of my R3, but is more responsive with a stiffer BB and steering column. But the relaxed head tube makes it handle like a Merckx; the descent off Mount Saint Helens had some seriously sketchy tarmac in places and her handling probably gave me too much confidence in light of my Schleckian descending skills.
What started as heartbreak ended in a love affair. Funny how that works out some times.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Strada iR/”/]
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@E
There has never been a finer argument for the proper use of punctuation.
@Chris
Period.
@Marcus
Just in case you didn't know, this is a real website!
http://www.makeyourselftaller.com/
So you stupid wankers can play another 7 tests and still not win the ashes? Sounds like a summer long KFC ad.
PS I'm asthmatic so,
@Chris
Reminds me of the old joke about the panda. You've all heard it a million times, right?
@minion your obsession with my height (or lack thereof) is getting weird. Since we havent met, i can only guess you must somehow be imagining me to work out my height.
That's the weird bit.
As for the topic at hand, I must now go out and do my level best to break my BMC frame. I see it as the first best step in convincing the VMH I NEED one of these from our friends at Veloforma. Do you think the headtube angle will make much a difference on the cobbles at KTCC14? Mint, Frank, mint.
The best description of cricket is Bill Bryson describing a car trip in remote rural Australia where the only thing he can find on the radio is cricket commentary. Brings tears of laughter to my eyes.
Having said that, I'm surprised - and it could even be cause for an article - that the similarities between cricket and cycling have not been remarked upon.
Cricket, especially Test Cricket which may consist of a series of 5 or 6 games each lasting up to 5 days, is like a Grand Tour. Sure you can watch the highlights and get a 15 minute impression of action and excitement.
But the true fan realises this is just the quick hit of processed sugar, like substituting a jam donut for a 5 course meal. Seeing the sprint in the last 500m and the victor cross the line in celebration before the jersey presentation.
Only by watching it unfold over time, enduring the tedium of long periods where nothing is overtly happening, like a breakaway building up a lead to be slowly reeled in or a standoff heading towards a decisive climb, do you appreciate the slow burn of tensions and the wait for the moment that turns the stage or the game.
But cycling is frequently defined and made predictable by geography, which is why we often have extra appreciation for stages like the windblown echelon which blows the peleton apart, or the rider who attacks unexpectedly. Cricket on the other hand has the ever-constant possibility that the next ball could be decisive, ousting a batsman who was seemingly on his way to a big score after breaking the spirit of the bowlers. A whole game can change in the space of a dozen balls... or not. And you never know when it will happen. Conversely even a drawn game can be wracked with hours of tension as one side clings on against the odds, while the other tries vainly to secure the victory.
It is a truly beautiful game, and to return to Bill Bryson's observations, what other game has mandatory breaks for drinks, lunch and afternoon tea ?
@ChrisO
Upwelling of Bryson love. His description of hiking the Appalachian Trail in the US is priceless. He would be the one to describe cricket to 'Mericans. I will read this.
@ChrisO To quote Ron, "Awesome."
Damn...the current Ashes runs from July 10 to August 25.
That's like 5 whole months, by my math.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Ashes_series