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/”/]
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View Comments
@Eli Curt
Mark is also experimenting with carbon hangers that snap off more predictably than Alu. I'm excited to get my hands on a prototype and try it out.
Not to mention it will shave literally hundredths of a gram from the bike. Literally.
@greg, @xced
Wow, without knowing much more about it, it looks like another example of the Chinese taking designs and undercutting the foreign markets (the US, in this case). Its been done to the big names, I'm not surprised its also being done to the small ones.
If you get one of your $700 frames, base sure the carbon layups are done right, and that the quality of the carbon and resins being used is high enough that the frame doesn't come apart at an inconvenient time.
There's a lot more to building a good frame than taking someone else's design or even using the same mold.
@E
The Andrew mentioned in this article was on the top-range B'Twin (which he designed). He was certainly able to make it go fast enough. The Pavé boys' day jobs are working for B'Twin - if you are interested I can get you in touch with them to get your questions answered.
@Mikael Liddy
Nice one! Am I mistaken, in that I thought, there were some already in existence?
@meursault, @Mikael Liddy
The official config is over here. I still ride 'em, but I've been really loving my Radar Locks with transitions lenses. I really lean on the Jawbones in winter and in cooler weather, but like the Radars in hot weather because they feel a bit more open.
@frank
I dunno - using the same mold worked well for AlexanderFFleming
@frank It would be intersting to hear from them. I have read only one review for Decathlon which was for one of their "town bikes" the review was largely positive (well built, comfortable to ride and good value for money) but it would be interesting to hear how their road bikes stack up against the competition.
As I say no one in my club would be seen dead on one but I suspect that is pure snobbery which curiously does not seem to be an issue in France where they are even more fashion conscious than we are here in the UK. Still Decathlon are a French company.
I suspect it is a bit like when the Koreans started making cars everyone laughed at their rather clunky re-badged GM's and Fords. Now who is laughing.
@frank
Fair wheel bikes down here also does carbon repairs. Just as another Option. Let me know if you need any leg work done.
@frank i think what greg was probably implying is that veloforma frames could be the chinese ones with just a different paint!
@xced It would be the other way around, I'm afraid.
I like Jawbones and they are possible the worst looking shades without a helmet I've ever worn. They even look pretty bad with just a cap on. But, damn, great coverage which is nice for a contact wearer.
Radars. Incredible cycling glasses, even better than the M-Frame, a bit more wind-blocking and a bit more comfortable. Of course, this all is likely personal and down to face/forehead/nose shape.
Hot shot, Frank! That's what I'm talking about - unless the entire package from bike to tape to saddle to kit is class, I just get an empty feeling. Maybe that's why I've been avoiding group rides lately, they're too depressing to see the ways in which people manage to bugger up a decent frameset.