Carrera Hercules RC

Price Paid:  $0.00 at East Ridge Bicycles

Bike Setup:
Mizuno full carbon fork with shark effect (whatever that is), Selcof carbon seatpost (made for Carrera), Ultegra double 53/39, 12-27 cassette, 175mm cranks, Avocet O2 saddle, Mavic Ksyrium wheelset, Challenge Elite Open tubulars, Thomson stem (130mm), Ritchey Pro bar (46 cm).

Summary:
A great well-rounded bike with great character, all-day comfort, and response when you need to get the power to the ground (without the teeth-chattering ride of the stiffest all-aluminum frames).

The more I ride this bike the more I like it...you can see and feel why stage racers like this frameset. I ride a 60 cm and I was told that Carrera uses size-specific tubing...which matters.

Mizuno all-carbon fork feels nice and stiff, yet does not over-'modulate' (flex) while providing vibration-damping suspension. The carbon rear-end and seatpost keep road vibrations at bay, but remain responsive and stiff when you mash on the pedals.

As for the handling, it is not as quick as my Klein Q-Pro Carbon (but I am not racing crits), it is more stable and responsive than the Litespeed Ultimate I had (which did not use size specific tubing and had a flexy front-end in my size 60 c-to-c), and it feels more like a handmade frameset than the several Trek OCLV's I have been privileged to own. As a matter of fact, I think the Carrera has the best-road feel of any bike I have ever owned. It feels complete and balanced...like the rear-end matches the front-end.

And did I mention it is sexy? For a bike that is. The bike shop was great. Patient and helped me stay within my budget while building up this bike(East Ridge Bicycles-Chattanooga)

Strengths:
Great predictable handling, but not for crits; incredible ride and road feel; prom-queen good looks; don't see many of them out there on you local rides. Italian ride.

Weaknesses:
The paint chippied off of the fork very easily. The front-end could be laterally stiffer. A little pricy. Manufacturer is in Italy (but with a good US distributor in Red Rose Imports).

Similar Products Used:
Trek OCLV's (6 or 7 over the last 10 years), Litespeed Ultimate (overpriced for what you get and no size specificity in the tubing), Klein Q-Pro Carbon, Giant TCR Carbon, Klein Quantum Race, Cannondale R-1000 (CAAD 3).

Price Paid:  $1000.00 at Ebay

Favorite Ride:
Saturday Morning at the Worlds

Bike Setup:
Full DA, with ITM Millenium Bar and Stem, Mavic Ksyriums, Fisik Saddle.

Summary:
Pretty Bike with lots of character. I purchased off of Ebay because I was looking for a new road frame and remembered Michael Bartoli riding one the 1998 World Championships. The price was good so I jump on it. The frame was 59cm c-c with a 58.5cm toptube. The Hercules RC is a Aluminum frame with a carbon rear triangle. I used to worry about the carbon rear coming apart, but for no reason. In the spring, I got hit by a car and broke this frame and fork into five places. The only thing that surrived the crash was the rear carbon triangle. Funny how that is. Overall Movie Star good looks. Dark Blue to Light Blue fade.

Strengths:
Excellent power transfer from the chain to the rear wheel. A great sprinting bike. All day comfortable. The rearend of the bike really is its greatest asset. Kind of like my wife... LOL.

Weaknesses:
The frontend needs some work. I got used to it after awhile, but coming off a Colnago Dream Plus it felt mushy. I really noticed the mush as I was climbing. I often thought the front end of a Colnago Dream Plus would go perfect with the rearend of a Hercules RC. I haven't ridden the Dream with the B-Stay to see if its the balance that I am looking for, so I don't know. The cornering really leaves a lot to be desired.

Similar Products Used:
Steel Basso Gap; Colnago Dream Plus