Airborne carpe diem

Price Paid:  $999.00 at Airborne.net

Bike Setup:
* CarpeDiem 58cm
* Wheels: Mavic MA3 w/ 32H Campy Centaur hubs and 14g straight gauge spokes in 3x

Summary:
I finally finished building it up last week, and I just have one ride on it, so I'll give a small review and provide my initial impressions.

I previously owned a Ti mtb hardtail (Dean Colonel) and my experience with that told me that the Ti would be a very light and very smooth bike on the roads. The CarpeDiem was no exception. The Dean had the benefit of front suspension, but even though my CD doesn't, it still rode very smoothly over the harsh MI road.

Riding some of the grassy paths in and around my neighborhood, the CD still felt very smooth, but also very solid. I'm not comfortable going with a CF fork for CX/off-road, so I chose to go with a CroMo fork. The Tange Hybrid fork is a very solid performer given it's price. And it's not too heavy - but then I'm comparing mtb & suspension forks. I was thinking of upgrading in the future, but after the first ride, I thinking of keeping it.

I'm also willing to admit that the Ti post has as much to do with the smooth ride, but given that, the Carpe Diem is still a very solid and very smooth bike.

A few issues on service. I ordered the Ti seat collar & Flyte Line cables/housing with the frame. I received an Al collar instead. I emailed the Airborne sales rep & the email was also forwarded to customer service & they also sent me one. the Sales Rep sent it in the mail I received it the next business day. Interestingly, the CS people ALSO sent me one. All the parties were gracious and let me keep both the Ti seat collars & both the Al seat collars.

Next, when building up my bike, I found the Flyte Line packaging had everyting BUT the brake housing. Well, I chose not to mention anything. Mainly because they let me keep both sets of seat collars, but also because my Campy Ergo's came with housing so I used those instead. I figured we broke even.

Strengths:
* Ti feel
* Airborne service was as good as advertised - save for the cable thing.
* Airborne geometry (for me, at least)

Weaknesses:
Well, I 'spose I'll be fair and mention it. If you're not into the long TT, then you may not fit well on the CD. I happen to like the longer TT. I feel more comfortable with it.

Similar Products Used:
* Road: None really
* MTB: My old Dean Ti Colonel

Price Paid:  $1900.00 at Airborne Direct

Favorite Ride:
Eldridge Grade, Mt. Tam

Bike Setup:
"Fireroad Bike" because that is where it will be ridden the majority of the time.

LX drive train and flat bars. Chris Kelly cyclocross fork, Avid Arch Rival brakes. Michelin Axial Pro 23c tires for the road and Ritchey Mt. Cross 38c knobbies for the dirt, both mounted on Wheelsmith built Ultegra - Mavic Open Pro wheels. A Zoom Brahma bar mounted upside down, Rock Shox suspension post, Selle Italia Max Flite Trans Am saddle. Shimano 424 pedals.

Summary:
It is still early days, but I am very happy with this bike.

It has a very good looking frame. It's not shiny, but it's not dull either. The decals are understated, tasteful, and look like a permanent part of the bike.

The welds make small neat fillets at the junction of the tubes. They mostly do not appeared to have been filed down, but you have to be within a foot of the bike to see the weld puddle marks.

The frame (a 60cm) is very well proportioned. The seatstays are not delicate, they look quite substantial, but they have a very nice curve to them and terminate smoothly right behind the top tube junction.

Both the top tube and down tube have interesting shapes to them. The top tube is flattened and narrows at both ends just as it meets the head tube and seat tube. The down tube is bi-axially ovalized. The small neat welds, consistent proportions, and the tubing changing shape to smoothly meld at the junction gives the impression that the frame is not separate pieces tacked together, but rather a single organic whole.

On fireroads the ride is firm and controlled. While not harsh, the ride falls between my mountain bike and my road bike. On rocks, the bike does its share to soak up the shocks, but you are still quite aware that those are rocks you are riding over. The knobby tires give great traction. On steep climbs it is not difficult to keep the front wheel down. On sketchy descents, the front tire delivers plenty of traction and the Avid Arch Rival brakes seem easy to modulate. There is not an "over the handlebars" feeling to steep descents. The bike goes where it is pointed except for a bit of tail wag in the loose stuff.

Singletrack - At the slower singletrack speed the bike feels more compliant. The big wheels roll easily over the ripples and trail irregularities. I think good bike handlers could do magic with this bike on singletrack. The bike had me going faster on the flats and gentle descents without thinking about it.

On the road - Well it really is a road bike, isn't it? Even with the knobbies on, you could tell baby likes to run. Again, a firm controlled ride, but not harsh. The bike is calm and feels very neutral and secure in the corners.

Bottom line. This is a very nice bike and I got it set up the way I wanted without paying for components I didn't want (I did replace the Bontrager flat bar with the Brahma Bar) and for way cheaper than I could have had it built from a bare frame. I am very pleased with the ride and handling. I was riding the bike half an hour after I received it, a week and two days after I ordered it. The bike shipped one day ahead of schedule.

Five flaming chilis!

Strengths:
Good looks, handling and ride, ability to customize components, price.

Weaknesses:
Frame has a somewhat tall front end. Difficulty verifying fit over the phone. We will see whether the 32-spoke Open Pro rims stand up to off-road riding. (Airborne intends to offer 36-spoke Mavic T519 wheels soon.)

Similar Products Used:
Cr-Mo framed MTB with rigid fork. Lightweight lugged frame Cr-Mo road bike fitted with flat bars.