Bike Setup: as standard. apart from saddle, brake pads.
Summary: 2008 model. Cycled all my life, never seriously, but always quickly. Arrived Northern California with my trusty old heavy, steel, cheap Raleigh and took to the nearby mountains. Realised I could use a better ride and started to research. With similar reservations to those expressed elsewhere in these reviews I took the plunge, as this seemed to be great value for money. Based on far more serious riders' comments here I'd say I must have lucked out.
In the 16 months I've owned this bike I've done 2500 mostly mountain miles. I've made several mistakes, like going off the edge of the road onto dirt at 25, 40mph, and hitting the yellow bumps in the center of the road while cornering hard - the bike has always allowed me to stay in control, and the worst that happened has been a pinch flat. My conclusion is that this is a solid bike, with decent handling, and the Ritchey WCS wheels are tough. Ultegra components are wonderful. Great value for money.
Strengths: Lightweight. Value for money. Fast.
Weaknesses: Brake pads. Standard seat - I swapped for WTB Rocket.
5 of 5
5 of 5
