Bike Setup: Dura Ace components, Selle SMP seat (great seat!!)
Summary: Just finished building up a 2008 S-Works Tarmac SL, Dura Ace components, deep V carbon wheelset... I was riding a Litespeed titanium frame bike and so just going back to a Carbon frame. The 10r carbon frame is an amazing mix rigidity for climbing and sprits as well as suppleness to soak up the road vibration. I am very impressed!!!
Strengths: Rigid feel while climbing and sprinting. Sharp steering, super light!
Weaknesses: None
Similar Products Used: Scatantte carbon
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Bike Setup: S works team replica FSA sram Look pedals blah blah.
Summary: Well to begin this is a team replica frame, with fact technology and the robaix suspension. This frame is phenomenal. I sold my Lynskey level 3 which is a beautiful machine, but when it comes to comfort this is the bike. The ride is uncanny. The power transfer is amazing and the carbon is extremely well engineered. The carbon is wrapped in all the right places, this is a truly brilliant piece of US engineering, and the ride is like silk.
Strengths: Soft structured ride.
Weaknesses: Price duh $3200.00 msrp for just the frame. The new frames are US engineered but Taiwan made.
Similar Products Used: Lynskey TI.
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Bike Setup: '05 S-works full carbon frameset w/specialized carbon seatpost. Ultegra 10, Bontrager Race Lite crankset, Ritchey WCS bar/stem, Velomax Circuit wheels, 105 road pedals, Litespeed/velo saddle. 17.3 lbs. (no pedals, no bottle cages, 58 cm/XL)
Summary: This is the first All carbon bike I have ridden. Only been out on one ride so far (35 miles). Great first impression. Significantly better than my carbon/Alu Litespeed Avior. Road buzz is all but completely gone, Power transfer is great. Paid $570 on ebay for Frameset only.
Strengths: Comfortable ride, Great power transfer (you pedal = you go). I can't feel the frame flex when standing and cranking up a hill. (175 lbs)
Weaknesses: Frameset isn't that light considering the under 1kg frames out there. XL is about 1320 grams with rear der. hanger. The seatpost binder is unusual due to Aero seattube design (I'm not a big fan of the way it looks)
Bike Setup: Champy all the way, Topolino C-19 wheels
Summary: Fast, stiff, and smooth. I was forced into an early withdrawal from a bodybuilding career r/t a injury, so bought this bike for motivation to maintain my athleticism. At 220+lbs I ride the big ring a lot & love to out sprint you little 150lb guys every chance I get. I would recommend this bike to anyone especially big guys.
Strengths: Strength, strength, strength
Weaknesses: Clear coat chips easily
Expensive if bought new
Similar Products Used: Merlin agilis, Litespeed ultimate
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Bike Setup: Full Dura Ace, Ksyrium Elite wheels (bike came with Ksyrium ES), Toupe saddle, Specialized carbon handlebars, Look 5.1 pedals, and Michelin Pro tires
Summary: I must say that it took me a while to convert from metal bikes to carbon. I had all the usual preconceived phobias about carbon frames: They break, paint chipping, not durable, etc. However, after seeing such a killer deal at the LBS, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to get with it on the latest technology.
Just to give a baseline on this review, I want the reader to know that this is my very first experience on a carbon bike. Also, this is the regular S-Works Tarmac as opposed to the "SL" model. My experience on riding performance bikes goes back to 1985 when I owned a Vitus, and raced/rode it for about 14 years thereafter. Since 1999, I've been riding Litespeed Ti bikes until this year when I bought my S-Works Tarmac. The Litespeed Ti bikes I've owned prior to the Tarmac are a 1998 Classic and two Tuscany models (2002 & 2004). I am 5'8" tall, and weigh 153 lbs.
To date, the S-Works Tarmac has to be THE best combination of stiffness and riding comfort of any bike I've ever owned. Road shock is a little more noticable on larger bumps than on my Ti bikes, but this is to be expected from the tighter geometry of my 52cm S-Works Tarmac.
The most striking qualities of this bike are the quick acceleration in a sprint and ease of maintaining momentum on rolling terrain. Ease of powering over crests of longer climbs is also exceptional.
This bike is SCARY fast on descents!!! I seem to develop momentum on downhills at faster speeds in shorter periods of time. This bike also holds the road extremely well on technical bumpy descents in spite of its tight geometry.
Overall, this bike feels like a part of my body with its responsiveness and comfort. As with most technological advances in cycling that I've encountered over the years, after buying this bike I asked myself again, "Why didn't I get this sooner?".
Now that I've entered into the carbon bike world, I'm curious to see how my new bike will compare to others in its class.
Strengths: Stiffness in sprinting, compliant on rough roads, extremely comforable on long rides, and easier to keep momentum while powering over rolling terrain. Climbs and handles technical descents VERY well.
Weaknesses: None compared to my previous metal bikes. I'm also not experienced enough with carbon to really tell of any weaknesses compared to other comparable bikes.
Similar Products Used: 1986 Vitus w/Mavic SSC components, 1998 Litespeed Classic and 2002 Litespeed Tuscany w/Ultegra, and 2004 Litespeed Tuscany w/full Dura Ace
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