Very nice. I love my VXRS.

Personally I don't think I'd ever buy the VXRS Ulteam it's $1500 more and only weighs 125g less

 

Tell me about your bike

Rocco,

How do you know the VXRS ULteam is $1500 more? Do you have some info that you are not sharing with the rest of us? Spill it man. To be honest, I have not been able to find much on the 2006 Times.

Please tell me about your bike. I will be buying a bike soon. While the list of candidates changes weekly, Time has always been on the list. I will probably end up with the VXR or VXRS. Have you ridden the VXR? If so, how does it compare to the VXRS? I have heard different things on how they compare. Time SPort USA says the VXR is more comfortable because it doesnt have the integrated seatpost. But the Labiciceltta bike shop (a shop that sells a lot of Times) says the VXRS is less stiff and is therefore more comfy despite the seatpost. The guy said the VXR is a VXRS designed for a heavier rider. Any info you could give would be great.

Thanks.

 

Rocco,

How do you know the VXRS ULteam is $1500 more? Do you have some info that you are not sharing with the rest of us? Spill it man. To be honest, I have not been able to find much on the 2006 Times.

Please tell me about your bike. I will be buying a bike soon. While the list of candidates changes weekly, Time has always been on the list. I will probably end up with the VXR or VXRS. Have you ridden the VXR? If so, how does it compare to the VXRS? I have heard different things on how they compare. Time SPort USA says the VXR is more comfortable because it doesnt have the integrated seatpost. But the Labiciceltta bike shop (a shop that sells a lot of Times) says the VXRS is less stiff and is therefore more comfy despite the seatpost. The guy said the VXR is a VXRS designed for a heavier rider. Any info you could give would be great.

Thanks.

Heading out now for the evening for dinner and a movie with the Mrs. I'll get back to you in the morning.

 

Rocco,

How do you know the VXRS ULteam is $1500 more? Do you have some info that you are not sharing with the rest of us? Spill it man. To be honest, I have not been able to find much on the 2006 Times.

Please tell me about your bike. I will be buying a bike soon. While the list of candidates changes weekly, Time has always been on the list. I will probably end up with the VXR or VXRS. Have you ridden the VXR? If so, how does it compare to the VXRS? I have heard different things on how they compare. Time SPort USA says the VXR is more comfortable because it doesnt have the integrated seatpost. But the Labiciceltta bike shop (a shop that sells a lot of Times) says the VXRS is less stiff and is therefore more comfy despite the seatpost. The guy said the VXR is a VXRS designed for a heavier rider. Any info you could give would be great.

Thanks.

Actually I'm not positive regarding the price of Ulteam yet. RBRer Elviento and I were discussing the VXRS because he was shopping for one and he told me $6,000 for the Ulteam.

I love my VXRS period. It's the best I've ever had and I've had many bikes. If you've never had a carbon bike it will probably feel quite odd at the begining but after you've challenged yourself and this bike you won't want anything else.

I've never ridden a VXR but according to Time Sport the VXR has a little more lateral rigidity and vibration damping while the VXRS is lighter and a touch more responsive. I don't know that the VXR is a VXRS designed for a heavier rider because Tom Boonen isn't exactly a small-fry.

It does seem logical that the Translink seatmast on the VXRS would be less compliant than the traditional seatpost setup on the VXR. The other factor that might be considered is that the VXR has a carbon BB shell now as apposed to the aluminum one they used to have. That may change things some.

I don't know about what Labiciceltta is saying but maybe you might want to talk to someone at Velo Pasadena in Pasadena, CA. They sell a lot of VXR and VXRS modules.

I'd also consider how much one's choice of wheels and tires will effect some aspects of how any bike will ride.

 

Vxs?

Anyone have ride experience with the VXS?

LBS is pushing the VXS over the VXRS as having a more comfortable ride for longer rides (I have no plans to race - ride quality on longer rides is important to me).

 

Anyone have ride experience with the VXS?

LBS is pushing the VXS over the VXRS as having a more comfortable ride for longer rides (I have no plans to race - ride quality on longer rides is important to me).

I only know that it's billed as being more comfortable and that on this year's model the carbon BB and the Translink seatmast option have been added. It looks very nice to me. I wouldn't mind having one for doing centuries.

 

How is it that the VXR is more laterally rigid yet LESS responsive than the VXRS? If I am not mistaken, lateral rigidity is the side-to-side flex experienced during heavy pedaling. Thus, wouldnt greater lateral rigidity translate into more reponsiveness?

I am not a heavy rider. I weigh 165 lb. I do not race but I try to ride hard. I am still trying to figure out which bike is for me. I considered the VXS but I dont like the paint scheme.

By the way Rocco, do you find the translink system to be a pain in the toosh? How do you transport the bike over long distances? Does it fit in a travel case?

 

Some people like their frames to have a springy feel and they call it responsiveness.

How is it that the VXR is more laterally rigid yet LESS responsive than the VXRS? If I am not mistaken, lateral rigidity is the side-to-side flex experienced during heavy pedaling. Thus, wouldnt greater lateral rigidity translate into more reponsiveness?

I am not a heavy rider. I weigh 165 lb. I do not race but I try to ride hard. I am still trying to figure out which bike is for me. I considered the VXS but I dont like the paint scheme.

By the way Rocco, do you find the translink system to be a pain in the toosh? How do you transport the bike over long distances? Does it fit in a travel case?

 

How is it that the VXR is more laterally rigid yet LESS responsive than the VXRS? If I am not mistaken, lateral rigidity is the side-to-side flex experienced during heavy pedaling. Thus, wouldnt greater lateral rigidity translate into more reponsiveness?

I am not a heavy rider. I weigh 165 lb. I do not race but I try to ride hard. I am still trying to figure out which bike is for me. I considered the VXS but I dont like the paint scheme.

By the way Rocco, do you find the translink system to be a pain in the toosh? How do you transport the bike over long distances? Does it fit in a travel case?

I believe Time Sport is correct regarding lateral rigidity ratings and keep in mind that lateral rigidity is not necessarily equal to responsiveness or what some also call liveliness.

Some insights:

Aymeric Le Brun: To explain the ride of a frame, “stiffness” and “power transfer” are two terms easily cited, made generic, and these days often vulgarized. While these are indeed important factors, they aren’t the only qualities to look at with respect to a frame. Cyfac considers what we call the “reactivity” of the frame relative to the power of the rider using it.

Stiff for one person may not be stiff for another. Or, for certain events/distances/types of riding, an overly stiff frame can have a significant performance disadvantage for the rider. This is why we look at 1) the rider-machine as a symbiotic pairing and 2) the performance of the frame relative to the morphological and physical characteristics of the individual using it.

Sean Kelly rode on the Vitus frames and Laurent Fignon, as well as the entire Gitane Team, rode on Cyfac-built Reynolds series bikes. They were ultra-light for the time and considerably flexible. But this flex actually permitted these riders to have a frame that was “reactive” under all circumstances. As long as the flexibility isn’t too great (i.e., it still permits the transmission of the rider’s energy) it is important—indeed, fundamental--in the reactivity, or dynamics, of the bike. In these examples the frames were of the proper stiffness/reactivity for Kelly and Fignon to have such successful performances. However, for a larger/stronger rider these frames may not have been optimal and, conversely, a super light-weight rider may have even found them too stiff!

We like to look at the example of the pole-vaulter Sergei Bubka who was the only athlete capable of bending the ultra-stiff pole that he used. That was the right piece of equipment for him because he could realize its potential. Other competitors couldn’t even begin to use his equipment; they had to find the right combinations of stiffness/reactivity that were suited to them. The same principle applies with a frame (at the bottom bracket).

I think the graphic scheme VXS is being updated for '06.

The Translink seatmast is stiff but it doesn't bother me in the larger context when factoring in the way the bike feels overall. One shouldn't underestimate how much difference one's chioce of wheels and tires makes in the context of the entire system.

I fly with my bike about two or three times a year and I use a SciCon Aerocomfort bag which has a steel frame that bike locks into for structural support and padding for impact resistance. I take further precaution by covering all the frame tubes, stays, crank arms, stem and ergo levers with foam tubes that are used for insulating pipes. I use padded wheel bags which go inside the bike bag. No problems so far... knock on wood.