I agree if a thing ,an't=am not broken don't fix it,but vintage bikes are a thing of beauty!{I got my claws on a Cannondale SR 900 Road Bike,and I am looking forward to riding it,but it is mostly paid off right now around $41.99!FUN TIME!}
I remember reading your review of the CAAD7 Black Lighting in Ride magazine and holding that bike up as my dream ride. I've since owned numerous SuperSix Evos, but still appreciate seeing this beauty once again in moving pictures this time. Keep up the great content Rob.
Nice to see that old bike. I have a 2003 Saeco Team Replica that I believe is essentially the same bike (but Dura Ace). Been riding it happily for 20 years now. Thinking of switching to the Focus Izalco Max for the next 20. Thanks for the enjoyable commentary.
Such a great video, very well put together. I don't own a disc brake bike but I am up for it when the time is right. I own a caad13 , giant defy and a Trek Domane SLR which I love. A video like this makes me appreciate them more, thank you and happy rides...
Excellent vid rob. 53psi is so tires dont blow off the hookless rims. Hookless rims are so bike brands can get more profits as adding a hook to the rim costs more. Ive still got some GP3000 on my ksyrium SL's and they stop way better than the dura ace disc on my s-works SL7 that I decided to sell in the first minute of riding it. Just too easy to slide out under hard braking with road disc.
Great video Rob! I have a 2016 Evo and a 2020 Evo Hi-Mod Disc bike. I live both equally. I was put off the ride feel of the new bike until I worked out the Knot35 wheels were the compromise to keep the price down. Changed them out for some Mavic carbon wheels and the bike was transformed. Bikes weight the same - older bike runs 28mm clinchers tyres - new bike runs 30mm tubeless. I am now able to appreciate how good the new bike is…👍
Lovely comparison mate; gentle and thoughtful. I'm a giant clumsy munter who's snapped 2 carbon frames ( a Focus and a custom Bob Telfer...but most of that was 853 steel so I got the carbon rear replaced...in steel ) so I'm literally damaged goods around carbon. I've currently got a 27 year old CAD2 that I love to batter the crap out of and it just comes back for more. I adore external routing that takes a single cuppa to replace and last year upgraded ( in my mind ) my Cannondale by removing the bar mounted computer. We're different camps though and I love and appreciate your passion for the 2023 as well as the 2002.Please keep these thoughtful essays coming.
Ive ridden both and the rim brake dale blows them all out the water. Got my CAAD7 near new off a retired lady in Feb for $300. You need to add 'one will still be able to get parts for even 20 years later still despite the bike being 40+ years old' hehe,
I'll stick with my older bikes that I can still work on. I already have a car that has to go to a mechanic. I don't need a bike that also has to go to the mechanic
Thanks a lot. There is, of course, more to say about both bikes... but it was already a long video. And there's always another time to explain other things. Glad you liked the video. - Rob
I have two road bikes, a rim brake tarmac sl6 with 25mm tires mounted to 19mm internal width rims and a 2020 Domane with disc brakes and 32mm tires on 25mm internal width rims. The wider tires are more comfy, but they feel cumbersome on twisty descents. It’s hard to lean and turn smoothly, instead I have to brake hard, lose a lot of speed and turn almost upright. The tarmac with 25mm tires changes direction effortlessly and allows me to maintain more speed through corners and twisty sections. So wider tires are more comfy, but not as agile, and not as fun. IMHO 25c pumped to around 70 is a good balance between comfort and handling.
Rob do you work in the bike industry? I think it’s really important to remember what people want a bike for, riding down mountains or in the rain and long ride I agree fatter tyres disc brakes are better. I race closed circuit purpose built criterium circuits or timetrials and I always reach for mu gen 1 s works venge with 28 on the rear and 26 on the front. I have a tcr with disc and di2 105 which is a lovely bike to ride but to race on it feels sluggish. I still believe the greatest bike I have raced is the tarmac sl3 it was like caffeinated carbon.
I want to RIDE my bike….not worry about the setup and fine tuning of multiple systems on a what is supposed to be simple machine…. I would not but a current generation, near-top tier road bike if I could not buy it outright ….and, have a back up “old tech” rig to ride when the Sup Bike is in the shop….i know it would be incumbent on me to bring my precious in for service during the offseason….but if something goes wrong during spring or summer the downtime will be greater than with a previous generation bike
This video was like a digital equivalent of sitting down on the crapper to read the latest edition of Ride magazine. Pooping has never been as enjoyable since that mag's demise
Haha... there is a correlation between the decline of magazines (with the exception, of course, of the Official Tour de France Guide, the Australian edition in particular) and people being willing to use their phones while on the loo... Glad you liked the video. - Rob
The Black Lightning is a spectacular bike….I didn’t know the Campy Group was original equipment 😳….Regardless of its rarity, I wouldn’t be able to not ride that thing. My favorite Cannondale era is still the arrow straight tubing of the 3.0 series…🤣the pyramid down tube and bent seat stays are too progressive for my eye….it was the beginnings of the end as far as I’m concerned 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤨🤨🤨… The Amish wouldn’t approve
It took nearly a decade for carbon to become mainstream , early carbon frames had build and quantity issues, similarly it has taken almost a decade to improve disc brake technology, I believe there is more room for refinement in disc brake technology. Wide rims and tyres were embraced without any resistance because they work way better than narrow rims. The same can't be said about disc brake technology.
Kinda... sorta... Of course, when weights are published there usually should be a list of asterisks denoting what is on the bike and what is not. The weights published with this video relate to the bikes as you see them here: pedals, bidon cages, cycling computer mounts... (inc. cadence sensor, in the case of the Black Lightning). And, for the record, if weight was the only quest, there could be plenty trimmed from both bikes. But that isn't the only ambition... - Rob
Well for me who likes to service and look after my bikes, the new ones are a total faff messing with Disc brakes, sorry,..cables that you cannot see. Give me a bike that is simple to work on without a full workshop. Mind you not short of tools. Cost is also a factor with the new stuff, when it comes to replacing parts or having work done on them.
That was nice. Funny, i never get bored with bikes. I get bored with everything else. Evan sex, and money, believe it or not. The 2 things that make the world go round. But i get bored with them from time to time. But i never ever get tired of bikes. Isnt that strange?
Disc brakes are here to stay, the bike industry and customers today using disc brakes on mountain bikes. Tubeless tires work really well with modern dual pivot rim brakes so your tires don't explode off the rim. For myself rim brakes is a defining feature of a road bike and future cyclists will see the disc brake as the integral feature.
Sorry bikes now are terrible, heavier,hidden cables which are a nightmare to work on,disc brakes absolute crap on a road bike. Aero great if you are going downhill at 40mph otherwise useless. I have a 2014 TCR which is lighter faster than any of these new bikes and it is a pleasure to ride. I had a Trek madone SLR it was a tank to ride sold it after 2 weeks. I feel sorry for all the new cyclists having to ride this junk. Just one last thing electric gearing a solution to a problem that never existed
