Really well said. The bike industry has lost its mind pandering to Walter Mitty types who think they can buy game and charging as much for a Tarmac as a Ducati. A$$wipes.
Spot on. I've had a 2013 Supersix Evo himod and 2019 Supersix Evo himod. Both with Dura Ace and both 6.8kg. The advantage is the jump. You can be sitting in a group, hear a bike coming, smash those peddals and the bike launches onto the wheel effortlessly. These light nimble bikes just accellerate so fast. They are fun to ride and Aero is in the rider and the wheels. You need to go fast on a flat rolling course, get 50mm wheels, on a decent I rolled past the pellaton with S-Works Venge's. I now ride a 7.8kg bike and I do find I can tuck and roll fast but it is a slug. Slow to react, does not inspire me to jump at all, I just let the wheel go. Wait two years and the new marketing will go back to lightweight, non integrated bars. Anyway, my two cents. Thanks Chris.
I agree with all of the first part Peter, but I seriously doubt the last bit, only because the reason they went this route is cheaper manufacturing costs, & expensive parts inventory & distribution. There is a very definite limit to what the market will stand, even among dentists & barristers. Besides they would rather sell a new bike, & not then see that bike on the used market. Everyone should buy a new bike, often! Look after what you have, me thinks they're the last of the pearls.
Try to find a complete spare bike, in this depressed used market, or at least a spare frame, group set, wheels & load up on consumables. If you're on Shimano, they now have nothing 9/10 spd D/A or Ult in stock, & it will very soon be the same story for 11 spd.
I think we are mixing up ride feel and actual speed. A lightweight bike will feel faster but may not actually be faster. Even at 10 mph half of the resistance is air resistance. However you are spot on in that the rider is 85% of the drag vs a much smaller portion for the actual bike so being in an aero position is much much more important. Also the wheels are way more important than the frame. I might rephrase and say because the frame makes up a very small percentage of aero gains compared to the rest of the bike and the rider on it, you would have to go 25 plus mph to see any difference in terms of aero frame vs lightweight frame. There is also the placebo affect which is real as well, "If you feel faster, you probably will push harder on the pedals and actually go faster". Its a very complex equation. At the end of the day for 99% of amateur riders you should ride the bike that you enjoy the most regardless of what the marketing machine wants to make you believe. And what makes the pros faster may not make us faster is a completely valid point.
My 2012 SSE is the same model but weighs 6.39kg ready to ride, bottle cages gps mount, pedals and rear light. 11 speed Dura ace, Winspace Hyper 38mm carbon wheels, Cadex carbon saddle etc. At 68yo I need all the advantages I can get as I do live in a very hilly area around Mt Macedon VIC. Easily my favourite bike to ride, I do have 4 others including a fairly new full carbon disk brake Giant.
You could also argue that because you spend more time climbing to descending (given that what goes up must come down) there is more advantage to a climber orientated bike. A friend with a top of the line Trek Madone picked my TCR SL up one day and said he has forgotten how nice a lightweight bike feels…. I just wish I’d kept my old Cannondale SuperSix!
That was probably the last of the round-tubed bikes to be used regularly in the pro peleton (unless you count the Ridley Helium, which is a sort of half-way house). As such, it should be considered the pinnacle of its era - where old-school design met modern materials. A genuine classic
The cost can be attributed to the fact that bikes of today are becoming more and more overly engineered. They are designed for young, powerful and flexible pros but selling to average consumers like you and I. Marginal gains are after all marginal.. if only companies made bikes that were actually meant for us instead of shoving aero marketing BS to us each year. We might actually see prices decrease instead of decrease
It’s amazing how an alloy rim brake road bike at 7.x kg can weight as much a brand new full carbon disk brake road bike. I’m never buying a carbon road bike if it’s heavier than my old alloy bike.
Heck, my alloy rockhopper m4 was lighter than a lot of today's road and gravel bikes even carbon gravel bikes, and that had suspension fat rubber and discs it was 9.5 kilos with mid-range components if i had gone high-end, sid forks (or dt swiss carbon forks) xtr gearing, carbon finishing kit it, the wheels were already super light stans alpines with hope hubs dt rev spokes 1300grams. It would have easily been 8kg there or there abouts. That's what my mason definition 2 weighs now.
Thank you for your insights. Definitely you have NOT lost the plot, you are spot on. Marketing etc works on the model of what wins on Sunday sells on Monday and said racing bikes are (a) built for the pros - which happen to be 0.00001% of the population and (b) trendy marketing bs. For the average mug punter out on a Saturday morning coffee it doesn't make any significant difference. Re getting dropped by Tyler, this would be solved with a set of 45mm - 55mm wheels, no need for the fancy bars and the cables in the breeze are already in front of the steerer tube and tiny aero drag. Surely someone stateside (Tyler ?) would have a spare pair of lightweight climbing 45mm carbon wheels
Not anymore, the pros don't like them either, nor do the mechs, but they are forced to ride what they are given, & they are given bikes with the cheapest manufacturing costs, lowest spares inventory & distribution costs, & highest profitability. These bikes aren't made for the pros, they are only geared for them. They are made for fat doctors, dentists, lawyers, academics & such who will pay a very high price for them, up to a point, so that they can go out larping in sponsor lycra on the latest & most expensive, for a while & until the reality hits. Then the bikes get hung up in the garage, & finally sold, low mileage for a song. It used to work out great for us, when the bikes were great, but not anymore. I think we've now seen the last of them. The companies simply cannot go back to robust quality, on cost alone.
About time someone got it right. Exactly what I was saying to a friend on a ride recently. After ten years off the bike bought a Supersix (2013) with 100 miles on it and love it. Plus is was cheap - $750 usd.
LOVE THIS! After owning a Colnago C64 and a top line Canyon, I let them both go for my beloved 2013 Felt F1. First gen D-A Di2 (still rocking the battery mounted on the non-drive chain stay!) and a great FSA cockpit. Recently added some aero Hunt tubeless rims with 28mm tires and a great riding bike became absolutely sublime. It’s hard for me to express how much I love that bike. Hard to explain, but it just feels alive under me.
When you know you know (there’s no explaining this)☝️ As for myself been riding my beloved Spec Langster (fixed) for over a decade - sold my fancy racebike when I made the realisation how unbelievably good it was (even with no gears!) 🙂
Well, I had a 2013 SuperSix Ultegra. I sold it when I got my new one just a couple of years ago with Red electronic shifting, hydraulic brakes,...I kind of always wish I'd kept my old one..I miss that bike.
I have a 2012 Litespeed C1R bike (a frame reputed at the time to have very good aero qualities) with 10spd DI2, rim brakes and aluminum clincher wheels with terrible aero cross-section. I am working on an upgrade to some carbon 58mm wheels and I expect this change to make a real difference in the bike.
I have a 2016 SuperSix Evo(rim) which weighs 7kg and a 2020 Evo HiMod (disc) that is 7.3kg. Both are Ultegra mechanical. The older Evo just feels a little more lively and loves hills but the newer one is a little quicker on the flat. I will sell my old Evo over my cold dead body… In the U.K., the gen2 SuperSix bikes are selling for above 2016 RRP in the used market… let that sink in…
100% on point! I have an old (2011) Cervelo S2 that came with full Red and 1600g aluminum wheels 6.9kg. The wheels are probably the slowest bit given that they're only 25mm tall climbing wheel. If I could get something like Hunt 50 UD to drop another 200g, tubeless...but most importantly much more aero. The biggest issue is the very limited tire clearance.... My wife bought me a new Bianchi a couple of years back, and it was 7.9kg out of the box...It's gotten a little lighter, but not by much. The frameset is well over 2lb heavier alone. However, it does clear 32c tires which for many of the sh^t Belgian roads that I regularly ride.....a much better and more comfortable ride over the Cervelo.
This is what excites me so much about owning a 105 rim brake Venge. Only upgrade has been zipp 30 course wheels, and those alone blew my mind. To upgrade to 38mm carbon wheels, and light drivetrain, its gonna be plenty fast
I have a 2017 version of that bike with disc brakes. And it's pretty light for a 63 cm being 7.3 kilos. It's the best riding bike that I've ever had. And yes, arrow only works when you're going really fast. This bike claims like a dream.
Love it Chris, you mentioned my Izalco Max - Happy. With your rolling resistance comments. I have 50/60mm carbon wheels and usually I have to be on the brakes when in someone's slip stream down fast descents, but following a Cervelo R5 the other day no brakes required, meaning his bike is quicker above 50kmph at least😎
They were better, imho. That's what I raced on and what I love, so it is subjective, but rim brakes is what I went with when I bought a new bike recently. Don't like disc brakes and don't want them.
Insightful. 99% rider and 1% bike. On a climbing intensive course this choice of bike makes sense. And you know how to descend so you didn't need disc brakes and didn't have to grappel with the dreaded disc brake rubbing issues
Great Video Chris, been awaiting this one and totally agree. So many GCN videos try and almost skim over the fact the Watts saved are tested at 45kph 😂😂 I ride a 2019 rim brake tcr, put some bora wto 45s on it along with di2 and speed sl70 aero bars I never felt like I'm at a disadvantage in my club on the fast group rides definitely not from the bike anyway just my legs at times 😂😂
I think the big think is the price/performance ratio has gone out of wack. A few years ago you buy a bike at the UCI limit with say Ultegra the would be the same as the top level and it would be well under £3k. Now you get 'climbing' bikes at £5k with lower spec carbon that are well above the UCI limit e.g Emonda SL that look lovely but are quite weighty for a climbing bike. Aero wise I have an ex-sunweb team R5 rim frame/forks with 38cm bars, a Tririg front brake the narrower Elite bottles & Swissside wheels that holds its speed really well on the flat & is much lighter than the equivalent disk brake bike that matches it out the pack aerowise.
Good stuff. 7800 was the best, 7600 too. Keep your eyes peeled for good old stuff Mark, & pick the pearls. The most important consumable by far to stock up on is cassettes, there are no new 7800s (now 20 y.o.) available anymore, but you can still get some 7600 Ult, but not for long, btw most of the extra weight over the D/A is in the lock ring. Ult is steel, D/A is titanium, much less so is the carrier for the big 3 cluster, also tit on D/A. Another thing is that in extremity you can run pretty much any speed Shimano cogs, they are all made for 1/2 inch chain & will run right regardless of spd. The critical bit are the spacers, so match these to the chain you are using. Don't neglect to pick up worn out D/A cassettes if you see them, & there is nothing to prevent you drilling heavy cogs for weight relief. Just remember that the largest holes go closest to the teeth, & the smallest closest to the axis, not the other way around as I have seen someone do. Its an easy matter to unpin & re-pin clusters. In the old days Uniglide cassettes had threaded pins, so you could easily unscrew them, swap out cogs, even turn them around & get another go of a worn out cog because all the tangs that engage with the freewheel were the same. Uniglide cassettes have one extra wide locating tang, & the cluster pins are peened over, so they have to be drilled out, carefully in a drill press. To secure the work for drilling just screw the cluster in 3 places in between the teeth to a piece of wood then stick that in your vice & bolt the vice to the drill press table. BTW if you have friends on vintage steel, modern Hyperglide cogs can be used in place of old Uniglide cogs by filing down the extra size locating tang so that all the tangs are the same width. The Uniglide freewheel is of course integral within the cassette & screwed onto the hub, so you need wheel & tyre on held well & a strong arm to free it, as opposed to the Hyperglide cassette which is slid onto the freewheel, which freewheel is separately mounted onto the hub. My point is that there is a lot you can do when you can no longer get new from the shop,
Brilliant….. I was just saying something very similar the other day and everyone thinks I’m crazy…. Listen I’m an older guy and I’m not a racing snake with a racing engine, so buying a beautiful aero bike is not going to make me faster in the real world, but a really light bike migh just give me a fighting chance 🤣👍
I have a 2014 Evo with sram red and reynolds wheels haha i'm at the front of the group rides and know my bikes is just as good or better then some of this 7k plus bikes. These bikes just feel great.
A note on your mate passing you on the downhills. Try that test again with both on the same wheelset. Aero is marketing bs. Van der poel would spank everyone on the supersix evo no different than the aeroad.
It doesn't need to be at and avg of 40 km/h, if I spend 40% of my ride at over 40 km/h, this is where I'm making my saving. If I'm going into a 25km/h headwind and averaging 30 km/h that's my 40 km/h. Aero definitely makes a difference. The sucky thing is how expensive drivetrains are.
I have a 2016 Bh Ultralight evo with Dura ace weighing at 14.5 Lbs. (6.57 kg). I have a 2010 Bh G5 with Dura ace weighing in at 13.5 lbs (6.12 kg.) Great for New England climbs. I cant believe how heavy some of these $12,000 Aero bikes are.
My 2012 madone 5.2 was purchased just because of the weight and group set. I added carbon frame fizik seat and carbon 50mm deep wheel set. Dressed weight is 15.8 lbs. what an incredible bike. I will have this bike until is breaks beyond repair
Agree, finally a good vid about the subject! Hope you’re able to perform the actual upgrades. Here a 6.9 kg sl6 s-works tarmac da 9150 rb with deep enve wheels, maybe I’m stupid.
Its such a subjective topic I believe. I live in Melbourne (pretty flat) I would take an Areo bike over a light bike any day of the week! It feels and is faster for my situation but completely understand if you lived in the dolomites the Areo bike is not the right choice.. I did 3 peaks this year on a Canyon Aeroad and I may have lost 30second to 1 minute on my best climbing times but made that back 10 fold on anything sub 5 percent gradient.. Love the Videos Chris and would love to see a review of your new bike back home
Been riding and racing a 2010 Fuji SL comp last 12 months. Dragged out of retirement. to have some fun, stiffest bike I have ever ridden (and I have ridden a few including aero race bikes and new and old alloy). Unfortunately it is an entry level. frame, with lower grade carbon. (might explain stiffness) and alloy steerer. tube, so not the lightest. 7.5kg with mix of SRAM. Red/Force 10speed groupset. and 55mm carbon wheels with Powertap hub. Don't really see any disadvantages racing at my level on a 12 year. old bike, haven't raced in the rain this time yet. From experience to keep up with Tyler at speed, deeper wheels, better tyres and latex (or tpu) inner tubes. I was gaining. on and passing riders on far more modern race bikes on descents in the crits with downhill sections.
The top spec was one of the last great rim brake hyperlight bikes. Same carbon technology as the Aethos with smooth inside tubes and easy to build up a sub 5.5kg reliable weapon.
i dunno mate, maybe the plot has always been the bike industry selling people things they don’t truly need. therefore, rim brake + mechanical till i die :) (Or, until it starts raining while riding off road)
Personally I think your version of Supersix Evo frame is the coolest looking, ever. Timeless. And about your claims, I agree over 90%. But some of us spend money on new bikes without such rational thinking. We buy because they look cool. Still feels less guilty than burning cash elsewhere, like at the pub every weekend nights
Hey CP, thanks for the comment. Now I wish it was my supersix, unfortunately it was just a loan. As for ‘new bike syndrome’ … I 100% agree with you. I can’t help the pull of the nice new shiny thing as well
You're not wrong. I have been rolling slow on a more modern aero bike, and recently pulled my 2012 Dolan off the trainer only to find it was like taking off ankle weights. Lighter, snappier, more fun to ride. The Ares is a "aero bike" also, but it is not as affected by the wind as the Pinarello- which reminds me of sticking a hand out of a car window at speed the way if feels like it slices but is also jostled. Funny thing, I have been racing/riding since the mid-80s and don't feel like speeds have really gone up in a way that supports the bikes being that much faster. I'll give most gains, as you do, do aero wheels, and aero clothing and helmets. I appreciate your honest take here. Thanks.
most of us don't care about UCI restrictions. Have a bike for the pro's to keep things on a more level playing field, but for the rest of us, have at it.. also, like you, i found my wilier cento uno from 2011 is a much better feeling bike than my scott foil circa 2017
Have a 2012 Supersix in team colors I've been seriously thinking of doing this to but have no knowledge on what it all entails. Dealers tell me there's no point and not worth it but I've been toying with the idea of going 12 speed Di2 instead of buying a whole new bike. This one is honestly more than enough for what I need but can't wrap my head around whether it's possible or not. A modern day CAAD13 weighs the same so might just end up going that route.
So true all round Chris. I hadn’t ridden it for a few years, but took my 2011 Focus Izalco Team (the Katusha world tour bike model, but please don’t judge me for that) off the wall a little while back and took it out for a spin here in Melbourne. 10 speed Sram Red mechanical, Hed FR Jet 6s (at 1.75 kgs without tyres etc, they’re no light-weight wheel), and much of the same fsa cockpit as that cannondale on it. Sooo much fun, and still rides beautifully. Size 58, with pedals, cages, computer mount = 7.45 kgs! I’m now on an Izalco Max disc, but damn, the old bike = 👌 Oh, and don’t feel bad about old mate getting away from you on the descents, he looks to have you by quite a few kilos, and gravity is definitely the friend of us heavier blokes! 😜
I’ve got an almost two decades old Trek 5500. In the time I’ve had this bike I’ve gone from Ultegra to 105. A 2020 105 is better than 2008 Ultegra. I have disc brakes on my mountain bike and I hate(d) maintaining them. To the point I downgraded to mechanical. They work fine. I traded up wheels on my road bike a few years ago and it was like i got a new bike. I don’t know if my bike is better than what a comparable bike is today but i know i don’t have $6k+ to spend on one.
My God. I’ve got a six13 evo and I’ve been saying exactly this for years. I’ve got a couple of more modern bikes, but the 2012 ish bikes are more comfortable, far lighter, and I think more elegant as well. Don’t get me started on my 2011 Cannondale Scalpel versus 15kg 2022 mountain bikes... Great video, thanks for the content.
I agree with nearly everything! However, even your regular Joe likes to do bunch rides and go fast for a little bit at the end coming into town. A bit of aero advantage there makes the fun bit even funner. And yes a 6.8kg bike will 100% be faster than an 8kg bike on a hill, but if you’re a heavy guy (80kg+) then I can’t imagine you’d notice the difference. Great video! Finally we’re back to a video a day between you and Jesse.
I've read that 85% of the combined drag (rider and bike) is the rider, the slight aero differences between bikes is only a fraction of the 15% of total that the bike contributes. So for the bigger guy, 80kg+ and I'm one of them, the fractional aero gains from the bike are negated by my larger drag values. I believe that only the pro level riders who are able to hold the perfect aero position and are so slim that they almost cut through the air will get benefit from and aero bike. Similarly a bigger guy may not notice the lightness of a lightweight bike as much as a smaller guy but they will feel the greater responsiveness of the lighter bike. So, what I think is that only pros will gain maximum benefit from either and aero or lightweight bike but the normal person will feel more of the gains from the lightweight bike as it's seen at lower speeds and doesn't require a rider position on the bike that's uncomfortable for the normal person.
Interesting that when you're talking about the 8kg bikes, the shot shows "at 7.5kg .. it's average weight for the latest aero bikes" - not sure how much 200g over the Cannodale is going to make on the hills, even at 7%+. My 2012 rim-brake Domane is still my go-to on the road, absolutely love it, but I wouldn't choose it over a newer hydraulic disc-braked, wider tired bike which weighed a couple of Cliff bars more myself. Choices are always good though.
I agree with 11 speed mechanical, run that on all my bikes but I think he was theoretically wanting to hide all the cables like the new aero bikes. Might save .5 watts.
Very interesting Chris. What is tha largest actual tyre width you think you could safely fit into that frame on a modern wheelset 19-21mm inner dimension. I would still be riding my 2010 TCR advance SL a bike that for Cav and many more was a TDF stage winning frameset, IF, I could of got larger than a 23mm tyre comfortably on the rear.
A lot of the cycling stuff you get bombarded with by manufacturing and cycling mags is mostly BS... Do you really believe some of the data they tell you? Some of the 'older' bikes and components were better made then than today.
Yes they were better and the aero “advantages” of a modern bike are so small that what’s more important is your rim depth. Put deep rims on a climbing bike and it’s better than an aerodynamic bike frame.
Fantastic video, thanks for showing the consumer that they can get a fantastic bike on the used market for a fraction of the cost of new clunky "aero" junk.
Top class Just bought a bianchi xr4 frame 2019 brand new , rim brake , building it with shimano 12 speed , with a set of wheels , not sure on the wheels yet ? Top class review
My brother has that bike (hi mod). Those upgrades would be sick but an issue he's running into now is that modern wheels with rims wider than about 24.5 external don't fit between the seat stays. The clearances are super tight
I agree. I have a 2015 SuperSix and the clearance in the rear triangle is minimal. Biggest tires I can run are 25 and only some brands. It’s the bikes biggest flaw.
yeah you are dead right. im building a summer and strava special bike. 6.1kgs. Alu wheels, frame and finishing kit. i keep telling my customers that lightweight is everything when theres a beer gut and a well endowed chest.
the human on board the bike is still the overwhelming determinant of performance. but we cant discount the confidence new bike etc can have on rider psyche
I was wondering about that. I just got back into road cycling after a 11 year hiatus.Dusted off my old 2007 Madone which I ordered as a project One. I remember weighing this bike built before pedals and it was under 16 pounds with SRAM Force. I live in Florida now and it’s pancake flat. I’m running Dura Ace wheels with Scandium rims from probably 2010 or so. It only took me a few months to get up to speed. Just picked up some 2010 Zipp 404 carbon clinchers which have the Dimples that were all the rage back in the day. Can’t wait to run them Saturday.
As a bonus, I like the old classic look of this era of bikes. Some brands do it well but in my opinion the dropped seat stays and overall modern look of newer bikes are unaesthetic by comparison.
I own a 2013 EVO non hi-mod team colors, Zipp 202 tubs (22mm), Ultegra set, FSA aero bar etc. Weights in exactly 14.5lbs. It is all the bike I'll ever need, and now at 53 years of age, she out performs me. Its a bit like having a 25 year old girlfriend; once you throw your legs over, you do your best to keep up.
On the flat, a more aero, heavier bike wins. In the hills, a light bike wins. Me? I ride a 2012 Roubaix SL3...the bike Cancellara won the Paris Roubaix on. Its the best bike aka comfort to performance I have ridden. Rim brake...was Campy for years, Sram mechanical groupset now...carbon handlebar and seatpost. Its light. Biggest problem with modern bikes...I am a mechanical engineer is they are needlessly complex with too much complexity for little return on your investment. They cost up to 3x's what a high bike cost back in 2012. I dabble and bought a late model Cervelo with Di2 and then sold it. I much prefer the Roubaix...before Specialized ruined the Roubaix, made it fat with disc brakes and with a heavy front steerer shock called future shock. Love that Cannondale btw...beautiful and well familiar with it.
I would not buy anything even remotely current. No disks, no internal cabling, no electric shifting, no power metering, no cleats, & no crap on the bike. My 2004 Piave now weighs 12lbs. I've decided to put a Deore long cage & 15 to 36 rear & dedicate it solely to climbing. My 1997 CAAD 3 R1000 is just under 6kg D/A 7600 52/39 & 14 to 25 road set. My car is a 2002 CAAD 3 R300 on D/A 7800, & it can be a beast on the weekend if I feel like it. I don't know what it weighs but it has discrete light weight up top, black, no stickers, & an empty Ortlieb 4ltr frame bag complete the deception. I change the wheelsets/tyres in accordance to what I'm doing. D/A C24s & GP 5000s to upset the fat Larping Lycra Academic Brigade blocking the entirety of the bike path, & upset them it does when a 71 y.o. on a decrepit looking ancient bike steams past exhorting them to pedal harder on their latest & most expensive. I commute on Bontrager SSRs & Panaracer Agilest. & I run Shim 100s & anything robust & handy in foul. My holiday 4WD is a pretty much stock 2017 Specialized AWOL steel on Gravel King slicks fitted up for light packing the National Parks. & my vintage is an immaculate original condition 1977 Flema Campionissimo (Fritz Fleck, Mannheim Germany). I wouldn't trade this exquisite & extremely rare bike for 3 Colnago Supers. So nah, no thanks to the latest, greatest, most expensive. I put that money into a stock of spare parts & consumables sufficient to run them all well into my 90s.....Aust.
Backward Hat Dylan had a coach on that talked about using computer modeling on an aero bike. He would add weight in the model, and it didn't really affect the speed, till he added over 10lbs to the bike. But, just like you said, the only advantage to aero is over 25mph, or going downhill. Froome on a TT race, computed the advantages of aero going downhill vs weight going up hill. The aero bike did MONSTER power on the downhill. He won that TT, I think it was Tour Of Switzerland.
Froome rode 2016 hill tt in the TDF . On a tt bike with a disc wheel, he smashed it beating Tom dumoulin for the win. Absolutely awesome viewing, remember seeing a spectator throwing a water bottle across the road at him, luckily it missed his wheel. Think it was stage 18 🔥🔥🔥🔥😁💪
Such a good comment about the ”save X seconds at 40+kph” metric that is used as a selling point for current high end bikes. Seriously, amongst us mere mortal who the hell is cruising along at that speed? 😂 Bikes from the era of this Cannondale were AND ARE Epic.
As another commenter noted, replacing the too-skinny tires at too-high pressures revolutionized his bike, and I bet that making your bars 2cm narrower would get you more aero advantage than all the other bits.
This might not be true for heavier riders. Rim breaks are not good when you're on the heavy end. I do weight lifting as well as cycling and I wanna keep my muscle mass so I really need fully hydro braking. When I was on rim, breaking was always sketchy as fuck. If cycling is your main activity and you can remain very lean then yeah rim breaks for the win.
I have a 2013 and 2022 bike my old bikes is a dream up hill if the roads are good. I think if i could fit bigger tires it would be pretty close to my new bike. And it felt faster but have beaten most of my strava records on the new bike even though it’s heavier and I’m heavier to. But I can do more watts to so 🤷 the most important part for me is the improvement in comfort less vibrations better hoods and so on. More important than the weight being 8kg instead of 7 of my old bike
Personally I think the mid-2010s were the best era for road bikes. For under 2500 US$/€/£ you could get a sub-8 Kg, fast, comfortable, competition-worthy, sleek and good-looking road bike with shifting and braking as precise and safe as you could ever wish for. In addtion you could home-service these bikes with a set of hex wrenches. Today's bikes may be faster and safer (debatable) and the marginal increase in comfort from electronic shifting is paid for with way more money, higher weight and more complicated maintenance, and last but not least questionable, generic design.
Just want to say that was a horrible choice of tires. Maxxis compounds are way inferior to what Schwalbe, Continental and Vittoria (To name a few) offer. You could have significantly lowered RR with a set from one of these brands. Other than that, great video! Is nice seeing people finding value in "Old" frames.
Cool project, love that modern carbon/vintage Super Six Evo. I still ride My pristine 2010 Cervelo RS (Endurance Geometry) While shopping for an endurance bike, tested Specialized Roubaix, Cannondale Synapse and was trying to test ride a Look 765 but were hard to find Anyway Cervelo had packed so many performance features in the R5 and R3 that Cervelo Test Team rode this exact frames at Spring Classics and Grand Tours. I’ve only added Michelin Pro Race tires on Ican Aero on DT Swiss 240 hubs and Premium Carbon Swiss stop brake pads and just a these changes have ompletely woke up more speed and comfort. Sucapaz black and white stars bar tape and Zipp carbon White/black letters water bottle cages and Light grey Elite water bottles. I just Save My alloy Zipp 101 for wet/winter rides. Love to add a premium mechanical Groupset but Shimano has screwed the consumers who still love mechanical grupos.
I've never found this frameset to be fast on the flats, neither today or in it's day. I have a 2015 and the updated 2018 models of the supersix, and have/had countless other bikes. They're beasts climbing but descents and flats it's like they don't transfer power. Or it's something to do with aero, like you say. My cyclocross bikes almost (focus mares) feel faster.
Loved this video Chris!! My favorite bike to ride here in Colorado is my Fuji two.1 SL with lower grade carbon that i pulled off my Ultegra 6800 Di2 and full spec'd it to SRAM Force 22 mechanical, light bottle cages (15g), seatpost (136g), and wheels that are probably 1400g if i'm lucky - so basically room to loose more and the bars and stem too. Point i'm making is the one you made, it just jumps forward on those 9% and above grades.
I have almost the exact bike in that video and recently refurbished it with wireless gears and deep wheels, where I agree with most of what you’ve said the bike lacks the tyre clearance of modern bikes which makes a huge difference, it’s a stiff fast bike but on 25mm tyre (most you can fit) it’s certainly not comfortable and can be very jarring over poor surfaces.
Absolutely right! I have similar thoughts. My 2007 bike weighs 7.5 kg. That is super lightweight for modern bikes. So I think I’ll stick to my old bike and maybe get some upgrades.
@@ChrisMillerCycling Two things: 1. Wheel set from Leeze CC 35 1250g or CC 58 1500g 2. 12 speed group set from Campa or SRAM. Currently I have 2x10 Centaur/ Chorus I am very happy with rim brakes and don’t want to change to disc. Unfortunately it’s almost impossible at the moment to buy this stuff and get it delivered (at least in Germany).
my girl friend always coasts past me down hills when im coasting, she's much less aero, position and bike, with more rolling resistance. in fact i cant think of one thing that would make her faster down hills besides weight, and there arent big hills at all not even 100 meters around 2 percent. so i would venture to say tyler has more mass than you.
No question that bike compares with current models. I rode that same frame in a 51/52 forget how they size them and it was an amazing bike. I now ride an Sworks Tarmac 2018 and it's still a rocket. I ride a size 52 and I believe that has a lot to do with the performance of these frames. They larger they get, the sloppier they get.
