3/22/14 1:20 PM

Couldn't resist so I took the Sachs out today for about an hour (timing worked good, the snow started right after I got back). I'm a happy man. I know the following will sound like subjective test ride blather, but I'll describe what I felt as best I can. The roads were pretty bumpy and I wasn't pushing it in corners.

First, the fit/position is perfecto. I just kind of fell into the cockpit, and felt perfectly balanced. I sometimes get numbness in one hand, but it felt like there was no pressure at all on my hands (even though I am fairly stretched out). Maybe the positioning of the lever on the bar helps (a little more upright than I have used). I don't think I'll touch anything as far as position.

I rode over a lot of bumps and undulations, and the bike handled them great. The bike felt more planted than my Serotta, as though the wheels followed the pavement a bit more. Great ride over bumps.

The cornering and handling has a bit of a different feel to me than the Serottas I'm used to. It feels like it responds to very small steering inputs, but in a controlled way, not twitchy. The bike seemed to move with me rather than reacting to inputs, and I had a weird sense of both wheels responding. I had a sense that the corners felt a bit more rounded, as opposed to setting a line. (I am aware this probably sounds incoherent). So I think this will corner a bit quicker than the Serotta, and have a bit less of the the dead ahead stability. Which is fine, you just need to pay minimal attention. Reminds me of my '72 Masi that way. I think the handling will be really fun.

This loop has a couple of sprinter's hills, and I punched it a bit as I usually do. This bike may not jump quite as quickly as the carbon / ti Serotta, but it was dead stable and solid hammering up.

The Chorus 11 speed shifted great, and I really liked the San Marco saddle which allowed me to push well back when wanted.

So I'll obviously know more after more riding, but for now I couldn't be happier. The fit, ride and handling are what I'd hope for in a great custom bike. The bike made me want to hammer, not ride to a coffee shop.

3/22/14 2:52 PM

Sounds sweet. Hope you have many blissful miles on it.

I forget if you told us before, but what are you running for wheels and tires?

3/22/14 3:30 PM

Wheels are Campy Zonda (not fancy, just good everyday wheels). Tires are Challenge 25mm clinchers.

3/22/14 3:51 PM

Sounds like you are a very happy new bike owner and that's great.

I've heard Challenge tires are nice riding, and that probably contributes to your overall satisfaction.

Send that ugly old Serotta down here.

3/22/14 7:13 PM

After such a long wait, cool to hear that it's built the way you wanted.

I almost wish I send our weather your way for a few days, but we've got rain coming starting Tuesday, much-needed rain.

Your bike deserves the good tires, that's for sure.

3/22/14 7:24 PM

Congrats, more than the previous virtual wishes. ;)

3/23/14 5:20 AM

and I hope it is as much or more than you hoped it would be.

3/23/14 6:59 AM

Stiff yet compliant ha ha ....

Nothing like the ride of a good ferrous bike made by skilled hands. Other materials are as "competent", maybe more so, but they don't have the feel.

Hope you have many tailwind days on it.

Oh yeah, those Challenge tires do ride nicely-even better if you can bother with a wider rim, but then you have brake adjustment issues if you swap.

3/23/14 12:14 PM

Enjoy the ride, it sounds fantastic.

3/23/14 12:38 PM

It sounds sweet, indeed.

3/23/14 12:40 PM

Hope I can avoid getting an infection. ;O

3/23/14 3:18 PM

A real ride today, about 45 mi with a few guys, windy, pretty hilly, lots of bad pavement. Bike was great. One outstanding thing is how comfortable I am on it. In my normal position on the hoods, there feels no pressure, stress, stiffness anywhere - not on my hands, butt, lower back. No need to change hand position, and my back felt great. I'm glad I got the whole bike from Richard as opposed to just the frame - I don't think I could have gotten the position this good (the frame dimensions are different from my previous bikes). That sounds funny to say, but I think it's true.

The bike is just a joy to ride. My expectations are exceeded.

3/23/14 5:49 PM

Let us know how tweaking the old #1 to the Sachs riding position works out. What is the difference the way Richard set it up. more setback, less, bar position? etc etc..

Last few hundred miles I have been lowering the bars a little at a time. That entire bar raising from not being about to bend over due to the femoral nerve damage had me so uncomfortable on the bike.

Pumped my tires to 90/100 today, 10ish miles in shard of flint got in the rear. Going back to lower pressures, I can not remember the last flat I had previously.

I was running some older [aero] wheels with narrow rims. Going back to a using the narrow rims, I like the wide ones better for the lower pressure and ride quality reasons, and I believe less flats. Well none actually with the wide rims, as much as I'm afraid to type it out loud. ;)

I was putting a new tube in, and a new friend saw me from his garage and pedaled his mountain bike with a floor pump over to me. That was nice on many levels...

3/23/14 11:50 PM

Did you replicate the exact spatial contact points (hand, feet, saddle) from your Serotta to the Sachs? Dialing in the fit takes time unless it's a position you've been used to...

Sandiway

3/24/14 8:58 AM

Richard had both measurements from the Serotta and body measurements from me. I think the position is about the same, but I haven't done measurements. The frame is configured differently, and as I metioned the tilt of the brake hoods is more up-right and the saddle is different. Maybe the hoods and saddle make a difference, I dunno. I always felt the position on the Serotta was correct, and this kind of feels like the same position but slightly more comfortable...:)

The first change I'll look at on my other bikes is the hoods; I suspect that affects pressure on the hands, which is the biggest difference I notice.

3/24/14 10:03 AM

It seems the saddle nose is pointed slightly up in that pic you published. I used to do that myself, is it intentional? Or was that just the original picture?

3/24/14 1:40 PM

The saddle has a slight curve to it, but I think overall its orientation on the bike is flat. I haven't moved it from where Richard put it - it's the saddle he uses on his team bikes, etc. One thing I like about it is that it's easy to slide back, which I like to do at times.

Funny, one guy I rode with yesterday is an owner of the LBS, whom I've been riding with for 30 years. He asked how much time I spent dialing in the fit. I said zero, I haven't touched a thing. A little later he asked, when you went down to the shop, how much time was spent adjusting the saddle, etc. I said none, I didn't get on the bike, I picked it up and put it in the car. He said "the legend grows..."

3/24/14 2:06 PM

I know RS sometimes hangs around here I wonder if he is reading???

Dan

Did your Sachs get dirty this weekend :)

3/24/14 2:08 PM

quote:

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The first change I'll look at on my other bikes is the hoods; I suspect that affects pressure on the hands, which is the biggest difference I notice.

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