8/19/14 4:47 PM

I recall all the ooh-in and ahh-in when it seemed the industry was forcing compact geometry on us. I mean some folks hated this to the extreme. I liked it because I could get a frame long enough that did no turn me into a soprano.

Seems like semi compact is what the pro level still has some of, or did in the last 5ish years?

And the curved carbon like the Specialized offerings since the departure form the straight shapes like my 05 Roubaix. Now these I never could warm up to, looking like hydro formed cheapo aluminum to me. Not sure which one of those chickens/eggs came first..

So are we back to super straight skinny top tube with huge head tubes with huge bottom bearing setups. And huge built up down tubes and BB areas.

If you keep what you got for 10 years will it come back into vogue like clothes? ;)


What is next when we get tired of carbon, although I think this will be a very long trend....

8/19/14 11:05 PM

Just as long as we don't have to see massive downtubes ever again. I'm looking at you Cervelo.

8/20/14 12:44 AM

what works, who cares how it looks as long as the function comes first.

Cervelo down tubes are not giant. On bikes like mine they are airfoils.

8/20/14 7:52 AM

I guess I'm a functionalist to a point (always hated, e.g., colonial-style gew-gaws on furniture) but there's a place for grace, too, and that Lemond doesn't have it.

Interestingly, my boss wanted my help buying a road bike the other day. We found a Scott 303 (IIRC) from '95 that fit him well. No lugs, slender tubing, curved fork legs. I would take it over that Lemond in a heart beat.

8/20/14 8:05 AM

in 10 years the C40 will still be perfection on 2 wheels! :-)

<img src="http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=274574">

8/20/14 8:33 AM

>>I went with red hubs, black spokes, red nipples, matte rims. Red skewers.<<

Dude you have a fashion sense that would put my niece to shame (she's a buyer for Ralph Lauren) :)

8/20/14 10:06 AM

Now here is a huge DT on this eBay China part creation for sale locally. His ad is a little comical to me, well I;d assume to all. ;O It is listed as a Pro bike, a disturbing listing trend here. If it is Pro it is te best? Even crap is getting called Pro inthe ads here this year. LOL And I mean walmeat level junk.



http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/bik/4627364243.html

8/20/14 10:12 AM

C50 looks like perFLEXtion to me. ;) For a fat asr like me anyway... Comment based on pre coffee conjecture...

8/20/14 10:18 AM

this dude won 3 world titles and more than a few GT stages in sprints...i'm guessing he puts out a reasonable amount of power.

maybe develop some <i>souplesse</i> in your pedalstroke? ;-)

8/20/14 10:43 AM

Walter, that was way to easy to rile ya. ;)

I obviously have no idea never having ridden one. I did have the C-35 which was a lot more mass and one stiff SOB. But visually [means little] it [C-50] looks like it would not be too stiff.

Are the B-Stay frames considered improved in some fashion?

Who is that BTW? That is a seriously small dude and bike. The headtube looks like 120mm or less;)

I wonder how much stiffer that would be than one with a 180mm headtube and associated longer tube for the rest of the frame.

Disclaimer, not actually squawking about frame flex as if it really means much to me beyond my slow fat ars perception.

8/20/14 10:46 AM

Who reads German? I am curious what the graph tags are. For shits and giggles.




Note: test of the C50 is the version before the HM ... HM tubes, shorter lugs.

Last edited by Sparky on 8/20/14 11:23 AM; edited 2 times in total

8/20/14 11:03 AM

Moreno Argentin?

Based solely on historical recollection.

8/20/14 11:16 AM

Olano?

8/20/14 4:02 PM

Thew fact that good riders won major races on a given frame in the past is immaterial. Sure they did but their competition was riding similar technology. People won big races with downtube shifters and 5-speed freewheels.

8/20/14 4:06 PM

The second guy is Oscar Freire. The first? Frank Van den Broeke (????)

8/20/14 4:16 PM

Hell, they gave me a choice. Why not get what looks good to me, after deciding on things like a 38mm up front and 50mm in the back. I definitely went with form first.

8/20/14 4:39 PM

I have no problem with that!

8/20/14 6:59 PM

the C40 will *never* be confused with the hyper-stiff behemoths of today. it's funny how skinny it looks in comparison.

the B-stay and final iteration HP-stay frames are supposedly stiffer, but i havent ridden the prior models to know the difference. from what i've read the biggest difference isnt the beefed up stays, but when they went from the constant-diameter DT to a slightly conical DT to increase BB stiffness.

the 2nd dude is triple world champion oscar friere. dude #1 is cobbles honch andrea tafi. for dave-b, citing these particular winners was only meant to highlight that the power and forces a world class sprinter or roleur generates are probably significantly greater than anyone on this forum can muster...based on what these guys have done to a C40, a C40 is certainly stiff enough...and very relevant to making that point!

going from my C40 to C50 i definitely feel the slight jump in stiffness, but in terms of impact on actual riding there's no difference...but i will say the C40 is more comfy and what i reach for when facing a long day in the saddle.

8/21/14 2:03 AM

Sean Kelly rode an aluminium Vitus for much of his career, so he obviously didn't give too much of a damn about stiffness - or lack of it, rather. And he was one of the most successful sprinters and definitely the best classics rider of his day.

If you've ever ridden one of those small tubed Al frames, they flex a lot. I used to own one back in the 80s, and even under my 140lbs and decidedly moderate power output, I could get quite a bit of frame flex.

Most of Kelly's wins were on a Vitus 979: