dbrk
09-28-2004, 06:35 AM
My Big Leg Emma arrived with the custom (and interestingly one-off in lugs and details) Luigino and both were built up while I was off playing yoga this past weekend. Yesterday I got in about 2.5 hours on Emma so I thought I would post a first impression.
The run down is simple enough: Record/Chorus shifting, Ritchey 50/35 110bcd crankset, 13-29 rear cassette, Mavic brakes, Ritchey 12cm stem/WCS bars, Thompson 29.4 post (note the same odd size as the Marcelo) and San Marco Rolls saddle, wheels for the ride are Protons with Conti 4-seasons pumped. This set up was mostly pulled from the polished Legend/Ouzo Pro fork and I'll make some comparisons because I made a point of using the same tire pressures (110 rear/115 front) and very, very close in sizing. The frame is orange in the "Scripts" scheme which uses a variety of orthographies as the design pattern in a number of colors over the orange. The scripts are letters, not words (for those of you who can read Tibetan or some Japanese or Greek this would be obvious), the Pegoretti name is silver, and that very nifty modern art-like headbadge graces the front. Pictures to follow once I square away the bar tape thing (I put on just something to ride). The bike is a stock 59cm, so a 58cm top tube and the fit is identical to my 60cm Marcelo with very minor tweaking. Instead of the spec'd Ouzo Pro fork I put on the Ouzo Pro Peloton fork, the one with the wider blades (as you can see on my IFCJ). This latter fork matches better Emma's leggy profile, providing a complementary OS front to the rear legs. As far as I am concerned the Ouzo Pro and Pro Peloton ride identically, absolutely the same and both are as good as carbon gets. Bike likely weighs about 18-19lbs without water and tools. I never weigh them, don't really care.
Expectations: Emma is modified from the Marcelo with different chain and seat stays and that reinforced downtube, which I think leaves the seat tube, top tube, and head tube the same as the Marcelo. For comparison's sake my Marcelo uses the Mizuno fork (which I have always liked a great deal). I am not a particularly large person or strong rider and my preferences are to steady-easy climbing, rouleur style consistency, and occasional bursts; in short, I ride like a classic randonneur, not too slow, not at all hammering usually. I don't like bikes that I can flex in the bb or get a lot of rub out of the front der because they tend not to descend with the absolute confidence that I so prefer. Descending is my benchmark of great handling and overall satisfaction because I believe that a bike that descends brilliantly usually does everything else very well too (take the MX Leader, for example). My concern with Emma was that she would be over built in 59cm for a person my size, to wit, too stiff for my liking. This has been the case, for example, in every Legend I have ever owned in the larger sizes. I have never had a custom tube-tuned Legend but I like bigger frames and they tend to be very stalwart unless they are tuned-down, imho. Being as happy with the smooth, resonant, calm ride but singing ride of the Marcelo I was concerned that Emma would be considerably stiffer. That the parts and especially the wheels came off the Legend (it's coming Louis!) gave me a solid comparison in that respect.
Ride: There are no flat rides in the Finger Lakes but this maiden voyage didn't include any of the typical hard or long climbs that are near my house (all of the "famous" hills are a stone's throw away from me). Instead I chose moderate, rolling terrain with some steep short ones and a few chances to let it really rip including two descents that get you up to 45-50mph without much effort. It was a perfect day, not enough wind to matter and I felt good because I'd been off the bike since Thursday (so, going on three days).
Impression: Wow. I am jaded because Dario's bikes have always proven to ride so beautifully, so correctly, with such effortless aplomb that I am not really able to bring out their real potential. There is again more bike here than I can get going, so I will leave it to stronger riders like ourpal the jerk to put Emma through the ringer. But all of my trepidations were singularly overcome in no time at all. The bike is not too stiff and in comparison to the quite-normally-but-not-uncomfortably stiff Legend it was gentler, more resonant but also just as dead certain and power to the wheel without flex responsive. Usually "responsive" is a trade-off to "forgiving" or "resilient" but on climbs Emma just sat calmly beneath it all while on harsh pavement she smiled with the same insouciance. I was prodigiously impressed because the bike was clearly steel: resonant and typically alive but also very quiet. Vibration came up and through with that gentle awareness you get from the best steel while the fork was typical of the best carbon, muting the experience as soon as possible into cycling zazen. I would normally not exalt a bb drop of 7cm, preferring the typical longer and lower design, but Dario has the bike dialed in beautifully to handle with all the assurance and spot-on pointing you could ask. With lots of setback and a tall headtube the positioning is easy for me but what I liked best was the same feeling you get on the Marcelo: the bike is not at all nervous nor does the front end ever surprise you over unexpected bumps or lapses of attention. If you screw up, the bike forgives first and is never malignant or vindictive to your absence. The ride is as smooth as the Marcelo and yet a bit more responsive, as if you can really pounce on the stays and let it flow unimpeded. I can't flex my 60cm Marcelo while I could get a bit of chainrub out of the 55cm I once had. Go figure. But here I felt all the resonsance and song of the Marcelo and also a bit more calm in the rear.
The key was descending: I took two really fast ones. Granted the road was perfect and I was feeling good, not too tired, but the bike was fantastic and reassuring, just right. I took my hands off the bars and sat up too to see if I could get her to wobble or lose the line: no way, steady as could ever be.
Some have marketed this bike with the caveat that it may be more appropriate for larger, stronger riders. Surely someone stronger than I am would get more out of it and it would suit Clydesdales and racers and hammerheads perfectly. But being only 150lbs-ish and old, I'm not likely to challenge this bike and yet I found it very comfortable, not at all stiff in ways that make you wish it was not. This bike rides like the best in steel, no exaggerations, no flattery. It rides most like my IF Crown Jewel, the red one made of some one-off Foco tubeset, another bike that is not too stiff for me but incredibly comfortable and correct in handling.
I will post pictures and some further ride impressions/reports later if anyone cares or would like that. I hope to get out on the Luigino this week too.
dbrk
The run down is simple enough: Record/Chorus shifting, Ritchey 50/35 110bcd crankset, 13-29 rear cassette, Mavic brakes, Ritchey 12cm stem/WCS bars, Thompson 29.4 post (note the same odd size as the Marcelo) and San Marco Rolls saddle, wheels for the ride are Protons with Conti 4-seasons pumped. This set up was mostly pulled from the polished Legend/Ouzo Pro fork and I'll make some comparisons because I made a point of using the same tire pressures (110 rear/115 front) and very, very close in sizing. The frame is orange in the "Scripts" scheme which uses a variety of orthographies as the design pattern in a number of colors over the orange. The scripts are letters, not words (for those of you who can read Tibetan or some Japanese or Greek this would be obvious), the Pegoretti name is silver, and that very nifty modern art-like headbadge graces the front. Pictures to follow once I square away the bar tape thing (I put on just something to ride). The bike is a stock 59cm, so a 58cm top tube and the fit is identical to my 60cm Marcelo with very minor tweaking. Instead of the spec'd Ouzo Pro fork I put on the Ouzo Pro Peloton fork, the one with the wider blades (as you can see on my IFCJ). This latter fork matches better Emma's leggy profile, providing a complementary OS front to the rear legs. As far as I am concerned the Ouzo Pro and Pro Peloton ride identically, absolutely the same and both are as good as carbon gets. Bike likely weighs about 18-19lbs without water and tools. I never weigh them, don't really care.
Expectations: Emma is modified from the Marcelo with different chain and seat stays and that reinforced downtube, which I think leaves the seat tube, top tube, and head tube the same as the Marcelo. For comparison's sake my Marcelo uses the Mizuno fork (which I have always liked a great deal). I am not a particularly large person or strong rider and my preferences are to steady-easy climbing, rouleur style consistency, and occasional bursts; in short, I ride like a classic randonneur, not too slow, not at all hammering usually. I don't like bikes that I can flex in the bb or get a lot of rub out of the front der because they tend not to descend with the absolute confidence that I so prefer. Descending is my benchmark of great handling and overall satisfaction because I believe that a bike that descends brilliantly usually does everything else very well too (take the MX Leader, for example). My concern with Emma was that she would be over built in 59cm for a person my size, to wit, too stiff for my liking. This has been the case, for example, in every Legend I have ever owned in the larger sizes. I have never had a custom tube-tuned Legend but I like bigger frames and they tend to be very stalwart unless they are tuned-down, imho. Being as happy with the smooth, resonant, calm ride but singing ride of the Marcelo I was concerned that Emma would be considerably stiffer. That the parts and especially the wheels came off the Legend (it's coming Louis!) gave me a solid comparison in that respect.
Ride: There are no flat rides in the Finger Lakes but this maiden voyage didn't include any of the typical hard or long climbs that are near my house (all of the "famous" hills are a stone's throw away from me). Instead I chose moderate, rolling terrain with some steep short ones and a few chances to let it really rip including two descents that get you up to 45-50mph without much effort. It was a perfect day, not enough wind to matter and I felt good because I'd been off the bike since Thursday (so, going on three days).
Impression: Wow. I am jaded because Dario's bikes have always proven to ride so beautifully, so correctly, with such effortless aplomb that I am not really able to bring out their real potential. There is again more bike here than I can get going, so I will leave it to stronger riders like ourpal the jerk to put Emma through the ringer. But all of my trepidations were singularly overcome in no time at all. The bike is not too stiff and in comparison to the quite-normally-but-not-uncomfortably stiff Legend it was gentler, more resonant but also just as dead certain and power to the wheel without flex responsive. Usually "responsive" is a trade-off to "forgiving" or "resilient" but on climbs Emma just sat calmly beneath it all while on harsh pavement she smiled with the same insouciance. I was prodigiously impressed because the bike was clearly steel: resonant and typically alive but also very quiet. Vibration came up and through with that gentle awareness you get from the best steel while the fork was typical of the best carbon, muting the experience as soon as possible into cycling zazen. I would normally not exalt a bb drop of 7cm, preferring the typical longer and lower design, but Dario has the bike dialed in beautifully to handle with all the assurance and spot-on pointing you could ask. With lots of setback and a tall headtube the positioning is easy for me but what I liked best was the same feeling you get on the Marcelo: the bike is not at all nervous nor does the front end ever surprise you over unexpected bumps or lapses of attention. If you screw up, the bike forgives first and is never malignant or vindictive to your absence. The ride is as smooth as the Marcelo and yet a bit more responsive, as if you can really pounce on the stays and let it flow unimpeded. I can't flex my 60cm Marcelo while I could get a bit of chainrub out of the 55cm I once had. Go figure. But here I felt all the resonsance and song of the Marcelo and also a bit more calm in the rear.
The key was descending: I took two really fast ones. Granted the road was perfect and I was feeling good, not too tired, but the bike was fantastic and reassuring, just right. I took my hands off the bars and sat up too to see if I could get her to wobble or lose the line: no way, steady as could ever be.
Some have marketed this bike with the caveat that it may be more appropriate for larger, stronger riders. Surely someone stronger than I am would get more out of it and it would suit Clydesdales and racers and hammerheads perfectly. But being only 150lbs-ish and old, I'm not likely to challenge this bike and yet I found it very comfortable, not at all stiff in ways that make you wish it was not. This bike rides like the best in steel, no exaggerations, no flattery. It rides most like my IF Crown Jewel, the red one made of some one-off Foco tubeset, another bike that is not too stiff for me but incredibly comfortable and correct in handling.
I will post pictures and some further ride impressions/reports later if anyone cares or would like that. I hope to get out on the Luigino this week too.
dbrk