ST Rear

[Sandy]

I own an Ottrott ST, and have ridden it for about 6,000 miles. On a ride today of about 42 miles, I decided to push the bike a little harder than normal on somewhat rough road surfaces. Instead of simply easing up a little as the surface went from relatively smooth to a little more harsh, I actually pushed a little more than I normally do. I really did feel as if the ST rear was working in that it "felt" as if the rear of the bike was "reading" the small surface irregularities and making adjustments to keep the rear tire more adhered to the road surface, communicating to me that the rear was very well planted indeed, and that traction was excellent, even with the slightly harsher road surface. The "feeling" I receved is that the rear was going to stay solidly planted, the traction was going to be there, so push it some, and you will be fine.

I guess what I am saying is the ST rear does work, and that it probably helps in acceleration and handling on less than smooth road surfaces.

I know that some of the esteemed posters on this forum do not like the ST rear compared to a ti rear, but I do believe it serves a functional real purpose, just like the Dave Kirk DKS system. You can accelerate better, handle the bike better, and keep the speed up if the tire maintains a superior contact wth the ground on its little patch. Tires not making efficient contact with the ground transmit less efficiently pedal input to forward motion.

Besides, I use to call myself Steel Serotta Sandy, but because of the ST rear, I am now STill Serotta Sandy aka Deputy Sheriff.

Always remember- The Deputy Sheriff sometimes sleeps on the job, but Sheriff Alyson NEVER sleeps on the job! Never! Never Absolutely NEVER!!

Deputy Sheriff

[ericmurphy]

This post doesn't really have much to do with Sandy's post, but since we're talking about the way Serottas handle here, this seems as good a place to post it as any (not significant enough to start a new thread, I don't think).

Not having ridden a Serotta with the ST rear triangle, I can't say how it compares to the regular rear triangle, but if the Ottrott with the ST rear handles even as well, it's got to be a sweet ride. Numerous times I've felt the rear end of my Legend break loose in high-speed hard cornering, and it's never been more than a momentary feeling of sideways motion, and never have I felt like I was in danger of losing control of the bike. The Legend just keeps riding in the direction I want it go.

It rained out here in SF this morning, so the roads were still a bit damp on my ride. I was coming down this hill into Sausalito harbor, probably doing about 27-30 MPH round the curve, when I hit some kind of vegetable-matter detritus in the road which caused both wheels to break loose and slide maybe four inches to the outside of the curve.

I thought, what a peculiar sensation, and kept riding. Never touched the brake levers.

[shaq-d]

for feelings and perceptions okay.. but i've found that reliability in terms of hard cornering is mostly a matter of road conditions. only time i've over-tested my and my bike's cornering abilities is on wet roads. the rest of the time it's always been fine, whether it's my pinarello or serotta or a mountain bike... who knows? maybe i just don't test the cornering hard enough though.

maybe road tire makes a difference too, but truth be told i can't really tell. i thought i could tell when i used hutchinson carbon comps, which were really soft to touch and to put on/etc., but what i felt was more of a feeling/perception than more reliability in cornering/etc. i sometimes suspect it was/is all in my head and more an issue of PSI then the stuff the tire was made of.

oh yeah, i should add the only time i felt a real difference in performance was on a dual suspension mountain bike vs. a solid frame. the solid frame had more control in my eyes... the dual suspension didn't eat up any more twigs than the solid, but it did seem less responsive.

will be interested in what you folks think....

sd

[victoryfactory]

Sandy;

An interesting post, and it got me thinking. If it took you 6000 miles of normal riding to really notice the ST working, doesn't that point out that many of us
buy into high performance cutting edge equipment that we can't appreciate on an everyday basis?

Hell ,I'd love to drive a Porsche or a 'vette, but can I drive at the level that would allow the engineering to really shine?

I always suspected that whenever I'd fall for a manufacturer's spiel about his
high end product (which I do on a regular basis) that I was really buying a
concept, an ideal.

I guess on another level, it's about aspiration and inspiration. Knowing that
if your equipment is the best, there is nothing preventing you from being
the best if you are willing to work hard enough.

Supporting a company like Serotta by buying bikes that are way better than
I can appreciate at my advanced age and limited skills is sort of like supporting NPR or PBS, someone has to do it or we'll all be buying our rides
at the big "W" for 100. bucks.

Hmmm....
VF, too much coffee, feel free to ignore this post

[vaxn8r]

My buddy rides a Ottrott ST. You know what I ride. After switching back and forth a few times in the Cascade mountains I think the Ottrott descends better. The Calfee climbs better. I assume the ST factors into both results.

One man's opinion.