Question for dbrk- and a little gloating!

[hybridbellbaske]

dbrk,

I seem to remember some time ago you made some comments about a Pinarello Opera you had but on which (I think) you said you could never get comfy.

Could you expand a little on what if anything was peculiar about the Pinarello geometry which led to this view?

By the way, and here's the gloating part, last Thursday's ride as part of the Tour Down Under was fabulous. 1400 riders- 24 degrees celsius- great country roads-very little traffic-sunny skies- and a pro bike race to watch when you finished.

I'm sure you guys and gals would have loved it.

Saw my very first Seven Axiom piloted by Aussie ex-euro pro Stephen Hodge (ti frames are VERY rare in Australia- I've only ever seen one Serotta on the roads here).

[dbrk]

I bought my Pinarello Opera in Canada from an interesting old Italian fella' who used to have a website called Northspeed (which his daughter ran because cleary he was from another era). His name was Mr Pavan and he spoke little and preferred Italian. When we entered his shop we were greeted by his gracious and loquacious wife whose English and manner were a stark contrast to the laconic and serious Mr Pavan (to whom she referred as Mr. Pavan). Pavan wore the blue smock that you see on oldschoolers, like M. Csuka of A.Singer, and had the sort of hands that made it clear he did the work. The shop had Pinarellos and a house brand and a few strays. Clearly this was the place to buy Pinarello if you wanted to know everything about them.

The Pinarello Opera (why Pinarello called its non-Dedaccai tubed bikes "Opera" is entirely beyond me) was among the first of the EOM 16.5 tubed rigs and it was white, silver, and black. I was not thrilled about the shape of the tubing and, on closer inspection, the welds were not stellar: pauses, globs, some botches. I had studied the geo charts like I was studying old grammar paradigms for a quiz, so I knew my numbers. I wanted a 59 but all the tallest he had was a 57, measured the Pinarello way. I was also new---as most of us were---to threadless and the perils of lost stack height, before the ugly and now ordinary compromises of smokestack spacers and riser stems (Ed.: opinionated b***std, isn't that dbrk?)
So I made the Big Mistake and I bought the bike because Mrs Pavan gave us a killer deal and Mr Pavan I think we charmed by my not-yet-wife Aimee (who could charm the Devil, that having been the actual case...uhhh...me).

I left 2cm of spacers and eventually went to a Ritchey Pro stem with 84d but try as I might I could not get the bars taller than 91.5 or so cm from the floor, add in the tall Pinarello bb and that didnt' help matters. These are aggressively forward bikes with long top tubes (which makes sizing up problematic, just like short tt bikes like Colnago can goof you up too). In short, I could not ride the bike without feeling low in the front and stretched in the cockpit, sort of exactly the opposite of my preference which I say makes the drops at least 4cm taller so that they are actually useable (rarely do you see guys in drops as "normal position" but that is not a bad idea!) and my butt back so to flatten my back (shoulder blades flat, dropped back and together, which any good yoga teacher will tell you spares you pain and poor posture...called a "shoulder loop"). The Pinarello just couldn't get me there. The ride I found to be stiff, sort of not-smooth which is more like it, and I could not fancy the road feel. Add to this the really nice graphics (before the current Pinarello graphic was a smaller, squarer stencil, which I much prefer to blocky thing nowadays) but the poor even sloppy looking welds and I came away unimpressed. I rode it a season though perhaps did not give it its due, but when I get on a really comfortable bike I can tell the difference almost immediately. This was not for me. The handling was too quick up front, it descended without the confidence I am used to on a Serotta or Rivendell. This was the sort of bike that was designed too much the racer for my tastes. I might yet like to try a much taller Prince but without that silly looking fork and for that matter who cares about some yucky TIG'd ally cookie-cutter bike. I reserve all my Italian-ness now for Dario. The best bikes in the world are not made in Europe unless you count Singer, and that is an entirely different story.

As for gloating the weather...Ahhh, dear hybridbellbasket....pal...mate...ANYONE has the weather on us this past week. More than a foot of snow easily (measured in old money) and yesterday I had to have a real plowman come and dig us out for fear that my own meager ATV would not only be stuck (a pretty sturdy little machine) but that delay would result in the need for a bulldozer (no kidding). The result this morning is a drive (nearly half a mile) that is clearer but likely covered with drifts. It has been cold and snowy this winter in ways rivalling, well, last winter! There is at present no place I would rather be than strolling down an empty lane Down Under with you. Take care, pal!

dbrk

p.s. Strong Ti is still here if you ever express an interest again. It is currently down to frame/fork/hs/DA bb but may get rebuilt next year...

[bubba]

Originally posted by dbrk
I wanted a 59 but all the tallest he had was a 57, measured the Pinarello way. These are aggressively forward bikes with long top tubes (which makes sizing up problematic, I don't get it. Pinarllo measures C-C like many other Euro brands and has a 56.5cm TT as do many other 57s although the ST is .5 degree steeper than some.