keno
06-10-2005, 04:04 AM
(A little introductory info. Jeff and I have gotten to know each other from the forum, he has bought bike and non-bike items from me, I shoes from him. We recently traded my DMTs for his silver Shimano 215s. He has been all over me to tell him about the Ottrott, which I rode for the first time yesterday on a ride either to or from hell. Also, I was in Tuscany last week biking and its physicial and time difference effects continue in some measure to rule my existence. BTW, the opening line is a throw away as I don't think Jeff is at all interested in my beautiful Concours, but I goad him anyway.)
"Jeff,
I know, you're just waiting to see if I like it and will sell you the Concours because I definitely don't need it.
OK, Jeff, the true skinny. Yesterday was 95 deg and we went for a very hilly ride. I'm still a little knocked out from Tuscany. These aren't the excuses as it wasn't a race and keeping up was not the issue. Overall, a very lousy day for trying a new bike. I had too many issues working, liking staying conscious, wanting to die and wondering where my next drink was coming from. Believe it or not, at one stop in Harriman State Park they had a Coke vending machine that dispensed, for a dollar, 8, yes EIGHT, ounce bottles of water. I could have sold a single for $10 to others on the ride at that point, but squandered it on an h2o shorty for keno.
Despite that, the sucker rides like I wanted and expected as I could tell. Very responsive in all respects. Ready to be pushed. Not comfortable like the Spectrum, but not uncomfortable. Fit is excellent and will force me to develop just the muscles I am working on. I need to be rested and to have a more agreeable day in order to be more enthused and aware.
Felt disappointed in the look and color. The top tube slopes, but I expected more of a slope than the 4 deg I got. I was not specific enough and thought it would be along the lines of the demo bike which had a greater slope. It's ok though, particularly with how the colors came out i.e. more sophisticated than zowee. The basic color scheme is that the titanium sections, save the chain stays (polished), are ebony and the carbon tubes are rain forest harlequin. When I saw that tint on another Ottrott it jumped right out. If you know about these tints, their colors are about as changeable and weird as the moods of women. I must have been at that "angle" for optimum jump out. I used a somewhat minimalist red bordered in black decal scheme, with a small "serrota" on the seat tube, small "serrota"s on the front of the black fork legs, and a decal "S" badge. No decals other than those; e.g. Made in Hungary, Union Made, Serotta Is Bling. Just about everyone who has seen the bike has loved it. One of the paint guys told Levine it was the best frame he had ever done and loved it (maybe he worked there for a week, I don't know). Who the f**k cares; it's my $42,000? Why am I thinking new paint over the winter?
Actually, I like the bike more than I liked the Spectrum when I got it. I rode that bike once when I got it, and put it away for 2 months, and now I want to have its baby. I fully expect that within a month or two, particularly after it does some tricks for me, like climbs a Manhattan building, or handles groovy when we're dropped from a plane, I will be sleepiing with it in my bed. I transition slowly, as my wife can attest, which can be both a wonderful thing in certain basic human interactions between a man and woman but not too cool when it comes to deciding whether to put an addition on the house. So I need time to adjust. Hey, I'm a very complex guy and my internal life is a b*tch. Overall, I think my downward view of the top tube is far more mundane than the light show those riding with me get. Most of the time I will have the side view of the bike is in the garage or at a pee stop. I must learn to savor the latter moments beyond their inherent satisfactions.
Last point, I cannot get it to pose well for a picture. Is there a secret that you, as a shutter bug pro, can share with me that I can do in the comfort of my own domain to take a pic that makes the bike look more than government issue (the green tends to look olive when not perturbed in some way, but then again, purple, or bright green, or brown, in some other way depending)?
My prediction is that I will fall in love with the sucker. It definitely rides trick and climbs like a sherpa, but, for now, looks like a sherpa's wife as far as I am concerned.
Anything else on the Big O?
Regarding the shoes, I put a second foot bed in and it solved the problem conceptually. Had a decent day with that combo yesterday and love the feel of the shoe. This one I will conquer. I find that those shoes look real good with basic white type socks. Makes me look less like a clown in the peloton, wherever the h*ll that is for mortals.
As you can see, I am not quite off Italy time.
Ciao!"
keno
"Jeff,
I know, you're just waiting to see if I like it and will sell you the Concours because I definitely don't need it.
OK, Jeff, the true skinny. Yesterday was 95 deg and we went for a very hilly ride. I'm still a little knocked out from Tuscany. These aren't the excuses as it wasn't a race and keeping up was not the issue. Overall, a very lousy day for trying a new bike. I had too many issues working, liking staying conscious, wanting to die and wondering where my next drink was coming from. Believe it or not, at one stop in Harriman State Park they had a Coke vending machine that dispensed, for a dollar, 8, yes EIGHT, ounce bottles of water. I could have sold a single for $10 to others on the ride at that point, but squandered it on an h2o shorty for keno.
Despite that, the sucker rides like I wanted and expected as I could tell. Very responsive in all respects. Ready to be pushed. Not comfortable like the Spectrum, but not uncomfortable. Fit is excellent and will force me to develop just the muscles I am working on. I need to be rested and to have a more agreeable day in order to be more enthused and aware.
Felt disappointed in the look and color. The top tube slopes, but I expected more of a slope than the 4 deg I got. I was not specific enough and thought it would be along the lines of the demo bike which had a greater slope. It's ok though, particularly with how the colors came out i.e. more sophisticated than zowee. The basic color scheme is that the titanium sections, save the chain stays (polished), are ebony and the carbon tubes are rain forest harlequin. When I saw that tint on another Ottrott it jumped right out. If you know about these tints, their colors are about as changeable and weird as the moods of women. I must have been at that "angle" for optimum jump out. I used a somewhat minimalist red bordered in black decal scheme, with a small "serrota" on the seat tube, small "serrota"s on the front of the black fork legs, and a decal "S" badge. No decals other than those; e.g. Made in Hungary, Union Made, Serotta Is Bling. Just about everyone who has seen the bike has loved it. One of the paint guys told Levine it was the best frame he had ever done and loved it (maybe he worked there for a week, I don't know). Who the f**k cares; it's my $42,000? Why am I thinking new paint over the winter?
Actually, I like the bike more than I liked the Spectrum when I got it. I rode that bike once when I got it, and put it away for 2 months, and now I want to have its baby. I fully expect that within a month or two, particularly after it does some tricks for me, like climbs a Manhattan building, or handles groovy when we're dropped from a plane, I will be sleepiing with it in my bed. I transition slowly, as my wife can attest, which can be both a wonderful thing in certain basic human interactions between a man and woman but not too cool when it comes to deciding whether to put an addition on the house. So I need time to adjust. Hey, I'm a very complex guy and my internal life is a b*tch. Overall, I think my downward view of the top tube is far more mundane than the light show those riding with me get. Most of the time I will have the side view of the bike is in the garage or at a pee stop. I must learn to savor the latter moments beyond their inherent satisfactions.
Last point, I cannot get it to pose well for a picture. Is there a secret that you, as a shutter bug pro, can share with me that I can do in the comfort of my own domain to take a pic that makes the bike look more than government issue (the green tends to look olive when not perturbed in some way, but then again, purple, or bright green, or brown, in some other way depending)?
My prediction is that I will fall in love with the sucker. It definitely rides trick and climbs like a sherpa, but, for now, looks like a sherpa's wife as far as I am concerned.
Anything else on the Big O?
Regarding the shoes, I put a second foot bed in and it solved the problem conceptually. Had a decent day with that combo yesterday and love the feel of the shoe. This one I will conquer. I find that those shoes look real good with basic white type socks. Makes me look less like a clown in the peloton, wherever the h*ll that is for mortals.
As you can see, I am not quite off Italy time.
Ciao!"
keno