Responsorium Review: Behold the Unicorn

[Climb01742]

Part 1: Preface

Think back to high school. There was this girl you liked. It took you forever to talk to her. Even longer to ask her out. And even longer still before you worked up the courage to kiss her.

That kiss had a lot riding on it. You had imagined much and built up that first kiss into something big. Would it be heaven or would it be hell?

Waiting for a new custom bike is sort of like that. There’s much expectation and hope. Then, when it finally arrives and you’re about to go on that maiden voyage, you have mixed, conflicting emotions.

Hope is tinged with trepidation. You want to be blown away but fear being disappointed. Like kisses, dreamed-of bikes have disappointed in the past. When hope becomes flesh, or in the case frames, you never know quite what to expect.

I waited almost 18 months for the Responsorium. On top of that, it was half of our “wedding bike” pair of matching-paint Pegs. Could be heaven or could be hell.

I want to insert a caveat here. I’m sure there are some who think I’ve consumed so much Dario Kool-Aid, that he could build a tricycle and I would swoon over it. So to set the record straight and to serve as a prelude to what follows:

The Luigino was one of my least favorite bike of all time. And while I have owned and loved many Pegorettis, I have never been blind to the reality of each one. The Marcelo has near-fighter-jet acceleration – maybe the best I’ve found -- but after two or three hours on less-than-perfect roads, my back ached. The Fina wastes not a single watt of your power, and rides as steel-like as any alu frame can, but it too exacts an aching price for its stiffness-equals-output formula. A Love #3 does everything right but doesn’t seem to do any one thing with oh-my-god brilliance. It’s an ideal modern race tool but oddly, for me anyway, wasn’t as inspiring as some of Dario’s other bikes. And my favorite Pegoretti, the CCKMP, is a bit delicate, a fragile angel of vertical places, as the dent in my seat tube testifies.

I love Pegorettis the way I love my wife: with all my heart but with my eyes open. To see a shortcoming or trade-off – who is perfect? -- is just honesty, not a crack in the love.

I say all this as a preface. An attempt to say that what follows is as honest and objective as I can make it.

Oh, wait. One more short preface. I love carbon bikes. Or said another way, all of my most favorite bikes have been carbon. In order: Colnago C50. Time VXRS Ulteam. Parlee Z1. I’ve always been a bit disappointed in steel bikes. Until now, my favorite steel bike was a Merckx MX Leader. It was a glorious tank that was tougher and smoother than any New England pothole but took watts-out-the-wahzoo to get up to speed. A masterpiece with a downside. Other steels I’ve owned were: a CSi, a CIII, a ‘Nago Master Light and a Peg Duende. All of these had, for me, a trade-off: greater smoothness at the cost of a bit of sluggishness. Like a defensive back who’s lost a step but moves so smoothly and plays with such guile that it’s hard to spot unless he’s covering Randy Moss.

So, I’m not a big fan of steel.

But 18 months ago in Italy, Dario convinced me that what I wanted from a frame was to be achieved with steel. Trust, faith, friendship and maybe some wine overcame skepticism. What I asked Dario for was the mythical beast. The Unicorn. That mythical bike that is the perfect blend and balance of performance and comfort.

To be continued...

[Climb01742]

Part Two: The Goods

Well, kids, behold the Unicorn. The mythical is real. The Responsorium is the best bike I’ve ever ridden. It may be the perfect bike. Big claim, I know. But here’s where I’m coming from: Every frame, in my experience, is a series of trade-offs or balancing acts. To achieve one characteristic, another must be compromised, even slightly. Many bikes I’ve loved have done one or a few things exceptionally well, but in doing that amazing thing, they few short in other things. I had come to just take some trade-off or compromise as part of the deal. But what if there were no trade-offs?

I’m not a racer. At 5’11”, 155-160, I’m not a power rider. I love training, I love riding hard. My favorite ride/workout is a 20-minute, steady-state, big-ring sufferfest. From my days as a runner, I seek out “the flow”. In running, it is those miles were every part of your body is in synch. You’re fluid with a capital F. It’s not your fastest pace, but it is the harmony of speed and smooth. Your feet barely touch the ground. You glide more than run.

You can feel that, too, on a bike. There’s a rhythm your legs and the bike find. Power just glides from your body to the bike. There’s a little give to the frame. Imperfections in the road are absorbed by the bike; so that few, if any, jolts break your rhythm.

Until now, the C50 gave me this feeling more often than any other bike.

Let me try to break down what a Respo feels like:

Smooth is the first word that comes to mind. Wearing Cosmic Carbone Premiums and Michelin tires, I’ve never ridden a bike that makes road imperfections disappear more. Both small, chip-seal bumps are muted, and big bumps are erased even better.

Glide is the next word. Some bikes seem to require more torque to get rolling. They diesel up to speed. The Respo almost feels like there’s no chain. The pedals just turn more easily and the bike just scoots. There isn’t one ounce of sluggishness in the bike. Out of the saddle climbing is brilliant. Stiffer bikes may “rocket” forward more dramatically, but that darn word “glide” comes up again when you accelerate, either seated or standing. There isn’t any hesitation at all but yet there isn’t the stiff, jarring leap forward either. More like this immediate swoooosh. “Efficiency” is too cold, too clinical of a word to describe this feeling. It is very efficient, but does it in a way that makes me giggle. It’s just fun.

I haven’t been able to get any chain rub. The chainstays may not be Marcelo or Emma big, but they look elegantly beefy nevertheless.

The steering is steady with just a hint of quickness. It’s never nervous but it is alert, ready to react to input. Some nervous bikes seem to have a mind of their own upfront. The Respo is calm but willing, alert to where you want to go, not where it wants to go.

I haven’t weighed the bike but it rides, in some ways, like a light bike. In fact, it has all the good traits of a light bike without any of the bad traits. It accelerates and climbs beautifully. But many light bikes are jumpy, skittish and a bit “brittle” to ride. None of those words apply here.

The first time I rode it, I didn’t climb onto the bike. I slipped into it. The fit just feels dialed-in perfect. The balance is right.

Aesthetically, the paint is beautiful, classic, subtle. Pearl white with a soft green. Both of which twinkle in the sunlight. And the welds are small, almost delicate.

As much as I love this bike, I will never say “steel is real”. Because this bike feels unlike any other steel bike I’ve ever ridden. This bike is real. And it happens to be steel. My guess is, the stainless steel played some part in it, but not the main part. In some ways, this bike is the perfect storm. It’s a custom. But a custom based on the builder’s own eyes and hands doing the fit. It’s born, too, from me having ridden many of Dario’s other bikes and being able to articulate what I thought about each, this giving Dario reference points for what I was after. And finally, I know the builder. He’s my friend. I believe I can judge the bike dispassionately, but our friendship adds profoundly to my enjoyment of, and connection to, the bike.

To be continued...

[Climb01742]

Part 3: Splitting Hairs

Ok, here’s the splitting hairs part of our show. All three bikes in this paragraph are 9s out of 10. But if one were the ask, which is closer to a 10 of 10? Versus my C50, the former benchmark, the Respo is more efficient, quicker off the marker, and more comfortable – not by a mile but not by an inch, either. The Respo is clearly superior in all categories. Versus my Ulteam, the Time is definitely lighter, and may be a shade more efficient, accelerate just a bit faster, but as far as comfort goes, the Respo is much more compliant. A bigger, stronger racer may like, and need, the Ulteam’s stiffness but while I haven’t done this comparison, here’s what I would bet a week’s pay on: I could power through a long, big-ring interval faster on the Respo than I could on the Ulteam. Hitting bad pavement on the Ulteam jolts me, enough that it often breaks my rhythm/cadence. My guess is the Respo would glide over these bumps/holes better and my power rhythm wouldn’t be broken. With most bikes there’s a trade-off between stiffness/speed and comfort/compliance. My Ulteam trades speed for jolts. I haven’t found any trade-offs or compromises yet in the Respo. It’s as close to a 10 of 10 as I’ve found. (All three bikes wear carbon clinchers: Aeolus w/Vittorias for C50 and Ulteam vs Cosmic Carbones w/Michelins for Respo. All tires inflated to 110 psi.)

All of which brings me to a question. Has the bike industry, including Serotta, given up too soon on steel? I’ve never ridden a Meivici built for me, so take that into account. But if one of Seerotta’s goals is to build the best bikes possible – especially given their heritage in steel – it makes me wonder if de-emphasizing steel was such a good idea. It makes sense economically to pursue carbon in today’s bike industry, no argument. But if extraordinary bikes are your mission…

The Respo adds to my admiration for the builders who haven’t forsaken steel. Or put better: who continue to push steel further. A belief in steel must feel lonely at times. And it must limit their sales to some extent. But based on the Respo, it doesn’t limit their ability to create something magical.

Over the last four or five years, I owned over 30 bikes. I have mixed feelings about the wisdom, and financial impact, of that. But if I look at it as an education, then I feel better. Because it has left me wise enough to know that the Responsorium is what I’ve been looking for all along.

The unicorn. It exists. Who knew?

And trust me. No one is more surprised than I am. A steel bike. Who knew? 1Centaur has wisely asked for a 6-month update. Fair enough. Time will tell.

Until then, I’ll just be giggling.

Bike build:

DA 10
Mavic Cosmic Carbone Premiums
Michelin tires
Deda Supernatural bars
FSA stem 120mm
Thomson seatpost
Regal saddle

Frame:

54.5 x 58 (for sure)
STA bit slacker than 73* (eye-balled)
HTA bit steeper than 73* (eye-balled)

The freakin' end.

[weisan]

Wonderful!

Many thanks...well worth the wait.

[weisan]

This bike is real. And it happens to be steel.
~ Unicorn Rider

[William]

Nice write up climb. It sounds very intriguing. You know, if you like, I'll bet I can get a little chain rub out of it.




William

[Too Tall]

Well done lad Now you are up against it. Found the "it" bike. It inspires non?

[Erik.Lazdins]

Wow you type fast!

Great writeup - thanks!

[Elefantino]

I feel your gain.

I'm sure you're right, that if the bike was manufactured by Jones or Smith or Nerlman it wouldn't be as sweet as one built by a friend.

Wonderful report.

Next, a photo.

[Sandy]

Great review. Appears as if you have found the "perfect" (my word) bike for you. That is especially meaningful in that it is a Pegoretti and that only adds to its meaningfulness because of your close friendship with Dario Pegoretti.

Must be very special to you to ride such a special bike built by a very special freind and builder.


Sandy

[Ray]

Nice write-up Climb. For me, the test was whether the bike killed my bike lust (at least for bikes of the same general type). So far, my two Spectra have done that for the 'performance road bike' category and 'sport touring road bike' categories - no interest in anything else since I got each of those. And my Rambouillet seems to be all that I'll ever want in a fixed gear. I'm not sure that's a fair test for someone with the collections that you and others around here have (you may be genetically REQUIRED to continue trying new stuff), but it'll be interesting to see how the six-month or one-year follow-up goes. But that thing you describe of doing things that once seemed contradictory and mutually exclusive (quick yet stable, immediately responsive yet smooth, etc) sounds real familiar to me from finding that "IT" bike. I think the right fitter/designer/builder can figure out what's gonna work best for a particular rider. Dario seems to be among that small handful who are incredibly great at this.

Here's wishing you many years of happiness on this bike.

-Ray

[Elefantino]

Be honest: Only death kills bike lust, Ray.

[soulspinner]

In the recent years I have come to see ride in a bike frame as you do. I need a little give and crave a smooth ride to soothe my old injuries and back imperfections. In talking to a famous builder on the west coast, he said on the dl that everbody comes to him saying they hate frame flex. You need some for proper tracking etc. Ive also thought stainless would be ideal for a long time-it has proved to build into heavier( albeit slightly less expensive than butted ti) frames than hoped for but IF has recently gotten Reynolds to supply lighter chainstays. When I compared tubesets I see XCR chainstays are very light and the 953 front triangle is lighter than XCR(with smaller diamters that should make the ride nicer). Wonder if anyone has built one of these. Steel has that feel the road thing I like when going downhill. I cant tolerate any more serious injuries and am slightly timid downhill despite a bike that is rock solid descending.
Sounds like you have a new favorite bike and to us bike junkies that rocks our world. Thanks for the review but without pics, its 10 demerits . Ride on and congrads Climb.

[bnewt07]

I've really enjoyed reading this, not least sharing your evident pleasure in writing it. It is great to read a report from somebody who has obviously owned and ridden bikes of various sorts, and is full of enthusiasm.

After 18 month wait it would be a tough nut that wrote a negative review for his new bike mind!

As for the steel thing surely we have to use the 'M' word-marketing. It is clearly possible to build bikes of widely varying character (and style) with all the commonly used materials (actually scratch that-I've never ridden a really compliant aluminium bike but you get my point). Manufacturers have to look at the market, where people make at least initial selections on style, price and perceived excellence rather than prolonged test rides. This means that high tec materials catch the buyers eye such as Carbon and Ti etc. Steel has not retained buyers cachet in the mainstream-where new is always good.

It is not easy to market old technology to the masses and actually say it is better. Ask the makers of analogue record players.

[Acotts]

Bike porn with no visuals....c'mon.

Thats like real porn without the internet. What am I supposed to do, use my imagination!!?! That stopped working for me when I turned 15!