I've changed from a medium 08 to large 09 Meta 5. I hadn't seen one before I ordered it and asked the lads in the bike shop if it was as hideous in the flesh as it looks in the pictures. They said no. They lied!
The following first impressions yesterday need to be taken with a pinch of salt really. I was knackered, had been out three nights in a row with work and the weather was pretty miserable. I'm also comparing to the last time I rode there last week, when it was bone dry and sunny, and my legs felt as fresh as a daisy...
I need to get a shorter stem on it pronto. The front end felt much harder to lift: don't know if it was the inch longer wheelbase or my relative position on the bike. Going to stick a Joplin on there soon, so I'll get a bit of layback with that so I'll probably stick an 80mm stem on (100mm at the mo).
My big concern with changing the stem is the front end wandering when climbing steep inclines. On that fairly steep bit of the black (start of Tower?) at GT yesterday the front was wandering a little more than it did on the 08, I can only assume it's the slacker head angle. I'm concerned that sticking a shorter stem will make this even worse - maybe I just need to get used to it. It didn't feel as quick to respond on the downs as the 08 either, the shorter stem should help with position here too.
So, where the position on the 08 felt pretty perfect for me, the 09 needs a bit of fettling. Oh, and probably a respray*
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* Secretly, I'm starting to quite like the colour 😀
I love that colour ackshully. Saw one at GT a few weeks back and it was almost glowing!
If the medium 2008 felt 'pretty perfect' why did you change to a large?
Well, you're not going to loose it in the car park, I suppose...
Well it wasn't quite perfect, artistic licence on opeing post...
I had a Thomson layback post and a 100mm stem on the medium, and I felt like I was pushing behind the pedals rather than on them (the old plumb line trick would probably have shown my knee about an inch behind the axle) and I was getting a little bit of knee pain after long rides.
I wanted to get the same stretch without have the saddle as far back or putting on an even longer than 100mm stem. The 09 large has about an 1" extra on the top tube.
I love the colour too- did a double take the first time I saw one.
I think it needs a wee bit of contrasting colour somewhere though, a bit of white and/or pink a la klein attitude team colours would be nice.
Nice looking bike but I just couldn't get use to that colour. What is it with green this year? Cannondale have gone the green route as well.
Problem is Druid, I'm not as fast as I feel I should be with a colour like that... I could blend in on the old one!
I used to have a Supercaliber a few years back that was this colour with a blue fade and blue SIDs - it was lovely. This one isn't quite as classy a green.
a bit of white and/or pink a la klein attitude team colours would be nice.
I did wonder if it would look better with white forks, maybe some Floats (I do like Vanillas though - and the bank account is starting to look unhealthy)...
the colour is fabulous!
radioactive green!
my brother bought a 5.5.1 recently and i love the colour, actually quite jealous
and now thinking about getting my boring black hustler brightened up!
I wouldn't have it, but I still like, nice bike
The stem changed has improved things, although hardly took it over anything worthy of the travel...
I agree with all so far who like. And those who don't...
It should be a love or hate colour - although somehow I can't decide which. Paradox Green?
You won't lose it in the bushes.