Finally got this built up, been a few teething issues with sourcing parts (particularly the pressfit BB30 bottom bracket, they were as rare as hens teeth for a short while earlier this month!). Picked it up from the LBS tonight, straight down to the park for a few quick photos and then a short blast. First impressions? It's bloody quick to accelerate and super stiff, the fit is perfect (as you'd expect!) felt brilliant! Please forgive the rather large 35mm spacer stack, this is temporary till a) I've lost a bit of weight and b) I've improved my flexibility a touch 😳
Will eventually sort out a decent set of wheels for her, but for now the Dura-ace hoops are pretty good (and suit it well I think?). The Adamo saddle is a trial to see if I get along with it, have always suffered with the dreaded 'numb nuts' so hoping this might help. Off for a good ride tomorrow (weather permitting) so will see how I feel at the end of the day!
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/32746168@N08/5839739663/ ]IMG_3268[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/32746168@N08/ ]ten_sim[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/32746168@N08/5840288748/ ]IMG_3269[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/32746168@N08/ ]ten_sim[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/32746168@N08/5839739361/ ]IMG_3267[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/32746168@N08/ ]ten_sim[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3642/5839737563_f26458a9b6_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/32746168@N08/5839737563/ ]IMG_3262[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/32746168@N08/ ]ten_sim[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/32746168@N08/5839736643/ ]IMG_3258[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/32746168@N08/ ]ten_sim[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/32746168@N08/sets/72157626977128808/with/5839736643/ ]A few more pics are in this Flickr set if you're interested...[/url]
That is extremely very lovely
Nice, very very nice.
Will look even better without that headset stack, as you've said
All road bikes should look like that. Luvverly.
Couple of thoughts; lovely looking bike, numb bits is a position problem, and you've got a big **** off stem on there.
I'm sure you've considered it, but a shorter stem and moving the saddle back and rotating the bars back towards you might help.
Essentially, sit on your sit bones, not your perineum.
seat tower = gopping
gatorskins on that = gopping
Chainset/rings = gopping
the rest of its lovely .... i have my eye on a steel one 😉
Loverly frame 🙂 Campag Record would of looked loverly on it 😉
Oh and the wheels imo look suited to it.
seat tower = goppinggatorskins on that = gopping
Chainset/rings = gopping
They're not gatorskins... they're GP4's (with duraskin/vetran, so I guess similar to gatorskins??)
Not convinced by the chainrings either, I might get a set of Rotor Q-rings for it...
I rather like the seat tower 😀
Nice, edge hoops would look lush.
I've just made a mess 😳
very nice but all indy fabs should have the original font, dont like the script ones at all, but thats just me. and Im not jealous at all 👿
very nice but all indy fabs should have the original font, dont like the script ones at all, but thats just me. and Im not jealous at all
And what would you know about 'real' Indy Fabs, all yours are fake.
Jog on tollah, there as real as yours 😉
you seem to have a new bike every week..what do you do, print money?!
this one seems a bit nice, but a bit wrong at the same time, i think saddle seat tower and stem dont help personally..
I can't find anything appealing in that at all, and I love road bikes.
I can't find anything appealing in that at all, and I love road bikes.
Me too, its beatifully crafted and the build is bling but it just doesn't gel.
Well, back from a decent 90km ride, soaked through from the rain I just managed to catch the start of before I got home (I knew it was going to be a close run thing!). Ah well, nothing a nice hot shower and a good cup of tea can't fix 😀
Impressions from todays ride? Well, it's bloody fast, that's for sure. Took 2min off my PB around Richmond Park (was approx 23 min or so on my De Rosa steel bike, went around in just under 21 min today and that was with a decent head wind in parts and around 80% effort). It seriously flys on the hills (when my legs have the power to put down of course) it's amazing just how stiff it is, every ounce of effort you put in goes to forward motion and acceleration just feels effortless (to a point!)
One slightly annoying is the amount of toe overlap, but I don't think realistically this could've been avoided given the overall shortish wheelbase and my particular personal dimensions/sizing requirements from the bike fit session. It's only really an issue when weaving in and out of traffic (I have to ride through Central London to get to the park), had a couple of iffy moments when I forgot about it!
All in all though, it's a bloody nice bike to ride and I can see myself spending a lot of time out on it, I love it! 8)
Whoop! Nice bike.
Am I allowed to make just tres suggestioni??
Gazias..M'sur
Zipp 40mm hoop on the front, 50mm hoop on the rear. If you can push it up a bit to 50/60 then all the better.
Take that stack off and bend over dear boy..
Don't wear red whilst riding it.
Nice but a bit 'ordinary' looking for such an expensive bike. I'd beca bit pissed off with toe overlap.
Enjoy.
you get a beautiful frame like that and put SRAM on it?
Have a word with yourself!
the frame is stunning though 😀
You sir, have too much bloody spare cash.
You sir, have too much bloody spare cash.
Not any more, I suspect! 😉
One slightly annoying is the amount of toe overlap
I get a load of toe overlap on my 29er. It's occasionally an inconvenience, but you get used to it & subconsciously correct for it very quickly
Was expecting it to look a lot more special than it does. Sadly to me looks like a mish mash of parts, and the seat tower looks all wrong to me too. Frame is unquestionably beautifully finished, just needs more understated kit on it IMO.
very jealous - great looking machine!
it's amazing just how stiff it is, every ounce of effort you put in goes to forward motion and acceleration just feels effortless (to a point!)
Have you ever tried a carbon frame? Miles, miles better... 😉
bet it's not... Pressfit BB30, oversized headtube and downtube and mahoosive chainstays all add up to make this is a seriously stiff machine, definitely on par with a carbon frame (I've ridden a Cervelo R3 and it feels very much like that to me...)
very nice (again!) psychle
but it is crying out for some carbon rims - I've seen some Mavic Cosmic carbon rims which have gloss black decals rather than yellow - very stealthy
I agreed that Rotor machined cranks would look the business on that
titanium rocks 🙂
Very very sorry,but somehow its less than the sum of it's parts.Which is odd as this is very similar and i find it most sexual.
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How does the frame weight and cost compare to a good carbon?
Yeah, it definitely needs some carbon rims - I'm rather tempted by the Zipp 404's Solarider is selling, but £950 is a lot of cash for me right now, I've spent all my brownie points with my wife on these last two bikes, so can't dip into the savings for 'em! Need to clear ssme credit card debt as well, so will have to make do with what I have for now (not that they're bad wheels, they're not!).
just needs more understated kit on it IMO.
The kit on it is pretty understated I'd have thought? I don't like the big dish chainring thing, so would like to change that at some point and the integrated stem/bar combo is probably on borrowed time as well, are these the two things you're not liking?
You sir, have too much bloody spare cash.
Not any more, I suspect! 😉
Indeed I don't... rather broke in fact, but I have two lovely shiny new bikes to ride, so that's nice 😀
How does the frame weight and cost compare to a good carbon?
RRP on the frame is around £3.5k so probably comparable to a custom carbon frame like a Parlee Z1 or the like? More expensive than an off the rack Cervelo R3 though...
[url= http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/gear-news/independent-fabrication-ti-factory-lightweight-ride-impressions/6749.html ]Roadcycling review of the Ti FLW here if you're interested...[/url]
Is it lighter than an R3?
(I know you're a Richmond Park rider, but there are other brands of carbon race bike you know 😉 )
Not sure on weight guv, I haven't actually popped it on the scales (meant to today whilst at the LBS but forgot!). I only ride round Richmond Park as I like the lack of traffic lights, plus the deer are cool 😀
Just realised that Epping Forrest is fairly easily accessed from where I live (Islington), so will probably start venturing up there a bit more...
Very nice bike 🙂
It's a lovely bit of kit, but I'd have gone off-the-peg carbon, top groupset and blingin-great wheels.
It'd be a strange world if we all liked the same things, but I love the skinny stays and organic styling you get with carbon. Makes 'em look more special, innit.
And come on fella, I'd rather have numb nuts than that orthopedic saddle!
I rather like that but, like all Ti bikes, it almost looks too understated.
Agree with the saddle looking appalling, and also the spacers (I'd have had the headtube made a little taler - you've got enough saddle to bar drop aas it is.
Wheels are fine - perfect in fact. Don't go spoiling it with unecessary deep rimmed heavyweight carbon efforts.
Oh, and the Sram Red is the shizzle - I like the contrast of dinner plate rings and regular frame tubing.
That is generally a fine looking bike although, as some others have commented, I don't like the seat tower or the chainset.
I wouldn't be particularily pleased with the toe overlap though - don't have any problem with that on either of my road bikes.
I like the seat tower, it looks pretty nifty imo. It looks like it will have some drop when you ditch those spacers, but it could be that awful looking saddle messing up the perspective. I'm not sure I would have wanted the toe overlap, but sounds like you were happy with that at the design phase.
Wheels look fine, and overall a subtle fine looking bike, without a two dozen logo's splashed all over the frame.
Short TT makes it look like a crit race bike (though BB not jacked up like they used to be). I don't think toe overlap will be a problem at all.
Nice bike but the saddle and seatpost def don't do it for me ;-/
it's a no from me even without that seatpost/mast
Not for me.
Has this forum been hacked by the dark side?
😐
I love Ti. I love IF. I ride both. But I am afraid this doesn't do it for me either.
That seatpost is wrong and somehow an oversized headtube never works on a Ti bike.
Given some of my bikes, I should understand more than anybody that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the ride is everything. But somehow, it doesn't look as special as the price tag would suggest.
Sorry.
No need to apologise 😀 . I think what's getting people is the fact that IF have basically made a carbon fibre style bike (super stiff, no compromise race machine) out of Ti, so it's naught like any other Ti frame around, the oversized tubing, pressfit BB and headtube make it pretty unique in the world of Ti frames?
I deliberately went for an understated finish, the other option was to go for a gloss black with the 'cut out' bits done in matte black, but IF weren't sure they could get it done by the deadline I had (I was visiting Boston on April 27th, so wanted to collect in person).
Re. it not looking as special or as bling as the price tag would suggest, ya'll really need to see it up close and personal to notice the subtle details and sublime workmanship in the frame, then you'll have no doubt as to where the dinero goes 😀
Personally, I like the seatpost, but I know it's a bit different and perhaps a bit marmite... But the ride... man, it is very very nice, and really, that's what matters - you can't really see the bike when you're on it, you just feel how fast it is! 8)