If I could order a new bike tomorrow, this would be it. Just stunning.

If I’m honest I almost think the downtube graphic is too subtle – whilst I love the highlighted ‘I’, I’d rather be able to read more of the Firefly logo more clearly; but it’s a minor gripe that I’m sure could be resolved with your own custom order! I see MASSIVE potential for the Ti anodising Firefly have become so good at to become a major feature of custom version of this bike too.

Reminiscent of the Indy Fab XS undoubtedly (and unsurprisingly, given that’s where Firefly stemmed from), and verging on the elegance of the original Merlin Cielo (I need to be careful here before I trot off to eBay to try and find a Cielo in my size for sale…); yet all the while updated with some delicious detail and modern touches like the oversize head tube and BB (which have real performance benefits in this marriage of materials). Hat, doffed.

More shots here on the Firefly Flickr pages.

Also visit this set from one of Firefly’s neighbourly photographers, Heather McGrath – she’s done some lovely detail shots of this bike.

This will be the last ever post on BikeTart.cc – thanks for reading.

It’s hard not to be blinded when you get the new Dogma 65.1 Think 2 equipped with 11 Speed Dura Ace as a demo bike. It’s all smiles ear to ear and everything is just fantastic. Fortunately my daily rider is equipped with the 7900 group so the differences between the two groups become immediately apparent.

Other than an extra 11th cog, just how much better is the 9000 group?

Dura Ace 9000 is a complete new group with every part redesigned and for the most part no cross compatibility with the older 10-speed Shimano groups. There are, however, a few things about the new 9000 that make it a real standout when pitted against the two other component manufacturers.

Weight: it’s now under the psychological 2000g mark and loses no stiffness in the crank or performance in shifting or braking.

Compatibility:  The 11 speed cassette is causing some issues and at this point can only be used with Mavic or new Shimano wheels. Chris King and DT Swiss have new freehubs expected very soon (should be available in many areas by the time this goes live) but some manufacturers are going to have to shuffle to catch up and many of us wanting to get this group are going to have to reconsider our wheel selection.  Given the marked performance improvement of the front shifter it’s going to be interesting to find out if the new 9000 will work with older 7900 and Ultegra 6700 shifters.  I will come back on this as soon as I get to test it. Bottom bracket remains the same standard Shimano threaded outboard bearing and 24mm axle but the crank gets a redesign.

Semi Compact – brilliant! Shimano will be offering the cranks in a 52/36 x 11 ratio and this we feel is a deal-maker and one of the best things about the group. Almost everyone of our clients could benefit from this. The 52 is a excellent gear for rolling hills and when combined with the a 11 you have to be really strong to need more gear. The 36 is move versatile than the 34 of a compact and offer better all round ratios.

Down to the meat and potatoes. How does it ride?

Rear Shifting:  Much the same as 7900 and no noticeable draw back to the 11th gear – i.e. the chain still finds it’s cog perfectly.

Why a guilty secret? Well, to be honest… *deep breath* …I have a bit of a soft spot for them – the top of the line ‘Advanced SL’ at least. There, I said it. It’s that chunky, square down tube that does it, and the graphics sit on it so nicely…

That bombshell out of the way, what do I think of the TCR Advanced range?

TCR Advanced SL 0 is supposedly the all-singing, all-dancing version of the Giant TCR, as evidenced by the use of the Di2 version of Shimano’s top-of-the-range Dura-Ace groupset. Aside from that though, it’s actually quite tricky to pick the differences over the ‘Advanced 1′ – the blue details on the paint aside… And that as it transpires, is because aside from that paint finish, the Di2 and the price tag, there is no difference.

And whilst we’re on the subject, those flashes of blue seem to be a signature finish on the top level Giants – except that, for me, it actually cheapens them. And then there’s that stem… Stiff, I have no doubt, but it looks like a bulbous lump! You’d need to be able to run a long one to disguise it a little better.

As for the similarly lengthily monikered TCR Advanced SL 1, the black and white finish yealds a much nicer bike to look at – and personally I’d suffer the inability to run Di2 to have the nicer looking frame. Unfortunately that ugly stem is still there, unnecessarily drawing my eye…

The last thing to mention on these bikes is those wheels. They cheapen what is otherwise a good looking bike. I can’t help thinking that Giant are behind the curve in not having a set of carbon clinchers to offer amongst their own wheel range. Even the use of a set of Mavic SLRs (given that the Propel is now Giant’s aero bike it’d make sense that Ksyrium or R-SYS SLRs are used on the TCR) would make it appear much classier and make it look more aggressive.

The TCR Advanced SL frameset appears to be modelled on the ’0′ version meaning you don’t get a different paint option – unlike the Specialized SL4 I discussed a couple of weeks back, and also unlike Giant’s own Defy Advanced SL where in both cases the frameset-only option offers the best finish.

As for the non-ISP’d, non-SL version? There’s something about the more standard seatpost approach that means this bike suddenly takes on a much uglier appearance… It is very definitely only the SL I have a soft spot for.

Worth noting: I’ve heard rumours recently of Giant offering a custom paint option in future. I don’t know how true this might be, or how soon it might happen – but it would make for a very nice finishing touch on an otherwise very ‘cookie-cutter’ bike.

Discuss this in the Bike Tart Forum…

Like the painted details on the Enve finishing kit.

Taken form their Facebook page.

Discuss this on the Bike Tart Forum…

I spent last Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons getting my new bike built. I was skeptical whether I’d made the right choice on groupsets because I usually go for the top level stuff irrespective of need or ability (“need” really just means “want”, and ability is definitely questionable right now!). The Chorus colouring matched the bike nicely though, and the more it came together the happier I was.

On Wednesday came the first ride. Despite being a very brief leg-loosener I was won over. The functionality, feel and ergonomics of this ‘new’ Campag (I’ve been off Campag for around four years so it’s definitely new to me) is fantastic, and I’d forgotten how much I loved the ability to trim the front mech.

Come Thursday though, it was very nearly all completely undone in one fell swoop:  Campagnolo’s release of their 80th Anniversary groupset – an opportunity to produce a drool-worthy work of cycling component artistry – yealded an abomination…

That emblem! Eurgh!

There is one really nice touch though – all of the bolts, pivots and fixtures look to be a hard anodised black colour, and the gold details from current groupsets seem to have gone in favour of this new coating. Campag, if you’re listening; this should carry forward to the next iterations of your groupset range (surely not far off now that I’ve splashed out and switched!).  I have to say I quite like the matt finish too.

The saving grace? Despite the rain this weekend (and subsequent excess of turbo riding) I’ve had lots of opportunities to look at my bike – seeing how nice the Chorus looked on it had me smitten all over again.

This new relationship could be a rollercoaster ride… but then all the best relationships are, aren’t they?

Discuss this in the Bike Tart Forum…

Very classic.  Understated cool.

Discuss this in the Bike Tart Forum…

There’s something about Ira Ryan bikes though. Ok, so I’m a bit odd with steel and lugged frames in that I still prefer them with carbon forks, but this is still delicious!

“I have two bikes; a steel framed Brian Rourke Reynolds 853 summer road bike with a 110mm stem (effective top tube length 58cm) and a titanium framed Enigma Esprit winter bike with a 130mm stem (effective top tube length 57cm). Both are custom made, but why are they different top tube sizes? Does this mean one is too big or the other is too small? Or, is this common when you have two bikes?

The reach is the same from saddle tip to bars and they both feel fine, but I am querying whether both frames and stems should be the same size. There was 18 months between the two bikes being purchased, and I am now riding with a club. Whether this makes a difference or not, I don’t know. The Rourke frame does feel a little longer, but I don’t think either are wrong.

What do you think?”

In short, as long as your saddle position is the same on both, your bikes are fine the way the are – it’s quite common for subtle differences like this to occur.  What you’ll probably (possibly) notice is that one of the bikes turns in quicker, and I’d guess that’d be the Rourke; mainly because of the shorter stem length.  That said there may be other geometric changes that equalise, sharpen or soften the handling.  In fact, given that you only have 1cm difference in top tube length but 2cm difference in stem length, I’d say that there must be another geometric difference somewhere for the contact points to be the same.

As an example, my Gaulzetti (still yet to arrive) has a shorter head tube, shorter top tube, steeper seat angle, deeper BB drop and shallower head tube angle than my Baum.  The reach, saddle-to-bar drop and saddle behind BB measurements will all be the same as my Baum despite these differences.  It sounds like your bikes are achieving a similar result by different means.

If your saddle position isn’t the same on each bike then there’s a bigger concern as it means the bikes are setup to ‘fit’ purely through your reach measurement.  Ultimately this means your saddle position might be incorrect (by which I mean sub-optimal or inefficient) on one of the bikes.  As you don’t mention any saddle position issues I’ll assume that’s not the case though.

Ultimately if you’re comfortable and happy on both bikes then it’s not an issue either way – get out there and enjoy them, and with such a nicely spec’d winter bike you have no excuses not to!

The subject for this episode is the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL4 – I bike I have previously been utterly non-plussed about, but the latest version of which actually had me nodding in appreciation…

The S-Works version of the Tarmac range is available in two versions and a frameset.  For those who’s preference is the SRAM Double-Tap, there’s the stealthy black SRAM Red version.  If electronics are more your thing there’s the bright red Di2 version.  I guess those wanting to run Campag have to opt for the frame-only option – but actually I think the black & white frameset this results in is the best looking of the three.

The SRAM Red version is the attention seeker of the two built bike options.  Stealthy black, but with red details, you can’t help but like it; and those red details both make a nice, subtle change from from the fashionable total stealth black approach that’s been done to death lately, and tie in nicely with the red on the groupset.  It is a good looking bike, and I like the fact that Specialized have bothered with the red details – look closely and you’ll see they’ve even spec’d red bottle cage bolts!  They have also included a black & red anodised chain though, and I think that’s total overkill.

I like the fact the Specialized have used their own cranks but have stuck to the SRAM Red chainrings – if what we read is to be believed then there genuinely is a reason to run the right chainrings with this groupset (they’re spaced closer together for a better shift) so it’s good to see that has not been ignored.  For me though it’s far too ‘safe’ a finished look.  I think Specialized should have livened the bike up a bit with a special edition red saddle and some red bar tape.  They could easily be changed at the point of purchase if the customer wasn’t keen, and then the bike would really draw attention and stand out.

The Di2 version is a much more subtle affair.  I’m not a fan of the red colour of this model and I would have preferred to have seen the lairy, bright orange-red of their Special Edition SL3 for a range-topping bike.  In this colourscheme it’s way too safe for my liking and I’d much rather have the ‘even-more-safe-but-much-more-attractive’ plain black with white logos from the frameset-only option.

If you want to read a review, Padraig over at Red Kit Prayer has been riding around on one and has penned some thoughts down here.  If you’re considering one I implore you to get the SRAM Red one, put red bar tape on it and send me a pic!  Otherwise, buy the frameset and build it up to look something like this.

The acid test:  If I could fit my oddly-proportioned body onto one comfortably, would I buy one?  The frameset, yes, maybe.  The others?  No, for the simple reasons that one is too red and the other will look dated quite quickly when the stealth fad dies down.

It’s also worth noting that in the Specialized range their new aluminium Allez looks like it has the makings of a great race bike.  Aluminium is going through somewhat of a resurgence lately, and this one looks interesting – if you can convince your local dealer to sell you a frameset only that is!

Lugged stainless steel, built by Tarn Mott of Primate frames for Keir at McLennan Cycles in Victoria, Australia. I hope to be taking this for a spin sometime in March. If you’re in the Melbourne area you can too!

More detail here on CycleEXIF.

The deliciousness in it’s full glory may not be readily apparent from this side profile, and you can keep the Shimano CX crank, but there really is just so much to like about this build.  Check out the rest of the detail here.

But, actually, lots of the current higher end bikes now are – quite frankly – rather tasty (yes, I really did just say that!).  With the likes of Cannondale teaming up with Enve to produce standard bikes with really nice kit on I would (if I could fit on one) be seriously tempted – especially with that delicious new Si SL 2 chainset.  I even saw a *gasp* Specialized SL4 *shocked face* that I actually really liked the other day as well… (yes, I really did just say that too!)

So I decided that if there are nice, standard bikes out there that I’d write a bit about them.

Over the coming weeks – probably on a fornightly basis, although the first might appear next week – I will pick on one, two or three ‘bog standard’ bikes from some of the bigger name manufacturers and post my thoughts on their best offerings.  Some of my thoughts might even surprise me!

If there’s any bikes you’d particularly like to know my thoughts on please do let me know.  Look out for the first one soon.

Looks like I’ll be getting my limited edition purple Chris King hubs built into another set of Ambrosios for my Gaulzetti on the above evidence!

“It’s the bottle cage, obviously. It was suggested to me the one photographed looks absolutely hideous and, despite disagreeing, am now on the lookout for a more suitable example. Would be really interested in your opinion, and also in any other suggestion about my bike.”

How’s that for a blinged-up Cannondale Bad Boy?!  I kinda like it…  And for the record, I don’t think the bottle cage is that bad either.

But the solution is simple:  Arundel Mandible.  It’s the best cage on the market bar none (irrespective of weight – and if anyone selects a bottle cage based on weight alone they should expect ejected bottles, breakages and excessive expense), and I’m yet to see it look bad on any bike.

For this it’d be perfect, and it comes in a few different finishes to perfectly match it too.

“While my road bike is good to go and tastefully accented, my single speed mountain bike project is another story. I purchased a NOS 2008 Trek 69er frame:

It is a great looking orange color with beautifully shaped tubing. This frame was manufactured in small quantities by Trek and has a 26 inch rear wheel and 29 inch front wheel platform.

The fork pictured is a Niner ‘nude’ carbon fiber rigid fork and I am having trouble coming up with a color scheme. I work at a shop and have access to anything I need. I plan on going with Chris King hubs and I will be building the wheels. I am also adding a Chris King bottom bracket and headset. What colors should I go with? I was thinking Chris King brown components?

I’m lost. Could you help me out?”

Oh man I loved these things!  I actually had a geared version of the same bike for all of two days – I was sent the wrong size, charged twice for it and wasn’t told that not buying in store invalidated my warranty!  I digress…

In truth, if I remember rightly the pic shown above doesn’t really ring true in terms of the actual appearance of the orange colour – I seem to recall it’s very much more a browny-orange?  Anyway, you’re not lost at all Bob; my first thought as soon as I saw this question was “brown Chris King”, and that was before I’d even read anything!

Perhaps another option worth considering:  white.  It’ll tie in nicely with the Trek logo on the frame, and the Niner fork has some white on it too.  In terms of components, Tune do their Bobo headset in white, and I’m sure there’s another option or two out there on that front (Cane Creek perhaps?).  There’s bound to be a couple of white MTB hub options out there too.

One last thing – any chance of either stripping the fork back to bare carbon, or colour-matching it to the frame (or even just spraying it matt black)?  For me the Niner-Trek collaboration doesn’t work at all, and whilst it’d still be obvious that it’s a Niner fork at least the graphics won’t clash so badly!

Isn’t it tasty though?!

Something worth noting is the tightness of that rear triangle – visually stunning.  That’s also a magnetic bottle holder (be that good or bad).  Those look like On-One ‘Mary’ bars too, I used to *love* them!