Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
|
|
A friend has been pushing me to get another bike. He thinks that Specialized builds the best bikes in the world.
Today, I rode a Specialized Tarmac Pro SL2 for about a mile around a flat parking lot. The Specialized sales guy told me that the bike would be much faster, have better acceleration and would be much more comfortable than my Calfee.
Well, to me the bike felt dead. There was nothing about the bike that made we want to push it hard. It didn't feel responsive and it didn't feel like it accelerated nearly as well as my Calfee. The bike just wasn't fun.
I know a one mile test ride isn't enough to tell me anything, but the bike just didn't speak to me. I couldn't wait to get back on my Calfee.
A came away with a greater appeciation for the bikes that Craig builds.
Bruce
|
skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
|
|
Quote:
Darby wrote:
A friend has been pushing me to get another bike. He thinks that Specialized builds the best bikes in the world.
Have your friend ride a Calfee. ...even if it's just around a flat parking lot.
Anyhow, "best bike" needs to be qualified. ie. Best bike for: who, where, how ridden, raced, tour, commute, mtn, road, price, comfort, weight, stiffness...
--------------------
Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
|
Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
|
|
Quote:
skuke wrote:
Have your friend ride a Calfee. ...even if it's just around a flat parking lot.
Anyhow, "best bike" needs to be qualified. ie. Best bike for: who, where, how ridden, raced, tour, commute, mtn, road, price, comfort, weight, stiffness...
My friend is all impressed with Specialized because their bikes have colorful paint schemes; they have their own clothing lines; and, brand their own bike accessories. I, on the other hand, like the simple but rugged looks of a Calfee. It looks like a bike that is built to last forever.
By the way, my friend actually did ride my bike for about a 100 yard ride once. At the time my bike had Topolino wheels on it. He said that my bike was too soft and comfortable. He equates a soft ride with low performance. The longest ride he has ever done is slightly more than 20 miles.
When he and I started riding on Sundays, he would take off and leave me in the dust. He would get so far ahead of me that I couldn't see him. Well, we didn't ride together for about four months and during that time I got a lot faster. He now pushes himself to exhaustion to keep up with me. I don't think he is going to call my Calfee slow anymore.
Bruce
|
skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
|
|
Quote:
Darby wrote:
My friend is all impressed with Specialized because their bikes have colorful paint schemes; they have their own clothing lines; and, brand their own bike accessories.
Yeah baby! Color coordinated, one stop shopping! 
What I like about Specialized is their lunch time rides that is, more or less, open to anyone who shows up!
Quote:
He equates a soft ride with low performance.
He would LOVE a mid/late 80's Klein or Cannondale. Those would, arguably, be the HIGHEST performance bike!
--------------------
Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
|
Nev
captain
Reged: 05/03/04
Posts: 376
Loc: Never where I want to be
|
|
Quote:
skuke wrote:
Quote:
Darby wrote:
My friend is all impressed with Specialized because...they have their own clothing lines; and, brand their own bike accessories.
Yeah baby! Color coordinated, one stop shopping!
Yea...a big major brand...etc.
Perhaps you've tried the stuff already, so OK, but the Specialized BG accessories are pretty darn good. They spend A LOT on R&D. Gloves, seats, clothing, shoes...and a lot of their other stuff are really quite exceptional. And for the price. Much better than a lot of other Gucci brand products. Try it. Don't knock it.
Give some of the BG stuff a try next time you need something. But only if you can live with yourself if someone see you with the  next time you're out riding.
Oh, saw a whole lot of Tarmacs at the end of the race today, eh?
Edited by Nev (07/28/08 05:14 AM)
|
Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
|
|
Quote:
Nev wrote:
Yea...a big major brand...etc.
Perhaps you've tried the stuff already, so OK, but the Specialized BG accessories are pretty darn good. They spend A LOT on R&D. Gloves, seats, clothing, shoes...and a lot of their other stuff are really quite exceptional. And for the price. Much better than a lot of other Gucci brand products. Try it. Don't knock it.
Give some of the BG stuff a try next time you need something. But only if you can live with yourself if someone see you with the next time you're out riding.
Oh, saw a whole lot of Tarmacs at the end of the race today, eh?
Don't get me wrong, I like the stuff Specialized makes. I have a pair of their gloves and will probably buy their S-works shoes with the Boa enclosure after my Shimano shoes wear out.
I may also buy a Specialized Stumpjumper mountain bike before I buy another road bike. Overall, I think Specialized is a good brand. I just think I like my Calfee better than anything road bike they make.
Bruce
|
dfcas
contributor
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 143
|
|
Quote:
Darby wrote:
A friend has been pushing me to get another bike. He thinks that Specialized builds the best bikes in the world.
Specialized doesn't have a factory to build bikes in. All of their bikes are built by contractors. I'm not saying that this is bad, just a fact that needs to be known. After all, we went to the moon in stuff made by the lowest bidder.
Specialized has taken marketing to a new higher level: No investment in manfacturing capabilities.
On second thought, I think they did buy the water bottle company.
--------------------
no signature
|
gutefahrt
new member
Reged: 04/11/08
Posts: 22
|
|
Quote:
Nev wrote:
Perhaps you've tried the stuff already, so OK, but the Specialized BG accessories are pretty darn good. They spend A LOT on R&D. Gloves, seats, clothing, shoes...and a lot of their other stuff are really quite exceptional. And for the price. Much better than a lot of other Gucci brand products. Try it. Don't knock it.
Give some of the BG stuff a try next time you need something...
Good timing on this topic. My wife bought me some $160 BG shorts for my birthday yesterday. After a 3 hour ride today, I've already returned them to the bike shop. My saddle is completely smooth, but this didn't stop the material from pilling and looking 3 years old! It sucks, 'cause I liked how they fit. I'm tall and the shoulder straps on the bibs are much more stretchy than on the other bibs I own. I think I'll be ordering some Assos.
|
Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
|
|
Quote:
gutefahrt wrote:
Good timing on this topic. My wife bought me some $160 BG shorts for my birthday yesterday. After a 3 hour ride today, I've already returned them to the bike shop. My saddle is completely smooth, but this didn't stop the material from pilling and looking 3 years old! It sucks, 'cause I liked how they fit. I'm tall and the shoulder straps on the bibs are much more stretchy than on the other bibs I own. I think I'll be ordering some Assos.
I would like to try Campagnolo shorts and bibs. They have some high-pad air cushion that might make the saddle more comfortable on long rides.
Anyone have experience with Campagnolo shorts and bibs?
Buce
web page
|
skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
|
|
Quote:
dfcas wrote:
Specialized doesn't have a factory to build bikes in. All of their bikes are built by contractors...
Where my bike was made
--------------------
Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
|
skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
|
|
Quote:
Darby wrote:
I would like to try Campagnolo shorts and bibs. They have some high-pad air cushion that might make the saddle more comfortable on long rides.
Guaranteed way to make a saddle more comfortable on long rides is to ride lots of long rides!
However, there is a law of diminishing returns. At some point there is no more comfortable and the suffering really begins. Personally, that's around 7-8 hours for me. I have sucked it up and suffered for 11, once.
BTW, if you're finicky about saddle height, don't go too crazy on super-duper-ultra-cushy-thick/soft/shock absorbing-air/water/gel shorts padding. Intolerance of saddle height changes will get worse with those shorts as you add more winter clothing. And, as you change between new and old style shorts.
--------------------
Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
|
Darby
sage
Reged: 08/03/06
Posts: 441
Loc: Orange County California
|
|
Quote:
skuke wrote:
Guaranteed way to make a saddle more comfortable on long rides is to ride lots of long rides!
However, there is a law of diminishing returns. At some point there is no more comfortable and the suffering really begins. Personally, that's around 7-8 hours for me. I have sucked it up and suffered for 11, once.
BTW, if you're finicky about saddle height, don't go too crazy on super-duper-ultra-cushy-thick/soft/shock absorbing-air/water/gel shorts padding. Intolerance of saddle height changes will get worse with those shorts as you add more winter clothing. And, as you change between new and old style shorts.
Thanks for the feedback.
I have been riding more lately and longer rides and for the most part, I am fine with saddle comfort. I was considering Campagnolo shorts because I am looking for shorts with a really firm pad. I have four pairs of shorts and one pair of bibs. However, 90% of the time I only use two pairs of the shorts because the pad in them works well for me. They are 2006 Pearl Izumi Microsensor shorts; the ones with the red and black pad. The others are cheaper level Pearl Izumi shorts and they have what amounts to a cheap foam rubber pad in them that does almost nothing for me. Kucharik will change the pads reasonably if he has a decent pad, or if I can find one I like. What I like is a firm, ?hard? pad that doesn?t collapse when I sit on it.
The 2006 Microsensor shorts so far as the best that I have found. Apparently, Pearl Izumi changed the design of the Microsensors for 2007 so the new ones probably won?t work the same.
Bruce
|
Previous
Thread Index
Next
Threaded
Specialized Tarmac Pro SL2
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: