Re: Six/13: Bikefanclub.com

Hi,

I am DollarBill's son, so I guess since I'm a smaller version of him and voicing my opinions, you can call me "TwoCentsDavid."

First, let me state that I've been riding for a little over three years (with an 8 month hiatus while I endured the miserable winter of the North before recently moving to sunny Florida) and have been riding a USPS Trek 5200.

Before test riding the six13 I had my heart set on either a Trek Madone 5.9 or 5900 (with Project One cow spots paint scheme, against my father's wishes not to embarrass him on club rides). I love my 5200 and thought that instead of trying something different that I would stick with the OCLV. Why fix what is not broke when it comes to what one becomes comfortable with? Besides, the fact that almost half the riders in our club ride 5200s is a testament to the quality and durability of Trek. That said, I quickly became a convert to the dark side of co-molding.

Well, I met my father at a local bike shop and they had the only six13 in Florida on display, and my father said I HAD to test it. The bike Gods were with me that day since the bike was my size and it was completely speced out with full Campy Record, K-Wing bar, and the most comfortable seat my tush has ever had the pleasure to rest on, a Fizi:K Aireone.

The bike was displayed on a pedestal about 5 ft off the ground and using two hands to lift it to the floor, I lifted it so quickly I almost threw it across the room. To say that this bike is light would be an extreme understatement. The six13 fully speced is almost as light as some manufacturer's frame sets (slightly exaggerated, but the point is made)

Having never ridden with Campy components, it took a few mashes and grinds of the gears and chain before I got comfortable with shifting, but once I understood how it worked, I can honestly say that my opinion of the bike aside, I will never go back to Shimano. These components shift with absolutely zero skipping in cadence.

Now, on to the bike itself............

Let me begin by saying that I understand riding a new bike is 50% mental in the sense that if you believe you are ridding an exceptional bike, one tends to mentally ride differently. That said, I ride faster and harder. Although I need trainning with endurance, I can take off from a spinning of 18 mph like a kid borrowing his dad's Porsche at a green light. To test this, after riding the six13 almost every day for the past three weeks, I recently took my 5200 for a quick ride. There is a difference. I have become a stronger rider but notice that I need more energy to stay on par with the six13.

Hills, bridges and steady inclines have always been my bane, but with the six13 I've noticed a considerable difference in my climbs. Being clipped in, taking a steep incline I no longer have the feel of pulling weight underneath me. The best way to describe it is to say that it is like getting ready to pull myself up a hill with the expectation that I will need to exert extra energy to pull my bike, only to realize that there isn't any added weight. I have always felt the strain in my calves as I climb, but with the six13, as I pull my legs up, it is a feeling like there is nothing connected to my pedals.

This bike glides like it is on ice.

I was always of the belief that the person makes the ride and not the bike. Although it can be said that Lance could ride a Schwinn with a banana seat and still finish with a respectable time at Six Gap in Georgia. For the masses, I am now a new believer that the bike does make a difference.

The design and fabrication of the six13 frame is near flawless. One could run their hand along the frame and not find where the aluminum ends and the carbon fiber begins. I challenge anyone to do this without a CSI team. The paint and detail is some of, if not, the best I've seen. And this coming from a professional artist who scrutinizes anything artistic (and yes, I still believe the Project One cow spots to still be one of the most creative designs!)

I understand that component-wise, groupo, seat, bars, seat post, etc, anyone can build the same type of bike with a different frame, but in my opinion, for sheer speed and lightness, there is no equal. I understand that co-molding materials is the new wave and I am sure other manufacturers will soon hop on the bandwagon to make the lightest frame, but for me, I am a new convert in the sense that Cannondale argueably makes the cleanest, most professional frame. Serrota, De Rosa, and Trek fans would be hard pressed to not agree that Cannondale's frames are pieces of artwork in themselves.

And this from someone who still loves his reliable, albeit slightly ignored, Trek 5200.

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