Reviews

Review disclaimers: I’m not a bike professional.  I don’t have any test equipment and don’t ride a control test bike to isolate different variables. These reviews are highly subjective, personal and based on seat of the pants observations. With that, let’s get started.

eecycleworks  eebrake Review:

I’ve never been into boutique brakes. They are way expensive, have minimal weight savings and usually perform worse than standard brakes. In general, they either have inferior stopping power or have lots of power without any control, tending to skid easily. Lose / lose proposition.

The ee’s got me over the line though. The aesthetic is great, they are ugly because they are function driven, thus they look cool to me. Somebody spent a lot of time thinking about braking and I had to reward the engineering fanaticism with a purchase.

The other feature that I love is the ease with which you can change brake pads without tools. As someone who frequently changes between aluminum and carbon rims, this is nice:

In terms of braking performance, these things kick butt. On my first ride, I was very impressed and turned every stopping occasion into a panic stop, waiting to see how late I could go before hitting the brakes. They are much stronger than the SRAM Red brakes that I replaced and they modulate better.

The best summary of their performance was given by Henry, “Near Dura-Ace performance for 3x the price!” There’s no way around it, these things are very expensive and if you are replacing DA brakes, the only thing you will have to show for it besides a lighter wallet is a lighter bike. But buying bikes and bike parts is hardly a rational endeavor, right?!

Real world test:

These brakes, saved my skin at the BBC Alabany Crit and validated their existence.

Early in the race, a rider went down in front of me. I was able to slow down quickly and steer out of the way, maintaing control the whole time. As Pirelli and Carl Lewis say in an ad which has disturbed me for years, “Power is Nothing Without Control”

Positives:
- Phenomenal braking power and modulation
- Extremely light
- Easy brake pad changes
- Ability to switch between narrow and wide rims without adjusting the cable
- Terminator looks
- Complexity

Negatives:
- Very expensive ($519 at retail without pads)
- Quick release is on or off. Can’t brake when disengaged for a broken spoke
- Barrel adjuster hard to turn while riding
- Complexity

Overall: If you want to go the boutique, uber-light brake route without sacrificing performance, then the eebrakes are the choice.

Full Metal Giant – Giant TCR Advanced Review

This is my Giant. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Without my Giant, I am useless. My Giant, without me…would be winning lots of races….

Well not too much metal here, except for in the dropouts.

With bike frames, my personal view is that the quality of frame building is so high right now that there aren’t really “bad bikes” once you get over $1,200 or so per frame. The higher prices tend to get you lower weight. The biggest difference that a typical rider feels comes from geometry and ride harshness which is determined by the manufacturer’s decision to tune the stiffness-to-comfort tradeoff through the carbon layup.

I have been riding my 2008 Giant TCR Advanced for more than a year. I’ve only owned and ridden a few bikes, so my scope of comparison is limited.

Bikes I own / have owned

Felt F45, Felt FC, Pedal Force RS, Felt TK2 track bike, Cannondale Capo fixie, Ridley X-Fire cyclocross bike

Bikes I have ridden

Trek 5500, Cannondale SuperSix, Pinarello F4:13, Bianchi 928, Felt F55

Weight: The frame is around 1 kilo. Not in the same class as the ultra-lights out there, but pretty good. As pictured above (pedals, cages and all), the bike weighs 15.05 pounds.

Geometry: The actual top tube is relatively short and the head tube is relatively tall. My body is built with disproportionately longs legs and short torso so the geometry on this bike is good for this. Given my proportions, I size bikes mainly for the top tube and adjust everything else (hence the long seatpost). If I sized for my legs, I would be stretched out reaching for the bars.

Performance / Handling: The best way to describe the TCR Advanced is that it is “snappy” in acceleration and handling. It’s the lightest bike I’ve owned, so that plays a part. For acceleration, I think the compact geometry plays a role as the rear triangle is tiny and doesn’t flex much. Compared to other bikes I’ve ridden, particularly when compared to the Felts, sprinting and riding out of the saddle seems to drive the Giant forward more.

The short wheelbase makes this bike steer quickly. This is definitely my favorite crit bike. For the skiers out there, I would compare this to a slalom ski with a short natural turning radius. The flipside is that the bike is less stable in straight lines and takes more concentration to ride with no hands. On descents, I like this aspect as I can change lines mid-corner very easily when I see sand or other obstructions at the last minute. On my other bikes, usually the only choice is to slow down and / or roll over the debris. On a ripping descent of Old La Honda, we came upon a stream of water mid-corner and I was able to quickly adjust and hit the “less wet” section of the corner and avoid a washout.

Surprisingly, this bike is very comfortable. Could be a combination of things, partially the frame and part of it could have to do with the seatpost length that I run. I do know that regardless of the wheelset that I run, this bike has the least harshness over road imperfections of any that I own.

I would recommend this bike to anyone who likes a quick handling frame. Giants are typically a great value for the performance you get, particularly if you are a BBC member and get the team deal!

Selle SMP Evolution Saddle Review

I’m hesitant to write a saddle review since saddle fit is as individual as each one of us. What works for me might be a torture device for you.

After trying many saddles, this saddle works for me. The padding is minimal, but well placed and I can ride in comfort for hours. Unless I ride a saddle with a center channel I get a lot of pain then go numb. I’ve also found that I need a saddle that is rounded on the outer edges rather than “squaring off” the corners.

What is unique about the SMP is the cupped shape in the middle and the fact that the channel goes through the nose. The nose channel definitely provides comfort when I’m in the drops scooted forward on the saddle tip and hammering. When surprised by bumps in the road, the wide center channel prevents the shock from hurting the nether regions.

Pros: The hide is leather and very comfortable. The length and shape of the saddle gives you lots of options for finding comfort while riding.

Cons: Expensive ($180 – $240 at retail). The saddle is heavy (230 gr), steel rails will do that. The leather hide wears easily around the sharp nose creases when wet. This isn’t much of an issue on the road.  However, if you ride indoors where you sweat a lot and don’t switch positions too often, you can wear through the hide. I highly recommend using a rain cover indoors which eliminates the problem.

If you’re a “center channel person”, I recommend that you give this saddle a try.