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Comments - The Transcendent Roundness

April 19, 2010

Phil - I can tell you what I am not - I am not some non-PRO living in little Arkansas. Also, let me ask - how does one "earn" the right to say PRO? It's just a stupid saying. It's like making fun of someone for a chain ring mark and you're a CATIII - you still suck, you're still slow, you're just slow without a grease mark.
- Tom, DC

April 19, 2010

The Kobh looks like a 2009 Eddy MerckxAXM frame with a Pinarello nose cone glued on and a Pinarello wavy fork. Pure marketing genius, not only is Pinarello moving dead stock, they are charging twice as much for it.
- David Inglis, Winnipeg

April 18, 2010

Roadent: Not sure what you meant by "went through all of this with Mike Barry (Sr's) shop first time around". The best part about Mike Barry is that he never claimed to have or saw the use for "fairy dust" on any of his bikes...He always taught me that the best solution was an esthetically pleasing one that sacrificed nothing in terms of utility. Perhaps to his financial detriment, practicality was always what he promoted.
- Krys Hines Domestique Cafe Cyclo Sportif, Dundas, On

April 18, 2010

Tom - he has long since earned the right to use PRO the way he wants. Who are you?
- Phil, LR,AR

April 16, 2010

So, so many things wrong here: 1. if you use "PRO" you're lame. 2. No mention of Joe young wheels 3. No mention of Land Shark bikes Result - good article, lame outcome - then again . . .
- Tom, DC

April 15, 2010

Left Cost is the Best Coast! www.PDXWHEELS.com
- PDXWheels, Portland

April 13, 2010

The ti Merckx I bought was after they ended their routine with Litespeed after some French company had bought it. On other hand the model name on it is Titane which I think is french for titanium. It didn't have the Litespeed sticker(s) that all of the other Merckx ti frames did. I was told that it was made in Italy and painted @ Merckx factory. (I don't like the raw ti "look".) My point is that medal frames CAN be custom and carbon can't. I have a very long back and stock size(s) don't really work all that well for me which is why I have bought custom last several bikes. And yes I would agree, FC's performances have to do with his natural ability along with getting older and knowing what he is doing. Superhuman indeed, most impressive!!
- Michael, Edina MN

April 13, 2010

Molly is a she. How can people so attached to the industry not know that... or not care?
- ian, baltimore

April 13, 2010

Does anyone know what tire pressure Cancellara uses in his FMB's? They looked huge and they appeared to just cruise over the cobbles.
- Marty, Madera, CA

April 13, 2010

Leukmans was definitely pissed at the moto and thought Cancellara was being pulled by it; he said as much in interviews after. Also, am I the only one who finds this bit from a response below funny: "Most of the PRO's rode bikes back in the day that were custom. They might have stickers that said other wise. The plastic (of course we'll call them carbon) that Pro's ride now don't lend themselves to custom and more is the pity. Of course that said I am running Campy Erus wheels on my custom ti Merckx for last several years and love them!" Isn't a "custom ti Merckx" just a rebadged Litespeed? I'm pretty sure Merckx never produced its own Ti frames. Also, regarding the speculation about Cancellara, his recent performances, while superhuman, seem to be part of his natural progression.
- Brian, Cambridge

April 13, 2010

On Eurosport while calling the race Sean Kelly called FC's performance "unbelievably strong." I take this literally, but read it like you want. That kind of ambiguity is bliss for the delusional pro-cycling fan, and god knows most of us are.
- Oliver, Carrboro

April 12, 2010

I like how some folks who can't make remarks about those who can. Simoni/Basso aside I think that Cancellara's performance these past two weekends were not only stronger, but smarter than the rest. When he picked the time to drop hammer, Booden was hanging in back and tired after chasing down attack after attack. MAybe I just want to believe that hard work and training along with getting to be 29 and understanding tactics and his foes is the reason he is winning. Hope I am not wrong but to act like you know he is cheating is well, tacky.
- Michael, Edina MN

April 12, 2010

IF by "The way Björn Leukemans angrily shook his fist at him as Cancellara shed him -- that told the whole tale" you mean the tale of Cancellara's performance being so suspicious that even his fellow competitors are beginning to doubt the human capacity for such feats (with Roger Hammond saying F.C. was basically from or on another planet) - then ok. Remember, Gibo Simoni called Basso an extra-terrestrial in 2006 Giro and most people scoffed - until it was revealed that Basso was a Fuentes client.
- Danny, Pittsburgh

April 12, 2010

Leukemans can (theorhetically) blame the moto all he wants... but it's not the moto's fault he couldn't stay with FC. if FC was pacing behind the moto, BL could have paced just as easily behind Cancellara. MY favorite part... (@2:12) after FC gets the 5m gap with that small group, he takes just a little peek over his shoulder to see a little empty road. on goes the turbo charger, another look (@2:17) GAME OVER. (oooh la-la, la-la... we have a problem!") -- oh, i'm riding a Reynolds 531 frame which was given to me as a gift in 1985. hand made, but definately off a production line. longevity is comfort and durability, handmade or robot made.
- al b, madison

April 12, 2010

I thought it was strange that all the custom frames at hand made show were sporting factory wheelsets (for most part) My Merckx MX is custom and speaks to the day when you could get a custom from regular frame shops that had a brand. Most of the PRO's rode bikes back in the day that were custom. They might have stickers that said other wise. The plastic (of course we'll call them carbon) that Pro's ride now don't lend themselves to custom and more is the pity. Of course that said I am running Campy Erus wheels on my custom ti Merckx for last several years and love them!
- Michael, Edina MN

April 12, 2010

Molly sells road tires as well, for a good bit less.
- RA, Chatt

April 12, 2010

"...it takes a lot of extra work to accommodate 28c tires" and this is a darn shame. "Standard reach" brakes have long since become non-standard. Too bad, because a lot of folks (not just racers in P-R) would do better with wider tires inflated at lower psi. After all, how much of "comfortable" vs. "harsh riding" is really a function of tire inflation rather than frame material? Modern sub-15 lb. CFRP bikes are incredible in so may ways. Adaptability is not one of them.
- PawleeWalnutz, NYC

April 12, 2010

Leukemans was pissed because he felt the motorbike too close and Cancellara was getting a draft from it. He shook his fist to get the bike to move away. Not sure what you're talking about re: the head shake unless it was the save Cancellara made when wide in the corner.
- E, PS

April 12, 2010

Oh dear god, please not another online debate as to why Molly prefers "she" over "he" and whether or not he/she is in actuality a him/her.
- AH, Indy

April 12, 2010

The Molly thing comes up here and there on the internet. I've got no dog in that fight, but... Molly is transgender. She was born male, and races bikes with the men, but identifies as a woman. She prefers to be referred to in the feminine. Discussion around this is something that I've seen take on an ugly life of its own on. I hope we all have the maturity and mutual respect to understand that gender and identity are areas in which not everyone fits into a neat little box. More than anything though, Molly is a kind person, runs a great little bike shop, and is a kick-ass bike racer.
- B.E., Portland

April 12, 2010

We're pretty much all frames built with clearance for 28c until the recent aero fixation? I've run 25c on my Merckx Racing for a few years now but the clearance on the Easton EC70 fork is tight to non-existent on a hot day. Feels so much smoother than 23c and no noticeable increase in rolling resistance. If anything I think Pinarello are ahead of the curve with this frameset in terms of offering something that's versatile enough to take on any challenge your average sportive rider would fancy at any time of the year.
- Alex, London

April 12, 2010

Tailored hand-built wheels are absolutely fantastic. I went through wheelbuilder.com, local to my area. Went from Ksyrium SLs to DT Swiss 240/low spoke count rims/sapim cx-- difference was night and day in comfort on my Cervelo S1. New wheels actually weigh less too! In our culture, where we (most of us) obsess over every single gear choice, I also do not know why custom hand-builts are not more popular. PS I'm surprised there was no mention here to promote the FMB tires and/or Zipp 303s in the part yesterday where Fabian blipped a huge pot-hole and bounced his rear wheel a good 5-6 inches while building his huge gap!
- Andrew, Los Angeles

April 12, 2010

Errrr. Molly prefers her. So correction: I know Molly Cameron was the FMB pioneer for the US market, and major props to her for her vision in that regard -- but her specialty is the 'cross market and I think that's all she stocks (though I might be wrong on that.) So, anyway, enjoy.
- Doug, ATL

April 12, 2010

I'm pretty sure he was yelling at the moto. Do you think the Zpp 303's helped Cancellera over the last 2 weekends. Once he got away and into TT mode. Just food for thought.
- Brian, NYC

April 12, 2010

http://www.sveltecycles.com/servlet/Page?template=tailored-wheels
- Steve, Milwaukee

April 12, 2010

If you are referring to who I think you are, Molly Cameron is not a HER.
- Jay, Tucson

April 12, 2010

Molly is a man. [It started as his/him, then somebody told me it should be hers/she. I've now resorted to Google Images and come to the conclusion that he is definitely he, and based on the CX photos is quite a manly he at that. Sorry Molly for the goof. -B]
- Erik, Atlanta

April 12, 2010

He was shaking his fist at the moto, not Fabian,
- Erik, Atlanta

April 12, 2010

Bit tired of the NAHBS action - been hard core for 26 years now: went through all of this with Mike Barry (Sr's) shop first time around: popped-out-of-a-mold-in-Taiwan works just fine for me (can't really detect the fairy dust, but rides just the same - no, wait, 1000% better - differential layup and no restriction on shapes really makes a huge difference). As for wheels, well, yeah, I mean, I've built almost a thousand pairs myself, and have had road wheels ridden 5k on the rim off-road without a spoke wrench needed to be taken to them...but, I'm riding pre-built/proprietary wheels now - my Fulcrums are awesome: again, no fairy dust, but good tools (as bikes and wheels are now, for me....). Don't conflate the 'want' piece with the 'good enough' part...Sure, I'd ride a Vanilla, etc., if you gave it to me, but just don't want to worry that much....
- Roadent, Toronto

April 12, 2010

"If you could own only one frame and you had to keep it for a long, long time, would it be of the "handmade" variety?" Yes, and I think you put too much stock in the bullshit around handmade bikes. I ride a handmade frame and will continue riding it as my main bike for many years to come for one simple reason: PERFECT FIT. I don't really buy into the mystique of hand made bikes being "better" but I certainly know when someone can make tubes of any shape or size, the resulting bike is going to fit better than most frames off the shelf. I'm a tall guy with weird size issues on stock frames, so handmade is a million times better.
- Matt, Portland.