2012 Simplon Serum

Who are you (no off-topic talk please)

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kolarzyk
Posts: 93
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:17 pm
Location: Europe

by kolarzyk

Hi!

I thought that i could add something new to the forum and here it's one of my Simplons - Serum in the latest specification and the last i hope but this is the heaviest spec too(after RED 2011 and 2012, Clavicula and Gravitas SL), nevertheless i like it very much. I never supposed that Di2 might suit me so, you never know what you find in next chocolate :D it's super comfortable in use, reliable and light enough. I don't know the weight of complete bike yet, i'll put it on scale in few days. If it comes to the frame and manufacturer it's quite rare, it's first Serum on WW, isn't it? Maybe because of that all their frames are made in Austria and there aren't many out there. What i like the most is the attention to detail in every single thing and design though the Serum may not be the -est of anything but if offers a brilliant balance of light weight, stiffness, build quality and ride quality.

Specs:

- Simplon Serum size 55(the weight of bare frame with hanger and uncut seat mast is 926gram, fork uncut 339grams, headset 90grams)
- Mavic CCU with Ti freehub and Conti Competition tubulars, tune u20 qr's
- Dura Ace Di2 with tenergy battery(internal), 11-27 cassette
- Rotor 3D+ with P2M, THM pressfit BB, 53/38 Stronglight CT2
- speedplay pedals with Ti spindles and Ti plates
- syntace F109(120mm), Syntace Racelite 2 44cm
- selle San Marco SuperLeggera saddle
- Lizard DSP bartape

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Last edited by kolarzyk on Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.


by Weenie


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jsinclair
Posts: 389
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 3:26 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

by jsinclair

Nice. The yellow cable housings are an interesting touch, they look quite good.

TOflat
Posts: 156
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 5:43 am

by TOflat

Definitely not everyday I hear of a new company I've heard nothing about. But from those photos, I like it very very much!

fio
in the industry
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:34 pm
Location: Madison, WI

by fio

I like it. Very sleek. The cables look great too.

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WasFab
Posts: 261
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2012 1:40 am

by WasFab

Superb look as bike should look... Excellent. I hope they rides they look.

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Tinea Pedis
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Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2009 6:08 am
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by Tinea Pedis

I really like these bikes. Very nice indeed!

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apLe
Posts: 261
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:24 pm
Location: Poland/Cracow

by apLe

Good looking bike Tomasz. Hope to see you soon on Beskyd Tour maybe? And actually I don't believe that it's the final iteration of this bike ;>
18' R5 coming soon...

CippoForLife
Shop Owner
Posts: 1357
Joined: Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:35 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada
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by CippoForLife

Totally awesome...love Simplon.
More ride info PLEASE.

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Giant DK
Posts: 1345
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 3:03 pm
Location: Denmark

by Giant DK

Great to yet another Simplon on this forum!
Techn writer at Velomore Denmark

My Simplon Pavo II

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Frankie - B
Admin - In the industry
Posts: 6573
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2003 8:17 am
Location: Drenthe, Holland

by Frankie - B

This looks good, but what is the weight of the machine?
'Tape was made to wrap your GF's gifts, NOT hold a freakin tire on.'
If you want to see 'meh' content of me and my bike you can follow my life in pictures here!

Fretje13
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:23 pm
Location: Belgium

by Fretje13

Beautyfull and sober bike :o

kolarzyk
Posts: 93
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:17 pm
Location: Europe

by kolarzyk

Now the weight doesn't exceed 6.3kg(13.9lbs).

I know that the green of cables parhaps don't suit too well but i didn't want black ones. The light green gives some "life" and stands out from the blackness of whole bike. I know all black bikes without decals have some charm but they are just too simple for me and a little boring.

How it rides, you ask. It rides as its rider does :) But let's get down to the nitty-gritty, it's super comofortable - Simplon Vibrex design really works. I met with this technology in their hardatail MTB frame 2 years ago - Razorblade, during a first ride in terrain i checked all the time if i didn't get the puncture and if the pressure in rear was right casue i got feeling as i was sitting on a full suspension bike until after 30min i realised that it must have been their Vibrex. Of course i doesn't work like full suspenison but riding on gravel , rubble was much smoother than on other carbon high end frames. Slim seatstay slightly bent arcuate do their job very well but in Serum vibration absorption goes even futher, it goes exactly into integrated seat tube which is also slightly curved and quite skinny (26.8mm) what causes yielding. When you push from above on the back of saddle it moves about 1-1.5cm. In my second Simplon - Pavo which also has Vibrex but only in rear seatstay and standard seatpost(31.6mm diameter) ride feeling is harsher but still smoother than Specialized SL3 and SL4 for example i had chance riding at the begining of this year.

If comes to stiffnes i can't complain about that. I have no idea how stiff it's acording to test in Tour etc, but anyone who takes a ride first what says is: "wow, how it accelerates and how responsive it is!" The frame handles really well with my weight of 74kg and with many pulls on short climbs at races. Perhaps it's due to quite wide(BB86) and massive bottom bracket. If we are at BB, here's one thing i'd like to mention. I use Rotor 3D+ crank that has 30mm spindle, the frame has BB86 standard so i had to use THM pressfit cups. Somewhere on this forum is topic about them and many says that they can't be durable it's not true, they hold surprisingly well and spin very smooth after 2500km and washing with Karcher. Other thing improving stiffnes may be also Double chamber technology - carbon rib inside tubes(maintube and seat tube) it also makes tubes stronger and it works too, i think. After many kms and three years of riding on Stomp(Simplon too) in mountains where there is lots of loose stones downtube still holds without any crack despite many hits with this terrifing sound that makes you think you have a big hole in your frame. By the way i saw two Pavo's broken but both of them were hit by cars so i doesn't count.

Geometry - slightly different form Pavo, Serum has top tube 5mm shorter than Pavo and base wheel too, the same tube in Serum has more sloping too. I know it's not a lot but in tight turns i feel this little difference, Serum doesn't require so leaning as Pavo does that's why i usually take Pavo into mountains. It's simply more "handy" on long descents. Other things about geomtery don't stand out everything seems to be carefully thought out. I didn't have to think over spacers, stem length. I just put my favorite handlebar and stem 120mm and that's perfect for me nothing hurts, i'm low in drops on straights and upright on top of handlebar on climbs. Bike's handling is as it should be - predictible and reliable, not too lazy and not too "nervous".

Sorry, but i just can't find the weak point of this frame set(what comes me easy with products of other brands), i don't work for Simplon, i live in country where i don't even have a dealer of this brand. I could have many frames high end frames for 1/2 or 2/3 of the price but paid retail for Serum. I saw, rode and repaired many top bikes, in my opinion simplon's frames(not only Serum) offer many ideas and technologies that are thought out and created to make riding a bike nicer and more effective but what i like the most is the finish of their frame i don't mean the painting but the way they are made and details they focus on.

If you have more questions please ask. I'll be happy to reply.

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prendrefeu
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by prendrefeu

I've always had a thing for Simplons, and this is no exception. So far my most favourite build for 2012 (apologies to GumGardner).
Exp001 || Other projects in the works.

by Weenie


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Husum
Posts: 59
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:03 am
Location: Denmark

by Husum

prendrefeu wrote:So far my most favourite build for 2012


What he said..

Is to much to ask for some high-res pictures? :wink:

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